{"id":387521,"date":"2025-11-18T12:19:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T12:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/387521\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T12:19:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T12:19:16","slug":"predicting-the-third-2025-college-football-playoff-top-25-12-team-cfp-bracket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/387521\/","title":{"rendered":"Predicting the third 2025 College Football Playoff Top 25, 12-team CFP Bracket"},"content":{"rendered":"

The third edition of the 2025 College Football Playoff<\/strong><\/a> rankings will debut on Tuesday night, when the selection committee reveals its updated look at things. But before that, On3 is here to offer some projections of what that might look like.<\/p>\n

Plenty of teams have stated their case for a potential playoff bid at this point. And while there\u2019s still a good deal of football left to be played, we have a pretty good idea who might rank where.<\/p>\n

So who benefited from the last week of college football action and who was penalized? Here is our look at the projected third College Football Playoff rankings following Week 12.<\/p>\n

A CFP Rankings Reminder<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that the College Football Playoff format has shifted slightly this season. Whereas in the first edition of the 12-team playoff the four highest-ranked conference champions were guaranteed a first-round bye, they no longer are.<\/p>\n

Also, simply being in the top 12 of the rankings does not guarantee a spot in the playoff. A power conference champion ranked outside the top 12 remains guaranteed a spot, while the highest-ranked Group of Six champion will also be guaranteed a spot in the playoff bracket. Those teams can potentially bump a team in the top 12 out of the bracket.<\/p>\n

Ohio State cruised this weekend, making short work of a UCLA<\/a><\/strong> team that fired its head coach weeks ago. Julian Sayin<\/a><\/strong> remained sharp at quarterback. If there are any concerns coming out of the game, they were about injuries.<\/p>\n

Jeremiah Smith<\/a><\/strong> exited the game early and Carnell Tate<\/a><\/strong> never played. And while coach Ryan Day<\/a><\/strong> explained he doesn\u2019t have any long-term worries, until they\u2019re both fully back it\u2019ll be easy to wonder how close to full strength the Buckeyes really are.<\/p>\n

\"IndianaMandatory Credit: Matthew O\u2019Haren-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Like Ohio State, Indiana had a ho-hum win over a Wisconsin<\/a><\/strong> team that hasn\u2019t put up much of a fight against the majority of its schedule. Easy cruising for Fernando Mendoza<\/a><\/strong> and company.<\/p>\n

One of the few teams that has a bye week on the penultimate week of the season, Indiana now gets a chance to rest and get healthier ahead of the regular season finale at Purdue<\/a><\/strong>. Win that one and a playoff berth is essentially assured.<\/p>\n

Texas A&M gave its fanbase the biggest collective heart attack this weekend, going down 30-3 against South Carolina<\/a><\/strong> early on. That was a result that, should it have held, could have seriously put a dent in the team\u2019s playoff chances.<\/p>\n

Instead, Marcel Reed<\/a><\/strong> shook off a poor start and played excellently the rest of the way. Texas A&M overcame the whole deficit and managed to win the game, remaining unbeaten. And that should pretty much sew up a playoff berth, with only games against Samford<\/a><\/strong> and Texas<\/a><\/strong> remaining.<\/p>\n

Georgia has quietly powered its way into a potential bye spot when it comes to the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs are deserving, too, having dominated most opponents and lost only to a very good Alabama<\/a><\/strong> team.<\/p>\n

That said, Georgia is one of the few teams toward the top of this playoff mix that still has a challenge remaining. On top of a potential conference title game, the Bulldogs still face in-state rival Georgia Tech<\/a><\/strong> in the regular season finale.<\/p>\n

\"Texas (Photo by Mark Rebilas\/Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Texas Tech remains the favorite to win the Big 12, though it\u2019s still a pretty wide open race at this point. In terms of the regular season, though, the Red Raiders only have West Virginia<\/a><\/strong> left on the slate.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a pretty good bet to reach 11-1 with a shot at the conference crown. Take care of business and there\u2019s even a decent chance that Texas Tech could slip into bye positioning should someone else slip up.<\/p>\n

Like Texas Tech, Ole Miss is a team that is pretty much all set to make the playoff field barring a disaster at this point. The Rebels remain in SEC title game contention, too.<\/p>\n

All things considered, managing a rivalry game \u2014 even on the road in Starkville \u2014 is something you have to be able to handle if you\u2019re a playoff team. Ole Miss gets a full week to rest and recharge before then, too.<\/p>\n

Oregon has one of the trickier roads remaining for potential College Football Playoff teams. While the Ducks will probably avoid a conference title game, they still have games remaining against USC<\/a><\/strong> and at Washington<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Those are two games that could easily provide a legitimate challenge for the Ducks. Can Oregon get up for a big game better than it did earlier this year against Indiana<\/a><\/strong>? We\u2019ll see, starting this week against the Trojans.<\/p>\n

\"JeremiyahNotre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. (MICHAEL CLUBB\/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Notre Dame put together an eighth straight win this week, this time over a ranked Pittsburgh<\/a><\/strong> team. That will help it in the eyes of the committee going forward. Meanwhile, both losses to Miami<\/a><\/strong> and Texas A&M<\/a><\/strong> continue to retain their quality.<\/p>\n

It\u2019d be an interesting thought experiment to see where Notre Dame might rank if either of those games had been in the middle of the schedule rather than up front. For Fighting Irish fans, it doesn\u2019t matter. Notre Dame is in position to earn a playoff berth if it keeps winning.<\/p>\n

