CFP Bracket 2025: Seeds, Byes & First Round

The 2025 College Football Playoff Bracket is Here!

The College Football Playoff (CFP) committee has officially unveiled the penultimate bracket for the expanded 12-team playoff format, creating excitement and debate across the college football world. With the final rankings set to be released on December 7th, teams are now locked in for the historic first-round matchups and crucial byes that will determine the path to the national championship.

Seeding and First-Round Byes

The top four seeds in the CFP rankings have earned coveted first-round byes, giving them a significant advantage in the tournament structure:

No. 1 Seed: Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0)
No. 2 Seed: Indiana Hoosiers (12-0)
No. 3 Seed: Georgia Bulldogs (11-1)
No. 4 Seed: Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-1)

The official 12-team CFP bracket for 2025, showing all seeds and first-round matchups. - Image from https://duckduckgo.com/?origin=funnel_home_website&t=h_&q=2025+CFP+bracket+diagram+with+seeds+and+matchups&ia=images&iax=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbc4i.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F18%2F2024%2F12%2F12-Team-CFP-Bracket-37.png

These byes mean Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, and Texas Tech will automatically advance to the quarterfinals, hosted at their home stadiums, awaiting the winners of the first-round contests.

First-Round Showdowns

The first-round matchups feature intriguing matchups between high-ranked teams and conference champions, all played on campus sites:

No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2) at No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners (10-2)
The winner advances to face top-seeded Ohio State in the quarterfinals. This SEC-Big 12 clash promises fireworks.
No. 12 Tulane Green Wave (10-2) at No. 5 Oregon Ducks (11-1)
The American Conference champion takes on the Pac-12 powerhouse. A victory would send them to face Texas Tech.
No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers (10-2) at No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels (11-1)
ACC champion Virginia travels to SEC stalwart Ole Miss. The winner earns a date with third-seeded Georgia.
No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-2) at No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies (11-1)
The Fighting Irish face the Aggies in a battle of ranked independents. Victory sets up a quarterfinal against second-seeded Indiana.

Bubble Teams and Final Rankings

Several teams were on the bubble outside the top 12, including BYU (11-1), Miami (10-2), and Texas (9-3). The committee emphasized strength of schedule and conference championships in its rankings, leaving some Power Five schools on the outside looking in.

"The expanded field has brought new energy to the postseason," noted analysts, "but every ranking still sparks passionate debate among fans and coaches."

What’s Next?

The final CFP rankings on December 7th will confirm the bracket and home-field assignments for the quarterfinals. With two unbeaten teams (Ohio State and Indiana) and multiple one-loss contenders, the 2025 tournament is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in college football history.