It took a whole lot of controversy and even a bowl boycott by Notre Dame, but the 2025 College Football Playoff field is officially set. All 12 teams are seeded and know who and where they’re going to play in the second edition of the expanded College Football Playoff. Indiana is the No. 1 overall seed after finishing the year with an undefeated record and beating Ohio State in the Big Ten title game.
Ohio State is the No. 2 seed in the field despite the loss. The rest of the field includes five total SEC teams, three Big Ten teams, two Group of 5 teams — thanks Duke for beating Virginia in the ACC title game — and Miami as the lone ACC representative. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s field.
Everything to know for the College Football Playoff
- Updated College Football Playoff bracket — Quarterfinals
- College Football Playoff seeding
- College Football Playoff schedule
- College Football playoff matchups — Quarterfinals
- Where are the 2025 CFP games played?
- Fan anxiety meter: How each playoff fanbase should feel right now
Updated College Football Playoff bracket — Quarterfinals
College Football Playoff seeding
- Indiana Hoosiers (13-0, Big Ten champion)
- Ohio State (12-1, at-large)
- Georgia Bulldogs (12-1, SEC champion)
- Texas Tech (12-1, Big 12 champion)
- Oregon Ducks (11-1, at-large)
- Ole Miss Rebels (11-1, at-large)
- Texas A&M Aggies (11-1, at-large) — X
- Oklahoma Sooners (10-2, at-large) — X
- Alabama Crimson Tide (10-3, at-large)
- Miami Hurricanes (10-2, at-large)
- Tulane Green Wave (11-2, American champion) — X
- James Madison Dukes (12-1, Sun Belt champion) — X
The first four seeds in the CFP receive a first round bye.
The CFP seeds were officially locked in as the selection committee had their work cut out for them, trying to decide who should get in. Though their criteria can feel a bit vague at times, they do have four specific areas they look at when deciding who should get in:
- Strength of schedule
- Head-to-head competition
- Comparative outcomes of common opponents
- Other relevant factors such as unavailability of key players and coaches that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason
College Football Playoff schedule
First round
Date | Matchup | Time | Channel | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Friday, Dec. 19 | No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma | 8 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN | Alabama, 34-24 |
Saturday, Dec. 20 | No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M | 12 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN | Miami, 10-3 |
Saturday, Dec. 20 | No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss | 3:30 p.m. ET | TNT/TruTV/HBO Max | Ole Miss, 41-10 |
Saturday, Dec. 20 | No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon | 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT/TruTV/HBO Max | Oregon, 51-34 |
Quarterfinals
Date | Matchup | Time | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
Wednesday, Dec. 31 | Texas A&M/Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
Thursday, Jan. 1 | Oregon/James Madison winner vs. No. 4 Texas Tech | 12 p.m. ET | ESPN |
Thursday, Jan. 1 | Oklahoma/Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana | 4 p.m. ET | ESPN |
Thursday, Jan. 1 | Tulane/Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN |
Semifinals and Championship Game
Date | Matchup | Time | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
Thursday, Jan. 8 | Semifinals TBD | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
Friday, Jan. 9 | Semifinals TBD | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
Monday, Jan. 19 | Title game TBD | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
College Football playoff matchups — Quarterfinals
No. 10 Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Fresh off an upset of Texas A&M in the first round, Miami faces an even steeper uphill climb against Ohio State.
The Buckeyes are 9.5-point favorites over the Hurricanes, marking the largest odds gap in the quarterfinals. There's good reason for that. Ohio State is arguably the most dangerous team in the CFP, especially after losing to Indiana in the Big Ten title game. They'll have a chip on their shoulder.
But the Canes do have one advantage: They've played and won this month. Ohio State may have some serious rust after a 25-day layoff.
Learn more with our 5-minute preview of Miami vs. Ohio State.
Orange Bowl: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech
Even though Texas Tech is the higher seed, Oregon is the favorite at the Orange Bowl. Granted, they're an extremely narrow one. The Red Raiders are 1.5-point underdogs, effectively making this one a push.
Can Dante Moore and the Ducks offense find the key to unlocking Texas Tech's dominant defense? That's the big question coming into this one. Only two teams have managed to score 20 points against Tech this year.
