The College Football Playoff with 12 teams was thrilling to watch last season. And it could be even better this year.
Here’s a look at the CFP picture as of right now.
College Playoff Rankings
The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has yet to release any rankings and will do so for the first time on Tuesday.
So if we’re going off of the most recent Associated Press Top 25, the teams in the CFP right now would be:
- No. 1 Ohio State
- No. 2 Indiana
- No. 3 Texas A&M
- No. 4 Alabama
- No. 5 Georgia
- No. 6 Oregon
- No. 7 Ole Miss
- No. 8 BYU
- No. 9 Texas Tech
- No. 10 Notre Dame
- No. 11 Virginia
- No. 12 Memphis
CFP Betting Odds
Here are the teams with the best college football betting odds to win the CFP and national championship, via BetMGM:
- Ohio State +200
- Oregon +500
- Alabama +700
- Oregon +1000
- Notre Dame +1000
- Texas A&M +1100
- Georgia +1300
- Ole Miss +2000
- Texas Tech +2500
- Texas +3000
CFP Bracket Predictions
I predict Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, and Alabama will be the top four teams in the College Football Playoff at the end of the season.
I also predict the Group of Five conference championship winner ranked the next highest will be Memphis, and I believe the CFP Selection Committee will put the Tigers in the 12th spot.
From there, I’m projecting Georgia, Oregon, Notre Dame, BYU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss will be in the CFP.
2025 CFP Playoff National Championship Predictions
I predict Indiana will play Oregon in the College Football Playoff national championship with Oregon winning.
Right now, I think the Ducks, led by quarterback Dante Moore, are the best squad in college football.
I really like how Indiana has played, and I think the Hoosiers have a good chance to make a deep run considering what QB Fernando Mendoza has done. But I think Oregon is capable of playing at the highest level in the CFP.
2025 CFP Selection Show Schedule
The final College Football Playoff Selection Show will be at noon ET on Sunday, Dec. 7, on ESPN.
Here’s when the CFP Selection Committee will release its rankings throughout the season:
| Time | Date | TV |
| 8-8:45 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 4 | ESPN |
| 7-8 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 11 | ESPN |
| 8:30-9 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 18 | ESPN |
| 7-8 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 25 | ESPN |
| 7-7:30 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Dec. 2 | ESPN |
| Noon-3 p.m. ET | Sunday, Dec. 7 | ESPN |
What Is The CFP?
The College Football Playoff is a postseason system where now 12 teams compete for the national championship. The CFP was introduced in 2014.
Before that year, the two teams playing in the national title were decided by the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The two teams ranked the highest would compete for the championship while the next highest-ranked squads would face off in other bowl games.
Then the College Football Playoff was adopted in 2014, which allowed for four teams to square off, with two semifinal contests and one title game.
Ohio State won the first CFP title. Alabama won the most national championships during the four-team CFP era with three victories.
But now the CFP is in a new era with 12 teams.
Who Won The College Football Playoff National Championship Last Year?
Ohio State won the national championship last season. The Buckeyes beat Notre Dame in the title game.
12-Team College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff will feature 12 teams, just like it did last season.
The five highest-ranked conference champions in the FBS – decided by the CFP Selection Committee – will make the field, as well as the seven highest-ranked teams that didn’t win a conference title.
Unlike last year, where the four conference title winners ranked the highest earned a bye, the four highest-ranked teams will have a bye and the remaining squads will compete in the first round.
The higher seeds in those matchups will host in the first round. The top four teams with the bye will be given a bowl game, like the Sugar Bowl, and the four teams playing in the two semifinal games will also be assigned to another bowl.
Re-seeding will not occur, nor will alterations be made to avoid rematches from the regular season or contests between teams in the same conference.
2025-2026 College Football Playoff Schedule
The first round of the CFP will be played on Friday, Dec. 19, and Saturday, Dec. 20. The CFP quarterfinals will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 31, and Thursday, Jan. 1. The CFP semifinals will occur on Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9.
In the first round, the No. 12-seeded team will play at the No. 5-seeded team. The No. 9 team will go on the road to face the No. 8 team. The No. 11 team will travel to take on the No. 6 team. And the No. 10 team will compete at the No. 7 team.
The winner of the 5/12 matchup will play the No. 4-seeded team in the quarterfinals. Whoever wins the 8/9 contest will go against the top-seeded team. The victor in the 6/11 contest will next face the No. 3 team. And whoever is triumphant in the 7/10 bout will compete against the No. 2-seeded team.
The winners of the games involving the No. 1-seeded team and the No. 4-seeded team will square off in the semifinals, and the winner of the games involving the No. 3-seeded team and the No. 2-seeded team will also play in the semifinals.
The victor of those two contests will see each other in the national championship.
CFP Championship Schedule
The national championship will be played on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
