New College Football Playoff Bracket: How the 12-Team Field Would Look Today
There's already been plenty of debate around the new College Football Playoff bracket as the selection committee releases rankings every week until the unveiling of the official field on Dec. 8.
- The third Top 25 CFP rankings were released Tuesday, with Oregon, Texas, Miami, and Boise State earning the top four seeds
- Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, and Texas lead the college football championship odds
- The SEC and Big Ten dominate the College Football Playoff odds, with those two conferences combining to boast eight teams with -450 CFP odds or shorter
- Thanks to the play of Heisman Trophy odds favorite Travis Hunter, Colorado is a real threat to win the Big 12 and make the CFP
- Boise State has gone from the favorite to earn the fifth automatic bid as the highest-ranked G5 team in both the CFP rankings and AP Top 25 to overtaking the Big 12 in the rankings and positioned to earn a bye
Before you start shooting from the hip with your College Football Playoff bracket predictions, make sure you understand the new format.
How the 2025 College Football Playoff bracket works
College Football Playoff team selection
- 12 teams selected and seeded by the College Football Playoff committee following conference championship weekend on Sunday, Dec. 8
- Five automatic qualifiers (the five highest ranked conference champions)
- Seven at-large bids selected by the CFP selection committee
- Four highest-ranked conference champions receive a first-round bye into the quarterfinals
- Eight remaining teams play based on seeding, with the higher-ranked team playing on its campus or at a location of its choice
- The expanded playoff will not impact the committee's selection criteria
College Football Playoff schedule
- First round (on-campus): Dec. 20 & 21, with No. 12 at No. 5, No. 9 at No. 8, No. 11 at No. 6, and No. 10 at No. 7
- Quarterfinals (Fiesta, Peach, Rose, and Sugar Bowl): Dec. 31 & Jan. 1, with No. 4 vs. winner of No. 12/5, No. 1 vs. winner of No. 9/8, No. 3 vs. winner of No. 11/6, and No. 2 vs. winner of No. 10/7
- Semifinal 1 (Orange Bowl): Jan. 9 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
- Semifinal 2 (Cotton Bowl): Jan. 10 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
- CFP National Championship: Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
Printable 2025 College Football Playoff bracket
Click here to download our FREE printable college football playoff bracket.
How the College Football Playoff bracket would look today
Seeding based on the College Football Playoff rankings, which release weekly until the final rankings on Sunday, Dec. 8.
| Seed | Team | Record | Selection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | 11-0 | Big Ten Champion |
| 2 | Texas | 9-1 | SEC Champion |
| 3 | Miami | 9-1 | ACC Champion |
| 4 | Boise State | 9-1 | Highest-ranked G5 champion |
| 5 | Ohio State | 9-1 | At-large |
| 6 | Penn State | 9-1 | At-large |
| 7 | Indiana | 10-0 | At-large |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 9-1 | At-large |
| 9 | Alabama | 8-2 | At-large |
| 10 | Ole Miss | 8-2 | At-large |
| 11 | Georgia | 8-2 | At-large |
| 12 | BYU | 9-1 | Big 12 Champion |
College Football Playoff first-round matchups if the CFP was today
| Matchup | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| No. 12 BYU vs. No. 5 Ohio State | Friday, Dec. 20 OR Saturday, Dec. 21 | Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) |
| No. 11 Georgia vs. No. 6 Penn State | Friday, Dec. 20 OR Saturday, Dec. 21 | Beaver Stadium (University Park, Pa.) |
| No. 10 Ole Miss vs. No. 7 Indiana | Friday, Dec. 20 OR Saturday, Dec. 21 | Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, Ind.) |
| No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 8 Notre Dame | Friday, Dec. 20 OR Saturday, Dec. 21 | Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.) |
The third College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday, Nov. 19 for the new College Football Playoff bracket, and the selection committee will continue to update the rankings weekly until the final version is revealed on Sunday, Dec. 8.
With Oregon, Texas, Miami, and Boise State being the highest-ranked teams in their respective conferences, they would earn a bye if the CFP was today. And with the Broncos being ranked higher than any Big 12 team, that means a G5 program is positioned to earn a bye.
