College Football Playoff 12-Team Projections After Week 13

NCAAF College Football
November 24, 2025
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With Week 13 of the 2025 college football season in the books, it’s time to project how the 12-team playoff will look by December. The projected field features a few changes following Week 13 action. Ohio State remains the No. 1 seed after an easy win over Rutgers, and Indiana stays No. 2 entering its rivalry showdown against Purdue on Black Friday. Texas A&M remains No. 3, with Georgia, Texas Tech, Oregon, and Ole Miss battling in the next tier for playoff seeding. SMU is now the projected ACC champion, with Tulane edging North Texas and James Madison as the top Group of 5 team. Miami, Vanderbilt, Michigan, BYU, and Utah are some of the top teams on the bubble after Week 13.

Just two weeks of the season remain, and the impact of every game isn’t limited to just the top four. Instead, each contest takes on an increased role due to eight additional spots in the playoff, as well as seeding, and the automatic bids for conference champions.

As a refresher for ’25: 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 teams receive a bye, with the first-round games slated to be played at the home sites of the higher seed. In a change from ’24, the top four teams receiving a bye do not have to be conference champions. Beginning with the quarterfinals, all games through the national championship will be played at bowl or neutral sites.

With Week 13 completed, Athlon Sports projects the CFP field for 2025:

College Football Playoff 12-Team Preseason Projections After Week 13

The Projected Field for 2025-26

Ranking All 136 College Football Teams for 2025

1. Ohio State (Projected Big Ten Champion)
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M (Projected SEC Champion)
4. Georgia
5. Texas Tech (Projected Big 12 Champion)
6. Oregon
7. Ole Miss
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Alabama
11. SMU (Projected ACC Champion)
12. Tulane (Projected Highest G5 Champion)

Bubble Watch After Week 13

Miami (9-2)
Michigan (9-2)
BYU (10-1)
Vanderbilt (9-2)
Texas (8-3)
Utah (9-2)
Virginia (9-2)
Pitt (8-3)
USC (8-3)
Georgia Tech (9-2)

G5 Playoff Contenders

Projected Conference Champions:Tulane, San Diego State, James Madison, Western Michigan, and Western Kentucky

Other G5 Teams in the Mix: UNLV, Boise State, Miami (Ohio), North Texas, Tulane, Navy, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Ohio, Central Michigan, and Toledo

College Football Playoff First Round

First-round games will be placed on campus sites of highest seed. Matchups will take place from Dec. 19-20

No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Tulane
No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 SMU
No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Alabama
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Notre Dame

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)
Projection: No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 10 Alabama

Orange Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 5 Texas Tech

Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Notre Dame

Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 6 Oregon

College Football Playoff Semifinals

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

Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 8)
Projection: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Georgia

Peach Bowl (Jan. 9)
Projection: No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 3 Texas A&M

NationalChampionship

Jan. 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Texas A&M

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Nov 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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