The 2025 college football regular season and championship weekend are over. Now, the only thing that remains (except the most prestigious game of them all, Army vs. Navy) is to crown a national champion.
The final College Football Playoff bracket will be released at Noon ET today, and our final prediction, powered by the PFSN College Football Power Meter (FPM), breaks down how the final rankings and matchups should look.
Want to see how a win or a loss will impact your team’s standings? Make sure to check out PFSN’s College Football Playoff Predictor to see what the final bracket could look like.
College Football Playoff Bracket Predictions | First Round
- No. 12 James Madison Dukes vs. No. 5 Oregon Ducks
- No. 11 Tulane Green Wave vs. No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels
- No. 10 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 7 Texas A&M AggiesÂ
- No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners
Entering Week 15, or conference championship weekend if you prefer, there was an element of certainty for some of the teams in the College Football Playoff bracket. Give or take some movement based on results, the Oregon Ducks, Ole Miss Rebels, Texas A&M Aggies, and Oklahoma Sooners all felt reasonably comfortable about hosting a first-round game on campus.
And so it came to pass. Those teams should be locked into the positions they occupied before the week of action, with no results swaying their spot. The same can not be said for the teams around them, as a wild weekend of results impacted the College Football Playoff bracket significantly.
MORE: Duke’s College Football Playoff Resume Ridiculed As Blue Devils Secure the ACC Championship Crown
The Tulane Green Wave took care of their business on Friday night, defeating the North Texas Mean Green in the American Championship Game, and sealing a spot in the 12-team tournament. They’re likely locked into the 11th seed after the James Madison Dukes won the Sun Belt Championship Game and the Duke Blue Devils took down Virginia to win the ACC.
That 12th seed is open to debate entering the final rankings show today. Duke believes they have a strong resume to overtake James Madison and steal a College Football Playoff berth. However, the PFSN FPM favors the Sun Belt outfit, who earn the 12th-seed in 100% of our simulations. The Dukes were 25th last week; they shouldn’t be leapfrogged.
The real debate begins over the two remaining “At-Large” bids. BYU losing handily to Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game will remove them from consideration, as they were already on the outside looking in. However, how will the committee view the Alabama Crimson Tide after their SEC Championship Game humbling at the hands of Georgia?
MORE: Former Alabama Players Turn On Crimson Tide in College Football Playoff Conversation
The PFSN FPM favors the two idle teams to take the final two spots, and there is a good argument there. Notre Dame was ranked ahead of Miami coming in and should remain that way. The question is whether a three-loss Alabama team splits those two or misses out. Our College Football Playoff bracket projects Miami to hold the 10th seed, placing an ACC program in the final 12-team tournament at the expense of the SEC.
College Football Playoff Bracket Predictions | Quarterfinal
- Cotton Bowl: No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Orange Bowl: Â No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes
- Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs
- Rose Bowl: No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers
Entering Week 15, the four highest-ranked teams were the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Indiana Hoosiers. An epic Big Ten Championship Game finally split the Hoosiers and Buckeyes, but with such a close game, there shouldn’t be a significant penalty for Ryan Day’s team.
As such, the SEC champion Bulldogs are given a 100% chance of being the second seed, according to the PFSN FPM. Texas Tech beating a highly-regarded BYU team comfortably in Arlington could also slingshot them past Ohio State. However, sliding Ohio State into the third seed would ensure the two Big Ten teams don’t meet again until the national title game.
