News/Commentary

2024/25 College Sports Season Schedule - Key Dates in NCAA Basketball and Football

April 3, 2024 by Staff

If you are a big fan of college sports, the excitement is all year round. Most of the excitement comes from March Madness, leading to the NCAA Basketball Championship, and the New Year's Six Bowl games, leading to the CFP National Championship Game. This happens on a yearly basis, with games filled with surprises, upsets, and rising superstars. A recent example is the rise of Caitlin Clark, who became the all-time leader for NCAA career points in the NCAA DI Women’s basketball.

What is the 2024/25 College Football Season Schedule Like?

Like every other year, the 2024 NCAA Football season kicks off on Labor Day weekend in the week ending August 31. However, five games will be held a week earlier in “Week Zero.” One of these five games will be held in Dublin, Ireland, between Florida State and Georgia Tech. The NCAA regular season will run until December 14, and the postseason kicks start a week later. 

The College Football Playoff was introduced in 2014 with four teams competing in a two-round elimination tournament. From the 2024/25 season, this will change to 12 teams, allowing for more teams a chance to win the big prize. 

This also means that more games will be played during the playoffs, enabling fans more fixtures to test their betting prowess. If you're looking forward to the regular season or the playoffs, different sports betting apps will provide odds for these games. More sportsbooks are being launched regularly, and many states are adopting sports betting. Fanatics Sportsbook and ESPN Bet are some of the new online sports betting platforms offering NCAAF and NCAAB matches. Odds are also available if you prefer games from the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB.

The five highest-ranked NCAAF conference winners will receive automatic bids to the playoffs, while the remaining seven will be selected according to ranks in the division. The four highest-ranked conference winners will receive a bye into the playoff quarter-finals, while the remaining sides ranked 5-12 will face each other in the first round. The quarter-finals will see the introduction of the New Year’s Six Bowl games. The Peach Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl will all be played in the quarterfinals, while the semifinals will see the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl. The CFP National Championship Game will be held on Monday, January 20, 2025.

How About the 2024/25 College Basketball Schedule?

The NCAA Basketball regular season usually starts in the first week of November and lasts until the middle of March. The 2025 March Madness will begin on March 18, 2025. The NCAA Championship game will be held at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on April 7, 2025. As usual, 68 teams will make it to the March Madness. 32 of these teams will receive automatic bids for winning their conference tournaments. The remaining 36 teams will be selected by the NCAA Selection Committee in an “at large” bid. The Selection Committee will also rank the 68 qualified teams. Teams ranked in the bottom eight will start the tournament with a First Four round. The 2024/25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season will follow a similar schedule to the men's season. The tournament title final will be held at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

The 2024/25 season is undoubtedly another to look forward to in college sports. Thanks to events from various sports, the excitement is all year round. Football fans will see action from August 2024 until January 2025. Basketball actions are live from November 2024 until April 2025. The NCAA Men's Soccer season lasts from August 2024 until December 2024.