College Football Playoff 12-Team Preseason Projections for 2025

College football's 2025 season marks the second year of the 12-team playoff. The benefits (and downsides) of the expanded field were on display in '24, as Ohio State lost its season finale to Michigan but overcame that defeat by winning four straight games to claim the national title. Although the 12-team field was a success and generated a ton of extra interest for the sport down the stretch, changes are already coming this year. Instead of the top four spots going to conference champions, the format has switched to straight seeding. Starting in '25, the 12 teams in the playoff will be seeded 1-12 to correspond directly to the rankings. 

With less than 50 days until kickoff for the '25 season, and rosters essentially finalized for the upcoming year, it's time to project what the College Football Playoff could look like in December.

As a refresher: 12 teams — the five highest-rated conference champions and seven highest-ranked at-large selections by the selection committee — will receive berths to the College Football Playoff. The top four highest-ranked teams receive a bye, with the first-round games slated to be played at the home sites of the higher seed. Beginning with the quarterfinals, all games through the national championship will be played at bowl or neutral sites.

With the postseason format officially set and actual games right around the corner, it’s never too early to think about how the CFP will look by December. Athlon Sports projects the CFP field for 2025-26:

Conference Predictions for 2025

Power 4: ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC 

Group of 5: American | CUSA | MAC | Mountain West | Sun Belt 

Ranking All 136 College Football Teams for 2025

College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26

College Football Playoff 12-Team Preseason Projections for 2025

The Projected Field for 2025-26

Projected rankings from Athlon's 136 ranking for 2025

1. Texas (Projected SEC Champion)
2. Penn State (Projected Big Ten Champion)
3. Ohio State 
4. Georgia 
5. Clemson (Projected ACC Champion)
6. Notre Dame
7. LSU
8. Alabama
9. Oregon
10. Miami
11. Kansas State (Projected Big 12 Champion)
12. Boise State (Projected Mountain West Champion)

The Next Tier of CFB Playoff Contenders: Florida, South Carolina, Arizona State, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas Tech, and Iowa State.

The Next Tier of G5 Playoff Contenders (Projected Conference Champions): James Madison, Tulane, Toledo, Liberty

Other G5 Teams to Watch: UNLV, Navy, Army, South Florida, UTSA, Buffalo, Memphis

College Football Playoff First Round

Games to be played on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20. Contests will be played at home site of higher-ranked team.

No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Kansas State
No. 7 LSU vs. No. 10 Miami
No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 9 Oregon

College Football Playoff Quarterfinals

Second-round games will be played at bowl sites and will take place from Dec. 31-Jan. 1.

Cotton Bowl (Dec. 31)

Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Projection: No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Notre Dame

Orange Bowl (Jan. 1)

Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection: No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 5 Clemson

Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)

Location: Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
Projection: No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 7 LSU

Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1)

Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Projection: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Alabama

College Football Playoff Semifinals

Semifinal games will be played at bowl sites. Matchups are scheduled for Jan. 8-9.

Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 8)

Location: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Projection: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Georgia

Peach Bowl (Jan. 9)

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
Projection: No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 3 Ohio State

National Championship

Date: Jan. 19, 2026
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection: Texas over Penn State