Football fans will love the holiday schedule this year.
Week 16 of the NFL schedule could feature a Saturday game, which would be mixed in with the first round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. That is a new scheduling quirk that will lead to more football, which is never a bad thing.
The combination of NFL and college football is going to be quite the overloaded with the added postseason games – and it’s going to create one of the best weekends of the year.
The College Football Playoff, however, will be going head to head with the NFL more often, a strategy that could have some interesting side effects for both sports.
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When will the NFL have Saturday games in 2024?
The NFL typically adds Saturday games in December. Last season, the NFL started Saturday games with a triple-header in Week 15. It will be interesting to see where the NFL slots Saturday games for the 2024 season knowing the College Football Playoff will be holding its inaugural 12-team tournament that will open in December.
Will College Football Playoff conflict with NFL in Week 16?
The NFL has announced there will be a regular season NFL game on NBC on Saturday, Dec. 21
, that will be in conflict with the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Here is the schedule for that first round of the College Football Playoff.
DATEGAMETIMESITETVFriday, Dec. 20First RoundEveningCampusESPNSaturday, Dec. 21First RoundEveningCampusESPNSaturday, Dec. 21First RoundEveningCampusESPNSaturday, Dec. 21First RoundEveningCampusESPN
It will be interesting to see if the NFL adds more than just the one NBC game on Saturday, Dec. 21 given the CFP. That’s one wrinkle to look for in the NFL schedule release on Wednesday night.
How will the rest of the College Football Playoff impact Week 18 of NFL schedule?
Not at all. The quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff will be played on weekdays this year. The first game will be on New Year’s Eve at the Fiesta Bowl. The other three round-of-eight games will be part of a triple-header on New Year’s Day – a traditional spot for college football postseason games.
DATEGAMETIMESITETVTuesday, Dec. 31Vrbo Fiesta BowlTBDGlendale, Ariz.ESPNWednesday, Jan. 1Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl12 or 1 p.m.AtlantaESPNWednesday, Jan. 1Rose Bowl Game5 p.m.Pasadena, Calif.ESPNWednesday, Jan. 1Allstate Sugar Bowl8:45 p.m.New OrleansESPN
The NFL typically plays all its Week 18 games on either Saturday or Sunday.
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NFL Wild Card games and CFP semifinals will create best football weekend of the year
Best football weekend of the year? It’s right here. It could be eight postseason games between the college and NFL game over five days, an incredible schedule that should draw huge ratings for both sports.
A look at that schedule for 2024-25 based on the NFL’s schedule of postseason games in 2023-24:
DATEGAMETIMESITETVThursday, Jan. 8Capital One Orange Bowl semifinalTBDMiami Gardens, Fla.ESPNFriday, Jan. 9Goodyear Cotton Bowl semifinalTBDArlington, TexasTBDSaturday, Jan. 10 (tentative)NFL Wild CardTBDTBDTBCSaturday, Jan. 10 (tentative)NFL Wild CardTBDTBDTBDSunday, Jan. 11 (tentative)NFL Wild CardTBDTBDTBDSunday, Jan. 11 (tentative)NFL Wild CardTBDTBDTBDSunday, Jan. 11 (tentative)NFL Wild CardTBDTBDTBDMonday, Jan. 12 (tentative)NFL Wild CardTBDTBDTBD
When is the 2024-25 CFP championship game?
This year’s CFP championship game is at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. That will be the day after the NFL Divisional playoffs – which run from Jan. 18-19 – are concluded.
2024-05-15 13:35:47
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