College football Power Four title picks and top Group of Five contender
Before the Snap looks at who’s poised to win the Power Four leagues and which Group of Five program could emerge as the top contender.
The College Football Playoff 12-team field is set to be revealed on Sunday, Dec. 7.
At noon, the CFP selection committee will reveal who will be in the 2025-26 CFP after the conclusion of the conference championship games on Friday, Dec. 5 and Saturday, Dec. 6.
Stream CFP rankings release shows live with Fubo (free trial)
There are some changes to the CFP format this year: While the top four seeds of the CFP will still earn a first-round bye, they are no longer reserved for the four highest-ranked conference champions. The CFP will instead go to straight seeding while allowing entry to the five highest-ranked conference champions.
Through the first 14 weeks of the 2025 season ― and all five rankings reveals ― Ohio State was ranked No. 1. That will no longer be the case after No. 2 Indiana (No. 2 in CFP) upset the Buckeyes 13-10 in the Big Ten Championship, giving the Hoosiers a historic win and the top seed of the playoff.
Texas Tech likely earned a first-round bye with a 34-7 win over BYU in the Big 12 Championship, while Georgia did the same with a dominant 28-7 win over Alabama in the SEC Championship game. It remains to be seen if the Crimson Tide will be included in the field with three losses.
In the ACC, Manny Diaz’s 8-5 Duke Blue Devils team shocked the college football world with a 27-20 overtime victory over No. 16 Virginia (No. 17 in CFP). He made an argument for his team to make the playoff, but it’s 19th-ranked Sun Belt champion James Madison (No. 25 in CFP) that stands to benefit most from the Blue Devils’ upset.
USA TODAY is bringing you live updates, scores and highlights from the 12-team CFP bracket reveal. Follow along:
- Indiana (13-0)*
- Ohio State (12-1)
- Georgia (12-1)*
- Texas Tech (12-1)*
- Oregon (11-1)
- Ole Miss (11-1)
- Texas A&M (11-1)
- Oklahoma (10-2)
- Alabama (10-3)
- Miami (10-2)
- Tulane (11-2)
- James Madison (12-1)
* indicates one of the top five highest-ranked conference champions
- First team out: Notre Dame (10-2)
- Second team out: BYU (11-2)
First-round games:
- No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon
- No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss
- No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M
- No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oregon
Quarterfinals:
- No. 1 Indiana vs. winner of No. 8 Oklahoma/No. 9 Alabama
- No. 2 Ohio State vs. winner of No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Miami
- No. 3 Georgia vs. winner of No. 6 Ole Miss/No. 11 Tulane
- No. 4 Texas Tech vs. winner of No. 5 Oregon/No. 12 James Madison
- Indiana (13-0)
- Ohio State (12-1)
- Georgia (12-1)
- Texas Tech (12-1)
- Oregon (11-1)
- Ole Miss (11-1)
- Texas A&M (11-1)
- Oklahoma (10-2)
- Alabama (10-3)
- Miami (10-2)
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- Tulane (11-2)
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- James Madison (12-1)
- TBD
An hour ahead of the CFP bracket reveal show, the AP Top 25 rankings have been released. To no shock, Indiana is No. 1. However, the voters placing Miami ahead of Alabama could cause some stir ― as the Crimson Tide are favored to make the CFP field over the Hurricanes.
The 2025 CFP is the second year with a 12-team field. However, there are some slight variations on the format for the bracket this year, as opposed to last season. One of those changes is that Nos. 1-4 seeds will no longer be reserved for to conference champions.
Here’s a look at other changes to the CFP format in 2025.
Outside of the CFP 12-team field, bowl games will also be announced today. Here’s a look at Erick Smith’s bowl game projections through the conference championships.
USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg predicts what the top 25 in the US LBM Coaches Poll could look like following the conference championship games. This could serve as a preview of what the top 25, particularly what the CFP bracket could look like.
USA TODAY Sports’ experts Craig Meyer, Ehsan Kassim, Austin Curtright, Jordan Mendoza and John Leuzzi predict what the 12-team CFP field will look like here.
With the conference championship games in the books, here’s a look at USA TODAY’s live projection for the 12-team CFP field. The projections were updated as each conference championship game went final, ending with Duke’s overtime win over Virginia, putting the ACC’s chances at a berth in chaos.
CFP rankings release time
- Date: Sunday, Dec. 7
- Time: Noon ET
The College Football Playoff 12-team bracket will be released at noon ET on Sunday, Dec. 7.
Where to watch College Football Playoff rankings release
All the College Football Playoff rankings shows have aired live on ESPN, including the 12-team bracket reveal on Sunday, Dec. 7.
Streaming options for the rankings release show include the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Stream CFP rankings release shows live with Fubo (free trial)
