College football playoffs bowl games are officially set for the 2025 postseason, marking one of the most exciting lineups in recent years. The announcement of the College Football Playoff (CFP) field on Sunday, December 8, 2025, finalized the top teams and their bowl destinations following a season full of surprises, upsets, and powerhouse performances across the nation.
This postseason will also be historic, as it’s the first year of the expanded 12-team playoff format, transforming the structure of college football’s championship race and giving more programs a legitimate shot at the national title.
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The 2025 College Football Playoff Field
The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has named the 12 teams that will compete for this season’s national championship. The new playoff format includes the six highest-ranked conference champions and six at-large teams, based on the final CFP rankings.
Here are the top 12 seeds for the 2025 playoff:
- Georgia Bulldogs (13-0) – SEC Champion
- Michigan Wolverines (12-1) – Big Ten Champion
- Texas Longhorns (12-1) – Big 12 Champion
- Oregon Ducks (12-1) – Pac-12 Champion
- Alabama Crimson Tide (11-2) – At-Large (SEC)
- Florida State Seminoles (12-1) – ACC Champion
- Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2) – At-Large (Big Ten)
- Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) – At-Large (Big Ten)
- Missouri Tigers (10-2) – At-Large (SEC)
- Ole Miss Rebels (10-2) – At-Large (SEC)
- Boise State Broncos (11-2) – Group of Five (Mountain West Champion)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-3) – At-Large (Independent)
The top four seeds—Georgia, Michigan, Texas, and Oregon—receive first-round byes, automatically advancing to the quarterfinals.
First-Round Matchups
The first round of the college football playoffs bowl games will take place on December 20 and 21, 2025, hosted on the campuses of the higher-seeded teams.
Here’s the full first-round schedule:
- (12) Notre Dame at (5) Alabama
- (11) Boise State at (6) Florida State
- (10) Ole Miss at (7) Ohio State
- (9) Missouri at (8) Penn State
Winners of these games will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be played at traditional bowl sites.
Quarterfinal Bowl Games
This season’s CFP quarterfinals will be hosted by four of the New Year’s Six bowls, played between December 31, 2025, and January 1, 2026.
Quarterfinal Schedule:
- Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ) – December 31
- Peach Bowl (Atlanta, GA) – December 31
- Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) – January 1
- Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA) – January 1
Matchups will be determined after the first-round games conclude. The selection committee ensures that higher-seeded teams face lower seeds while maintaining regional balance and traditional bowl alignments whenever possible.
Semifinals and Championship
The winners of the quarterfinals will move on to the CFP Semifinals, which rotate among the remaining major bowl sites. For the 2025–26 season, the semifinal games will be played at:
- Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, FL)
- Cotton Bowl (Arlington, TX)
Both semifinals will take place on January 9 and 10, 2026, leading up to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, scheduled for Monday, January 19, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
This year’s expanded playoff structure means more high-stakes matchups and increased opportunities for teams outside the traditional power conferences to make deep postseason runs.
The Historic Shift to a 12-Team Playoff
This season marks the first implementation of the expanded 12-team playoff, ending the four-team system that had been in place since 2014.
Under the old format, only the top four ranked teams competed for the championship, which often left out strong programs from the Big 12, Pac-12, or Group of Five conferences. The new system ensures greater representation across all major conferences, creating more competitive matchups and a longer postseason schedule.
The shift has also significantly increased fan engagement and television interest. Early projections show record-breaking viewership for the first-round games, as fans anticipate seeing powerhouse programs and underdog teams meet in new and unpredictable ways.
How Bowl Games Fit Into the Playoff Era
Even with the playoff expansion, traditional bowl games remain a major part of college football’s postseason. The New Year’s Six Bowls—the Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Fiesta, and Peach—continue to serve as the primary hosts for quarterfinal and semifinal games on a rotating basis.
Other bowl games, such as the Citrus Bowl, Gator Bowl, and Alamo Bowl, still feature ranked teams that narrowly missed the playoff field. These matchups maintain the sport’s long-standing tradition of celebrating conference champions and regional rivalries.
For the 2025 season, several high-profile non-playoff bowl games are set to deliver must-watch matchups:
- Citrus Bowl (Orlando, FL): LSU vs. Wisconsin
- Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL): Clemson vs. Oklahoma
- Alamo Bowl (San Antonio, TX): Utah vs. Kansas State
These contests highlight the depth of talent across college football, even beyond the playoff field.
Player Spotlight: Top Performers Heading into the Postseason
Several standout athletes are expected to shape the outcome of this year’s playoffs and bowl season:
- Carson Beck (Georgia): The Bulldogs’ quarterback leads one of the most efficient offenses in the country.
- J.J. McCarthy (Michigan): The Wolverines’ leader returns to the playoff stage with experience and composure.
- Quinn Ewers (Texas): After a breakout season, the Longhorns’ quarterback aims to bring a national title back to Austin.
- Bo Nix (Oregon): One of college football’s most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks.
- Keon Coleman (Florida State): The Seminoles’ star wide receiver has dominated ACC defenses all season.
With multiple future NFL Draft picks across the playoff field, the postseason promises elite competition and plenty of highlight moments.
Economic and Fan Impact
The expansion of the college football playoffs bowl games has had an enormous economic effect. Cities hosting playoff and major bowl games are seeing record tourism numbers, with hotels and restaurants booked months in advance.
The added playoff rounds are also generating more television and streaming revenue for conferences, schools, and broadcast networks. ESPN, which holds the exclusive rights to the College Football Playoff, expects the 2025 postseason to produce the highest viewership numbers in college football history.
Fan interest has skyrocketed, with ticket demand for both first-round and quarterfinal games exceeding previous years by wide margins.
What’s Next After the 2025 Playoffs
As college football enters this new era, discussions are already underway about the long-term structure of the playoff system. Early reviews from coaches, players, and fans suggest that the 12-team format has succeeded in making the postseason more inclusive and competitive.
Conference realignments and continued expansion of television partnerships will likely shape how the playoff evolves beyond 2026. For now, fans can look forward to nearly a full month of thrilling matchups leading up to the national championship.
The 2025 college football playoffs bowl games mark a turning point for the sport—one that combines tradition with innovation, expanding opportunities for programs across the nation and delivering the most exciting postseason in college football history.