This year’s College Football Playoff semifinal games will still take place on New Year’s Eve, however, kickoff times have been moved up. The Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl, the two bowls hosting the playoffs, will each take place one hour earlier than last season’s (3 p.m. and 7 p.m. EST).
Via College Football Playoff website
“As we committed earlier this year, we have looked at the landscape for the upcoming season and are confident that this change will make it easier for more fans to watch the games on television and also will benefit fans who will attend the games in person,” Hancock said. “The semifinals will be played on Saturday for the first time. The Capital One Orange Bowl will be in an evening time slot, which is its tradition.”
“The first two years have shown us that the playoff is extremely popular with fans and that we successfully struck an appropriate balance creating a new event while maintaining the great traditions that have enabled college football to hold such an important place in the country’s culture,” Hancock said.
“When the playoff was created, we intended to respect tradition while growing the game and the fan base. That will continue to be an important element of our focus in the future.”