College Football Playoff Bracket Projections and Predictions After Week 2

The road to the College Football Playoff is about to intensify.

The first couple weeks of the 2025 season have gone as expected, with few genuine upsets—a common trend for nonconference-heavy early schedules.

In Week 3, though, the schedule gets a lot tougher. Conference play is starting, and there are marquee games popping up around the country.

As we're looking ahead, we're also resetting the scene.

The projections for the CFP bracket are based on the latest B/R Top 25, which both recent results have shaped and upcoming games will change.

Key Results in Week 2

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Luke Altmyer

Illinois 45, Duke 19

Fueled by five takeaways, the Fighting Illini put on a second-half masterclass. They outscored Duke 31-6 after the break, leaning on that defense while quarterback Luke Altmyer threw for 296 yards and three scores. Illinois is lurking as a threat to top-tier Big Ten programs Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon.

Iowa State 16, Iowa 13

Another year, another 54-yard winner for Kyle Konrardy to secure the Cy-Hawk Trophy. Iowa State owns a 3-0 record and will enter Big 12 play—after hosting Arkansas State next weekend—as a conference front-runner.

Ole Miss 30, Kentucky 23

In a little bit of revenge, Ole Miss recovered from a sluggish start to beat Kentucky. Losing at home to UK last season essentially cost the Rebels a shot at making the CFP, but they've now avoided a repeat of that misstep.

Oklahoma 24, Michigan 13

John Mateer has provided a tremendous spark to the OU offense in his first two games. He totaled 344 yards and three touchdowns in this victory over Michigan to vault the Sooners to the edge of the early CFP picture.

B/R's Top 25 After Week 2

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Jeremiah Smith

1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. Georgia
4. LSU
5. Oregon
6. Texas
7. Miami
8. Florida State
9. Notre Dame
10. South Carolina
11. Iowa State
12. Oklahoma
13. Illinois
14. Tennessee
15. Texas A&M
16. Alabama
17. Clemson
18. Utah
19. Ole Miss
20. South Florida
21. Texas Tech
22. Indiana
23. Louisville
24. Michigan
25. Missouri

Post-Week 2 CFP Picture

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South Florida head coach Alex Golesh

Bracket Format

Automatic bids: The highest-ranked team within five conferences.

1. Ohio State (No. 1, Big Ten)
2. Georgia (No. 3, SEC)
3. Miami (No. 7, ACC)
4. Iowa State (No. 11, Big 12)
5. South Florida (No. 20, American)

At-large bids: The next seven highest-ranked teams in the country.

1. Penn State (No. 2)
2. LSU (No. 4)
3. Oregon (No. 5)
4. Texas (No. 6)
5. Florida State (No. 8)
6. Notre Dame (No. 9)
7. South Carolina (No. 10)

Rankings are based on latest B/R Top 25.

Temperature Checks

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Carson Beck

Hot: Florida State, Miami and LSU

Based on Week 2, none of these programs are notable. All three took out an overmatched foe in East Texas A&M, Bethune-Cookman and Louisiana Tech, respectively, as anyone would have expected. But their marquee wins to open the season—over Alabama, Notre Dame and Clemson, in order—have FSU, Miami and LSU squarely on the national radar as conference play approaches.

Steady: Indiana and Texas A&M

Consider this a "no news is good news" section. Indiana has toppled Old Dominion and Kennesaw State, while Texas A&M has dispatched UTSA and Utah State. But as IU prepares for a likely rout against Indiana State, the Aggies travel to Notre Dame for a possible resume-building game.

Cool: Arizona State, Florida and SMU

In the expanded CFP era, no longer does a first loss eliminate a team's margin for error. Arizona State and SMU are perfect examples of that reality after what happened last season. Still, this trifecta fell to Mississippi State, South Florida and Baylor over the weekend. At least it wasn't a conference loss.

Impact Games in Week 3

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Brent Key

ACC: Clemson at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech has a habit of toppling Top 25 opponents under Brent Key, and Clemson hasn't looked all that great so far. This result may immediately shake up what had been expected within the ACC this season.

SEC: Georgia at Tennessee

Similar to Clemson, Georgia is coming off a mediocre Week 2 performance and going directly into a marquee game. Tennessee would love to snap an eight-game losing skid to the visiting Dawgs.

Nonconference: Texas A&M at Notre Dame

Notre Dame clipped Texas A&M in the 2024 matchup and could use a win again. If the Fighting Irish are unable to dispatch the Aggies, they'll fall to 0-2 and have a razor-thin margin for error the rest of the way.

SEC: Florida at LSU

Speaking of thin margins for error, hello Florida. The crushing loss to South Florida will linger throughout the week, but UF doesn't have the luxury of a get-right game before the schedule heats up. No, the Gators are traveling to rival LSU and hoping to repeat their 2024 upset of the Tigers.