The postseason timeline for the expanded College Football Playoff follows a carefully orchestrated multi-round schedule spanning December and January to determine the national collegiate champion. Under the modern 12-team tournament format, the action begins in mid-December with four high-stakes first-round games hosted directly on the home campuses of the higher-seeded programs. Following the campus-site opening round, the tournament advances to the quarterfinal stage held across iconic New Year's bowl venues such as the Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl Classic, Rose Bowl, and Peach Bowl. The surviving four programs then collide in mid-January during the national semifinal games hosted by the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl, which ultimately culminates in late January with the College Football Playoff National Championship game played at a premier neutral-site NFL stadium.