College Football Playoff Bracket: Rankings, Scores and Schedule
  Camillia cyrus   204 views
  Last Updated On: May 03, 2025 11:42 AM ,     Published On: Jan 10, 2025 06:52 AM

The bracket for the College Football Playoffs has arrived. On December 8, the final top 25 rankings and the official 12-team College Football Playoff field were revealed. On Friday, January 10, Texas plays Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl for the semifinals.

The whole playoff schedule, bracket, and ultimate seeding are shown below.

Football Playoff Bracket

On Sunday, December 8, the board's final top 25 rankings are used in this bracket. The four highest-ranked league victors receive the top four positions and breaks, regardless of where those four teams rank in the top 25.

It's crucial to keep in mind that the top 25 ranking does not always coincide with the playoff position. Although they won't receive a bye, the conference champ with the fifth-highest ranking is also automatically in.

Playoff Schedule and Scores

First round

Friday, Dec. 20

  • 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Indiana 17

Saturday, Dec. 21

  • 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10
  • 5 Texas 38, No. 12 Clemson 24
  • 8 Ohio State 42, No. 9 Tennessee 17

Quarterfinals

Thursday, Jan. 2

  • 7 Notre Dame 23, No. 2 Georgia 10 (Sugar Bowl)

Tuesday, Dec. 31

  • 6 Penn State 31, No. 3 Boise State 14 (Fiesta Bowl)

Wednesday, Jan. 1

  • 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (2OT) (Peach Bowl)
  • 8 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21 (Rose Bowl)

Semifinals

Friday, Jan. 10

  • 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State (Cotton Bowl) | 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 9

  • 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 6 Penn State 24 (Orange Bowl)

National Championship

Monday, Jan. 20

  • TBD vs. TBD (Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia) | 7:30 p.m.

Playoff Rankings

These are the final CFP top 25 rankings, which also include the seeds of the participating teams.

  1. Oregon: highest-ranked conference champion (Big Ten) - seeded No. 1
  2. Georgia: 2nd highest-ranked conference champion (SEC) - seeded No. 2
  3. Texas: at-large pick (2nd team from the SEC) - seeded No. 5
  4. Penn State: at-large pick (2nd team in the Big Ten), seeded No. 6
  5. Notre Dame: at-large pick (independent) - seeded No. 7
  6. Ohio State: at-large pick (3rd team from the Big Ten) - seeded No. 8
  7. Tennessee: at-large pick (3rd team from the SEC) - seeded No. 9
  8. Indiana: at-large pick (4th team from the Big Ten) - seeded No. 10
  9. Boise State: 3rd highest-ranked conference champion (Mountain West) - seeded No. 3
  10. SMU: at-large pick (from the ACC) - seeded No. 11
  11. Alabama: 1st team out of the CFP
  12. Arizona State: 4th highest-ranked conference champion (Big 12) - seeded No. 4
  13. Miami (Fla.): 2nd team out of the CFP
  14. Ole Miss: 3rd team out of the CFP
  15. South Carolina: 4th team out of the CFP
  16. Clemson: 5th highest-ranked conference champion (ACC) - seeded No. 12
  17. BYU: 5th team out of the CFP
  18. Iowa State: 6th team out of the CFP
  19. Missouri: 7th team out of the CFP
  20. Illinois: 8th team out of the CFP
  21. Syracuse: 9th team out of the CFP
  22. Army: 10th team out of the CFP
  23. Colorado: 11th team out of the CFP
  24. UNLV: 12th team out of the CFP
  25. Memphis: 13th team out of the CFP