The College Football Playoff field is official and the controversy of Selection Sunday is behind us. Alabama and Miami are in and Notre Dame is out — surely everyone is completely content with this, right?
Indiana is the top seed after taking down Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, while the Buckeyes are No. 2 and a red-hot Georgia team is No. 3. These are the three clear favorites at the moment, but there are plenty of teams that can disrupt that and make some noise themselves.
But who will come out on top in the end? Here's our full CFP predictions now that the 2025 bracket is out.
First Round
No. 8 Oklahoma over No. 9 Alabama
This is a rematch of one of the most consequential regular season games in 2025, when Oklahoma upset Alabama in Tuscaloosa to cement its spot in the CFP. Alabama outgunned the Sooners by nearly 200 yards in that game, but three costly turnovers doomed the Tide in a 23-21 loss.
While that may suggest Kalen DeBoer and company can flip the script in the rematch, this is just who Alabama has proven to be. The Tide are limping into the CFP after looking pretty bad against Auburn and then getting absolutely smoked by Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.
Oklahoma's defense is the best unit in this game and the Sooners have home-field advantage. Give me the Sooners in a low-scoring slugfest.
No. 5 Oregon over No. 12 James Madison
Congratulations to James Madison and its fans for a stellar season and a first-ever berth in the College Football Playoff after winning the Sun Belt Championship. Unfortunately, this is where it ends for the Dukes, as they will come up against an Oregon squad that simply outmatches them on every level in a raucous environment up in Eugene. Dan Lanning and company move on without much trouble here.
No. 6 Ole Miss over No. 11 Tulane
Everyone will be tuned into this one to see how Ole Miss looks in its first game without Lane Kiffin. The Rebels beat Tulane 45-10 earlier in the season in Oxford, which is a prime example of the talent mismatch here. However, I expect some growing pains for the Rebels early on against a Tulane team playing some very good football of late. The Green Wave keeps it close for a half, but Kewan Lacy and the running game run away with things in the end.
No. 10 Miami (FL) over No. 7 Texas A&M
My upset of the first round is Miami over Texas A&M in a fascinating matchup of two of the most volatile quarterbacks in college football. Texas A&M sputtered on offense against Texas, which is the only defense it has played of late that compares to this talented Miami group. The Hurricanes, led by arguably the best edge-rusher duo in the nation, will make it tough on Marcel Reed and force him to make one more play than he is capable of from the pocket.
On the other side, Carson Beck is always prone for a disaster performance (see: the Louisville game) but he has big-game experience and won't be fazed by playing at Kyle Field. This Miami team has quietly been playing very well lately and has a point to prove, and they get the upset here in a very close game.
Quarterfinals
Rose Bowl: No. 1 Indiana over No. 8 Oklahoma
Oklahoma has enough to muck this game up, and Brent Venables and company have the formula to slow down this Indiana offense by halting the run game. However, imagining this Oklahoma offense against Indiana's defense — which just shut down Ohio State — is an ugly thought. OU hangs around, but the Hoosiers find some answers and create enough turnovers to win by multiple scores.
Orange Bowl: No. 4 Texas Tech over No. 5 Oregon
I'm already salivating over this game, where I have absolutely no idea what will happen. Texas Tech is being underrated by the general public and will have to prove it in this game to get the Big 12 stigma off of it, but this is not your typical Big 12 team. The Red Raiders have arguably the best defense in college football and an offense that can really run the football, with explosive playmakers on the outside.
On the other side, this game could come down to the health of Oregon's wide receivers. The Ducks have been without Evan Stewart all season and Dakorien Moore and Gary Bryant for the last month, but none of the three have been ruled out for the CFP. Without them, however, Texas Tech's defense will do enough to shut down Dante Moore and an offensive line that has been a bit up-and-down at times.
Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Georgia over No. 6 Ole Miss
The first Georgia-Ole Miss game was a doozy, with the Rebels scoring touchdowns on their first five possessions of the game before Kirby Smart and company turned up the dial to secure a 43-35 victory.
Unfortunately, this game feels a whole lot different now than it did back then. Lane Kiffin is gone and Georgia is peaking on both sides of the ball at the right time. When you combine those two things, this game could get ugly fast.
Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State over No. 10 Miami (FL)
This is a sneaky-intriguing matchup with a Miami defense that can really make things tough on Ohio State with its incredible talent on the defensive line. The Buckeyes struggled with an Indiana defense that can mix things up and also has a lot of talent, and Miami has the type of defensive line that can truly wreck a game.
Unfortunately, the other side of the ball might get ugly. An inconsistent Miami offense that turns the ball over too much will be food for an Ohio State defense littered with NFL players, and that gets the Buckeyes through to the semifinals.
Semifinals
Peach Bowl: No. 4 Texas Tech over No. 1 Indiana
A game between the two biggest surprises in college football this season would make for a fascinating semifinal, and I'm going with the upset again here. I'll scream this from the rooftops over and over: this Texas Tech defense is AMAZING. The Red Raiders have the best run defense in the country, two NFL-caliber edge rushers, two excellent linebackers and big, physical defensive backs who make plays on the football.
Texas Tech's offense will struggle against this Indiana defense, which has an amazing group of linebackers and playmaking DBs in its own right. However, the Red Raiders can run the ball more consistently in this matchup and that gets them into the national title game.
Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State over No. 3 Georgia
To contrast the other semifinal, made up of two up-and-coming programs, Ohio State and Georgia pits two traditional powerhouses against each other. These two famously played one of the best semifinal games of the CFP era back in the 2022 Peach Bowl, won by Georgia 42-41 after Ohio State missed a field goal as time expired.
This game has a chance to be just as good. Two of the most physical teams in the nation would be going at it in Glendale with NFL talent all over the field. I hesitate to pick against Kirby Smart, but Ohio State has more pathways to explosive plays on offense with Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate on the field, and the Bulldogs should have a tougher time finding answers.
National Championship
No. 2 Ohio State over No. 4 Texas Tech
A matchup between Texas Tech and Ohio State would be a slugfest between arguably the two best defenses in the country. Both teams would struggle to run the ball, and it would come down to which quarterback can protect the football and which skill players can create explosive plays at the catch point and after the catch. The Buckeyes have the advantage in both areas, and they get the edge in another low-scoring, close game to repeat as national champs.
