College Football Playoff bracket: Dates, times and locations for every CFP game

No. 3 Boise State set to face No. 6 Penn State or No. 11 SMU in Fiesta Bowl

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) leads the team onto the field prior to the first quarter against San Diego State. / Brian Losness-Imagn Images

No. 10 Indiana (11-1) and No. 7 Notre Dame (11-1) will kick off the College Football Playoff Friday night in South Bend, Indiana.

Boise State (12-1), which captured its second straight Mountain West Football Championship earlier this month, was awarded the No. 3 overall seed for the inaugural 12-team playoff by the CFP selection committee. The Broncos will take on the winner of Saturday’s first-round game between No. 6 Penn State (11-2) and No. 11 SMU (11-2) in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. 

Boise State holds a 3-0 record in the Fiesta Bowl with victories in 2007, 2010 and 2014.

The 12-team College Football Playoff field was announced Dec. 8 with the four byes going to No. 1 Oregon (13-0) of the Big Ten, No. 2 Georgia (11-2) of the SEC, Boise State and Big 12 champion Arizona State (11-2), seeded No. 4.

The five highest-ranked conference champions by the 13-person selection committee earned automatic bids to the playoff with the top four champions getting a first-round bye. All four first-round matchups will be played at on-campus venues with the higher-seeded team hosting.

Boise State junior running back Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, needs 132 rushing yards in the playoff to break Barry Sanders’ FBS single-season record. Jeanty has 344 carries for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns this season, leading the country in all three categories. 

Jeanty, a two-time Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, secured the Maxwell Award (college football player of the year) and Doak Walker Award (best running back in college football) last week. 

The Broncos have won 11 straight games since a 37-34 Week 2 loss at Oregon.

Here is the complete 12-team College Football Playoff bracket: 

All times listed are Mountain Standard Time

First round

Friday, Dec. 20 

No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, 6 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)

Saturday, Dec. 21 

No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, 10 a.m. (TNT/Max)

No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, 2 p.m. (TNT/Max)

No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State, 6 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)

Quarterfinals 

Tuesday, Dec. 31

Fiesta Bowl: Penn State/SMU winner vs. No. 3 Boise State, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Wednesday, Jan. 1 

Peach Bowl: Texas/Clemson winner vs. No. 4 Arizona State, 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Rose Bowl: Ohio State/Tennessee winner vs. No. 1 Oregon, 3 p.m. (ESPN)

Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame/Indiana winner vs. No. 2 Georgia, 6:45 p.m. (ESPN)

Semifinals

Thursday, Jan. 9

Orange Bowl: Fiesta Bowl winner vs. Sugar Bowl winner, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Friday, Jan. 10 

Cotton Bowl: Peach Bowl winner vs. Rose Bowl winner, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

CFP championship game

Monday, Jan. 20

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Orange Bowl winner vs. Cotton Bowl winner, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

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