College Football Playoff 12-Team Projections After Week 15
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With Week 15 of the 2025 college football season in the books, it’s time to project how the 12-team playoff will look on Sunday with the final selections. The projected field features a few changes following Week 15 action. Indiana moves to the No. 1 seed after beating Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, with the Buckeyes, Georgia, and Texas Tech rounding out the projected teams in the top four. Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma are projected to host first-round matchups. With Duke beating Virginia, the ACC is predicted to not have a team in the playoff field, as Alabama and Notre Dame take the last two at-large spots over Miami. Tulane and James Madison join Indiana, Georgia, and Texas Tech with guaranteed playoff bids due to a conference championship.
Just one week of the ’25 season remains, 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.
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2025 After Week 15
With Week 15 completed, Athlon Sports projects the CFP field for 2025:
College Football Playoff 12-Team Projections After Week 15
The Projected Field for 2025-26
Ranking All 136 College Football Teams for 2025
1. Indiana (Big Ten Champion)
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia (SEC Champion)
4. Texas Tech (Big 12 Champion)
5. Oregon
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas A&M
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Alabama
11. Tulane (American Champion)
12. James Madison (Sun Belt Champion)
Bubble Watch After Week 15
Miami (10-2)
BYU (11-2)
Vanderbilt (10-2)
Texas (9-3)
Utah (10-2)
Duke (8-5)
G5 Playoff Contenders
Conference Champions:Tulane, Boise State, James Madison, Western Michigan, and Kennesaw State
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 Oregon vs. No. 12 James Madison
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Tulane
No. 7 Texas A&M 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. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon
Orange Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 9 Notre Dame
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
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 Indiana vs. No. 4 Texas Tech
Peach Bowl (Jan. 9)
Projection: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Georgia
NationalChampionship
Jan. 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection: Indiana vs. Ohio State
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 7, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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