College Football Playoff bracket: What 12-team field looks like after first CFP Rankings release of 2025

Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M and Alabama lead the way in the first projected College Football Playoff bracket of the 2025 season. The initial College Football Playoff Rankings were released Tuesday, giving the nation some valuable insight into how the selection committee views the national landscape as the calendar turns to its last month of action. 

The format is a little different this year, as the College Football Playoff will be based on a straight-seeding model. That means, while the top five ranked conference champions still get an automatic bid, they are not guaranteed a first-round bye. Instead, the byes will go to the four highest-ranked teams in the bracket. 

So, in this instance, the Buckeyes, the Hoosiers, the Aggies and the Crimson Tide would receive first-round byes. The projected conference champions, as of Tuesday's rankings release, are Ohio State, Texas A&M, BYU, Virginia and Memphis of the American Conference. 

Obviously, a lot can change between now and December. As of the first week of November, though, the projected playoff field includes four SEC teams and three Big Ten teams. The Big 12 got two into the 12-team field, with a couple more just outside on the bubble. 

Here is our first look at the College Football Playoff bracket after the initial CFP Rankings of 2025. 

The Group of Six is wide open 

Notably, the first group of 25 teams in the College Football Playoff Rankings did not include a Group of Six program. According to the selection committee, Memphis of the American Conference is the highest-ranked school outside of the Power Four and, as such, it snagged a spot as the 12-seed in the projected bracket. 

That means the Group of Six is still wide open, though, even if Memphis has a nominal advantage as the calendar turns to November. There are still a few other American schools that likely have a chance, including North Texas and Navy. 

Outside of the American, though, San Diego State of the Mountain West Conference could make a case if it finishes the year unblemished. The Mountain West produced last season's Group of Six playoff representative in Boise State. 

James Madison of the Sun Belt Conference is worth keeping an eye on this year. Its only loss thus far came by 14 points on the road against No. 15 Louisville, which is in the mix to win an ACC title. 

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Notre Dame gets an edge 

Notre Dame is a big winner from Tuesday night's reveal. There was some speculation as to how the selection committee would view Notre Dame and Miami, two teams with similar résumés and a head-to-head that Miami won. 

Well, the Fighting Irish came in at No. 10, eight spots ahead of Miami. That put them squarely in the projected field, ahead of a couple of theoretical conference champions in Virginia and Memphis. Notre Dame has won six games in a row since starting the year 0-2, and both of those losses came against ranked opponents. 

Notre Dame's latest winning streak includes triumphs over USC, which landed at No. 19 in Tuesday's rankings, and the aforementioned Boise State, which was a playoff team last season. It's clear that the committee view the Irish as a legitimate national competitor and they'll have an edge as they finish the season. 

Big 12 receives respect

Tuesday was also a big night for the Big 12, which landed two teams inside the projected 12-team field. That includes possible champion BYU, which is one of four remaining undefeated FBS teams, at No. 7 and No. 8 Texas Tech. 

The Big 12 had a solid showing behind those two, though. Utah came in at No. 13 -- four spots ahead of its ranking in the AP Top 25 -- which puts them well within shouting distance of a 12-team field. If the cards fall right, the Big 12 could produce a conference-record three playoff teams.