The college football bowl season got underway before Christmas, but the main event starts this week with the New Year's Six bowl games.
As has become tradition since the College Football Playoff's inception in 2014, the six games—the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl—rotate the hosting of the two CFP semifinals.
This year, the honor of hosting the games featuring the top-four teams in the CFP rankings—LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma—falls to the Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl, which will serve as the two semifinals on December 28.
Here's all you need to know ahead of the New Year's Six bowl games.
Which teams compete in the New Year's Six bowl games?
As has been the case since the CFP's inception in 2014, the two semifinals account for a third of the traditional New Year's Six bowl games.
That means the top four teams in the CFP rankings as shown by this graphic provided by Statista—LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma—collide in the two games, with a place in the CFP National Championship on January 13 up for grabs.
The other four bowl games feature the remaining five of the top-nine teams in the CFP rankings—Georgia, Oregon, Baylor, Wisconsin and Florida—and No. 24 Virginia.
When are the New Year's Six bowl games?
The most prestigious games of the college football bowl season get underway on December 28, when No. 17 Memphis takes on No. 19 Penn State in the Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas.
The two College Football Playoff semifinals are scheduled for the same day, with No. 1 LSU taking on No. 4 Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia, and No. 2 Ohio State playing No. 3 Clemson in the Festa Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.
The Orange Bowl between No. 9 Florida and No. 24 Virginia is scheduled for December 30, while the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl take place on January 1.
No. 6 Oregon takes on No. 8 Wisconsin in the former, with No. 5 Georgia facing No. 7 Baylor in the latter.
TV coverage
All six New Year's bowl games will be broadcast exclusively by ESPN.
Live stream
A live stream will be available via ESPN's digital platforms, WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
TV schedule (All times ET)
Saturday, December 28
Goodyear Cotton Bowl: Memphis vs. Penn State—12 p.m. ESPN, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, CFP National Semifinal: LSU vs. Oklahoma—4 p.m. ESPN, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, CFP National Semifinal: Clemson vs. Ohio State—8 p.m. ESPN, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Monday, December 30
Capital One Orange Bowl: Florida vs. Virginia—8 p.m. ESPN, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida
Wednesday, January 1
Northwestern Mutual Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Wisconsin—5 p.m. ESPN, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Baylor—8:45 p.m. ESPN, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
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