NCAA College Football Playoff
College Football Playoff first round: Who plays today, Saturday December 21? Times and matchups
Three games are on today’s schedule for the College Football Playoff, as the lineup for the quarter-finals is confirmed.
After the Notre Dame Fighting Irish overcame the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2024 College Football Playoff’s opening first-round clash on Friday, the three remaining quarter-final spots will be filled in Saturday’s postseason action.
College Football Playoff schedule: today, Saturday December 21, 2024
SMU Mustangs vs Penn State Nittany Lions
Two teams with an 11-2 record in 2024, No. 11 SMU and No. 6 Penn State both head into the College Football Playoff on the back of defeat in their respective conference championship games: the Mustangs lost to the Clemson Tigers in the ACC decider on December 7, at the same time as the Nittany Lions went down to the Oregon Ducks in the fight for the Big Ten crown.
The winner of the Mustangs vs the Nittany Lions will meet No. 3 Boise State in the College Football Playoff quarter-finals on Tuesday December 31.
Time: 12:00 noon ET/9:00 a.m. PT
Place: Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
How to watch: TNT, Max
Stream TNT’s coverage of SMU vs Penn State live on fubo, which offers new users a free introductory trial.
Clemson Tigers vs Texas Longhorns
Seeded at No. 12, the 10-3 Tigers beat SMU in this month’s ACC title game to win their eighth conference championship in the last 10 seasons. As time ran out at Bank of America Stadium, Nolan Hauser converted a 56-yard field goal to give Clemson a dramatic victory and earn a record 22nd conference crown. Meanwhile, the No. 5 Longhorns are 11-2 - they lost just once during the regular season, but were edged out by the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game, succumbing 22-19 in overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
A New Year’s Day quarter-final matchup with No. 4 seed Arizona State awaits the winner of Clemson vs Texas.
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT
Place: Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
How to watch: TNT, Max
Stream Clemson vs Texas live on fubo.
Tennessee Volunteers vs Ohio State Buckeyes
No. 9 Tennessee and No. 8 Ohio State are both 10-2 ahead of their College Football Playoff opener. The Volunteers go into the postseason on a two-game winning streak, having rounded off the 2024 regular season with victories over the UTEP Miners and the Vanderbilt Commodores; the Buckeyes, on the other hand, are licking their wounds after a narrow, 13-10 defeat to major rivals the Michigan Wolverines, in the latest edition of The Game.
The College Football Playoff’s top seed, the Oregon Ducks, will take on the winner of Tennessee vs Ohio State on January 1.
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT
Place: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
How to watch: ESPN, ABC
Stream Tennessee vs Ohio State live on fubo.
2024 College Football Playoff bracket:
2024 College Football Playoff: full schedule
First round:
Friday December 20
Notre Dame 27-17 Indiana
Saturday December 21
12 noon ET: SMU vs Penn State
4:00 p.m. ET: Clemson vs Texas
8:00 p.m. ET: Tennessee vs Ohio State
Quarter-finals:
Tuesday December 31
7:30 p.m. ET: Boise State vs SMU/Penn State
Wednesday January 1
1:00 p.m. ET: Arizona State vs Clemson/Texas
5:00 p.m. ET: Oregon vs Tennessee/Ohio State
8:45 p.m. ET: Georgia vs Notre Dame
Semi-finals:
Thursday January 9
7:30 p.m. ET: TBC
Friday January 10
7:30 p.m. ET: TBC
National Championship:
7:30 p.m. ET: TBC, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
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