Championship weekend brought chaos upon the college football landscape, with potential CFP newcomers USC and TCU being beaten by Utah and Kansas State, respectively.
The losses threw the playoff picture into disarray and put pressure on the playoff committee to determine who among TCU, Ohio State, and Alabama deserves a playoff berth. USC’s loss all but eliminated the 11-2 Trojans in Lincoln Riley’s first season.
The selections will come down to subjective factors. Alabama played arguably the toughest schedule, Ohio State has just one loss — to the No. 2 team in the country — and TCU suffered its one loss while it was No. 3 in the rankings, in overtime, no less.
There will be drama around the playoff reveal Sunday as these teams find out where they’ll land. Alabama isn’t used to being left out and Ohio State is always in the conversation. But TCU’s impressive season and the fact that it played Saturday in a conference championship game make it difficult to keep it out.
One thing is for certain: One team will be on the outside looking in when all is said and done. Four will be playing for a spot in the national championship game.
MORE: Complete college football bowl game schedule for 2022-23
The Sporting News takes a look at the upcoming CFP semifinal matchups and eventual national championship game, with all of the information you’ll need to watch this year’s Playoff.
When is the College Football Playoff national championship?
- Date: Monday, Jan. 9
- Start time: 8 p.m. ET | 5 p.m. PT
The College Football Playoff national championship will take place at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 9, from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
How to watch CFP national championship in 2022
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: WatchESPN App, fuboTV
The CFP national championship game will take place on ESPN. Chris Fowler will handle play-by-play duties, Kirk Herbstreit will serve as the analyst, and Holly Rowe be the sideline reporter. Fowler and Herbstreit have called every CFP national title game since its inception in 2014, while Rowe has been involved in all but one game.
CFP semifinals schedule 2022
This season’s College Football Playoff semifinals will take place at the Fiesta and Peach Bowls in Glendale, Ariz., and Atlanta, respectively. Both games will air on ESPN on New Year’s Eve:
| Bowl | Date | Time (ET) |
| Fiesta Bowl | Friday, Dec. 31 | 4 or 8 p.m. |
| Peach Bowl | Friday, Dec. 31 | 4 or 8 p.m. |
New Year’s 6 schedule 2022
The remaining New Year’s 6 bowls — through which the Playoff semifinals rotate — will complete the 2022 college football season. This season, the Cotton, Orange, Rose and Sugar bowls will be the non-semifinal matchups. Like the semifinals, each of these games will air on ESPN:
| Bowl | Date | Time (ET) |
| Orange Bowl | Friday, Dec. 30 | 8 p.m. |
| Sugar Bowl | Saturday, Dec. 31 | Noon |
| Peach Bowl (CFP semifinal) | Saturday, Dec. 31 | 4 or 8 p.m. |
| Fiesta Bowl (CFP semifinal) | Saturday, Dec. 31 | 4 or 8 p.m. |
| Cotton Bowl | Monday, Jan. 2 | 1 p.m. |
| Rose Bowl | Monday, Jan. 2 | 5 p.m. |
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