College Football Playoff 2025-26: Format, Rankings, and Schedule Explained

The battle for College Football Playoff (CFP) berths is heating up as the second CFP rankings of the 2025-26 season dropped Tuesday night. With less than a month before the 12-team playoff is revealed on Selection Sunday, the defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes still hold the top spot.

Right behind them: Indiana Hoosiers, Texas A&M Aggies, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Georgia Bulldogs. The top five? Totally unchanged this week. As the postseason looms, let’s break down what’s up with this year’s CFP.

Overview of the 2025-26 College Football Playoff

This season, the CFP sticks with a 12-team format. Still, there are some tweaks. The selection committee will hand out bids to the five highest-ranked conference champs and the seven highest-ranked non-champs.

Unlike last year, teams are seeded No. 1 through No. 12 straight from the committee’s list, no matter their conference status. The top four seeds get a first-round bye, which is a pretty sweet deal.

First-Round Matchups

First-round matchups are set like this:

• No. 5 vs. No. 12
• No. 6 vs. No. 11
• No. 7 vs. No. 10
• No. 8 vs. No. 9

The higher seed gets home-field advantage. The bracket doesn’t reseed after the first round—simple as that.

Quarterfinals and Bowl Games

Quarterfinals bring bowl games into the mix. The top four teams are matched up with these bowls, and the committee thinks about tradition and rankings when assigning them.

Let’s say the Sugar Bowl is hosting a quarterfinal and an SEC team is No. 1, while a Big 12 team is No. 3. The SEC squad would land in the Sugar Bowl, while the Big 12 team goes somewhere else. It’s a little bit of a chess game, honestly.

Quarterfinal Bowl Games

This year’s quarterfinal bowls:

• Cotton Bowl — AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
• Orange Bowl — Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida
• Rose Bowl — Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California
• Sugar Bowl — Caesars Superdome in New Orleans

Semifinals and National Championship

Semifinals will play out at the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl. The winners from those games? They head to the national championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Yep, that’s the same spot as the quarterfinal Orange Bowl. Kinda convenient, right?

Semifinal Bowl Games

Here’s how the semifinal games line up:

• Fiesta Bowl — State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Thursday, Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Peach Bowl — Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET

The national title game is set for Monday, Jan. 19, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Mark your calendars, if you’re the planning type.

Current CFP Rankings and Key Movements

Ohio State sits at the top with a 9-0 record. Indiana is right there with a spotless 10-0, while Texas A&M, Alabama, and Georgia fill out the top five.

Texas Tech jumped up from No. 8 to No. 6 after a big win over BYU. BYU, who was No. 7, dropped all the way to No. 12 after their first loss.

Full rankings rundown:

• Ohio State, 9-0
• Indiana, 10-0
• Texas A&M, 9-0
• Alabama, 8-1
• Georgia, 8-1
• Texas Tech, 9-1
• Ole Miss, 9-1
• Oregon, 8-1
• Notre Dame, 7-2
• Texas, 7-2
• Oklahoma, 7-2
• BYU, 8-1
• Utah, 7-2
• Vanderbilt, 8-2
• Miami, 7-2
• Georgia Tech, 8-1
• USC, 7-2
• Michigan, 7-2
• Virginia, 8-2
• Louisville, 7-2
• Iowa, 6-3
• Pittsburgh, 7-2
• Tennessee, 6-3
• South Florida, 7-2
• Cincinnati, 7-2

Upcoming CFP Rankings Release Schedule

Next CFP rankings drop on:

• Nov. 18, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Nov. 25, 7 p.m. ET
• Dec. 2, 7 p.m. ET

The 12-team field gets revealed on Sunday, Dec. 7, at noon Eastern. First CFP game? Friday, Dec. 19. Not too far off now.

Round-by-Round CFP Schedule

Here’s a breakdown of the CFP schedule leading up to the national championship. It’s a lot to keep track of, so let’s take it round by round.

First Round

• Game 1: Friday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m. ET
• Game 2: Saturday, Dec. 20, 12 p.m. ET
• Game 3: Saturday, Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET
• Game 4: Saturday, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. ET

Quarterfinals

• Cotton Bowl: Wednesday, Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Orange Bowl: Thursday, Jan. 1, 12 p.m. ET
• Rose Bowl: Thursday, Jan. 1, 4 p.m. ET
• Sugar Bowl: Thursday, Jan. 1, 8 p.m. ET

Semifinals

• Fiesta Bowl: Thursday, Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Peach Bowl: Friday, Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET

National Championship

• Title Game: Monday, Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida

The 2025-26 college football season is almost at its peak. Fans are buzzing, and teams are feeling the pressure as the CFP drama builds.

Ohio State is coming in hot as the defending champ, but honestly, plenty of other teams could shake things up. This playoff stretch? It might just be one for the books.

If you want all the nitty-gritty details, check out the full article on the CFP format, bowls, rankings, and schedule for 2025-26.