Rose Bowl could air in 8 PM ET window under CFP schedule announced Monday

Pasadena, CA - January 1, 2026 - Rose Bowl Stadium: Midfield sponsor prior to the Rose Bowl during the quarterfinal round of the 2025–26 College Football Playoff. (Photo by Joshua R. Gateley / ESPN Images)

After moving up from its traditional 5 PM ET timeslot last year, the Rose Bowl could shift into primetime this season.

None of the three New Year’s Day College Football Playoff bowl games — the Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl and Cotton Bowl — will be assigned to a television window until Selection Sunday on December 6, it was announced Monday. Just as last year, there will be three New Year’s Day windows, Noon, 4 PM and 8 PM ET.

The Rose Bowl could air in the same 4 PM ET window it occupied last season or in a primetime 8 PM ET slot. Neither the Rose nor Fiesta Bowl will be able to air in the Noon ET window (9 or 10 AM local time) in any year of the new six-year CFP rights deal, Sports Media Watch has learned.

Should it remain in the 4 PM ET window, the Rose Bowl would air on ABC for the first time since 2010. The 8 PM window is set to air exclusively on ESPN.

The Rose Bowl for years occupied the 5 PM ET slot, but last year agreed to move up kickoff time an hour — a move that allowed the primetime bowl game to start at a more reasonable 8 PM (as opposed to 8:45). The last Rose Bowl to air in primetime was the 2006 National Championship.

While the 12-team format remains unchanged from the past two seasons, the CFP schedule will undergo significant change this year under the first year of a new media rights deal. TNT Sports’ sublicensing deal with ESPN was always set to expand this season to include a pair of quarterfinals, and ESPN evidently agreed to exercise a provision in the deal allowing TNT to carry a semifinal starting this season as well.

In addition to the Noon ET game on New Year’s Day, TNT Sports will carry the December 30 Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal and the January 14 Orange Bowl semifinal. Those games will air in primetime.

TNT Sports will also carry its usual CFP first round doubleheader on Saturday, December 19, with airing in 3:30 PM and 7:30 PM ET windows that will overlap with competing NFL contests — Seahawks-Eagles on FOX at 5 PM and Bears-Bills on CBS at 8 PM.

ESPN’s new rights deal reportedly includes a commitment to carry at least one game per round on ABC. This season, that includes the December 19 first round playoff game at Noon ET, the aforementioned 4 PM window on New Year’s Day, the January 15 Sugar Bowl semifinal and the January 25 National Championship.

With the additional games, ABC will not carry the Friday night first round playoff game that it had simulcast the past two seasons. That game and the primetime New Year’s Day slot will air exclusively on ESPN.

Tags: College Football Scheduling Rose Bowl

Can Spurs-Thunder deliver a Finals-level Game 7 audience?

Jon Lewis

Jon Lewis has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. You can contact him here or on the social media websites X (Twitter) or Bluesky.

BNWEW0 The Washington Post Company Headquarters.

News: Washington Post, ESPN-PGA Tour, Monday Wild Card and more

by Jon Lewis

6 months ago

The Washington Post will send reporters to cover the upcoming Olympic Games, though not many.

CFP to remain at 12 teams for 2026 season

by Jon Lewis

6 months ago

The drama surrounding the College Football Playoff has for at least one year resulted in no change.

Why the CFB postseason isn’t changing any time soon

by Ben Huddleston

7 months ago

"We need to change the calendar," ESPN analyst and former Alabama coach Nick Saban said from his "College Gameday"...

TNT Sports officially getting a CFP semifinal starting next year

by Jon Lewis

7 months ago

TNT Sports has so far aired the lowest-profile games of the College Football Playoff, but that will change in...

Comments 14

Not to pick nits says:

2 months ago

Neither the Rose nor Fiesta Bowl will be able to air in the Noon ET window (or 9 AM local time). During that time of year, Noon ET is 10 AM in Arizona.

Reply
- Jon Lewis says:
  
  2 months ago
  
  Thanks for catching that, fixed now.
  
  Reply
Ryan Strnad says:

2 months ago

Its funny theyre saying even the FIESTA Bowl wont air in that early slot of the 3. Years ago and even once recently in their current stadium, the Fiesta bowl aired early (almost like a big noon).

Reply
- Jacob Mauney says:
  
  1 month ago
  
  I think it has aired at 1pm EST before which is 11a local time; that window is no longer available in the new format.
  