Oregon had their warm up game against James Madison, a 51-34 blowout that got a bit sketchy in the second half. The Dukes never really threatened, but Oregon up 34 points won't make Dan Lanning particularly happy.
Learn more with our 5-minute preview of Oregon vs. Texas Tech.
Rose Bowl: No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana
Alabama no-showed the SEC title game and it looked like they were doing it early against Oklahoma in the first round. They finally broke out of their stupor and booked a date with Indiana in the Rose Bowl. The Hoosiers aren't likely to let them get away with spotting them a 17-point lead.
Indiana is a touchdown favorite over the Crimson Tide, with Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza leading the charge. IU already notched the biggest win in school history by beating Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. A playoff win would quickly take that title.
Learn more with our 5-minute preview of Alabama vs. Indiana.
Sugar Bowl: No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia
It's an All-SEC matchup in the Sugar Bowl between familiar opponents. Georgia beat Ole Miss by eight in October and they're expected to do it again this time around as 6.5-point favorites.
The Rebels did just fine without Lane Kiffin in their first round matchup with Tulane. But Georgia is a different beast for quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and company to tame. Despite scoring three total touchdowns in their last meeting, the Ole Miss QB was outshone by the Bulldogs' Gunner Stockton, who accounted for five scores.
Learn more with our 5-minute preview of Ole Miss vs. Georgia.
Where are the 2025 CFP games played?
No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon
- Eugene, Oregon
- Outdoor stadium
- Crowd lean: Oregon Ducks
- Weather risk: Cold / Rain
No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss
- Oxford, Mississippi
- Outdoor stadium
- Crowd lean: Ole Miss
- Weather risk: Cold / Rain
No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma
- Norman, Oklahoma
- Outdoor stadium
- Crowd lean: Oklahoma Sooners
- Weather risk: Possible wind or rain
No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M
- College Station, Texas
- Outdoor stadium
- Crowd lean: Texas A&M
- Weather risk: Possible wind or rain
Fan anxiety meter: How each playoff fanbase should feel right now
Indiana Hoosiers
Confidence score: 9
- Nightmare matchup: Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Dream matchup: Alabama Crimson Tide
- Quick emotional read: Playing with house money
Ohio State Buckeyes
Confidence score: 8
- Nightmare matchup: Georgia Bulldogs
- Dream matchup: Miami Hurricanes
- Quick emotional read: Pissed off determination
Georgia Bulldogs
Confidence score: 7
- Nightmare matchup: Ole Miss
- Dream matchup: Ohio State
- Quick emotional read: Title-or-bust pressure
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Confidence score: 8
- Nightmare matchup: Indiana Hoosiers
- Dream matchup: Oregon Ducks
- Quick emotional read: Underdog with nothing to lose
Oregon Ducks
Confidence score: 6
- Nightmare matchup: Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Dream matchup: Alabama Crimson Tide
- Quick emotional read: Title-or-bust pressure
Ole Miss Rebels
Confidence score: 6
- Nightmare matchup: Georgia Bulldogs
- Dream matchup: Texas A&M Aggies
- Quick emotional read: Playing with house money
Texas A&M Aggies
Confidence score: 5
- Nightmare matchup: Georgia Bulldogs
- Dream matchup: Ole Miss Rebels
- Quick emotional read: Motivated
Oklahoma Sooners
Confidence score: 6
- Nightmare matchup: Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Dream matchup: Oregon Ducks
- Quick emotional read: Underdog with a point to prove
Alabama Crimson Tide
Confidence score: 5
- Nightmare matchup: Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Dream matchup: Oregon Ducks
- Quick emotional read: Pressure for a deep run
Miami Hurricanes
Confidence score: 4
- Nightmare matchup: Georgia Bulldogs
- Dream matchup: Ole Miss Rebels
- Quick emotional read: Just happy to be here
Tulane Green Wave
Confidence score: 2
- Nightmare matchup: Georgia Bulldogs
- Dream matchup: Miami Hurricanes
- Quick emotional read: Underdog with nothing to lose
James Madison Dukes
Confidence score: 3
- Nightmare matchup: Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Dream matchup: Alabama Crimson Tide
- Quick emotional read: Underdog with upset potential