The College Football Playoff semifinals will kick off on New Year's Eve, starting with Michigan taking on TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.
LIVE: Follow Michigan vs. TCU in College Football Playoff semifinals
Michigan is the undefeated (13-0) Big Ten champion, with its signature win being a 45-23 defeat of Ohio State that was powered by a dominant second half. This is the second year in a row Michigan has made the CFP; the Wolverines were dominated by Georgia last season.
TCU is 12-1, with its only loss coming in the Big 12 championship game to Kansas State. Heisman finalist Max Duggan earned a lot of praise for his performance in that overtime game, and he'll need to bring his best against a Michigan defense that totaled 36 sacks and was second in the country in yards allowed per play coming into bowl season.
TCU's defense, meanwhile, will try to stifle Michigan's running game, which will be without Blake Corum.
Whoever wins the battle of the defenses could well be moving on to the national championshi game to play the winner of Georgia vs. Ohio State.
MORE: Watch Michigan vs. TCU live with fuboTV (free trial)
The Sporting News has all the information you need to watch Michigan vs. TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.
What time does Michigan vs. TCU start?
- Date: Friday, Dec. 31
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 31. This is the first of two College Football Playoff semifinal games. The Peach Bowl between No. 1 Georgia and No. 4 Ohio State will kick off at 8 p.m. ET.
MORE: TCU's Sonny Dykes wins Sporting News Coach of the Year
What channel is Michigan vs. TCU on?
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: Watch ESPN, fuboTV (free trial)
The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Sean McDonough (play-by-play) and Todd Blackledge (color commentary) will call the game from the booth, while Molly McGrath and Tiffany Blackmon will report from the sidelines.
ESPN is also rolling out its Megacast for the College Football Playoff, once again providing alternate broadcasts across its family of networks. Here's the full rundown.
| Telecast | TV channel |
| Field Pass With The Pat McAfee Show | ESPN2 |
| Command Center | ESPNU |
| AT&T 5G Skycast | ESPNews |
| All-22 | ESPN App |
| Spanish-language broadcasts | ESPN Deportes |
Live stream for College Football Playoff semifinals
Both College Football Playoff semifinals will be broadcast on ESPN and will be available to stream on all of the network's digital platforms, including ESPN.com and the ESPN App.
Cord-cutters have several live streaming options:
| Streaming option | Cable subscription needed? | Free? | Cost | Free trial? |
| ESPN.com/ESPN App | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| Yahoo! Sports App | No | Yes | - | - |
| fuboTV | No | No | $60/month | Yes |
| AT&T TV Now | No | No | $55/month | Yes |
| Hulu Plus Live TV | No | No | $55/month | Yes |
| Sling TV | No | No | $35/month | No |
| YouTube TV | No | No | $65/month | Yes |
Who plays in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal?
No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 TCU will be playing in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal. Michigan won the Big Ten and is lone team in the field to beat a fellow playoff team; the Wolverines defeated No. 4 Ohio State. TCU lost the Big 12 championship game in overtime to Kansas State after a 12-0 start to its season behind Heisman finalist Max Duggan. Michigan will be relying on Donovan Edwards in the running game with Blake Corum injured.
Where is the Fiesta Bowl semifinal being played?
The Fiesta Bowl will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., which will also host Super Bowl 57 in February. The Fiesta Bowl has been played in the Phoenix metropolitan area (Tempe and now Glendale) since its inception in 1971.
Michigan vs. TCU betting odds
Michigan was a 7.5-point favorite over TCU in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl as of Friday afternoon, per BetMGM. The over/under total for the game was 58.
MORE: Betting trends to know ahead of Michigan-TCU CFP semifinal
Fiesta Bowl history
The Fiesta Bowl has long been one of bowl season's most prestigious games. It is part of the College Football Playoff cycle as a New Year's Six bowl.
