2025 College Football Playoff Bracket Revealed: SI Experts Predict Every Matchup

Pat Forde and Bryan Fischer make their picks for all four rounds and 11 games including picking which of the 12 teams will win the national championship.

Bryan Fischer, Pat Forde | 7 Hours Ago

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti hoists the trophy after winning the Big Ten championship game. Will the No. 1 Hoosiers claim their first football national championship this season? / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The 2025 College Football Playoff bracket is set with some surprises from the selection committee on Sunday. No. 9 Alabama and No. 10 Miami were the final at-large teams in the field, while Notre Dame was left out. Two Group of 5 teams—No. 11 Tulane and No. 12 James Madison—became the fourth and fifth conference champions in the bracket. And No. 1 Indiana made a strong statement with its win over No. 2 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game on Saturday to claim the top spot.

The first round will again be held on campus sites on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20, with the quarterfinals moving to bowl locations around the new year. The semifinals at the Fiesta and Peach Bowls on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 lead into the CFP national championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Jan. 19.

Sports Illustrated writers Pat Forde and Bryan Fischer predict the outcome of each game in the CFP and make their picks for the title winner.

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2025 College Football Playoff Full Schedule

First round

No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon, 7:30 p.m. ET Dec. 20 (TNT/HBO Max)
No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Mississippi, 3:30 p.m. ET Dec. 20 (TNT/HBO Max)
No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M, noon ET Dec. 20 (ESPN/ABC)
No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma, 8 p.m. ET Dec. 19 (ESPN/ABC)

Quarterfinals

Orange Bowl: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. winner of No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon, noon ET Jan. 1 (ESPN)
Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Georgia vs. winner of No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Mississippi, 8 p.m. ET Jan. 1 (ESPN)
Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. winner of No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ET Dec. 31 (ESPN)
Rose Bowl: No. 1 Indiana vs. winner of No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma, 4 p.m. ET Jan. 1 (ESPN)

Semifinals

Peach Bowl: Winner of No. 4 Texas Tech–No. 12 James Madison/No. 5 Oregon vs. winner of No. 1 Indiana–No. 9 Alabama/No. 8 Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. ET Jan. 9 (ESPN)
Fiesta Bowl: Winner of No. 3 Georgia–No. 11 Tulane/No. 6 Mississippi vs. winner of No. 2 Ohio State–No. 10 Miami/No. 7 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ET Jan. 8 (ESPN)

Championship

At Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, 7:30 p.m. ET Jan. 19 (ESPN)

Sports Illustrated Expert College Football Playoff Picks

First round

Matchup	Forde’s Pick	Fischer’s Pick
No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon	No. 5 Oregon	No. 5 Oregon
No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Mississippi	No. 6 Mississippi	No. 6 Mississippi
No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M	No. 10 Miami	No. 10 Miami
No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma	No. 8 Oklahoma	No. 9 Alabama

Quarterfinals

Forde’s Matchup	Forde’s Pick	Fischer’s Matchup	Fischer’s Pick
No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech	No. 5 Oregon	No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech	No. 4 Texas Tech
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Indiana	No. 1 Indiana	No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana	No. 1 Indiana
No. 6 Mississippi vs. No. 3 Georgia	No. 3 Georgia	No. 6 Mississippi vs. No. 3 Georgia	No. 3 Georgia
No. 10 Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State	No. 2 Ohio State	No. 10 Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State	No. 2 Ohio State

Semifinals

Forde’s Matchup	Forde’s Pick	Fischer’s Matchup	Fischer’s Pick
No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 2 Ohio State	No. 3 Georgia	No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 2 Ohio State	No. 2 Ohio State
No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1 Indiana	No. 1 Indiana	No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 1 Indiana	No. 1 Indiana

Championship

Forde’s Matchup	Forde’s Pick	Fischer’s Matchup	Fischer’s Pick
No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 1 Indiana	No. 1 Indiana	No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Indiana	No. 2 Ohio State

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Published 7 Hours Ago

BRYAN FISCHER

Bryan Fischer is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated covering college sports. He joined the SI staff in October 2024 after spending nearly two decades at outlets such as FOX Sports, NBC Sports and CBS Sports. A member of the Football Writers Association of America's All-America Selection Committee and a Heisman Trophy voter, Fischer has received awards for investigative journalism from the Associated Press Sports Editors and FWAA. He has a bachelor's in communication from USC.

PAT FORDE

Pat Forde is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who covers college football and college basketball as well as the Olympics and horse racing. He cohosts the College Football Enquirer podcast and is a football analyst on the Big Ten Network. He previously worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. Forde has won 28 Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest awards, has been published three times in the Best American Sports Writing book series, and was nominated for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize. A past president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and member of the Football Writers Association of America, he lives in Louisville with his wife. They have three children, all of whom were collegiate swimmers.