Who will OU football face in CFP? Bracket scenarios, predictions for Sooners
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Coach Brent Venables and the OU football team’s playoff outcome has been pretty consistent since the first committee rankings were released: the No. 8 Sooners would host the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first round.
With the final rankings set to come out at 11 a.m. CT Sunday, it still looks like the College Football Playoff and Notre Dame could very well be en route to Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Or maybe Miami could be on its way. Time will tell.
OU (10-2, 6-2 SEC) did what it had to do after its upset at Alabama on Nov. 15 put the Sooners in the playoff picture — win the last two games against Missouri and LSU.
Now, the Sooners will soon know what awaits them.
College Football Playoff bracket predictions
Here’s who we predict will join the Sooners in the 12-team CFP.
12. Tulane
The Green Wave has likely consolidated its place in the College Football Playoff as the Group of Six winner. No. 20 Tulane defeated No. 24 North Texas 34-21 to clinch the American Conference championship Friday night.
Coach Jon Sumrall’s team only dropped two games this season, and one was against Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss. Tulane was the highest-ranked Group of Six team in the committee’s latest ranking, and the conference title further confirms its spot in the tournament.
James Madison could make the playoff as the fifth-highest-ranked conference winner, depending on the ACC Championship result.
11. Virginia
Virginia must win the ACC title Saturday night to make the field. If the Cavaliers lose to 7-5 Duke, the ACC will not have a representative in the playoff; instead, AAC champion Tulane would move to No. 11 and Sun Belt Champion James Madison would move to No. 12. UVA would be the fourth-highest-ranked conference winner, but Duke is not even ranked.
It’s fair to say the 10-2 Cavaliers are the favorites to clinch the title Saturday night, and defeated the Blue Devils 34-17 just a few weeks ago.
10. Alabama
When you think of the College Football Playoff, you think of Alabama.
The Crimson Tide missed out on the first edition of the 12-team College Football Playoff in head coach Kalen DeBoer’s first season leading the team, but the Tide should be back this time around. With a 10-3 record, Alabama made the SEC championship game, though it fell to Georgia in Atlanta. Nonetheless, a team in the SEC championship will almost certainly make it to the CFP, and the Tide had a solid season to back it up.
9. Notre Dame
Notre Dame needed a couple of things: a BYU loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship and an Alabama loss to Georgia in the SEC championship. Check, and check.
Notre Dame finished its season with dominating wins over Navy, Pitt, Syracuse and Stanford, though the Fighting Irish‘s best win was probably against USC in their only ranked win of the season. Their two losses came against ranked teams, Miami and Texas A&M in the first two games of the season.
8. Oklahoma
The Sooners’ offense in the last few weeks left some college football fans questioning whether they belonged in the CFP or not. Despite the offensive performance, OU has found ways to win its last four games, including ranked matchups against Tennessee, Alabama and Missouri.
OU’s five ranked wins are the most out of any other team, solidifying the Sooners’ case for hosting a CFP game.
7. Texas A&M
Texas A&M had an almost guaranteed top-four spot — until it fell to Texas and ended its undefeated season. The 27-17 loss in Austin kept the Aggies out of the SEC Championship, but they should still go into the College Football Playoff ranked higher than Alabama, which got dominated by Georgia in the championship game.
6. Ole Miss
Some fans thought Lane Kiffin’s departure could affect Ole Miss’ chances in the postseason, but the latest committee rankings only had the Rebels drop one spot. Regardless of the head coach, it’s hard to argue against Ole Miss’s 11-1 campaign this season, and it would be a disservice to the players to miss out on the opportunity because of Kiffin’s decision.
5. Oregon
Oregon was one win away from the Big 10 Championship, but a loss to Indiana spoiled the Ducks’ chances. Nonetheless, that was Oregon’s only loss of the season, and the Ducks have made a solid case for the committee to be one of the top teams in this year’s Playoff.
4. Texas Tech
Texas Tech dominated BYU to claim its first Big 12 football title in program history. The 35-7 win marks their first outright conference title since 1955 and puts the cherry on top of an almost-perfect season.
The Red Raiders are expected to keep their No. 4 seed going into the Selection Show, grabbing the last bye week and a spot at the Cotton Bowl, just a five-hour drive from Lubbock.
3. Indiana
Indiana has had an impressive season. One of the last two undefeated teams standing, the Hoosiers could be the first seed with a win against reigning national champions Ohio State, but even with a loss, Indiana should clinch a spot in the Orange Bowl with the No. 3 seed and guarantee a bye week.
2. Georgia
Georgia should move up a spot in the committee rankings following its dominant 28-7 win over Alabama to claim the SEC championship.
1. Ohio State
The Buckeyes have been consistently at the top all season long. Ryan Day’s Ohio State hasn’t dropped a game since Nov. 30, 2024, when it fell to Michigan 13-10.
Regardless of winning or losing the Big Ten Championship, the reigning national champions are anything but confirmed for a top-four spot and a bye week in this year’s tournament. In case of a loss against undefeated Indiana, the Buckeyes would likely drop to the third seed at the lowest.
When does College Football Playoff bracket come out?
The final CFP rankings will be released on Dec. 7. You can watch or stream the College Football Playoff selection show on ESPN.
What time is the College Football Playoff selection show?
The CFP rankings selection show is scheduled to begin at noon ET on Dec. 7.
College Football Playoff bracket 2025-26 dates
- First round: Dec. 19 and 20
- Quarterfinals: Dec. 31 and Jan. 1
- Semifinals: Jan. 8 and 9
- National championship: Jan. 19
Isa Almeida is a trending reporter for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Isa? She can be reached at ialmeida@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @ialmeidasports. Support Isa’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Who will OU football face in CFP? Bracket scenarios, predictions
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