College Football Playoff diagram

The College Football Playoff bracket has been unveiled. The 12-team setup was disclosed on Sunday, December 8. The definitive 12-team College Football Playoff lineup along with the final top 25 rankings were revealed on December 8.

Oregon stands as the No. 1 seed, while Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State also received byes. Below lies the bracket, final rankings, and the complete playoff schedule. 

2024-25 College Football Playoff bracket

This bracket utilizes the final top 25 rankings from the committee on Sunday, December 8. It is essential to understand that the top 25 ranking does not consistently correlate with the playoff seeding, as the four highest-ranked conference champions earn the top four seeds and byes regardless of their position in the top 25. The fifth-highest-ranked conference champion also qualifies automatically, but this team will not receive a bye.

Below, you can observe how the rankings — both the seed and the CFP standing — differ. The four teams with byes are indicated in bold:

1. Oregon — highest-ranked conference champion (Big Ten) and seeded No. 1
2. Georgia — second-highest-ranked conference champion (SEC) and seeded No. 2
3. Texas — at-large selection (second team from the SEC), seeded No. 5
4. Penn State — at-large selection (second team in the Big Ten), seeded No. 6
5. Notre Dame — at-large selection (independent), seeded No. 7
6. Ohio State — at-large selection (third team from the Big Ten), seeded No. 8
7. Tennessee — at-large selection (third team from the SEC), seeded No. 9
8. Indiana — at-large selection (fourth team from the Big Ten), seeded No. 10
9. Boise State — third-highest-ranked conference champion (Mountain West) and seeded No. 3
10. SMU — at-large selection (from the ACC), seeded No. 11
11. Alabama — first team excluded from the CFP
12. Arizona State — fourth-highest-ranked conference champion (Big 12) and seeded No. 4
13. Miami (Fla.) — second team excluded from the CFP
14. Ole Miss — third team excluded from the CFP
15. South Carolina — fourth team excluded from the CFP
16. Clemson — fifth-highest-ranked conference champion (ACC) and seeded No. 12
17. BYU — fifth team excluded from the CFP
18. Iowa State — sixth team excluded from the CFP
19. Missouri — seventh team excluded from the CFP
20. Illinois — eighth team excluded from the CFP
21. Syracuse — ninth team excluded from the CFP
22. Army — tenth team excluded from the CFP
23. Colorado — eleventh team excluded from the CFP
24. UNLV — twelfth team excluded from the CFP
25. Memphis — thirteenth team excluded from the CFP

Boise State, having won the Mountain West Conference title and only suffering defeat to top-ranked Oregon, is the third-highest-ranked conference champion and thus secured a bye into the quarterfinals despite being ranked No. 9. Although Arizona State is positioned at only No. 12, the Sun Devils hold the spot as the fourth-highest ranked conference champion — surpassing ACC champion Clemson (No. 16) — and obtained the No. 4 seed along with the final first-round bye.

College Football Playoff bracket matchups and schedule

As the top four-ranked conference champions acquire the top four seeds and thereby byes, the remaining eight teams in the bracket will clash in the first round. Here are those matchups, which will be held at campus locations on December 20 or December 21:

All times are in Eastern

• First round (December 20-21)
  • Friday, December 20: No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
  • Saturday, December 21: No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State | 12 p.m. | TNT/MAX
  • Saturday, December 21: No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas | 4 p.m. | TNT/MAX
  • Saturday, December 21: No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
• Quarterfinals (December 31-January 1)
  • Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Boise State vs. winner of No. 6 Penn State/No. 11 SMU | 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 31 | ABC/ESPN
  • Peach Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State vs. winner of No. 5 Texas/No. 12 Clemson | 1 p.m. Wednesday, January 1 | ABC/ESPN
  • Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon vs. winner of No. 8 Ohio State/No. 9 Tennessee | 5 p.m. Wednesday, January 1 | ABC/ESPN
  • Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. winner of No. 7 Notre Dame/No. 10 Indiana | 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, January 1 | ABC/ESPN
• Semifinals (January 9-10)
  • Orange Bowl: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, January 9 | ESPN
  • Cotton Bowl: 7:30 p.m. Friday, January 10 | ESPN
• CFP National Championship
  • 7:30 p.m. Monday, January 20 | ESPN
  • Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia

Once the official bracket is disclosed on December 8, there will be no reseeding.

The four quarterfinal matches will not take place at campus sites. Instead, these four games — scheduled for December 31 and January 1 — will occur at the Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Sugar Bowl. The top four-ranked conference champions will be allocated to one of these bowls with consideration given to historical bowl relationships and seeding.

The winners of the quarterfinal matchups will then converge in the semifinals at either the Orange Bowl or the Cotton Bowl on January 9 and January 10. Should the seeding prevail, that would mean (1) facing (4) and (2) going against (3). The two semifinal victors will then compete on January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the national title.