Tracking Perfect College Football Playoff Brackets: Latest Updates and Analysis

The College Football Playoff (CFP) is always an exhilarating spectacle. This year? No exception at all.

Fans are glued to their brackets, and the opening round has already tossed in a few wild surprises. Alabama’s dramatic comeback and the overwhelming love for top-seeded Indiana have set the stage for a playoff that’s anything but predictable.

Let’s get into the details and check out how the brackets are holding up so far.

The Opening Round Drama

The CFP’s first round kicked off with a tense matchup: No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama. Everyone figured this one would be tight, and honestly, it was.

Alabama rallied back from a 17-point hole to beat Oklahoma 34-24. That single game wrecked about half the brackets in NCAA.com’s College Football Bracket Challenge Game.

What a comeback. It’s already clear this playoff season isn’t going to follow the script.

Bracket Breakdown: Who’s Still Perfect?

With the first game already throwing things off, the next three first-round games suddenly matter a lot more for anyone hoping to keep a perfect bracket alive. Here’s what’s on tap:

• No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Miami (Fla.): Texas A&M is the favorite, picked on 69.71 percent of brackets.
• No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Tulane: Ole Miss is heavily favored, with 87.38 percent of brackets picking them to win.
• No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 James Madison: Oregon is the overwhelming favorite, chosen on 93.18 percent of brackets.

If any of the underdogs pull off an upset, most participants are probably in for a rough time.

Popular Champion Picks

Once the brackets locked in, the favorites to win it all became pretty obvious. No. 1 seed Indiana leads the way, showing up as the champion pick on 28.11 percent of entries.

No. 2 Ohio State isn’t far behind at 25.33 percent, and No. 3 Georgia sits at 21.67 percent. These three teams make up almost three-quarters of all championship picks—which, honestly, says a lot about how fans are feeling.

Champion Pick Percentages

Here’s the full rundown of who people are picking to win the title:

• No. 1 Indiana: 28.11%
• No. 2 Ohio State: 25.33%
• No. 3 Georgia: 21.67%
• No. 4 Texas Tech: 7.04%
• No. 5 Oregon: 4.82%
• No. 9 Alabama: 3.55%
• No. 7 Texas A&M: 3.01%
• No. 6 Ole Miss: 1.68%
• No. 8 Oklahoma: 1.61%
• No. 10 Miami (Fla.): 1.54%
• No. 12 James Madison: 1.15%
• No. 11 Tulane: 0.48%

The top four seeds are definitely the go-to picks. Indiana’s at the front, but you never really know—lower seeds sometimes go on wild runs. That’s the fun part, right?

First Round Game Insights

The first round matchups give us a pretty good sense of how fans are thinking. The closest call in bracket picks? That was the No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama game.

Alabama was picked in 50.39 percent of brackets, just barely edging out Oklahoma. You could feel the uncertainty—nobody seemed sure how that one would go.

First Round Pick Percentages

Here’s a quick look at the pick percentages for the opening round:

• No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama: Alabama, 50.39%
• No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Miami (Fla.): Texas A&M, 69.71%
• No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Tulane: Ole Miss, 87.38%
• No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 James Madison: Oregon, 93.18%

Most folks are sticking with the higher seeds, except for that razor-close Alabama-Oklahoma matchup. The next games will decide how many people are still clinging to a perfect bracket.

Looking Ahead: Quarterfinals and Beyond

The quarterfinals are set for December 31 and January 1. Now the top four seeds get their shot.

Quarterfinal Matchups

• No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M/No. 10 Miami (Fla.) winner: Cotton Bowl, December 31, 7:30 p.m. ET
• No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon/No. 12 James Madison winner: Orange Bowl, January 1, 12 p.m. ET
• No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 8 Oklahoma/No. 9 Alabama winner: Rose Bowl, January 1, 4 p.m. ET
• No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss/No. 11 Tulane winner: Sugar Bowl, January 1, 8 p.m. ET

The top seeds are going to try to show why they’re ranked so high. But honestly, if this first round taught us anything, it’s that the CFP doesn’t always go the way anyone expects.

Conclusion

The 2025 College Football Playoff is off to an electrifying start. Dramatic games and surprising outcomes are already shaking up the brackets.

As we head into the quarterfinals, fans everywhere are glued to their screens. Will their picks survive the chaos? Can any underdogs pull off those wild, last-minute upsets?

For the latest updates—plus a live tracker showing how many perfect brackets are left—check out NCAA.com’s College Football Bracket Challenge Game. It’s honestly a bit addictive watching the numbers dwindle.