Copyright Athlon Sports
Key Points Ohio State leads projected 12-team College Football Playoff field after Week 10. Top four seeds include Ohio State, Indiana, Alabama, and Texas A&M; key bubble teams listed. Playoff format features on-campus first rounds, bowl site semifinals, and title in Miami Gardens. With Week 10 of the 2025 college football season in the books, it’s time to project how the 12-team playoff will look by December. The projected field features a few changes following Week 10 action. Ohio State remains the No. 1 seed after its win over Penn State, and Indiana stays No. 2 after easily defeating Maryland on Saturday. Alabama is projected to win the SEC as the No. 3 seed, but Texas A&M and Georgia aren’t far behind the Crimson Tide. Louisville is the new projected ACC champion, while the Big 12 takes two spots in the field with Texas Tech and BYU. Texas, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and Michigan are some of the top teams on the bubble after Week 10. Five weeks of the season remain, and the impact of every game isn’t limited to just the top four. Instead, each contest takes on an increased role due to eight additional spots in the playoff, as well as seeding, and the automatic bids for conference champions. As a refresher for ’25: 12 teams — the five highest-rated conference champions and seven highest-ranked at-large selections by the selection committee — will receive berths to the College Football Playoff. The top four teams receive a bye, with the first-round games slated to be played at the home sites of the higher seed. In a change from ’24, the top four teams receiving a bye do not have to be conference champions. Beginning with the quarterfinals, all games through the national championship will be played at bowl or neutral sites. Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2025 After Week 10 With Week 10 completed, Athlon Sports projects the CFP field for 2025: The Projected Field for 2025-26 Ranking All 136 College Football Teams for 2025 1. Ohio State (Projected Big Ten Champion) 2. Indiana 3. Alabama (Projected SEC Champion) 4. Texas A&M 5. Georgia 6. Ole Miss 7. Oregon 8. Texas Tech (Projected Big 12 Champion) 9. Notre Dame 10. BYU 11. Louisville (Projected ACC Champion) 12. Memphis (Projected Highest G5 Champion) Bubble Watch After Week 10 Oklahoma (7-2) Texas (7-2) Vanderbilt (7-2) Georgia Tech (8-1) USC (6-2) Michigan (6-2) Missouri (6-2) Utah (7-2) Virginia (8-1) Cincinnati (7-2) Washington (6-2) Pitt (7-2) Duke (5-3) SMU (5-3) Miami (6-2) Iowa (6-2) G5 Playoff Contenders Projected Conference Champions: Memphis, San Diego State, James Madison, Toledo, and Western Kentucky Other G5 Teams in the Mix: UNLV, Boise State, Miami (Ohio), North Texas, Tulane, Navy, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, Jacksonville State, Buffalo, and Ohio First-round games will be placed on campus sites of highest seed. Matchups will take place from Dec. 19-20 No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 12 Memphis No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Louisville No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 10 BYU No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 9 Notre Dame Second-round games will be played at bowl sites and will take place from Dec. 31-Jan. 1. Cotton Bowl (Dec. 31) Projection: No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 7 Oregon Orange Bowl (Jan. 1) Projection: No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 5 Georgia Rose Bowl (Jan. 1) Projection: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Notre Dame Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1) Projection: No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 6 Ole Miss Semifinal games will be played at bowl sites. Matchups are scheduled for Jan. 8-9. Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 8) Projection: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Texas A&M Peach Bowl (Jan. 9) Projection: No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 3 Alabama National Championship