BYU gets in as the lowest-seeded team thanks to being the highest-ranked Big 12 school. And there's even a possibility the Big 12 will be left out of the CFP altogether if the committee opts to put the AAC Champion (Army or Tulane) in over the Big 12 champ.
After Ohio State's win over Penn State, the Buckeyes remain the highest at-large seed, while Penn State, Indiana, and Notre Dame would be slated to host the other first-round games.
The at-large bids are made up of three SEC schools, three Big Ten programs, and Notre Dame. With the Fighting Irish back in the picture, it appears the Big 12 and ACC might each miss out on receiving a second bid.
Remember, expansion essentially happened to put more SEC and Big Ten teams into the playoff.
How the new 2025 College Football Playoff format works
Unlike the previous iteration of the College Football Playoff, there will be automatic qualifiers in the 12-team playoff - this will stop teams like last year's 13-0 Florida State program that won the ACC Championship from being left out.
The automatic qualifiers will be the five highest-ranked conference champions. So while it's not necessarily the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC champions that are guaranteed a spot, there's almost no way the CFP Committee would rank two Group of Five champs over a Power Four champ.
Essentially that means the five automatic qualifiers will be the Power Four champs and the highest-ranked G5 champ. The four highest-ranked automatic qualifiers, again likely the P4 champs, will then earn first-round byes. The fifth conference champ and the remaining seven teams that earn at-large bids - selected by the committee - will then be seeded from No. 5 to 12.
The committee will be releasing its selections for the 12-team playoff, along with the seeding, following conference championship weekend on Sunday, Dec. 8. The playoff will then get underway 12 days later with four first-round games.
CFP matchups & schedule
Those eight teams will play at the home stadium or location of the higher seeds choice during the first round. The No. 12-seed will play the No. 5, the No. 11 plays the No. 6, the No. 10 plays the No. 7, and the No. 9 plays the No. 8.
One of those games will be played Friday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. ET with the other three the next day - Saturday, Dec. 21 - with games at noon, 4 p.m., and 8 p.m. ET. Two of the first-round games will be broadcast by TNT Sports with every other CFP game being broadcast by ESPN or ABC.
Quarterfinals
The quarterfinals will take place over a week later with the No. 4-seed playing the winner of the No. 12/5 game, No. 3 playing the winner of No. 11/6, No. 2 playing the winner of No. 10/7, and No. 1 playing the winner of No. 9/8.
The first of those games is slated for New Year's Eve - Tuesday, Dec. 31 - at 7:30 p.m. ET from the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
The other three quarterfinals will take place on New Year's Day - Wednesday, Jan. 1 - with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 1 p.m. ET, the Rose Bowl Game from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. at 5 p.m. ET, and the Allstate Sugar Bowl from Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La. at 8:45 p.m. ET.
Semifinals
The semifinals will be the following week with the Capital One Orange Bowl from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
One of those games will feature the winner of the No. 12/5/4 matchup vs. the winner of the No. 9/8/1 game while the other will be between the winner of No. 11/6/3 and the winner of No. 10/7/2.
