College Football Playoff bracket: Scores, schedule as Miami vs. Indiana headlines in title game

How the 12-team College Football Playoff field shapes the national championship race

By Carter Bahns

, Carter Bahns

& Cody Nagel

Jan 19, 2026 at 9:08 am ET • 2 min read

Getty Images

Everything that unfolded throughout the 2025 college football season led to this moment. One game will decide the national champion.

Either No. 1 Indiana or No. 10 Miami will hoist the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy at the end of a 60-minute war on Monday, and regardless of which side emerges as the victor, it will be a historic development for the sport. Either the Hoosiers will become the first team in modern history to go 16-0 and win the first championship in school history, or the Hurricanes will shine as the first team of the BCS/CFP era to win the title on their home field.

Both teams caught fire this postseason and played their best football over the last month. Indiana trounced both No. 9 Alabama and No. 5 Oregon in the most impressive blowouts of Curt Cignetti's second season at the helm. Miami bounced No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Ole Miss from the bracket and reached the title game despite barely squeaking into the field to begin with.

What started as a 12-team race to the title whittled itself down to a winner-take-all duel, leaving behind a pile of rubble composed of blue-blood programs. Either a rising force in Indiana or a dormant powerhouse in Miami will climb to the mountaintop, reshaping the power dynamic at the top of the sport.

Below, you'll find all the viewing information for every game all the way through to the CFP National Championship.

2025-26 College Football Playoff bracket

All times Eastern

First round

Friday, Dec. 19

(9) Alabama 34, (8) Oklahoma 24 | Recap
Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium -- Norman, Oklahoma

Saturday, Dec. 20

(10) Miami 10, (7) Texas A&M 3 | Recap
Kyle Field -- College Station, Texas
(6) Ole Miss 41, (11) Tulane 10 | Recap
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium -- Oxford, Mississippi
(5) Oregon 51, (12) James Madison 34 | Recap
Autzen Stadium -- Eugene, Oregon

Quarterfinals

Wednesday, Dec. 31

Cotton Bowl -- (10) Miami 24, (2) Ohio State 14 | Recap
AT&T Stadium -- Arlington, Texas

Thursday, Jan. 1

Orange Bowl -- (5) Oregon 23, (4) Texas Tech 0 | Recap
Hard Rock Stadium -- Miami Gardens, Fla.
Rose Bowl -- (1) Indiana 38, (9) Alabama 3 | Recap
Rose Bowl -- Pasadena, Calif.
Sugar Bowl -- (6) Ole Miss 39, (3) Georgia 34 | Recap
Caesars Superdome -- New Orleans