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The official, finalized 2025 College Football Playoff bracket is almost here.

After weeks of the committee’s rankings giving fans an idea of how the field will shape-up, including shifting pieces over the late portion of the regular season. While some teams have been virtual shoe-ins — Ohio State, Indiana and Georgia have consistently been around the top of the rankings — there will be major questions answered by the committee on Selection Sunday.

Championship weekend led to some fascinating results, including Indiana’s win over Ohio State and Georgia dominating Alabama. The Committee now has a complete picture to decide the final rankings, as many teams and fanbases they deserve one of the final few spots.

The fallout from Duke’s shocking ACC Championship win will also be a storyline, as it could open the door for a second Group of 5 teams to enter the bracket. Could Virginia’s loss be James Madison’s gain?

MORE: SN’s final College Football Playoff bracket projection

And what about Miami? Can the Hurricanes jump Notre Dame or Alabama?

The 12-team bracket will be unveiled, including byes for the top-four-ranked conference champions, plus plenty of other debates at the bottom of the bracket. Who will sneak in to continue playing for a national championship? Who will be on the outside looking in despite a strong season?

The Sporting News is tracking live updates from the final reveal of the College Football Playoff rankings and bracket on Sunday. Follow below for the complete rankings as they’re unveiled.

STREAM: Watch the 2025 CFP rankings reveal live with Fubo (free trial)

College Football Playoff rankings 2025

This section will be updated when the CFP rankings are announced.

Who is in the College Football Playoff?

Seed Team Record Ranking
1 Indiana 13-0 1
2 Ohio State 12-1 2
3      
4      
5      
6      
7      
8      
9      
10      
11      
12      

First four teams out

Ranking Team Record
11    
13    
14    
15    

Rest of the top 25

Ranking Team Record
17    
18    
19    
20    
21    
22    
23    
24    
25    

MORE CFP RANKINGS NEWS:

College Football Playoff bracket 2025

This section will be updated when the bracket is revealed. 

What time are College Football Playoff rankings released?

  • Date: Sunday, Dec. 7
  • Time: 12 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Stream: Fubo

The final College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 7. 

The rankings will be unveiled live on ESPN. Fans can also stream the selection show through Fubo, which offers a free trial to new users.

College Football Playoff predictions

Here’s how TSN’s Bill Bender projected the 12-team College Football Playoff after conference championship games:

Seed Team Record
1. Indiana 13-0
2. Georgia 12-1
3. Ohio State 12-1
4. Texas Tech 12-1
5. Oregon 11-1
6. Ole Miss 11-1
7. Texas A&M 11-1
8. Oklahoma 10-2
9. Notre Dame 10-2
10. Miami 10-2
11. Tulane 11-2
12. James Madison 12-1

How College Football Playoff format works in 2025

While this is the second year of the 12-team playoff, the format is different than last season.

The five highest-ranked conference champions will earn automatic bids, while the next seven-best non-conference champions will earn the wild card spots. From there, the 12 teams in the field will be seeded by ranking, regardless of whether they won their conference championship.

Therefore, the four highest-ranked teams in the field will earn byes, with seeds Nos. 5-12 playing in the first round of the Playoff.

First round

  • No. 5 team at No. 12 team
  • No. 6 team at No. 11 team
  • No. 7 team at No. 10 team
  • No. 8 team at No. 9 team

Quarterfinals

  • No. 1 team vs. No. 8/9 team
  • No. 2 team vs. No. 7/10 team
  • No. 3 team vs. No. 6/11 team
  • No. 4 team vs. No. 5/12 team

MORE: Why Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU

When does the College Football Playoff start?

  • Start date: Friday, Dec. 19

The first round of playoff games will begin on Friday, Dec. 19. There will be four first-round games between Dec. 19 and 20, then four quarterfinals games the following weekend. 

Here’s a snapshot of the overall schedule: 

Game Date
First round Dec. 19-20
Cotton Bowl (Quarterfinals) Dec. 31
Orange, Rose, Sugar Bowls (Quarterfinals) Jan. 1
Fiesta Bowl (Semifinals) Jan. 8
Peach Bowl (Semifinals) Jan. 9
National Championship Jan. 19

MORE: Who were the winners and losers of college football’s signing day?

College Football Playoff schedule 2025

Date Round Matchup Time (ET) TV Channel
Dec. 19 First Round TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ABC/ESPN
Dec. 20 First Round TBD vs. TBD 12:00 p.m. ABC/ESPN
Dec. 20 First Round TBD vs. TBD 3:30 p.m. TNT/truTV/HBO Max
Dec. 20 First Round TBD vs. TBD 7:30 p.m. TNT/truTV/HBO Max
Dec. 31 Quarterfinals TBD vs. TBD 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Jan. 1 Quarterfinals TBD vs. TBD 12:00 p.m. ESPN
Jan. 1 Quarterfinals TBD vs. TBD 4:00 p.m. ESPN
Jan. 1 Quarterfinals TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ESPN
Jan. 8 Semifinals TBD vs. TBD 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Jan. 9 Semifinals TBD vs. TBD 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Jan. 19 National Championship TBD vs. TBD 7:30 p.m. ESPN
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