Conference championship weekend provided a much needed moment of calmness and relative normalcy after a week of college football unlike any other.
Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for USC while Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for LSU — two coaching moves with seismic impacts that could change the landscape of the sport. On top of that, meetings were held about the future of the College Football Playoff, with the main topic including expansion. As the other talks have gone in the last several months, nothing concrete was agreed to.
The biggest debates of this playoff were if No. 6 Notre Dame (11-1) had an outside shot at making it despite not having a conference title and having a fairly weak schedule. The other big debate for much of the first few months of the season was whether Cincinnati, a Group of 5 school out of the American Athletic Conference, could do what no Group of 5 has ever done and make the playoff.
The Bearcats won the AAC title to finish the regular season 13-0 and ranked at No. 4, the first time a G5 team has even been in the rankings. With their ticket likely punched, they'll presumably join No. 2 Michigan, which routed Iowa 42-3 in the Big Ten title game and both of No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Alabama who played in the SEC title game.
With that, Sporing News takes a look at the upcoming CFP semifinal matchups and eventual national championship game and has all the information you need to catch it in action:
When is the College Football Playoff national championship?
- Date: Monday, Jan. 10
- Start time: 8 p.m. ET
The College Football Playoff national championship will take place at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 10 from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
How to watch CFP national championship in 2021
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: WatchESPN App, fuboTV
The CFP national championship game will take place on ESPN. Chris Fowler will handle play-by-play duties while he's joined by Kirk Herbstreit as an analyst and Holly Rowe as a sideline reporter. Fowler and Herbstreit have called every CFP national title game since its inception in 2014, while Rowe has been involved in all but one game thus far.
CFP semifinals schedule 2021
This season's College Football Playoff semifinals will take place at the Rose and Sugar bowls in Pasadena, Calif., and New Orleans, respectively. Both games will air on ESPN on New Year's Day. Here's a look at the schedule:
| Bowl | Date | Time (ET) |
| Cotton Bowl | Friday, Dec. 31 | TBD |
| Orange Bowl | Friday, Dec. 31 | TBD |
New Year's 6 schedule 2021
The remaining New Year's 6 bowls — through which the Playoff semifinals rotate — will bring up the rear of the 2021 college football season. This year, the Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls will be the non-CFP semifinal matchups. Like the semifinals, each of these games will air on ESPN. Here's the full schedule:
| Bowl | Date | Time (ET) |
| Peach Bowl | Thursday, Dec. 30 | 7:00 p.m. |
| Fiesta Bowl | Saturday, Jan. 1 | 1 p.m. |
| Rose Bowl | Saturday, Jan. 1 | 5 p.m. |
| Sugar Bowl | Saturday, Jan. 1 | 8:45 p.m. |
Alabama and Georgia are the two teams left standing as the College Football Playoff is set to crown its champion. Here’s what you need to know about the big game.
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Indianapolis will host the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Downtown Indianapolis will welcome the college football community over a four-day period with festivities kicking-off Friday, January 7 and culminating in the nationally televised championship game on Monday, January 10. In addition to the championship game, the weekend will feature a fan fest inside the Indiana Convention Center, a music festival, themed food event and plenty of Championship tailgating. In the weeks surrounding this major sporting event, countless volunteers will become ambassadors throughout Central Indiana putting “Hoosier Hospitality” on a national stage.
For more information, please visit the Indianapolis Host Committee web site at //www.indyfootball2022.com/ and //collegefootballplayoff.com.
We have one more game to determine who is the best of the best in college football this season.
It will be the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs facing off in the College Football Playoff National Championship after each squad won its semifinal matchup.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide took down No. 4 Cincinnati 27-6 in the Cotton Bowl. Alabama will be playing in their sixth national title game in the last seven years.
No. 3 Georgia defeated No. 2 Michigan in the Orange Bowl 34-11. The Bulldogs get back to the championship for the first time since 2017, when they lost to Alabama 26-23.
This is a rematch of this season’s SEC Championship. In the conference title game, Alabama handed Georgia its first loss of the season with the 41-24 win to secure their eighth SEC title in the last 12 years.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2022 College Football Playoff.
When is the 2022 College Football Playoff?
The national championship is set for Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET.
Where will the 2022 College Football Playoff take place?
This season, the championship game will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., the home of the Indianapolis Colts.
What channel can I watch the 2022 College Football Playoff on?
The 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game will air live on ESPN and can be streamed in the ESPN app.
Who is participating in the 2022 College Football Playoff Championship Game?
The field was cut from four to two after the New Year’s Eve bowl games.
Alabama advanced to its sixth national championship game in seven years after defeating Cincinnati 27-6 in the Cotton Bowl.
Brian Robinson Jr. ran for a career-high 204 yards on 26 carries, allowing the Crimson Tide (13-1) to keep the ball on the ground and neutralize the Bearcats' standout cornerback tandem of Ahmad Gardner and Coby Bryant.
Bryce Young completed 17 of 28 passes for 181 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Ja’Cory Brooks finished with 66 yards on four catches and Jameson Williams added 62 yards on seven catches.
It was the first loss of the season for the veteran Bearcats (13-1). Desmond Ridder went 17-for-32 for 144 yards, while Jerome Ford rushed for 77 yards on 15 carries.
Georgia took down Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl to advance to the national championship.
Stetson Bennett finished the game throwing 310 yards and three touchdowns while James Cook led all receivers in yards with 109 on four catches and a touchdown. The Bulldog's backfield totaled 190 rushing yards thanks to contributions from seven different rushers.
Georgia's defense was stellar yet again, allowing one touchdown that came in garbage time while forcing three turnovers, including two interceptions by Derion Kendrick.
For Michigan, Cade McNamara struggled in the bright lights, ending the day completing 11 of 19 passes for 106 yards and two interceptions, including one in the Georgia end zone. J.J. McCarthy took over at QB in the third quarter and finished throwing for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Who won the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship last season?
Last season, it was Alabama getting back on top of the college football world.
The Crimson Tide, who were the No. 1 team in the nation, had defeated No. 4 Notre Dame 31-14 in the semifinals before taking on No. 3 Ohio State in the championship, who had beaten No. 2 Clemson 49-28. Nick Saban’s squad easily handled the Buckeyes in the championship game, taking down Ohio State 52-24.
2021 Heisman winner DeVonta Smith racked up 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the title game. Mac Jones threw for 464 yards and five scores.