The expansion of college football’s playoffs from four teams to 12 is set to bring more excitement and competition to the sport. However, this year’s expanded schedule is causing issues right from the start, with a conflict with NFL games on the same day. On Saturday, December 21, at 12:00 p.m. ET and 4:00 p.m. ET, a pair of first-round college playoff games will be televised by TNT and ABC/ESPN respectively. This scheduling overlaps with the NFL games on the same day, with Texans at Chiefs kicking off at 1:00 p.m. ET on NBC, and Steelers-Ravens at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox.
Aside from this conflict, the quarterfinals for college football will take place on Tuesday, December 31 and Wednesday, January 1. The semifinals will happen on Thursday, January 9 and Friday, January 10, with the championship game scheduled for Monday, January 20. The quarterfinals will occur in the days preceding the NFL’s Week 18, the semifinals will be on the two days before the start of the NFL’s three-day wild-card round, and the championship will happen the day after the conclusion of the NFL’s divisional round.
To ensure fans can enjoy both events effectively without any conflicts, managing this scheduling overlap is crucial for both sports’ successes during their respective postseasons
