College Football Playoff 12-Team Projections After Week 11

NCAAF College Football
November 10, 2025
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With Week 11 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 couple of changes following Week 11 action. Ohio State remains the No. 1 seed after its easy win over Purdue, and Indiana stays No. 2 after its last-second victory at Penn State. Texas A&M takes a slight lead over Alabama for the No. 1 spot in the SEC, as the Aggies rank No. 3 in the overall playoff projection, with the Crimson Tide at No. 4. Georgia and Ole Miss aren’t far behind Texas A&M and Alabama in the SEC projections. Georgia Tech returns as the projected ACC champion after Virginia and Louisville lost in Week 11, while the Big 12 returns to one playoff spot after Texas Tech dominated BYU. Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Michigan, USC, BYU, and Utah are some of the top teams on the bubble after Week 11.

Four 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 11 completed, Athlon Sports projects the CFP field for 2025:

College Football Playoff 12-Team Preseason Projections After Week 11

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. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas Tech (Projected Big 12 Champion)
8. Oregon
9. Notre Dame
10. Texas
11. Georgia Tech (Projected ACC Champion)
12. South Florida (Projected Highest G5 Champion)

Bubble Watch After Week 11

Oklahoma (7-2)
Texas (7-2)
BYU (8-1)
Vanderbilt (8-2)
Georgia Tech (8-1)
USC (7-2)
Michigan (7-2)
Utah (7-2)
Virginia (8-2)
Cincinnati (7-2)
Pitt (7-2)
Duke (5-4)
SMU (7-3)
Louisville (7-2)
Miami (7-2)

G5 Playoff Contenders

Projected Conference Champions:South Florida, San Diego State, James Madison, Ohio, 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, Buffalo, 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 Georgia vs. No. 12 South Florida
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech
No. 7 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 Texas
No. 8 Oregon 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. 7 Texas Tech

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

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 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 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Alabama

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 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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