News/Commentary

Dates for Playoff Games Announced

January 10, 2013 by CFP Staff and BCS

The new college football playoff will launch January 1, 2015 with semifinals in Pasadena and New Orleans, it was announced today by college football commissioners who met in Miami, making the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl the first sites to host the newly launched four-team playoff.

The Orange Bowl in Miami and a yet-to-be named-site will host the semifinal games beginning in the second year of the playoff. The hosts of the semifinal games in the third year of the playoff are yet to be named.

Each bowl will host semifinals once every three years.

In addition, a Monday night in early January will become a fixed night for the national championship game, which previously floated among various weeknights.

"The new playoff is starting to take shape," said Bill Hancock, the Executive Director of the BCS and the future playoff. "This is an exciting time for college football as we take an already-popular game and make it even more exciting for student-athletes and fans."

Additional announcements remain to be made about the city that will host the first championship game, as well as the cities that will host semifinal games when they’re not taking place in Miami, New Orleans or Pasadena.

The following is the rotation announced today by the commissioners:

Year Host Bowls and National Semifinals Championship Game
2014-15 Wed., Dec. 31 and Thurs., Jan. 1 Mon., Jan. 12, 2015
2015-16 Thurs., Dec. 31 and Fri., Jan. 1 Mon., Jan. 11, 2016
2016-17 Sat., Dec. 30 and Mon., Jan. 1 Mon., Jan. 9, 2017
2017-18 Sat., Dec. 30 and Mon., Jan. 1 Mon., Jan. 8, 2018
2018-19 Mon., Dec. 31 and Tues., Jan. 1 Mon., Jan. 7, 2019
2019-20 Tues., Dec. 31 and Wed., Jan. 1 Mon., Jan. 13, 2020
2020-21 Thurs., Dec. 31 and Fri., Jan. 1 Mon., Jan. 11, 2021
2021-22 Fri., Dec. 31 and Sat., Jan. 1 Mon., Jan. 10, 2022
2022-23 Sat., Dec. 31 and Mon., Jan. 2 Mon., Jan. 9, 2023
2023-24 Sat., Dec. 30 and Mon., Jan. 1 Mon., Jan. 8, 2024
2024-25 Tues., Dec. 31 and Wed., Jan. 1 Mon., Jan. 13, 2025
2025-26 Wed., Dec. 31 and Thurs., Jan. 1 Mon., Jan. 12, 2026

 

Semifinals Host Rotation
Year 1: Rose and Sugar
Year 2: Orange and Host 1
Year 3: Host 2 and Host 3