College Football Playoff bracket, based on current committee rankings

The 2024-25 college football season is the first time we have a 12-team playoff format. During the season, the selection committee ranks the top 25 teams and then creates brackets based on that ranking.

The four highest-ranked conference champions receive byes to the quarterfinals, with the fifth-highest ranked conference champion automatically entering (though without a bye). Here’s what that bracket would look like, using ONLY the committee’s most recent top 25 rankings (revealed Nov. 19). This is not a projected look at what the final bracket could look like – just how the bracket looks now using the committee’s own rankings.

2024-25 College Football Playoff

This bracket uses the committee’s top 25 rankings as of Tuesday, November 19. It is important to note that the top 25 ranking does not always match the seeding in the playoffs, as the four highest ranked conference champions receive the top four seeds. seedregardless of where the four teams rank in the top 25.

You can see how those numbers — the seed and the CFP ranking — differ below. The four teams with byes are in bold:

1. Oregon — highest ranked conference champion (Big Ten) and seed no. 1
2. Ohio State — at-large pick (second team from the Big Ten), the No. 5
3. Texas — the second-highest ranked conference champion (SEC) and the No. 2
4. Penn State — at-large pick (third team in Big Ten), seed no. 6
5. Indiana – large selection (fourth team from the Big Ten), seeded no. 7
6. Notre Dame — at-large (independent), seeded no. 8
7. Alabama — at-large pick (second team from SEC), seed no. 9
8. Miami (Fla.) — third-highest ranked conference champion (ACC) and the No. 3
9. Ole Miss — at-large pick (third team from SEC), seed no. 10
10. Georgia — at-large pick (fourth team from SEC), seed no. 11
11. Tennessee — first team out of the CFP bracket
12. Boise State — fourth-highest ranked conference champion (Mountain West) and seed no. 4
13. SMU — second team out of the common fisheries policy’s bracket
14. BYU — fifth-highest-ranked conference champion (Big 12), seeded 12

Boise State, which has only lost to top-ranked Oregon, is now the fourth-highest-ranked conference champion and would therefore receive a bye to the quarterfinals. BYU lost last week, and while the Cougars are the fifth AQ, the Cougars fell behind Boise State in the rankings.

Tennessee and SMU, which is ranked No. 11 and 13 in the committee’s rankings, are the first two out, since no. 14 BYU is automatically the fifth-highest ranked conference champion.

The next CFP top 25 rankings will be released on Tuesday, November 26.

College Football Playoff matchups

With the four highest-placed conference champions receiving the top four seeds and thus byes, the remaining eight teams meet in a bracket in the first round. Here are the games played on campus grounds on December 20 or 21:

• (12 seed) BYU at (5) Ohio State — winner plays (4) Boise State in quarterfinals
• (11) Georgia at (6) Penn State — winner plays (3) Miami (Fla.) in quarterfinals
• (10) Ole Miss at (7) Indiana — winner plays (2) Texas in quarterfinals
• (9) Alabama at (8) Notre Dame — winner plays (1) Oregon in quarterfinals

There is no reseeding once the official bracket is revealed on Sunday, December 8th.

The four quarter-final matches will not be played on the campus grounds. Instead, those four games — scheduled for Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 — will be played at the Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The four highest-ranked conference champions will be awarded one of these bowls, considering historical bowl conditions as well as seeding.

The four quarterfinal winners will then meet in the semifinals at either the Orange Bowl or the Cotton Bowl on January 9 and January 10. If the seeds hold, that means (1) would meet (4) and (2) would play (3). The two semifinal winners will then play on January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the national championship.