2025 College Football Playoff Is Set as Indiana Claims Top Spot, Notre Dame Snubbed

The long-awaited 2025 College Football Playoff field is officially set, and if you’ve followed the chaos of championship weekend, the final bracket shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, though let’s be real, that hasn’t stopped the outcry — especially from South Bend.

Indiana comes in as no surprise as the #1 seed after taking down top-ranked Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship on Saturday. The Hoosiers capped off a perfect 13-0 season with a gritty 13-10 win, their first Big Ten title in nearly 60 years. That win undeniably shook up the top of the rankings and slotted Indiana into the Rose Bowl as the team to beat.

Joining the Hoosiers with first-round byes are #2 Ohio State, #3 Georgia, and #4 Texas Tech. But while those 4 powerhouses enjoy a week off, the rest of the field gets ready for 1st-round matchups starting December 19.

And yes — Notre Dame is on the outside looking in, despite a 10-game winning streak, but we’ll cover more on that drama in a bit.

Championship Weekend Shuffles the Deck

#2 Indiana and #1 Ohio State met in what looked like a CFP semifinal preview, instead, it might’ve been the first act of a two-part saga. Indiana’s win flipped the bracket as the Hoosiers went from #2 to #1, while the Buckeyes dropped just a single spot — still enough to keep their bye for the round.

Georgia undoubtedly made its case with a 28-7 scorching of Alabama in the SEC title game. That scoreline definitely humbled Alabama. Georgia looked in control from start to finish, where the win secured the #3 seed for the Bulldogs and knocked the Crimson Tide back to the edge of the bracket — but still in the bracket, to much chagrin.

Texas Tech, one of the most complete teams in the country, cruised to a 34-7 win over BYU in the Big 12 Championship just like the first time they met up. QB Behren Morton threw a pair of TDs, and the defense never let BYU breathe, except maybe that first drive. Tech climbed to the #4 seed and will play in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day.

The ACC title game, meanwhile, went to OT, and yet it still didn’t matter for the playoff picture. Duke edged Virginia 27-20 in OT but finished the season 8-5. That left the Blue Devils with too many losses and not enough juice to jump James Madison, who beat Troy 31-14 in the Sun Belt Championship and grabbed the last auto-bid.

James Madison joins Tulane, the AAC champion, and Miami, ACC at-large, as Group of Five teams to make the 12-team field. Say what you want about these entries, but they’re in the bracket.

Notre Dame Left Out After Late Rankings Drop

The biggest controversy all over social media came from the team that didn’t even play this weekend. Notre Dame watched all the games from home, sitting on a 10-game win streak, with no more chances to improve their resume, and somehow, they dropped out of the bracket.

Two weeks ago, the Irish looked like an absolute lock, but as the final rankings came out, they’d slipped behind Alabama and Miami — 2 teams with weaker resumes in many metrics, though much tougher schedules.

The selection committee said Miami’s head-to-head win over Notre Dame in Week 1 tipped the scales, which simply goes to show that the entire season matters. The Hurricanes beat the Irish 27-24 back in August, and even though Notre Dame looked like a different team since then, that early result came back to bite them in the end.

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua really didn’t hold back as he addressed the situation, “There is no explanation that could possibly be given to explain the outcome.” The Irish decided not to accept a bowl bid at all, protesting what they saw as a clear snub.

As you look at how this unfolded, keep in mind that this wasn’t just a football loss — it was a financial one. As an independent, Notre Dame would have kept the full $4 million payout that conferences typically split for 1st-round teams. That money goes elsewhere now and not in the pockets of Notre Dame.

Final Bracket Breakdown

We have a bit of a break over this next week as the traditional Army-Navy game gets underway, but after that, here’s how the 12-team playoff shakes out.

First Round (Dec. 19-20)

• #8 Oklahoma vs. #9 Alabama. This is a massive blue-blood showdown to open the playoffs, as Alabama has 3 losses, but the committee rewarded them for the insane strength of schedule. Oklahoma will be eager to prove that was a mistake as they hopes to shut down the Crimson Tide yet again.
• #7 Texas A&M vs. #10 Miami. The Hurricanes snuck into the bracket thanks to that Week 1 win over Notre Dame we mentioned. A&M brings more defensive muscle but has looked inconsistent on offense.
• #6 Ole Miss vs. #11 Tulane. This one could be sneaky good despite the grumblings of Tulane making the playoffs. Tulane took the AAC crown and is taking on Ole Miss, who is trying to prove they belong in the elite tier.
• #5 Oregon vs. #12 James Madison. The Dukes finally get their shot at a major power. JMU has played with a chip on its shoulder all season, but Oregon is too talented to overlook, especially with Dante Moore in control.

Quarterfinals (Dec. 31 – Jan. 1)

• #2 Ohio State vs. Texas A&M/Miami winner. The Buckeyes will face the survivor of what should be a physical game.
• #4 Texas Tech vs. Oregon/James Madison winner. Tech wants to prove its dominance isn’t just a Big 12 story.
• #1 Indiana vs. Oklahoma/Alabama winner. If Alabama gets through, the Hoosiers could have their hands full.
• #3 Georgia vs. Ole Miss/Tulane winner. We don’t expect Georgia to take anyone lightly after last year’s early exit.

Semifinals (Jan. 8-9)

• The Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl host the matchups.

National Championship (Jan. 19)

• Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida.

Don’t Overlook the Lower Seeds

Just because Alabama and Miami barely got in doesn’t mean they’re out of the running. They’re still absolutely dominant teams, but with a little more work ahead of them. Alabama’s path — win over Oklahoma, then Indiana — is nothing less than brutal, but Nick Saban’s teams have made tougher runs before, so now it’s just up to Kalen Doboer to figure it out.

Ole Miss, despite Lane Kiffin’s departure to LSU, could be the wildcard. RB Quinshon Judkins is a problem for any defense, and interim head coach Trinidad Chambliss is drawing major interest already.

And then there’s James Madison. The Sun Belt champs are up against it with Oregon in the 1st round, but a win there might shake up the sport in a different way. Could it happen? Unlikely given they’re +21 underdogs, but it begs the question of how long can the CFP hold off from giving the Group of Five more respect?

Looking Ahead to a Potential Rematch

The bracket is built for a potential Indiana–Ohio State rematch in the national title game. After what we saw Saturday, that’s the matchup everyone wants and what the bookmakers are predicting with their odds. It would be the first time two Big Ten teams met in the championship, and the stakes would be absolutely massive.

But the path is rough for both of them as each would need to win 2 games — likely against blue-blood programs with way more playoff experience.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s let Indiana soak in the moment as they’re the #1 seed in college football, and for the first time in forever, they’re not just part of the story — they’re leading it.

2025 CFP Is About to Be Underway

The 12-team format is already doing what it was designed to — generating conversation, second-guessing, and new opportunities. But it’s also made the snubs even more brutal than before, and Notre Dame found that out the hard way.

The 2025 College Football Playoff kicks off on December 19, and this bracket looks like it’s going to deliver.