College Football Bowl Projections 2025: Updated Playoff Paths and Surprising New Contenders

Week 9 provided some clarity in the race for the postseason, but our college football bowl projections also showcase the chaos that still remains.

Our college football bowl projections ahead of Week 10 include a prediction for the entire playoff and bowl game matchups for every postseason tilt, all powered by our PFSN College Impact metrics and College Football Playoff Meter.

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College Football Bowl Projections | College Football Playoff First Round

  • No. 12 Navy Midshipmen vs. No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs
  • No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels
  • No. 10 BYU Cougars vs. No. 7 Oregon Ducks
  • No. 9 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. No. 8 Vanderbilt Commodores

Week 9 couldn’t have played out any better for the Navy Midshipmen, who saw the USF Bulls fall to the Memphis Tigers while handling their own business against the FAU Owls. Brian Newberry’s team is now the Group of Five frontrunner to reach the College Football Playoff, with a 29.8% chance of winning the American Conference and 24.8% playoff probability.

MORE: PFSN Midseason All-America College Football Team

While several programs featuring in the 12-team postseason tournament in our latest college football bowl projections were on a bye, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, BYU Cougars, and Vanderbilt Commodores reinforced their status as College Football Playoff contenders. After beating the Oklahoma Sooners, the Ole Miss Rebels now have an 88.9% chance.

College Football Bowl Projections | College Football Playoff Quarterfinal

  • Cotton Bowl: No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies vs. No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs
  • Orange Bowl: No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 7 Oregon
  • Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
  • Rose Bowl: No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech

The Ohio State Buckeyes were on a bye in Week 9, but the reigning national champions continue to be the pace-setters in our college football bowl projections. Ryan Day’s team has a 94.9% chance of reaching the postseason tournament, while being given a 20.2% shot to retain their crown as the best team in the sport, fuelled by excellence on both sides of the ball.

While the Buckeyes were on a bye, the Indiana Hoosiers and Texas A&M Aggies bared their teeth in a display of dominance that reinforces their place at the top of the college football table. While Indiana and Ohio State will meet in the Big Ten Championship Game (barring any insanity), don’t be surprised to see them ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on Selection Sunday.

College Football Bowl Projections | College Football Playoff Semifinal

  • Fiesta Bowl: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Texas A&M
  • Peach Bowl: No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 3 Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide narrowly avoided an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks in Week 9, and that inability to polish off an inferior opponent (coupled with the Week 1 loss to a terrible Florida State Seminoles side) might make people wary of a projected deep playoff run. Where there’s a Ty Simpson, there’s a way, and a semifinal berth could be the floor (and probably the ceiling) for Kalen DeBoer’s program.

If our college football bowl projections had featured Indiana and Texas A&M to start the season, you’d have laughed us out of the media industry, but there is a legitimate chance that both teams make it this far. As the lower-seeded team, the Aggies would take on the Buckeyes, and while they’ve proven they belong in the conversation, they’d be a six-point underdog.

College Football Bowl Projections | National Championship Game

  • No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Indiana

A repeat of the likely Big Ten Championship Game as the College Football National Championship Game? Why not? We’ve seen stranger things happen before, and if it’s good enough for the SEC, it’s sure good enough for our college football bowl projections. On a neutral site, the PFSN FPM gives the Buckeyes a 57.4% chance of winning, with a three-point victory margin.

That would make it the closest title game since the Alabama vs. Georgia matchup that followed the 2017 season.

Projections for the Remaining 2025 College Football Bowl Games

Celebration Bowl
Delaware State vs. Prairie View A&M

LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk
UNLV vs. California

IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
Toledo vs. Old Dominion

Cure Bowl
James Madison vs. Temple

68 Ventures Bowl
Bowling Green vs. Coastal Carolina

Myrtle Beach Bowl
Kennesaw State vs. Troy

Gasparilla Bowl
Memphis vs. UConn

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Boise State vs. Ohio

Boca Raton Bowl
Buffalo vs. Appalachian State

New Orleans Bowl
Southern Miss vs. Western Kentucky

Frisco Bowl
Fresno State vs. Marshall

Hawaii Bowl
Hawaii vs. Louisiana Tech

GameAbove Sports Bowl
Western Michigan vs. Maryland

Rate Bowl
Baylor vs. Northwestern

First Responder Bowl
East Carolina vs. Kansas

Military Bowl
Duke vs. North Texas

Pinstripe Bowl
Wake Forest vs. Illinois

Fenway Bowl
Clemson vs. Tulane

Pop-Tarts Bowl
Virginia vs. Texas Tech

Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
San Diego State vs. Miami (OH)

New Mexico Bowl
New Mexico vs. Arkansas State

Gator Bowl
Pittsburgh vs. Missouri

Texas Bowl
Houston vs. Texas

Birmingham Bowl
USF vs. NC State

Independence Bowl
Iowa State vs. Washington State

Music City Bowl
Minnesota vs. Auburn

Alamo Bowl
Cincinnati vs. Washington

ReliaQuest Bowl
Iowa vs. Oklahoma

Sun Bowl
SMU vs. Arizona State

Citrus Bowl
Michigan vs. Tennessee

Las Vegas Bowl
Utah vs. Nebraska

Armed Forces Bowl
Army vs. UCF

Liberty Bowl
Kansas State vs. Mississippi State

Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Miami (FL) vs. LSU

Holiday Bowl
Louisville vs. USC

Bahamas Bowl
Jacksonville State vs. Central Michigan

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