2025 Bowl Projections and Playoff Bracket Predictions Ahead of Saturday's Top Games

The college football playoff bracket is coming into focus ahead of Week 13, with the best teams emerging and setting themselves up for a run at the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Ohio State is the class of the country, followed not far behind by the Indiana Hoosiers.

Can they survive the season atop the rankings and play for the top prize in the sport? Who will join them in the playoffs and how might that bracket look differently than the current setup?

Find out in this preview, including bowl projections and bracket predictions.

Current College Football Playoff Rankings

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The current College Football Playoff Rankings, according to ESPN, are:

1. Ohio State (10-0)

2. Indiana (11-0)

3. Texas A&M (10-0)

4. Georgia (9-1)

5. Texas Tech (10-1)

6. Ole Miss (10-1)

7. Oregon (9-1)

8. Oklahoma (8-2)

9. Notre Dame (8-2)

10. Alabama (8-2)

11. BYU (9-1)

12. Utah (8-2)

13. Miami (8-2)

14. Vanderbilt (8-2)

15. USC (8-2)

16. Georgia Tech (9-1)

17. Texas (7-3)

18. Michigan (8-2)

19. Virginia (9-2)

20. Tennessee (7-3)

21. Illinois (7-3)

22. Missouri (7-3)

23. Houston (8-2)

24. Tulane (8-2)

25. Arizona State (7-3)

College Playoff Bowl Projections and Predictions

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The following are projections for the 2025 College Football Playoff, including any movement among, in, or out of the top 25 in the coming weeks.

Playoffs (on-campus)

December 19: No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Alabama

December 20: No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 North Texas

December 20: No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 Virginia

December 20: No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Oklahoma

Cotton Bowl

December 31: Indiana vs. Alabama

Orange Bowl

January 1: Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech

Rose Bowl

January 1: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame

Sugar Bowl

January 1: Georgia vs. Oregon

Fiesta Bowl

January 8: Ohio State vs. Oregon

Peach Bowl

January 9: Indiana vs. Texas Tech

National Championship Game

January 19: Indiana vs. Ohio State

Can Anyone Stop Ohio State?

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The defending national champions entered 2025 with one glaring hole, at the quarterback position, that many predicted might cost them a shot at repeating.

All head coach Ryan Day did was patiently approach an off-season quarterback competition, name Julian Sayin as his signal caller for the year, and watch as the sophomore out of Carlsbad, California proved him right.

Sayin has completed 80.1 percent of his passes for 2,675 yards, 25 touchdowns, just four interceptions, and a passer rating of 186.2.

This, despite throwing just 12 passes in extremely limited playing time a season ago.

Nothing has looked to big or too overwhelming for the first-year starter and the same can be said for the rest of the team.

The defense is the best in the nation and while the offense does not light the world on fire, it resists the costly turnovers that plague lesser units, and finds ways to score

Arguably, the toughest test for the champs may not come until the playoff semifinals and even then, on paper, Ohio State matches up favorably against just about any team they may encounter.

Even in the finale, a predicted match-up against their stiffest competition, Indiana, one would be hard-pressed to bet against the Buckeyes, who have been on that stage and won. The Hoosiers have never played for a national championship.

Ohio State proved all naysayers wrong and should ride the efficient and mistake-free play of their quarterback, and the stinginess of their defense, right back to a national title.