College Football Playoff first round will again go head-to-head with Saturday NFL games

The NFL and college football will once again go head-to-head on a Saturday in December, as two College Football Playoff games will be played simultaneously with NFL games.

The 2026-27 College Football Playoff schedule was unveiled today, and three semifinal games will be played on Saturday, December 19, a date when the NFL has already announced two Week 15 games of its own.

The College Football Playoff starts on Friday, December 18, when no NFL games are scheduled. But then the College Football Playoff plays three more games on Saturday, December 19: One game at noon ET, one game at 3:30 and one game at 7:30.

The two later games will conflict with the NFL's Week 15 schedule, which features the Seahawks facing the Eagles at 4 p.m. and the Bears facing the Bills at 7:20.

The NFL and NCAA have been going to head to head on a Saturday in December since the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams two years ago. The NFL games have consistently drawn higher ratings than the college games.

This year the two college football games going head-to-head with the NFL will air on TNT, while the NFL games will air on Fox and CBS.