25 players to watch in the 2025 College Football Playoff 

Allen's knee is healthy, and even more rest before No. 3 Georgia plays in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day should help. The Bulldogs' defensive leader boasts a team-best 85 tackles and eight tackles for loss. He's also recorded 3 1/2 sacks and forced two fumbles. Allen is an active defender, and if Georgia runs up against Ole Miss for the second time this season, he'll need to be at his best again (eight tackles during a 43-35 win over the Rebels on Oct. 18).

Nine of the nation's top 12 teams in terms of scoring defense will play in the College Football Playoff. Texas Tech (12-1) enters the playoff ranked third in the country, allowing an average of 10.9 points. No player in the CFP field has more sacks than Bailey's 13 1/2. He's also among the national leaders with 17 1/5 sacks for the No. 4 Red Raiders, who open their playoffs in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. A true pass-rushing force, Bailey is a defensive game-changer. 

No. 7 Texas A&M, 10th-seeded Miami's first-round CFP opponent, might be throwing some shade Bain's way, but he's still among the best defensive players in the country. Bain might only have 4 1/2 sacks this season, but he's active and can also be a factor in the open field. If the Hurricanes are to pull off an upset at College Station, Bain must be a notable and disruptive presence. 

Beck has thrown for nearly 11,000 career yards spanning 47 college games. He was part of two national championship teams at Georgia, but missed the CFP last year due to injury. He returns this season trying to help Miami make a postseason run. Beck has been inconsistent this season, even though he's completed 74.5 percent of his passes for more than 3,000 yards with 25 touchdowns. Though he's thrown 10 interceptions (including four in that home loss to Louisville), he has 11 touchdowns and been picked off just once during the Hurricanes' four-game winning streak.

Omar Cooper and Elijah Sarratt are two of the best receivers in the Big Ten, but teammate Becker has been a star of late for the No. 1-ranked Hoosiers. After totaling seven receptions for 154 yards in his first six games of the season, Becker has totaled 19 for 358 in the last four. Perhaps most impressive, he's averaging near 19 yards per catch during his recent rise in production. 

Oregon's defense has allowed more than 27 points once this season --  30-20 home loss to Indiana. Anchor the Ducks' defense is Boettcher, who's recorded a team-best 104 tackles. It marks the second consecutive season that Boettcher was Oregon's top tackler. Not bad for a walk-on, who should remain impactful when the No. 5 Ducks open the playoffs against No. 12 James Madison.

Stud quarterbacks like Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Oregon's Dante Moore have established themselves as the most valuable commodities on their respective teams. The same can be said for Chambliss, the Ferris State transfer who started the season as sixth-ranked Ole Miss' backup. After taking over the starter's role, Chambliss' confidence grew, and he entered the College Football Playoff as a  3,000-yard passer with a 65.5 percent completion rate and a 157.6 passer rating. The lights are brighter at the moment, and Lane Kiffin is gone, but Chambliss is still there to lead and perhaps repeat the 307 passing-yard and 112 rushing-yard performances from the Rebels' rout of Tulane earlier this season.

Ranked second in the College Football Playoff, Ohio State is filled with NFL-ready talent on defense (Caleb Downs, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles). The high-motored Curry is the team leader with 11 sacks and 16 1/2 tackles for loss. He can certainly pack wallop, just ask Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Curry has played in every game he's suited up for with the Buckeyes, and expect him to remain a force in the CFP.

Texas Tech is beating opponents by an average margin of 31.5 points, and its run game has a lot to do with the offensive success. However, this Red Raiders duo of Dickey (1,095, 14 rushing touchdowns) and Williams (787 yards, six touchdowns) has not received the consistent hype like that of Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price or Ohio State's Bo Jackson and CJ Donaldson. Dickey and Williams each average an impressive 5.5 yards per carry.

A big reason for Oklahoma's 10-2 record and No. 8 ranking in the College Football Playoff is a defense that's held five opponents to seven or fewer points and allowed more than 27 just once. Guillory has certainly had a hand in his squad's defensive success and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. During his rookie season, Guillory has posted 39 tackles and six pass breakups. He recorded five of those tackles during the Sooners' 23-21 win at Alabama, their first-round CFP opponent, on Nov. 15.

The SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Howell, entered the postseason fifth in the country with 11 1/2 sacks. He's followed in a long line of standout Aggie pass rushers like Myles Garrett and Von Miller. Now, Howell gets the chance to star on any even bigger stage, where No. 7 Texas A&M might have the talent to make a deep playoff run. Beginning against another brilliant defensive standout in the aforementioned Rueben Bain of Miami.

Talk about standing out when the lights are truly bright, JMU's Knight rushed for 212 yards in the Sun Belt Championship game. Maybe Knight was heading in this direction of rushing dominance as he's enjoyed a special season in his first year as the team's featured back. He enters the playoffs ranked 10th in the country with 1,263 yards this season. How he fares against an Oregon squad that ranks 20th in the nation for run defense (allowing an average of 107.2 yards) should be fun to watch.

