http://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articl...r-kickoffs
The Dec. 31 semifinals will start an hour earlier than they did last season and the Orange Bowl will now be played in prime time on Friday, Dec. 30, instead of during the day on Dec. 31.
CFP executive director Bill Hancock said Monday that coverage of the first game on ESPN will start at 3 p.m. Eastern. The second game will start at 7 p.m. ET. The semifinals will be played in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, and the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Which game starts first will be determined on Dec. 4, when the semifinal matchups are set.
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College Football Playoff officials broke from the original plan by moving the Orange Bowl off New Year's Eve. The initial schedule for the CFP had two tripleheaders scheduled for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day throughout the 12-year contract with ESPN. That would have given a late-morning kickoff to the Orange Bowl, which has traditionally been played at night.
After the 2017 season, the semifinals will move back to the Sugar and Rose bowls on New Year's Day.
"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 other three marquee bowls that are part of the playoff rotation — Cotton, Rose and Sugar — will be played Monday, Jan. 2, as previously scheduled, because Jan. 1 will fall on an Sunday dominated by NFL games.
