The new first round of the College Football Playoff will get some broadcast television exposure.
ABC will simulcast ESPN’s two first round College Football Playoff games, which will air in primetime on Friday, December 20 and Saturday, December 21, it was announced Wednesday. As previously announced, the other two first round games will air on TNT Sports, which acquired rights in a sublicensing deal with ESPN.
The two TNT games are set for the afternoon of December 21 — Noon and 4 PM ET — where they will air directly opposite NFL games on NBC and FOX.
The ABC games will be the first CFP or BCS telecasts on broadcast television since the 2010 National Championship, which also aired on ABC. Starting with the expanded 14-team playoff in two years, ABC will simulcast the national championship every year.
Outside of the first round games, the rest of the playoff will air exclusively on the ESPN cable networks. In the quarterfinals, ESPN has the Fiesta Bowl in primetime on New Year’s Eve, followed by a New Year’s Day tripleheader of the Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl.
The semifinals are set for the Orange Bowl January 9 and Cotton Bowl January 10, with the National Championship on Inauguration Day January 20.
While the primetime first round games are set for 8 PM ET, the Fiesta, Orange, Cotton and National Championship are all set to begin at 7:30 PM.
Times for the New Year’s Day games are the same as in any other year, with the afternoon matchup at 1 PM, Rose Bowl at 5 and Sugar at 8:45.
