The College Football Playoff is set to start Friday, Dec. 19 and will conclude on Monday, Jan. 19 with the playing of the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Indiana (1)
At the beginning of the year, many analysts undervalued the talent of the Indiana Hoosiers roster. The week one AP poll had the Hoosiers as the 20th best team in the country, but after some big wins, they are now ranked No. 1. The most notable win was in the Big 10 Championship against Ohio State 13-10. On the offensive side, the Hoosiers starting quarterback and Heisman finalist Fernando Mendoza has 2,980 yard passing and 33 touchdowns. Both their quarterback and wide receiver have been effective for the team — Omar Cooper Jr., a junior wide receiver, has 11 touchdowns this season.
Ohio State (2)
The next team with a first round bye is the Ohio State Buckeyes. After a dominant regular season and finally beating longtime rival Michigan, all signs were pointing to a No. 1 seed for the Buckeyes. Unfortunately for the team, they lost to the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big 10 Championship, and are now the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Similar to Indiana, Ohio State also has one of the Heisman finalists in QB Julian Sayan. This season, Sayan has 3,123 passing yards and 31 touchdowns for the Buckeyes, as they hope to be the first team to go back-to-back since Georgia in 2022-23.
Georgia (3)
The Georgia Bulldogs have one of the most balanced rosters in all of college football, stemming from Quarterback Gunner Stockton who has posted 2,691 yards passing and 23 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Georgia has had junior Linebacker CJ Allen who has tallied 45 total tackles this year, and added on 3.5 sacks. As long as Georgia can limit their turnovers, they will be a very formidable team to face in the playoffs.
Texas Tech (4)
The Texas Tech Red Raiders have been the best team in the Big 12 this year. There are many reasons for their success, but one of the reasons has been the fact that they spent $10 million in the transfer portal. Another reason for their success was the decision for fifth-year senior quarterback Behren Morton, who returned to the Red Raiders for the 2025 season. That decision has proved to be the right one — so far this season, Morton has passed for 2,643 yards and has had only 4 interceptions as well.
Oregon (5)
The seeded team outside the bye is the Oregon Ducks. They could be a sleeper team in this year’s tournament. While many people doubt the Ducks are a good team because they don’t have a win over a ranked that was top 15 all season. Their only loss was against the No. 1 team in the country, Indiana, to a score of 30-20, but the important thing to remember during that game was that the Ducks were tied with the Hoosiers with six minutes left. Also during that game, star Quarterback Dante Moore had one of the worst games of his season. For the Ducks to succeed they will need Quarterback Dante Moore to have limited tournovers. Also, they will need their defense to set up opportunities for a somewhat lackluster offense.
Ole Miss (6)
Ole Miss has only one loss this season against No. 3 ranked Georgia. The Ole Miss Rebels were looking very formidable entering their first round playoff game. However, after the loss of Head Coach Lane Kiffen, there are a lot of questions surrounding this Ole Miss team. There is no doubt that the Rebels have the talent to win a national championship. The leader of this offense has been First-Team All-SEC Running Back Kewan Lacy — this season, he had 1,279 yards and 20 touchdowns, which is second-best in all of College Football.
Texas A&M (7)
With only one regular season loss suffered to Texas, No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies have something to prove this year in the College Football Playoff. Despite playing in what many deem to be the most difficult conference in the country, the Aggies only played four ranked teams this season. This team is well rounded with Quarterback Marcel Reed throwing for almost 3,000 yards, Running Back Rueben Owens II with 618 yards, and KC Concepcion having 886 receiving yards. The Aggies defense has also been solid this year, relying on heavy pass rush to get to the quarterback.
Oklahoma (8)
The Oklahoma Sooners have been one of the most interesting teams to watch this season. Their two losses have both been against ranked SEC teams, but at times, they have not looked like a playoff team. This team is based on how good their offense can perform. Their defense has been stellar all year, but inconsistencies in their offense have led to problems throughout the season. Linebacker Kip Lewis leads the way for this Sooners defense, with 72 recorded tackles.
Alabama (9)
Alabama has managed to get the No. 9 seed in the College Football Playoff, even after their loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship game. After losing to Florida State in their season opener, many thought the Crimson Tide’s season was over. However, Alabama has won 10 of their last 12, and they definitely have looked the part of a playoff team. Quarterback Ty Simpson has led the way with over 3,200 yards, while Wide Receiver Germie Bernard has added 762 receiving yards. Cornerback Bray Hubbard has led this Alabama secondary with four interceptions as well.
Miami (10)
Despite some major controversy, the Miami Hurricanes have gotten the No. 10 seed in the College Football Playoff. While the Hurricanes played their best football at the beginning of the season, they still finished strong and managed to get the at-large bid. Miami finished the season 10-2, with key wins coming against Notre Dame, USF, and Pitt. The Hurricanes have one of the best quarterbacks in the country, Carson Beck, who has over 3,000 rushing yards.
Tulane (11)
One of the most unique teams in the College Football Playoff this year, the Tulane Green Wave, winners of the American conference, have the No. 11 in this year’s playoff. One of their losses have come against Ole Miss, who they play again in the playoff, but this is a different Tulane team from when they first played. The Green Wave’s heart and soul of this team rely on their quarterback, Jake Retzlaff. The BYU walk-on transfer has almost 2,900 passing yards and over 600 rushing yards. The offense relies on him making key throws and getting it done on the feet. Safety Jack Tchienchou has 77 tackles, which leads the team.
James Madison (12)
The James Madison Dukes have managed to find their way into the College Football Playoff. The winners of the Sun Belt Conference defeated Troy in the championship game. James Madison received help from Duke knocking off Virginia in the ACC Championship in order to propel them to the last spot in the playoff. The Dukes are led by Quarterback Alonza Barnett III, who has thrown for over 2,500 yards this season and ran for over 500 yards. Running Back Wayne Knight also has over 1,200 yards this season as well.