  Reply
Richard W says:

2 months ago

I have a feeling the Rose Bowl is going to keep their timeslot at 3 PM CT as that has always been tradition to air the game in the late afternoon into the early evening hours of the day, but the major surprise was ABC simulcasting that game plus the Sugar Bowl game as those were shockers to see as I knew TNT was going to get extra playoff games due to the new rights agreement that takes effect in 2027 and beyond. So it’ll be nice to actually see ABC broadcasting the Rose Bowl again for the first time since 2010, I believe? Now wondering how a possible 24 team playoff will work out on the broadcasting front? 16 teams should be that much of a hassle, IF they go to this format come 2028?

Reply
- dx says:
  
  2 months ago
  
  I have a feeling the Rose Bowl will stay at 4 PM ET as well going forward.
  
  Reply
Nate Johnson says:

2 months ago

I commented on the Winter Classic post about a month ago on how that game on NYE was possibly a tipping point that TNT would have the early CFP NYD game and the primetime CFP game on 12/30 which is now official. Having the Winter Classic moved off of NYD was one tipping point to me and the fact that the Fiesta Bowl was scheduled on 12/30 was another tipping point because from a distance, I didn’t think ESPN wanted that game on that date* and it seemed like TNT having the Fiesta Bowl on 12/30, Winter Classic on NYE, and an added CFP game on NYD would mean they could market New Year’s action 3 consecutive on their network.

ESPN giving TNT the Thursday Night CFP game is really interesting. I know at the end of the day matchups matter, but Thursday Semifinal games are 2-0 vs. Friday Semifinal games in this current 12-team playoffs era. Of course ESPN will skew the brackets and matchups towards their advantage when its all settle and done, but how ironic would it be for TNT to have the better Semifinal game of the two.

*on NYE? Sure, but no guarantee of course

Reply
- ds says:
  
  2 months ago
  
  I am curious to see whether ESPN has a role, direct or indirect, in setting brackets and locales. I am sure ESPN prefer that Turner have the worst game(s) and time(s) in each round, but playoffs often create unexpectedly good and bad match-ups. It would be quite cynical if NCAA were ever to wait for QF results before assigning locale/time for SF
  
  Reply
  - Nate Johnson says:
    
    2 months ago
    
    A Semifinal where LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and/or Texas are the last 4 playing would help TNT out in the QFs and Semis. I expect those 5 programs to take turns being headliners next season.
    
    Reply
    - Richard says:
      
      2 months ago
      
      Eh, OSU, Michigan, Texas, Bama, and UGa are the top viewership draws when they are highly ranked these days. ND, LSU, and PSU are close, but not sure how you managed to overlook all of Michigan, Bama, and UGa.
    - Nate Johnson says:
      
      2 months ago
      
      Richard- The 5 programs I named will have the strongest storyline and attention going into the season and would be the preferable programs from the networks to have the longest season because of their early storylines (LSU: Lane Kiffin attention, Miami: Can they return to the Title game and finish, Notre Dame: Memorandum of understanding to guarantee a CFP spot if they finish Top 12. Talk about an uproar and the hate watch that’ll follow if they get in as a last team in, Texas: Will Arch Manning return on schedule and finish as Heisman candidate, and Ohio State: Will they return on top of the B1G Ten and return to the Semis
      
      Bama and Georgia don’t have storylines compared to those. That doesn’t mean ESPN/TNT would turn their backs on them, but they don’t have the same headliner as did in the late 2010s/early 2020s. LSU and Texas are the top 2 programs that’ll garner the most attention in the 2026 SEC season. Michigan has a case, but they’ll need a statement win Week 2 vs. Oklahoma.
  - Ben Huddleston says:
    
    2 months ago
    
    The top four teams will be allowed to pick their quarterfinal site. I’m not sure about the semifinals, though.
    
    Reply
    - Nate Johnson says:
      
      2 months ago
      
      Ah. Totally forgot about that news. With that said, it wouldn’t surprise me if ESPN requests or make a pitch to the top 4 teams on where they should choose to go. Hard for me to believe they would want the lesser half of QFs and Semis.
    - ds says:
      
      2 months ago
      
      I forgot that – ESPN is at some actual risk. A new volleyball league (I believe MLV) let the top seed pick its first playoff opponent. Maybe ideas like these are green shoots – would be fun to see more sports/leagues adding rewards for regular season results