Entering the postseason, Lacy is one of two running backs in the country with at least 20 rushing touchdowns. He also ranks ninth in the nation with 1,279 rushing yards. In the Rebels' last two contests, Lacy has amassed 367 yards on the ground. Flashback to Mississippi's 45-10 rout of Tulane in September: Lacy was held to 68 yards but scored twice on the ground. Expect the Rebels to lean on Lacy quite a bit in this rematch.

The Sooners are back in the CFP for the first time since 2019, and Mateer was undoubtedly a big reason. Health hindered him this season, and he threw three interceptions in Oklahoma's most recent game against LSU. If the Sooners are to beat Alabama for the second time in 2025 in their playoff opener, Mateer (completing just 62.1 percent of his passes, 10 interceptions) has little room for error after doing little against the Tide last month. His potential remains massive, but a daunting task awaits. 

The Hoosiers' defense took a hit when star defensive lineman Stephen Daley was injured during the postgame celebration at the Big Ten Championship game, leaving his CFP status in jeopardy. That said, Indiana still has some big-time talent on defense, like Moore, who ranks among the national leaders with six interceptions. He's also third on the team with 74 tackles, and second with 38 solos. 

Pierre has certainly come into his own this season while posting team leads of six sacks and 11 1/2 tackles for loss. He's also tied for a Crimson Tide best with three forced fumbles. While Alabama's offense will be under the spotlight against No. 8 Oklahoma on Dec. 19, its defense can't get frustrated if scoring is a struggle. Pierre is a disruptive factor that must have an impact on the ninth-ranked Tide.

Reed recently made news by announcing he'll return to Texas A&M next season for a nice NIL payday. First things first, Reed and the Aggies need to take down Miami in the CFP. Reed has been one of the great success stories for 2025, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Reed also ran for more than 450 yards. However, he'll need to bounce back from a rough outing against Texas to close the regular season.

After falling out of favor at BYU for violating the school's honor code, Retzlaff resurfaced at Tulane to put forth an impressive season for the 11-2 Green Wave. He completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 2,862 yards, with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. Retzlaff also rushed for a team-leading 610 yards and 16 touchdowns. That said, if No. 11 Tulane is going to avenge a regular-season loss to Ole Miss, Retzlaff must be better than going 5-of-17 for 56 yards against the Rebels.

The aforementioned David Bailey might be the best pass rusher in the college game, but many analysts believe Rodriguez is the country's top overall defensive player. The Nagurski Award winner, as the nation's top defender, the mustached Rodriguez has recorded 114 tackles, plus four interceptions, seven forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries for a Red Raiders unit that's allowed 43 points during their six-game winning streak. 

When it comes to pure athletic freakness, Sadiq might be the star among CFP participants in that department. A true game-changer, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Sadiq is a do-it-all tight end who ranked among the national leaders at the position with 40 catches, averaging 12.3 yards, and eight touchdowns in 11 games while dealing with injuries. Expect Sadiq to remain a favorite for Ducks quarterback Dante Moore as the program tries to avenge last season's early CFP exit. 

Sayin enjoyed a stellar first season as a starter for the Buckeyes. He's the national leader with a 182.1 passer rating and 78.4 completion percentage, and also ranks among the country's best in passing touchdowns (31) and passing yards (3,323). That said, Sayin seemed rattled at times by Indiana's pressure, being sacked five times during the Buckeyes' Big Ten title-game loss. The stage is even bigger now, and it will be interesting to see how Sayin handles it all.  

Not too long ago, Simpson was a Heisman Trophy front-runner. Then he was roughed up by Alabama, the same team he'll face to open the CFP. That contest began a four-game stretch for Simpson, where he's completed just 58.3 percent of his passes with five touchdowns, four interceptions, and been sacked 10 times. Four of those sacks came courtesy of the Sooners. If the Tide wants to hang around the playoffs, Simpson needs to be better.

Smith wasn't a Heisman Trophy finalist, but he's arguably the best college football player in the country. He's the Big Ten leader with a career-high 80 receptions, while totaling 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2025. Of course, who can forget his four-game performance in the 2024 CFP, recording 19 catches for 381 yards with five touchdowns. He can be even better this time around. 

One year ago, Stockton was pressed into service after the aforementioned Carson Beck was injured for the College Football Playoff. He and the Bulldogs lost to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals, but the experience helped Stockton take over the team in 2025 and feel more comfortable in this moment. Somewhat quietly, Stockton has been one of the nation's best quarterbacks, completing 70.7 percent of his passes for 2,691 yards with 23 touchdowns, five interceptions and rushing for eight scores.