The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff bracket has been narrowed down to the final two teams.
The No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face off against the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff national championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20 after punching their tickets in the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl, respectively.
Both teams benefitted from the expanded playoff field. Instead of a four-team playoff format that was used the last decade, the CFP bracket officially expanded to 12 teams this season. Despite Notre Dame suffering an early loss to Northern Illinois and Ohio State dropping two games – to Oregon and rival Michigan – both teams’ playoff hopes remained alive. Now, they are one win away from their ultimate dream.
ORANGE BOWL: Notre Dame edges Penn State to reach CFP title game
COTTON BOWL: Ohio State upends Texas to reach CFP title game
Ohio State is looking for its first national championship since 2014, while Notre Dame is vying for its first national championship since 1988. Here’s everything you need to know about the CFP national championship game:
When is the CFP national championship game?
The College Football Playoff national championship game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
How to watch the CFP national championship game?
The national championship game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes will broadcast nationally on ESPN.
The game can also be live streamed on ESPN+, the ESPN app and Fubo, which is offering a free trial.
Watch the CFP national champioship game on Fubo
CFP national championship game: Date, time, TV
Date: Monday, Jan. 20
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
College Football Playoff scores
How did we get here? Here are the scores from all the College Football Playoff games leading up to the championship, from semifinals to quarterfinals and first-round games:
College Football Playoff semifinals
Thursday, Jan. 9
Orange Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 6 Penn State 24
Friday, Jan. 10
Cotton Bowl:No. 8 Ohio State 28, No. 5 Texas 14
College Football Playoff quarterfinals
Tuesday, Dec. 31
Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State 31, No. 3 Boise State 14
Wednesday, Jan. 1
Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (OT)
Rose Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21
Thursday, Jan. 2
Sugar Bowl:No. 7 Notre Dame 23, No. 2 Georgia 10
The Sugar Bowl was postponed one day as a result of the deadly attack in New Orleans.
College Football Playoff first round
No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Boise State and No. 4 Arizona State all had first-round byes.
Friday, Dec. 20
Game 1: No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Indiana 17
Saturday, Dec. 21
Game 2: No. 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10
Game 3: No. 5 Texas 38, No. 12 Clemson 24
Game 4: No. 8 Ohio State 42, No. 9 Tennessee 17
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
