As tradition holds, New Year’s Day is for college football and the bowl game schedule to kickoff 2026 are as big as it gets. On January 1, 2026, the College Football Playoff takes center stage with three quarterfinal bowl games. There is no NFL Thursday Night Football game on TV today as the country focuses on college football.
Fans can leave the remote alone as all of the New Year’s Day games are on ESPN. There are no non-College Football Playoff bowl games on TV today.
Miami kicked the next round off of the College Football Playoff with an upset victory over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. The Canes await the winner of the Sugar Bowl as Georgia takes on Ole Miss at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Texas Tech squares off against Oregon in the Orange Bowl to kickoff today’s college football schedule. Fans can watch this CFP matchup at 12 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. Finally, the Rose Bowl is once again in its traditional New Year’s Day late-afternoon window.
Yet, it comes with a non-traditional matchup with an SEC-Big Ten clash. Indiana squares off against Alabama in the Rose Bowl at 4 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Here’s what you need to know about the college football schedule for New Year’s Day.
College Football Schedule for New Year’s Day: There Are 3 College Football Playoff Games on TV Today
Here’s a look at the college football schedule for New Year’s day. All times listed are in Eastern.
| DATE | GAME | TIME (ET) | CHANNEL |
| January 1 | No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| January 1 | No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| January 1 | No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
College Football Schedule for Friday, January 2: There Are 4 Bowl Games on Friday
The bowl schedule continues on Friday, January 2, with four games. Here’s a look at the upcoming schedule and all times listed are in Eastern.
| DATE | GAME | TIME (ET) | CHANNEL |
| January 2 | Rice vs. Texas State | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| January 2 | Navy vs. Cincinnati | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| January 2 | Arizona vs. SMU | 8 p.m. | FOX |
| January 2 | Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
College Football Playoff Schedule: The Semifinal Games Are on January 8-9
Once the New Year’s slate concludes, fans will have to wait another week for the next round of the College Football Playoff. Here’s a look at the remaining CFP games which resume on Thursday, January 9.
| DATE | GAME | TIME (ET) | TV CHANNEL |
| January 8 | Fiesta Bowl: Miami vs. TBD | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| January 9 | Peach Bowl | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| January 19 | National Championship | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Miami Awaits the Winner of Georgia vs. Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl
On New Year’s Eve, Miami became the first team to punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Canes await the winner of the SEC clash between Georgia and Ole Miss. A Georgia win would setup a matchup between Miami quarterback Carson Beck and his former team.
“When you look at the College Football Playoff bracket when it came out, it’s hard not to look forward to the games,” Beck admitted to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, per Field Level Media.
“You see the two teams that we could end up playing, and I’m super excited for this team and the opportunity to play in the semifinals, and whichever team is able to win that game (on Thursday between Ole Miss and Georgia), we’ll go on and prepare and we’ll make the most of it.
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