NFL on Saturday schedule: How NBC, Fox plan to go head-to-head with College Football Playoff

Bill Bender

NFL on Saturday schedule: How NBC, Fox plan to go head-to-head with College Football Playoff image

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. 

MORE: Tracking latest NFL schedule leaks

Will College Football Playoff conflict with NFL in Week 16?  

Yes, the NFL has a double-header scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 21, in Week 16. The Texans play the Chiefs at 1 p.m. on NBC, and the Steelers and Ravens play on Fox at 4:30 p.m. Those are huge games on the schedule between playoff teams from last season that will be televised across the first-round CFP games. 

Here is the schedule for that first round of the College Football Playoff. 

DATEGAMETIMESITETV
Friday, Dec. 20First RoundEveningCampusESPN
Saturday, Dec. 21First RoundEarly afternoonCampusESPN
Saturday, Dec. 21First RoundLate afternoonCampusESPN
Saturday, Dec. 21First RoundEveningCampusESPN

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. 

DATEGAMETIMESITETV
Tuesday, Dec. 31Vrbo Fiesta BowlTBDGlendale, Ariz.ESPN
Wednesday, Jan. 1Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl12 or 1 p.m.AtlantaESPN
Wednesday, Jan. 1Rose Bowl Game5 p.m.Pasadena, Calif.ESPN
Wednesday, Jan. 1Allstate Sugar Bowl8:45 p.m.New OrleansESPN

The NFL typically plays all its Week 18 games on either Saturday or Sunday.

MORE: Ranking all 134 college coaches ahead of 2024

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: 

DATEGAMETIMESITETV
Thursday, Jan. 8Capital One Orange Bowl semifinalTBDMiami Gardens, Fla.ESPN
Friday, Jan. 9Goodyear Cotton Bowl semifinalTBDArlington, TexasTBD
Saturday, Jan. 10 (tentative)NFL Wild CardTBDTBDTBC
Saturday, Jan. 10 (tentative)NFL Wild CardTBDTBDTBD
Sunday, Jan. 11 (tentative)NFL Wild CardTBDTBDTBD
Sunday, Jan. 11 (tentative)NFL Wild CardTBDTBDTBD
Sunday, Jan. 11 (tentative)NFL Wild CardTBDTBDTBD
Monday, 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.

Bill Bender

Bill Bender Photo

Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.