While much has changed with College Football over the last decade, the prestigious New Year’s Six bowl games have endured.
The excitement now carries from December 31 through January 8, 2026, as the bowl games stretch across the College Football Playoff quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.
As we celebrate the new year, the most anticipated games of the college football season – the Cotton Bowl, the Orange Bowl, the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl – will kick off all across the country.
The four quarterfinal winners will get a chance at another bowl title in the semifinals in the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl.
Here’s your guide to watching all of the College Football bowl action through New Year’s and beyond.
Remember: You can watch all of these games on DIRECTV.
How to Watch College Football Playoff New Year’s Six
All of the College Football Playoff New Year’s Six games and beyond will be broadcast on ESPN (DIRECTV Channel 206).
Here’s the full College Football Playoff New Year’s Six game lineup and the rest of the CFP schedule:
CFP Quarterfinals
GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL CLASSIC
(2) Ohio State Buckeyes vs. (10) Miami Hurricanes
Date: Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Channel: ESPN
The Buckeyes have had a month to wash away the bitter taste of defeat to Indiana in the Big 10 Championship. Now, they get a Miami offense who mustered just 10 second half points in a grueling round one victory over Texas A&M.
This looks like a grind-it-out type of game that will rely on a few big plays to crack it open. Wide receivers Jeremiah Smith for Ohio State and Malachi Toney for Miami will be the playmakers to watch.
CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL
(5) Oregon Ducks vs. (4) Texas Tech Red Raiders
Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Texas Tech enters the quarterfinal in the midst of one of its best seasons in 50 years. At 12-1, the Red Raiders enter with the nation’s second highest scoring offense, but they get one of their toughest tests of the year in Oregon.
The Ducks are fresh off a 51-34 trouncing of James Madison, a precursor for the type of high-scoring affair we may be in for at the Orange Bowl.
Oregon QB Dante Moore, who is sitting atop many a Mock NFL Draft, gets his first national showcase to become one of next year’s top picks.
ROSE BOWL PRESENTED BY PRUDENTIAL
(9) Alabama Crimson Tide vs. (1) Indiana Hoosiers
Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
What a year for the Indiana Hoosiers. An undefeated regular season. An upset win in the Big 10 Championship. A Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. And the #1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
Head coach Curt Cignetti has turned the Hoosiers into a powerhouse on a dime. It’s no Cinderella team in Bloomington, it’s one of the nation’s best on both sides of the ball.
Though they’re not the Crimson Tide we saw throughout the 2010s, this is still one of the most talented teams in the country. Still, it remains strange to say that Alabama is the underdog to Indiana at the Rose Bowl.
It’s not only the continuation of Indiana’s dream season, but quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s as well. A projected top draft pick fresh off a Heisman win, Mendoza gets a prime opportunity to affirm his case for the top QB off the draft board.
ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL
(6) Ole Miss Rebels vs. (3) Georgia Bulldogs
Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN (channel 206)
Ole Miss showed no signs of dismay at the sudden resignation of their head coach Lane Kiffin. With most of the coaching staff still in place, the Rebels bounced Tulane 41-10 in round one. But they’ll get a much tougher test in the quarterfinal against Georgia.
It’s been a relatively quiet year for the Bulldogs. Still boasting one of the nation’s best defenses, their season has been lost in the headlines to Indiana’s surge and a host of coaching changes around the country.
At the Sugar Bowl, Georgia gets a chance to remind everyone that they haven’t lost a step as they chase their third National Championship in five years.
CFP Semifinals
VRBO FIESTA BOWL
Ole Miss/Georgia winner vs. Miami/Ohio State winner
Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Channel: ESPN
CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL
Alabama/Indiana winner vs. Oregon/Texas Tech winner
Date: Friday, January 9, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Channel: ESPN
National Championship
Teams TBD
Date: Monday, January 19, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Channel: ESPN
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the NY6 games airing in 2025-26?
NY6 games will be broadcast live on ESPN.
What College Football bowl games are on New Years Day?
The following bowl games are on Thursday, January 1: Orange Bowl (12 p.m. on ESPN), Rose Bowl (4 p.m. on ESPN) and the Sugar Bowl (8 p.m. on ESPN).
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