After a dramatic weekend of conference championship games, the 12-team College Football Playoff field for 2025 has been finalized, and it comes with its share of surprises. Undefeated Big Ten champion Indiana claimed the No. 1 seed, earning a first-round bye and setting the stage for its first playoff appearance at the top spot. Meanwhile, perennial powers Alabama and Miami secured the final at-large berths, leaving Notre Dame on the outside looking in.
The Hoosiers (13-0) captured their first outright Big Ten title since 1945 with a 13-10 victory over Ohio State on Saturday night. Indiana will receive a first-round bye along with No. 2 Ohio State (12-1), No. 3 Georgia (12-1), and No. 4 Texas Tech (12-1).
The final at-large spot went to Miami (10-2), which moved up to No. 10 in the CFP rankings after the committee decided head-to-head results mattered in the end. The Hurricanes defeated Notre Dame 27-24 in their season opener, and that matchup ultimately became the tiebreaker over the Fighting Irish. CFP selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek noted, “We encouraged members to go back and watch that Labor Day game as we debated the two teams into Sunday morning. On paper, they were almost identical, but Miami earned the edge.”
Miami, the highest-ranked team from the ACC despite missing the conference championship, will travel to No. 7 Texas A&M for a first-round matchup on Dec. 20 at noon ET (ESPN/ABC).
Alabama (10-3) also made the field despite a lopsided SEC Championship Game loss to Georgia, 28-7. The Crimson Tide, the fifth SEC team selected, will play at No. 8 Oklahoma on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC). Betting lines opened with Oklahoma as a slight favorite but quickly shifted to Alabama being favored by 1.5 points.
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey argued that the Crimson Tide should not be penalized for a conference championship loss while other contenders sat idle. Alabama’s resume included wins over four ranked teams (Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Tennessee), though the team also suffered an early-season 31-17 defeat to Florida State, one of the worst losses among playoff contenders.
Notre Dame (10-2) was the first team left out, despite a dominant streak of 10 straight wins following close losses to Miami and Texas A&M by a combined four points. Hours after the selection announcement, the Fighting Irish announced they would not participate in a bowl game this season.
For the first time, two Group of 5 champions were included: Tulane (11-2) from the American Conference and James Madison (12-1) from the Sun Belt. Tulane, seeded No. 11, will play at No. 6 Ole Miss on Dec. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET (TNT/HBO Max). James Madison, which transitioned to FBS in 2022, will face No. 5 Oregon on Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT/HBO Max).
The first-round games will be held at the higher-seeded teams’ campuses, with the quarterfinals and semifinals played at traditional New Year’s Six bowls:
- Ohio State vs. Miami/Texas A&M winner at the Cotton Bowl (Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
- Texas Tech vs. James Madison/Oregon winner at the Orange Bowl (Jan. 1, noon ET, ESPN)
- Indiana vs. Alabama/Oklahoma winner at the Rose Bowl (Jan. 1, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN)
- Georgia vs. Tulane/Ole Miss winner at the Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN)
The Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 8) and Peach Bowl (Jan. 9) will host the semifinal games, culminating in the national championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN).
The expanded 12-team CFP is already proving its ability to generate debate, drama, and historic firsts, including Indiana’s rise to No. 1 and the inclusion of two Group of 5 champions. With marquee matchups already set and bowl season underway on Dec. 13, college football fans have a thrilling postseason to anticipate.
