The College Football Playoff bracket, New Year's Six slate and entire 2021-22 bowl schedule are officially set as the sport moves its attention to the postseason and its much-anticipated conclusion. Cincinnati made history as the first Group of Five school to make the CFP, and it's fitting that the Bearcats' debut comes against the playoff's most familiar returning face in Alabama. They will meet in the Cotton Bowl.
Michigan, also making its first playoff appearance, will square off with Georgia in the other national semifinal. Jim Harbaugh and Kirby Smart enter this New Year's Eve showdown in the Orange Bowl coming off extremely different results in their respective conference championship games.
But bowl season's excitement extends far beyond the playoff with interesting matchups up and down the busy schedule. Everything from Ohio State and Utah in the Rose Bowl to Oregon and Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl packs plenty of intrigue, as does Marcus Freeman making his Notre Dame head coaching debut against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.
CBS Sports was with you all throughout Sunday as the College Football Playoff and bowl schedule was announced. Check out the full slate in the table below and catch up on the analysis in the live blog.
College Football Playoff
| Date | Game / Loc. | Time (TV) | Matchup |
|---|---|---|---|
Jan. 10 | National Championship | 8 p.m. (ESPN) | Semifinal winners |
Dec. 31 | Cotton Bowl | 3:30 p.m. (ESPN) | (1) Alabama vs. (4) Cincinnati |
Dec. 31 | Orange Bowl | 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) | (2) Michigan vs. (3) Georgia |
New Year's Six bowl games
| Date | Bowl | Time (TV) | Matchup |
|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 30 | Peach | 7 p.m. (ESPN) | (10) Michigan State vs. (12) Pittsburgh |
Jan. 1 | Fiesta | 1 p.m. (ESPN) | (5) Notre Dame vs. (9) Oklahoma State |
Jan. 1 | Rose | 5 p.m. (ESPN) | (6) Ohio State vs. (11) Utah |
Jan. 1 | Sugar | 8:45 p.m. (ESPN) | (7) Baylor vs. (8) Ole Miss |
Other 2021 bowl games
| Date | Bowl | Time (TV) | Matchup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 4 | Texas Houston | 9 p.m. (ESPN) | Kansas State (7-5) vs. LSU (6-6) |
| Jan. 1 | Citrus Orlando, Fla. | 1 p.m. (ABC) | Iowa (10-3) vs. Kentucky (9-3) |
| Jan. 1 | Outback Tampa, Fla. | Noon (ESPN2) | Penn State (7-5) vs. Arkansas (8-4) |
| Dec. 31 | Arizona Tucson, Ariz. | 4:30 p.m. (Barstool) | C. Michigan (8-4) vs. Boise State (7-5) |
| Dec. 31 | Tony the Tiger Sun El Paso, Tex. | 12:30 p.m. (CBS) | Miami (FL) (7-5) vs. Wash. State (7-5) |
| Dec. 31 | TaxSlayer Jacksonville, Fla. | 11 a.m. (ESPN) | Wake Forest (10-3) vs. Texas A&M (8-4) |
| Dec. 30 | Las Vegas Las Vegas | 10:30 p.m. (ESPN) | Wisconsin (8-4) vs. Arizona State (8-4) |
| Dec. 30 | Music City Nashville | 3 p.m. (ESPN) | Purdue (8-4) vs. Tennessee (7-5) |
| Dec. 30 | Duke's Mayo Charlotte | 11:30 a.m. (ESPN) | N. Carolina (6-6) vs. S. Carolina (6-6) |
| Dec. 29 | Alamo San Antonio | 9:15 p.m. (ESPN) | Oklahoma (10-2) vs. Oregon (10-3) |
| Dec. 29 | Cheez-It Orlando, Fla. | 5:45 p.m. (ESPN) | Clemson (9-3) vs. Iowa State (7-5) |
| Dec. 29 | Pinstripe New York | 2:15 p.m. (ESPN) | Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Maryland (6-6) |
| Dec. 29 | Fenway Boston | 11 a.m. (ESPN) | Virginia (6-6) vs. SMU (8-4) |
| Dec. 28 | Guaranteed Rate Phoenix | 10:15 p.m. (ESPN) | Minnesota (8-4) vs. West Virginia (6-6) |
| Dec. 28 | Liberty Memphis | 6:45 p.m. (ESPN) | Texas Tech (6-6) vs. Miss. State (7-5) |
| Dec. 28 | Holiday San Diego | 5 p.m. (FOX) | UCLA (8-4) vs. NC State (9-3) |
| Dec. 28 | First Responder University Park, Tex. | 3:15 p.m. (ESPN) | Louisville (6-6) vs. Air Force (9-3) |
| Dec. 28 | Birmingham Birmingham, Ala. | Noon (ESPN) | Houston (11-2) vs. Auburn 6-6) |
| Dec. 27 | Military Annapolis, Md. | 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) | ECU (7-5) vs. Boston College (6-6) |
| Dec. 27 | Quick Lane Detroit | 11 a.m. (ESPN) | W. Michigan (7-5) vs. Nevada (8-4) |
| Dec. 25 | Camellia Montgomery, Ala. | 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) | Ball State (6-6) vs. Georgia State (7-5) |
| Dec. 24 | Hawai'i Honolulu, Hawai'i | 8 p.m. (ESPN) | Memphis (6-6) vs. Hawaii (6-7) |
| Dec. 23 | Gasparilla Tampa | 7:30 p.m. (ABC) | Florida (6-6) vs. UCF (8-4) |
| Dec. 23 | Frisco Classic | 3:30 p.m. (ESPN) | Miami (OH) (6-6) vs. North Texas (6-6) |
| Dec. 22 | Armed Forces Fort Worth, Tex. | 8 p.m. (ESPN) | Army (8-3) vs. Missouri (6-6) |
| Dec. 21 | Frisco Frisco, Tex. | 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) | UTSA (12-1) vs. San Diego State (11-2) |
| Dec. 21 | Famous Idaho Potato Boise, Idaho | 3:30 p.m. (ESPN) | Kent State (7-6) vs. Wyoming (6-6) |
| Dec. 20 | Myrtle Beach Conway, S.C. | 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) | Tulsa (6-6) vs. Old Dominion (6-6) |
| Dec. 18 | New Orleans New Orleans | 9:15 p.m. (ESPN) | Marshall (7-5) vs. Louisiana (12-1) |
| Dec. 18 | L.A. Los Angeles | 7:30 p.m. (ABC) | Utah State (10-3) vs. Oregon State (7-5) |
| Dec. 18 | LendingTree Mobile, Ala. | 5:45 p.m. (ESPN) | E. Michigan (7-5) vs. Liberty (7-5) |
| Dec. 18 | Independence Shreveport, La. | 3:30 p.m. (ABC) | BYU (10-2) vs. UAB (8-4) |
| Dec. 18 | New Mexico Albuquerque, N.M. | 2:15 p.m. (ESPN) | UTEP (7-5) vs. Fresno State (9-3) |
| Dec. 18 | Boca Raton Boca Raton, Fla. | 11 a.m. (ESPN) | W. Kentucky (8-5) vs. App. State (10-3) |
| Dec. 17 | Cure Orlando, Fla. | 6 p.m. (ESPN2) | N. Illinois (9-4) vs. C. Carolina (10-2) |
| Dec. 17 | Bahamas Nassau, Bahamas | Noon (ESPN) | Middle Tenn. (6-6) vs. Toledo (7-5) |