National Championship
The CFP National Championship Game will then be played on Monday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
College Football Playoff bracket key dates
| Round | Date | Matchup | Location | How to watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Friday, Dec. 20 (8 p.m. ET) | No. 12 at No. 5 OR No. 11 at No. 6 OR No. 10 at No. 7 OR No. 9 at No. 8 | Campus of higher seed | ABC/ESPN |
| First round | Saturday, Dec. 21 (noon ET) | No. 12 at No. 5 OR No. 11 at No. 6 OR No. 10 at No. 7 OR No. 9 at No. 8 | Campus of higher seed | TNT Sports |
| First round | Saturday, Dec. 21 (4 p.m. ET) | No. 12 at No. 5 OR No. 11 at No. 6 OR No. 10 at No. 7 OR No. 9 at No. 8 | Campus of higher seed | TNT Sports |
| First round | Saturday, Dec. 21 (8 p.m. ET) | No. 12 at No. 5 OR No. 11 at No. 6 OR No. 10 at No. 7 OR No. 9 at No. 8 | Campus of higher seed | ABC/ESPN |
| Quarterfinals | Tuesday, Dec. 31 (7:30 p.m. ET) | No. 4 vs. winner of No. 12/5 OR No. 3 vs. winner of No. 11/6 OR No. 2 vs. winner of No. 10/7 OR No. 1 vs. winner of No. 9/8 | Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.) | ESPN |
| Quarterfinals | Wednesday, Jan. 1 (1 p.m. ET) | No. 4 vs. winner of No. 12/5 OR No. 3 vs. winner of No. 11/6 OR No. 2 vs. winner of No. 10/7 OR No. 1 vs. winner of No. 9/8 | Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta) | ESPN |
| Quarterfinals | Wednesday, Jan. 1 (5 p.m. ET) | No. 4 vs. winner of No. 12/5 OR No. 3 vs. winner of No. 11/6 OR No. 2 vs. winner of No. 10/7 OR No. 1 vs. winner of No. 9/8 | Rose Bowl Game (Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.) | ESPN |
| Quarterfinals | Wednesday, Jan. 1 (8:45 p.m. ET) | No. 4 vs. winner of No. 12/5 OR No. 3 vs. winner of No. 11/6 OR No. 2 vs. winner of No. 10/7 OR No. 1 vs. winner of No. 9/8 | Allstate Sugar Bowl (Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.) | ESPN |
| Semifinal 1 | Thursday, Jan. 9 (7:30 p.m. ET) | Winner of No. 12/5/4 vs. winner of No. 9/8/1 OR winner of No. 11/6/3 vs. winner of No. 10/7/2 | Capital One Orange Bowl (Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.) | ESPN |
| Semifinal 2 | Friday, Jan. 10 (7:30 p.m. ET) | Winner of No. 12/5/4 vs. winner of No. 9/8/1 OR winner of No. 11/6/3 vs. winner of No. 10/7/2 | Goodyear Cotton Bowl (AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex.) | ESPN |
| CFP National Championship Game | Monday, Jan. 20 (7:30 p.m. ET) | Winner of No. 12/9/8/5/4/1 vs. winner of No. 11/10/7/6/3/2 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) | ESPN |
College Football Playoff bracket FAQs
Who are the favorites to make the College Football Playoff bracket?
Oregon has the shortest odds to make the 2025 College Football Playoff. The Ducks' shortest odds are -20000, implying a 99.5% probability they will make the playoff, according to our odds calculator.
How many teams make the College Football Playoff bracket?
Previously only four teams were selected for the College Football Playoff, but this season the playoff will expand to 12 teams. The top five ranked conference champions will be automatic qualifiers for the playoff along with seven at-large teams, decided by the College Football Playoff selection committee.
The top four conference champions will receive a first-round bye in the playoff with the committee seeding the remaining teams from No. 5 to 12.
How does the College Football Playoff bracket work?
The 2025 College Football Playoff starts with the first round on Dec. 20 and 21, with games being played at the campus of the higher seed or a location of their choice. The quarterfinals will then be played across the Fiesta, Peach, Rose, and Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
The semifinals take place Jan. 9 and 10 at the Orange and Cotton Bowl before the CFP National Championship game on Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
Why is the College Football Playoff expanding?
After a decade of the four-team College Football Playoff, the CFP is expanding in an effort to give more teams an opportunity to compete for the national title. This comes on the heels of an undefeated power conference champion (Florida State) being left out last year.
Expansion will also guarantee at least on Group of Five program a playoff spot - just one G5 school was selected to the four-team playoff during its 10 years. This theoretically makes the season that much more meaningful for all 134 teams, given that every program has at least a sliver of a chance to make the playoff.
Which 12 teams would have been in the College Football Playoff bracket last year with expansion?
Using last year's College Football Playoff rankings, we can see which 12 teams would have qualified for the CFP if expansion had taken place a year earlier. The four power conference champs that would have received byes would have been Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama with Liberty being the G5 champion automatic qualifier.
The other seven teams based on the CFP rankings following conference championship weekend would have been Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Missouri, Penn State, and Ole Miss.
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