Oklahoma\u2019s overall outlook hasn\u2019t changed a whole lot from a week ago, except that it\u2019s now more solidly in the field than before. But the fact was that Oklahoma had to keep winning to remain a playoff team, and that holds true even after the win over Alabama<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And the rest of the way won\u2019t be easy. Up next is a Missouri<\/a><\/strong> team that looks resilient even without starting quarterback Beau Pribula<\/a><\/strong>. Then it\u2019s an LSU<\/a><\/strong> team playing for pride (and possibly a better bowl game) at season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

Alabama\u2019s loss didn\u2019t cripple its College Football Playoff chances, but it did probably ruin the team\u2019s shot at a first-round bye. Still, there\u2019s still everything to play for in Tuscaloosa going forward.<\/p>\n

A game against Eastern Illinois<\/a><\/strong> should be a chance to rest whatever players need it before the showdown at Auburn<\/a><\/strong> to close the campaign. Alabama likely must win out to remain in contention at this point.<\/p>\n

\"everything-kalani-sitake-said-before-byu-faces-smu-press-conference-video\" Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

BYU might need to avoid a second loss regardless of where it comes, even if it were in the Big 12 title game. In any case, it at least needs to win the next two to remain in good position to qualify for the field.<\/p>\n

A road trip to Cincinnati<\/a><\/strong> this week will be the biggest challenge for the team since it dropped a clunker to Texas Tech<\/a><\/strong>. Can BYU rally and reiterate that it\u2019s worthy of a playoff spot with only a couple weeks left to play?<\/p>\n

Utah is in a very interesting spot, in that it might be able to slip into the back half of the playoff even if it doesn\u2019t reach the Big 12 title game. Might be able to. It\u2019s going to be razor-thin margins.<\/p>\n

For its part, Utah has games against Kansas<\/a><\/strong> and at Kansas State<\/a><\/strong> remaining. Win both of those and a 10-2 team with losses only to Texas Tech<\/a><\/strong> and BYU<\/a><\/strong> should have a chance to make the playoff field.<\/p>\n

Rest of the CFP Rankings: 13-25<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Vanderbilt Commodores<\/a><\/strong> (8-2)<\/li>\n
  2. Miami Hurricanes<\/a><\/strong> (8-2)*<\/li>\n
  3. Texas Longhorns<\/a><\/strong> (7-3)<\/li>\n
  4. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets<\/a><\/strong> (9-1)<\/li>\n
  5. USC Trojans<\/a><\/strong> (8-2)<\/li>\n
  6. Michigan Wolverines<\/a><\/strong> (8-2)<\/li>\n
  7. Virginia Cavaliers<\/a><\/strong> (9-2)<\/li>\n
  8. Tennessee Volunteers<\/a><\/strong> (7-3)<\/li>\n
  9. North Texas Mean Green<\/a><\/strong> (9-1)*<\/li>\n
  10. Missouri Tigers<\/a><\/strong> (7-3)<\/li>\n
  11. James Madison Dukes<\/a><\/strong> (9-1)*<\/li>\n
  12. Houston Cougars<\/a><\/strong> (8-2)<\/li>\n
  13. Tulane Green Wave<\/a><\/strong> (8-2)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    * Indicates projected conference champion<\/p>\n

    1. Ohio State Buckeyes<\/a><\/strong>
    2.     Indiana Hoosiers<\/a><\/strong>
    3.     Texas A&M Aggies<\/a><\/strong>
    4.     Georgia Bulldogs<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Again, unlike last season, the first-round byes are not guaranteed to the four highest-ranked conference champions. That means whichever teams are ranked 1-4 will earn a bye. We still have the Big Ten and the SEC splitting this year\u2019s first-round byes at the moment, though the teams have changed.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Texas Tech Red Raiders<\/a><\/strong> vs. 12. North Texas Mean Green<\/a><\/strong>
      Last week we had a Texas Tech vs. Texas matchup in the 7 vs. 10 game in the College Football Playoffs. This week we get Texas Tech against North Texas, which we\u2019re projecting as the top Group of Six conference champion. It would be a nice regional matchup to kick things off.<\/li>\n
    2. Ole Miss Rebels<\/a><\/strong> vs. 11. Miami Hurricanes<\/a><\/strong>
      Ole Miss was projected to take on the ACC champion a week ago, which was Georgia Tech. But Miami has jumped in front after last week\u2019s CFP rankings course-corrected a bit. This would give us an intriguing matchup with two teams that have utilized the transfer portal quite well.<\/li>\n
    3. Oregon Ducks<\/a><\/strong> vs. 10. Alabama Crimson Tide<\/a><\/strong>
      Alabama drops out of a first-round bye spot this week and falls into the role of playing on the road in the first round. A first-round matchup at Oregon would be an exceptionally tough draw. But that\u2019s what happens when you leave things to chance, as Alabama\u2019s loss to Oklahoma did.<\/li>\n
    4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish<\/a><\/strong> vs. 9. Oklahoma Sooners<\/a><\/strong>
      Notre Dame has moved up a spot in this week\u2019s projections, which is important because it now puts the Fighting Irish in position to host a home playoff game. Oklahoma surges into the field but would get the touch matchup in the first round.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The third edition of the 2025 College Football Playoff rankings will debut on Tuesday night, when the selection…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":387522,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[1318,1317,1315,1316,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-387521","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-football","11":"tag-ncaafootball","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115570670170003911","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=387521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}