The game was originally set up to host the Western Athletic Conference champion. The conference moved to the Holiday Bowl in 1978 when Arizona and Arizona State joined the Pac-10. The Fiesta Bowl became a New Year's Day game in 1982.
The game's evolution continued in 1992 when it became part of the Bowl Coalition. It joined the Bowl Alliance in 1995 and the Bowl Championship Series in 1998. The bowl hosted a national championship game for the first time in 1999, with Tennessee defeating Florida State 23-16 in the inaugural BCS title game.
| Year | Winning team | Losing team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Arizona State | 45 | Florida State | 38 |
| 1972 | Arizona State | 49 | Missouri | 35 |
| 1973 | Arizona State | 28 | Pittsburgh | 7 |
| 1974 | Oklahoma State | 16 | BYU | 6 |
| 1975 | Arizona State | 17 | Nebraska | 14 |
| 1976 | Oklahoma | 41 | Wyoming | 7 |
| 1977 | Penn State | 42 | Arizona State | 30 |
| 1978 | Arkansas | 10 | UCLA | 10 (TIE) |
| 1979 | Pittsburgh | 16 | Arizona | 10 |
| 1980 | Penn State | 31 | Ohio State | 19 |
| 1982 | Penn State | 26 | USC | 10 |
| 1983 | Arizona State | 32 | Oklahoma | 21 |
| 1984 | Ohio State | 28 | Pittsburgh | 23 |
| 1985 | UCLA | 39 | Miami (Fla.) | 37 |
| 1986 | Michigan | 27 | Nebraska | 23 |
| 1987 | Penn State | 14 | Miami (Fla.) | 10 |
| 1988 | Florida State | 31 | Nebraska | 28 |
| 1989 | Notre Dame | 34 | West Virginia | 21 |
| 1990 | Florida State | 41 | Nebraska | 17 |
| 1991 | Louisville | 34 | Alabama | 7 |
| 1992 | Penn State | 42 | Tennessee | 17 |
| 1993 | Syracuse | 26 | Colorado | 22 |
| 1994 | Arizona | 29 | Miami (Fla.) | 0 |
| 1995 | Colorado | 41 | Notre Dame | 24 |
| 1996 | Nebraska | 62 | Florida | 24 |
| 1997 | Penn State | 38 | Texas | 15 |
| 1998 | Kansas State | 35 | Syracuse | 18 |
| 1999 | Tennessee | 23 | Florida State | 16 |
| 2000 | Nebraska | 31 | Tennessee | 21 |
| 2001 | Oregon State | 41 | Notre Dame | 9 |
| 2002 | Oregon | 38 | Colorado | 16 |
| 2003 | Ohio State | 31 | Miami (Fla.) | 24 (2 OTs) |
| 2004 | Ohio State | 35 | Kansas State | 28 |
| 2005 | Utah | 35 | Pittsburgh | 7 |
| 2006 | Ohio State | 34 | Notre Dame | 20 |
| 2007 | Boise State | 43 | Oklahoma | 42 (OT) |
| 2008 | West Virginia | 48 | Oklahoma | 28 |
| 2009 | Texas | 24 | Ohio State | 21 |
| 2010 | Boise State | 17 | TCU | 10 |
| 2011 | Oklahoma | 48 | Connecticut | 20 |
| 2012 | Oklahoma State | 41 | Stanford | 38 (OT) |
| 2013 | Oregon | 35 | Kansas State | 17 |
| 2014 | UCF | 52 | Baylor | 42 |
| 2015 | Boise State | 38 | Arizona | 30 |
| 2016 | Ohio State | 44 | Notre Dame | 28 |
| 2017 | Clemson | 31 | Ohio State | 0 |
| 2018 | Penn State | 35 | Washington | 28 |
| 2019 | LSU | 40 | UCF | 32 |
| 2020 | Clemson | 29 | Ohio State | 23 |
| 2021 | Iowa State | 34 | Oregon | 17 |
| 2022 | Oklahoma State | 37 | Notre Dame | 35 |
