Start of CFP tops December sports calendar
The start of the College Football Playoff tops the slate for the month ahead. Here’s a look at 10 highlights on the December sports calendar, including some Christmas Day games in both the NFL and the NBA.
NHL Regular Season (December 1-31)
Five games make up the slate for the opening day of the NHL’s December calendar, with Columbus at New Jersey, Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, Winnipeg at Buffalo, Anaheim at St. Louis, and Utah at San Jose on December 1. Toronto is at Florida in a marquee matchup on December 2, with Los Angeles hosting Chicago on December 4. Montreal at Toronto then highlights the first Saturday night slate of the month.
NBA Regular Season (December 1-31)
Marquee matchups on the NBA schedule for early in the month of December include New York at Boston and Oklahoma City at Golden State in NBC broadcasts on December 2, and the Lakers at the Celtics on Prime Video on December 5. The league’s five-game Christmas Day slate features Cleveland at New York, San Antonio at Oklahoma City, Dallas at Golden State, Houston at the Lakers, and Minnesota at Denver.
College Basketball Regular Season (December 1-31)
The college basketball schedule for December features three marquee contests on December 2 with Florida facing Duke, UConn meeting Kansas, and North Carolina taking on Kentucky. The Wildcats will then be up against Gonzaga on December 5, with Auburn and Arizona meeting on December 6. The Gators will be up against UConn on December 9, with the Bulldogs taking on UCLA on December 13.
NFL Regular Season (December 1-29)
The NFL’s December calendar kicks off with a Monday Night Football matchup on December 1 between the Giants and the Patriots at Gillette Stadium to cap off Week 13 of the season. Week 14 features the Eagles at the Chargers on Monday night, with the Chargers then at Kansas City in Week 15. The NFL’s three-game Christmas slate has Dallas at Washington, Detroit at Minnesota, and Denver at Kansas City.
College Football Conference Championships (December 5-6)
College football will crown its conference champs December 5-6, with the Friday featuring the CUSA, Sun Belt, American, and Mountain West championships at campus sites. On the Saturday it’ll then be the Big 12 title game at AT&T Stadium, the MAC title game at Ford Field, the SEC title game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the ACC title game at Bank of America Stadium, and the Big Ten title game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs. Yan (December 6)
Champion Merab Dvalishvili will be taking on challenger Petr Yan at UFC 323 for the Bantamweight championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. As well, champion Alexandre Pantoja will be up against challenger Joshua Van for the Flyweight championship, with Jan Blachowicz meeting Bodgan Guskov in a Light Heavyweight bout. Brandon Moreno also faces Tatsuro Taira in a Flyweight fight on the night’s card.
F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (December 7)
The 2025 Formula 1 season will come to a close on December 7 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit. Lando Norris was the winner of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last season, with Carlos Sainz Jr. finishing the race in second place, and Charles Leclerc ending up in third place at the event. Max Verstappen won in Abu Dhabi the previous four years, with Lewis Hamilton winning in 2018 and 2019.
College Football Army vs. Navy Game (December 13)
College football’s annual Army vs. Navy Game will take place on December 13 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, with Navy holding an all-time 63-55-7 edge in the series. Last season Navy rolled to a 31-13 win over Army in the contest, with Army having picked up the victory in six of the previous eight games.
College Football Bowl Season (December 13-31)
Bowl season also begins for college football on December 13, with the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta and the LA Bowl in Inglewood kicking off the slate of contests that day. Matchups will then continue throughout the month of December, including the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu on Christmas Eve. The Armed Forces, Liberty, Duke’s Mayo, and Holiday bowls wrap up the non-playoff bowl matchups on January 2.
College Football Postseason (December 19-31)
The four first-round games for this season’s College Football Playoff will take on December 19 and December 20, with one game on the Friday and three more on the Saturday. The first quarterfinal matchup will then be played on December 31, with the other three taking place on January 1. The semifinal round will then be held on January 8-9, with the championship contest set for January 19.
With zero championships between his MLB, NHL, and NFL teams over the last 30 years, Dave keeps one foot in the past while shaking his fist at the present. Having provided content to all manner of sports websites over a 20-year career in the industry, Dave brings to Attiq an eye for all things editorial and a disdain for all things New York Yankees. Click here for Dave's posts.
