2025-26 NCAAF Playoff Bracket Revealed
On December 7, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2025–26 College Football Playoff lineup was revealed, with the 12-team bracket and official seeding announced by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
The top four seeds, which receive first-round byes, are the Indiana Hoosiers, Ohio State Buckeyes, Georgia Bulldogs, and Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Indiana, the No. 1 seed, boasts a flawless 13–0 season, which is the best in the school’s history, and has secured the top seed in the CFP for the first time.
Ohio State (12–1), Georgia (12–1), and Texas Tech (12–1) complete the group of top seeds from two–four respectively, each advancing directly to the quarterfinals.
The other eight teams will face off in first-round games, with higher seeds hosting. Those teams include the fifth, Oregon Ducks; the sixth, Ole Miss Rebels; the seventh, Texas A&M Aggies; the eighth, Oklahoma Sooners; the ninth, Alabama Crimson Tide; the tenth, Miami Hurricanes; the eleventh, Tulane Green Wave; and the twelfth, James Madison Dukes.
First-round games, set for December 19–20, feature matchups: 8 v. 9, Oklahoma v. Alabama; 7 v. 10, Texas A&M v. Miami; 6 v. 11, Ole Miss v. Tulane; and 5 v. 12, Oregon v. James Madison.
This marks significant milestones for some teams. James Madison, in its fourth Football Bowl Subdivision season and following a Sun Belt championship, secures its first playoff appearance at No. 12.
Meanwhile, traditional powerhouse Alabama, after a 10–3 season, and Miami, at 10–2, secured at-large bids, edged out teams like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Brigham Young University Cougars, who narrowly missed the cut.
With the bracket finalized, college football fans across the nation will focus on the campus-site games next month, where the journey to the national championship begins.
