Selection Sunday has come and gone, and the 2025-26 College Football Playoff is set with an unprecedented team atop the field as the undefeated, top-ranked Indiana Hoosiers shockingly stand atop the sport entering postseason play. On the back of its thrilling victory in a Big Ten Championship Game that pitted the top two teams in the nation against one another, Indiana (13-0) completed an undefeated regular season, knocking reigning national champion Ohio State (12-1) from its pearch and earning the No. 1 spot in the CFP Rankings along with pole position in the 12-team field for the first time in program history.

The Hoosiers -- the second-losingest team since the advent of the FBS -- are participating in the playoff for the second time in as many seasons under coach Curt Cignetti. They were a No. 10 seed in the 2024-25 field, falling to Notre Dame in the first round. Indiana has never completed in a national championship game, let alone been crowned the top team in college football.

The Buckeyes will nevertheless have a chance to defend their national title as the No. 2 seed in this year's proceedings. Ohio State is seeking revenge on Indiana and a third CFP crown in its seven playoff appearances across 12 years of the bracket's existence.

Fresh off a dominant performance in the SEC Championship Game, Georgia (12-1) earned the No. 3 seed, failing to supplant OSU despite beating the only team that had defeated it earlier in the season. Big 12 champion Texas Tech (12-1) slotted No. 4. The top four seeds all receive first-round byes in Year 2 of the 12-team format.

With Duke (7-5) knocking off Virginia (10-3) to take the ACC crown, a Power Four champion will not be represented in the playoff field for the first time since it expanded to 12 teams. Instead, given that the five highest-ranked conference champions all receive automatic bids, two Group of Five league winners have advanced.

Tulane (11-2) of the American earned the No. 11 seed as the fourth-highest ranked conference champion; it will visit No. 6 seed Ole Miss (11-1) in a rematch from Week 4, which the Rebels won 45-10 over the Green Wave. James Madison (12-1) of the Sun Belt picked up the No. 12 seed and will open the first round playing at No. 5 seed Oregon (11-1).

All first-round games will be held at the sites of the lower-seeded teams placed higher in the final CFP Rankings.

Rounding out the opening matchups, No. 8 seed Oklahoma (10-2) will host No. 9 seed Alabama (9-3) and No. 7 seed Texas A&M (11-1) will see No. 10 seed Miami (FL) (10-2) come to town. The Sooners beat the Crimson Tide, 23-21, less than a month ago.

Alabama is the first three-loss team to qualify for the playoff, while Miami was ultimately chosen as the last at-large team over Notre Dame (10-2). Though the Fighting Irish were listed two spots ahead of the Hurricanes in the penultimate CFP Rankings -- and neither team was in action on conference championship weekend -- Miami's win over Notre Dame in Week 1 likely led the committee to make a switch on Selection Sunday.

Quarterfinal and semifinal games will be held at traditional New Year's Six bowl sites with Indiana designated for the Rose Bowl, Ohio State for the Cotton Bowl, Georgia for the Sugar Bowl and Texas Tech for the Orange Bowl.

Let's take a look at the 12 teams that are competing for the national championship.

The 2025-26 College Football Playoff field may be set, but these 12 teams are not the only ones that matter entering the postseason. Check out CBS Sports' live bowl games announcements coverage as well as the entire 2025-26 college football bowl schedule.

2025-26 College Football Playoff bracket

* Automatic bid | ^ First-round bye | ~ First-round host

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Michael Meredith, CBS Sports

No. 1 Indiana*^ (13-0): Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has the Hoosiers in the CFP for a second straight season with the program's remarkable turnaround reaching even greater, unexpected heights. Led by star quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy front-runner, IU survived tight road games against Iowa, Oregon and Penn State while crushing virtually everyone else on its slate before beating Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game.

No. 2 Ohio State^ (12-1): The reigning champions now have the opportunity to defend their title after seamlessly replacing both coordinators, their quarterback and numerous other stars from last year's championship-winning team. The Buckeyes began with a 14-7 win over then-No. 1 Texas and never looked back, nearly going wire to wire in the No. 1 spot had it not been for Indiana just hours before Selection Sunday.

No. 3 Georgia*^ (12-1): The Bulldogs enter on a nine-game winning streak after thrashing Alabama in the SEC Championship Game to secure their third league title in the past four seasons. Georgia isn't as dominant as it was in 2021-22, it's back-to-back national championship campaigns, but it is a balanced and battle-tested team led by QB Gunner Stockton.

No. 4 Texas Tech*^ (12-1): Bolstered by billionaire booster Cody Campbell, Texas Tech went all in on roster spending in 2025, and it is reaping the rewards. The Red Raiders' only loss came at Arizona State when QB Behren Morton was out due to injury. They have outscored opponents 245-43 over the last six games entering the playoff.

No. 5 Oregon~ (11-1): The Ducks overcame a rash of offensive injuries yet beat quality foes USC and Washington to close the season and secure their spot in the field. Oregon ranks No. 13 in total offense and No. 4 in total defense as it has established a "no fly zone" with just three opponents surpassing 140 yards passing in 2025.

No. 6 Ole Miss~ (11-1): Winning 11 regular-season games for the first time ever under Lane Kiffin, who has since bolted for LSU, the Rebels enter the postseason with Pete Golding elevated from defensive coordinator to permanent head coach. He will lead Ole Miss into the biggest postseason game in program history.

No. 7 Texas A&M~ (11-1): After beating Notre Dame on the road in Week 3 to establish itself on the national stage under second-year coach Mike Elko, Texas A&M went unscathed until a loss at rival Texas in the final game of the regular season kept it out of the SEC title game. The Aggies boast the nation's best third-down defense and a dual-threat playmaker in QB Marcel Reed, who is great at avoiding sacks

No. 8 Oklahoma~ (10-2): OU overcame season-long offensive struggles to pick up critical back-to-back road wins over Tennessee and Alabama to begin November. The Sooners are ruthless defensively, especially against the run, and have mastered the art of producing timely turnovers.

No. 9 Alabama (10-3): The Crimson Tide slid into the field as the final at-large team despite a 21-point loss to the Dawgs on Saturday. However, Alabama beat Georgia on the road in September -- ending UGA's 30-game home winning streak -- and earned double-digit victories over Vanderbilt and Tennessee in October. When it clicks, the offense plays a methodical, clock-bleeding style that can grind opponents down.

No. 10 Miami (FL) (10-2): The Hurricanes started hot with wins over Notre Dame, South Florida and Florida to rise all the way to No. 2 in the AP Top 25, but midseason losses to Louisville and SMU dampened their playoff chances for a while. Miami closed with four straight dominant wins to narrowly slide in as an at-large team thanks in no small part to Alabama's 21-point loss to Georgia on Saturday.

No. 11 Tulane* (11-2): Securing its spot in the CFP as the fourth-highest ranked conference champion after winning the American, the Green Wave are competing under coach Jon Sumrall, who is staying for the playoff run despite taking the Florida job. The offensive star QB Jake Retzlaff, a BYU transfer who has more touchdowns rushing (16) than passing (14).

No. 12 James Madison* (12-1): JMU snuck into the field as the fifth-highest ranked conference champion after claiming the Sun Belt and watching as Duke beat Virginia to knock the ACC champion out of the final CFP Rankings. James Madison has won 11 games in a row since losing to Louisville in Week 2. Like Sumrall, coach Bob Chesney will lead the team in the playoff despite accepting the UCLA job.