2025 College Football Playoff: Official Bracket, Final Rankings and Full Schedule

The second edition of the 12-team CFP bracket was officially announced Sunday.

Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers beat Ohio State 13–10 on Saturday night to win the Big Ten championship. / Michael Reaves/Getty Images

And then there were 12.

The 2025 college football season began with 133 FBS programs dreaming of a chance at championship glory. After 15 weeks of shocking upsets, heated rivalries and a flurry of coach firings, the postseason is here. It’s finally time to name the programs that will be competing for a national title in the second edition of the College Football Playoff 12-team bracket.

Let the debates begin.

Selection Sunday is always a contentious ordeal, but the way the conference championships played out the past two days added even more intrigue. Alabama, slotted at No. 9 by the CFP committee last Tuesday, went on to lose 28–7 to Georgia in the SEC championship. Duke, with five losses on its résumé, earned a spot in the ACC title game due to tiebreakers and shook things up by beating No. 17 Virginia 27–20 in overtime.

Would the Crimson Tide still make the field or be on the outside looking in? Did Duke’s win open the door for Sun Belt champion James Madison? And was there room for No. 10 Notre Dame and/or No. 12 Miami to enter the bracket?

The 12 members of the College Football Playoff selection committee, led by Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek, had some tough decisions to make.

2025 College Football Playoff final rankings

The College Football Playoff selection committee announced the final rankings Sunday on the CFP Selection Show. Here they are:

1. Indiana (13–0)
2. Ohio State (9–0)
3. Georgia (12–1)
4. Texas Tech (12–1)
5. Oregon (11–1)
6. Ole Miss (11–1)
7. Texas A&M (11–1)
8. Oklahoma (10–2)
9. Alabama (10–3)
10. Miami (10–2)
11. Notre Dame (10–2)
12. BYU (11–2)
13. Texas (9–3)
14. Vanderbilt (10–2)
15. Utah (10–2)
16. USC (9–3)
17. Arizona (9–3)
18. Michigan (9–3)
19. Virginia (10–3)
20. Tulane (11–2)
21. Houston (9–3)
22. Georgia Tech (9–3)
23. Iowa (8–4)
24. James Madison (12–1)
25. North Texas (11–2)

(Note: Teams in bold were selected to the 12-team playoff.)

2025 College Football Playoff bracket

The second 12-team bracket in CFP history was officially announced Sunday during ESPN’s CFP Selection Show.

The four highest-ranked teams—No. 1 Indiana, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Texas Tech—earned a first-round bye and will play their first CFP games in the quarterfinals.

The five automatic bids went to the five highest-ranked conference champions in the latest CFP rankings: No. 1 Indiana (Big Ten), No. 3 Georgia (SEC), No. 4 Texas Tech (Big 12), No. 20 Tulane (American) and No. 24 James Madison (Sun Belt).

The seven at-large bids went to four SEC programs (No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 9 Alabama), two Big Ten teams (No. 2 Ohio State, No. 5 Oregon) and No. 10 Miami, the ACC’s lone representative.

At No. 11, Notre Dame was the highest-ranked team left out of the 12-team bracket. The Fighting Irish were ranked ahead of Miami last Tuesday, but the Hurricanes leapfrogged them in the final rankings and grabbed a highly debated at-large bid. Miami did beat Notre Dame 27–24 in their head-to-head matchup to open the regular season Aug. 31.

Here’s the full bracket:

Sports Illustrated

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2025 College Football Playoff: Full schedule

CFP First-Round Games

Friday, Dec. 19

• No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma — 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, Norman, Okla.

Saturday, Dec. 20

• No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M — 12 p.m. ET, ESPN, College Station, Texas
• No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss — 3:30 p.m. ET, TNT, Oxford, Miss.
• No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon — 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT, Eugene, Ore.

Quarterfinals

Wednesday, Dec. 31

• Cotton Bowl: No. 10 Miami or No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Ohio State — 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Arlington, Texas

Thursday, Jan. 1

• Orange Bowl: No. 12 James Madison or No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech — 12 p.m. ET, ESPN, Miami Gardens, Fla.
• Rose Bowl: No. 9 Alabama or No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Indiana — 4 p.m. ET, ESPN, Pasadena, Calif.
• Sugar Bowl: No. 11 Tulane or No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia — 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, New Orleans

Semifinals

Thursday, Jan. 8

• Fiesta Bowl: Sugar Bowl winner vs. Cotton Bowl winner — 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Glendale, Ariz.

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Friday, Jan. 9

• Peach Bowl: Orange Bowl winner vs. Rose Bowl winner — 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Atlanta

National championship

Monday, Jan. 19

• Fiesta Bowl winner vs. Peach Bowl winner — 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Miami Gardens, Fla.

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