College Football Playoff TV schedule, bracket, scores, national championship game, channel, where to watch

No. 8 seed Ohio State put a victorious capper on the first-ever 12-team edition of the College Football Playoff with a 34-23 win over No. 7 seed Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The win marked the Buckeyes’ first national championship since 2014 and concluded a remarkable postseason rally for a team that ended the regular season with an embarrassing loss to arch rival Michigan.

On the heels of that stunning 13-10 defeat against the Wolverines, Ohio State came out with a vengeance in the CFP. First, the Buckeyes crushed No. 9 seed Tennessee 42-17 in a first-round home game. Then, they dismantled No. 1 seed Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl, avenging a regular season loss to the Ducks.

No. 5 seed Texas pushed Ohio State in the semifinals, but Ohio State met the moment and escaped with a 28-14 victory to clinch the program’s first CFP National Championship Game appearance since a 52-24 loss to Alabama on Jan 11, 2021.

This time, it was the Buckeyes who dominated. The Buckeyes weathered a nearly 10-minute game-opening touchdown drive from the Fighting Irish, took control to build a 24-point advantage in the third quarter and withstood a late Notre Dame rally. In the process, the Buckeyes denied the Fighting Irish their first national championship since 1988.

2024-25 College Football Playoff schedule

All times Eastern

National Championship

Monday, Jan. 20

• (8) Ohio State 34, (7) Notre Dame 23 | Recap
  Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta

2024-25 College Football Playoff scores

First round

• (7) Notre Dame 27, (10) Indiana 17 | Recap
  Notre Dame Stadium — South Bend, Indiana
• (6) Penn State 38, (11) SMU 10 | Recap
  Beaver Stadium — State College, Pennsylvania
• (5) Texas 38, (12) Clemson 24 | Recap
  Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium — Austin, Texas
• (8) Ohio State 42, (9) Tennessee 17 | Recap 
  Ohio Stadium — Columbus, Ohio 

Quarterfinals 

• Fiesta Bowl — (6) Penn State 31, (3) Boise State 14 | Recap
  State Farm Stadium — Glendale, Ariz.
• Peach Bowl — (5) Texas 39, (4) Arizona State 31 | Recap
  Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta
• Rose Bowl — (8) Ohio State 41, (1) Oregon 21 | Recap
  Rose Bowl — Pasadena, Calif.
• Sugar Bowl — (7) Notre Dame 23, (2) Georgia 10 | Recap
  Caesars Superdome — New Orleans

Semifinals

• Orange Bowl — (7) Notre Dame 27, (6) Penn State 24 | Recap
  Hard Rock Stadium — Miami Gardens, Fla. 
• Cotton Bowl — (8) Ohio State 28, (5) Texas 14 | Recap
  AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas