| New Year's Six | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In operation | 2014–present |
| Preceded by | BCS (1998–2013) Bowl Alliance (1995–1997) Bowl Coalition (1992–1994) |
| Number of New Year's Six games | Six plus the National Championship game |
| Television partner(s) | ESPN (2014–present) |
| Most New Year's Six appearances | Ohio State (10) |
| Most New Year's Six wins | Alabama (9) |
| Most New Year's Six championships | Alabama (3) |
| Conference with most appearances | SEC (24) |
| Conference with most game wins | SEC (20) |
| Conference with most championships | SEC (6) |
| Last championship game | January 8, 2024 |
| Current champion | Michigan |
The New Year's Six, sometimes abbreviated as NY6, are the following NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) bowl games: the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl. These games are played annually on or around New Year's Day and represent six of the ten oldest bowl games played at the FBS level.
These six top-tier bowl games rotate the hosting of the two College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinal games, which determine the teams that play in the final College Football Playoff National Championship game.[1] The rotation is set on a three-year cycle with the following pairings: Rose–Sugar, Orange–Cotton, and Peach-Fiesta. The National Championship game may be considered part of the New Year's Six, depending on context. As of the 2024 season, the New Year's Six hosts the Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds of the college football playoff.[2]
Using the final CFP rankings, the selection committee seeds and pairs the 12 teams that appear in the College Football Playoff with the New Year's six hosting the quarterfinal games which feature the 4 highest ranked conference champions, who receive a bye to the quarterfinals, and play against the 4 winners of the College football playoff first round games. As well as the Semifinal games which feature the winners of the quarterfinal games.
Overall, 12 teams are selected each football season for these major, top-tier bowls. These usually include the champions of the "Power Five" conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC) as the top 4 ranked conference champions receive a bye to the quarterfinals.
- ^ Staff reports (July 22, 2013). "Sources: 'New Year's Six' likely the working title for College Football Playoff's six bowl games". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
- ^ "College Football Playoff to expand to 12 teams starting with the 2024 season | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2023-01-02.