College Football Playoff bracket, based on the current committee rankings

Here's how the 2025-26 College Football Playoff bracket looks, using the CFP selection committee's fifth top 25 rankings as announced on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

This is not the final, official CFP bracket, which won't be revealed until Sunday, Dec. 7. The bracket below is just how the CFP bracket would look based on the most recent CFP rankings. 

2025-26 College Football Playoff bracket

This bracket uses the fifth selection committee top 25 rankings from Tuesday, Dec. 2. That means the next rankings reveal will be when we get the official College Football Playoff bracket on Sunday, Dec. 7.

The top 25 ranking does not always match the seed in the playoff, as the five highest-ranked conference champions get in automatically, even if they are ranked behind teams in the top 25 or not ranked in the top 25 at all.

First Round (and related quarterfinal matchups)

• No. 12 fifth-highest ranked conference champion at No. 5 Oregon
  • Winner vs. No. 4 Texas Tech in the quarterfinals
• No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma
  • Winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State in the quarterfinals
• No. 11 fourth highest-ranked conference champion at No. 6 Ole Miss
  • Winner vs. No. 3 Georgia in the quarterfinals
• No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 7 Texas A&M
  • Winner vs. No. 2 Indiana in the quarterfinals

College Football Playoff rankings, seeds

The four highest-ranked teams — regardless of how they finish in their conference — receive first round byes into the quarterfinals. These teams are listed in bold. The five highest-ranked conference champions receive automatic bids.

Here are the latest CFP top 25 rankings.

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

There is no re-seeding of the bracket after rounds.

The four quarterfinal games are not played on campus sites like in the first round. The quarterfinals, scheduled on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 — will be played at the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The four highest-ranked teams will be assigned one of these bowls in consideration of historic bowl relationships as well as seeding.

The four quarterfinal winners will then meet in the semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl or the Peach Bowl on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9. If the seeds hold, that means No. 1 would play No. 4 and No. 2 would play No. 3. The two semifinal winners will then play on Monday, Jan. 19 in Miami for the CFP national championship.

2025-26 College Football Playoff schedule

• First round (Dec. 19-20) — on campus
  • Friday, Dec. 19
    • 8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN, WatchESPN
  • Saturday, Dec. 20:
    • 12 p.m. on ABC, ESPN, WatchESPN
    • 3:30 p.m. on TNT, truTV, HBO Max
    • 7:30 p.m. on TNT, truTV, HBO Max
• Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)
  • Wednesday, Dec. 31
    • Cotton Bowl (Arlington, Texas) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
  • Thursday, Jan. 1
    • Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Fla.) | 12 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
    • Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) | 4 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
    • Sugar Bowl (New Orleans) | 8 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
• Semifinals (Jan. 8-9)
  • Thursday, Jan. 8
    • Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
  • Friday, Jan. 9
    • Peach Bowl (Atlanta) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
•  College Football Playoff National Championship Game
  • Monday, Jan. 19
    • Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN