NIL
College Football Playoff Prediction: A fresh projection of the straight-seeded, 12-team bracket in 2025
In mid-May, I did the insane thing of trying to not only project who will make the College Football Playoff, but also trying to guess which teams would win in the postseason. A few weeks later, the CFP opted to move to the straight-seeding model. As we learned last year, seeding can have a profound […]

In mid-May, I did the insane thing of trying to not only project who will make the College Football Playoff, but also trying to guess which teams would win in the postseason.
A few weeks later, the CFP opted to move to the straight-seeding model. As we learned last year, seeding can have a profound impact on how the entire tournament shakes out, so we took the same rankings, updated the seeding and tried to project again how it would play out.
It changed. Let’s get into it.
First Round
No. 12 Boise State vs. No. 5 LSU
Boise State makes its second consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff. And because of the new seeding rules, the Broncos have a more manageable test in the first round instead of playing Ohio State, who would have been the No. 5 seed behind the Big 12 Champion enjoying a bye. Boise State had a first-round bye a year ago and didn’t measure up with Penn State, so it’s hard to imagine a Group of 5 team playing their way into a top-four seed this year, regardless of record. Boise loses to LSU in the first round.
No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Illinois
Oregon got screwed with last year’s seeding rules. Had the rules not changed, Oregon would have had to face Texas in the first round, so the Ducks actually get a break. And because the Big Ten is too big and everyone can’t play everyone, this would be an in-conference matchup happening for the first time. Though Illinois had a great run of a season, it faces a better Big Ten team it was fortunate to avoid on its regular-season schedule and comes up short.
No. 11 BYU vs. 6 Notre Dame
Go try to pick the Big 12 champion in June. It’s impossible. I went with BYU because I like the pieces the Cougars bring back. The Big 12 champion gets an automatic spot in the CFP, but the new rules don’t guarantee a bye, so the Cougars will likely find themsleves in the back half of the final top 12. It faces a Notre Dame team that has one of the best offensive lines in the country, and though BYU plays a hard-fought game, the Irish advances to the next round.
No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 7 Georgia
The thing about the 12-team CFP era that people didn’t really acknowledge when we expanded was how many rematches we would get. Here’s another example of two SEC superpowers who met in the regular season once and have to play again. Though it’s really hard to tell right now which of these two will be better this year, I find it hard to believe either of these teams would go 2-0 against each other. I have Georgia winning the regular-season matchup and Alabama advancing under second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer.
Quarterfinals
No. 5 LSU vs. No. 4 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl
Ohio State didn’t win the Big Ten but it was one of two teams from that conference to enjoy a first-round bye. It doesn’t have an easy road though, having to play a top-tier SEC team in LSU its first time out. Though there is some question about whether the bye can kill momentum, Ohio State captures some of that magic from last year and gets hot in the CFP, ending Brian Kelly’s first postseason run with the Tigers in the quarterfinals.
No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 1 Texas
Oregon had the benefit of not playing Texas in the first round, but the Ducks’ reward for winning their first-round-game was a date with the Longhorns. Texas is the deepest, most talented team in college football in 2025. That team is led by Arch Manning, who will be fresh off a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. It’s not that Oregon hasn’t gotten better year over year, but the Ducks continue to have an unfortunate path to the College Football Playoff semifinal. Texas wins.
No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 3 Clemson
Though there is some doubt lingering about just how good Clemson will be this year, it’s hard to picture a world in which the Cade Klubnik-led Tigers don’t won the ACC. The Tigers, backed by head coach Dabo Swinney, fall back on some of the postseason experience and handle Notre Dame in the second round. Notre Dame’s program is building in the right direction and the Irish, especiall after a hot month on the recruiting trail, know they’ll be back in this position for many years to come.
No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 2 Penn State
Alabama didn’t win the SEC or win its first matchup with Georgia, but the Crimson Tide get hot at the right time. Penn State is still trying to prove it can win against top-tier competition in the postseason and it has the unfortunate reality of facing an ultra-talented Alabama team that’s feeling good about itself right out of the gate. Alabama advances.
Semifinals
No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl
There have been a lot of familiar matchups in this CFP projection, both in terms of 2025 rematches and games from last year’s Playoff popping back up again. But even though the CFP has expanded, there are still going to be usual suspects in the semifinals. So we get another Ohio State-Texas game, which is expected given the talent both teams possess. This year, though, Texas finally gets over the hump and knocks off the Buckeyes to advance to the title game.
No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 3 Clemson
We get a classic CFP matchup in the semifinals between two teams who are very familiar with seeing each other in the postseason. After people spent the entire year doubting Swinney, he proves he’s a made scientist with a well-rounded roster. The Tigers return to the national championship game by beating Alabama, proving everything is well and good with the Clemson football program.
National Championship Game
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Clemson in the national title game
It has been 20 years since Texas won the national championship and it has been a rough two decades for Longhorns fans. But Steve Sarkisian has built a program that was good enough to consistently knock on the door before finally kicking it down. Manning becomes the next star of the sport and Texas asserts itself as one of the premier programs in college football, conquering the SEC and the the nation. Clemson, though disappointed, has a regained confidence in Swinney and his plan.
NIL
How Big 12 football players are adapting to revenue-sharing
FRISCO, Texas — It’s been close to two weeks since revenue-sharing officially became a dynamic element in college athletics as part of the groundbreaking House settlement, and everyone involved is still getting their feet under them. It’s become a significant moment in intercollegiate athletics, with a Big 12 athletic director comparing it to historic events […]

FRISCO, Texas — It’s been close to two weeks since revenue-sharing officially became a dynamic element in college athletics as part of the groundbreaking House settlement, and everyone involved is still getting their feet under them.
It’s become a significant moment in intercollegiate athletics, with a Big 12 athletic director comparing it to historic events like the creation of the NCAA (1906), the introduction of athletic scholarships (1956), Title IX (1972), the NCAA v. Board of Regents case (1984), and the Fair Pay to Play Act for NIL (2019).
Institutions across the country had been working around the clock to prepare for the introduction of rev-share on July 1. That mandated educating athletes on the challenges they’ll face, including handling NIL through an online clearinghouse called NIL Go.
Schools now can directly pay athletes, with a cap set at $20.5 million. Most Power 4 programs will allocate a significant portion of that revenue pool toward football, approximately 75%, although this varies from school to school. Those institutions aren’t required to reveal what they’re paying players.
While the topic of money can be a sensitive subject, the players know they’re prepared.
“The topic of money is never really a discussion we intended to have, but they do a good job educating us on the changes or what’s to come,” said UCF linebacker Keli Lawson.

For many institutions, education extends beyond traditional academics, embracing a holistic approach where player-development personnel collaborate closely with athletes to equip them for the multifaceted challenges they will encounter in their lives and careers.
“These life skills developments are about putting us in situations to be able to develop a part of our life that we probably weren’t taught growing up, such as creating an LLC [Limited Liability Company]. How do savings work? How does credit work? How are you able to build your credit when you’re trying to buy a home? How do you go about doing something like that? What is the difference between a lease and renting?” said Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels.
Revenue-sharing payments, like NIL deals, are taxable income that athletes must report on their tax returns.
“They’re not just giving money and saying, ‘Here, do whatever you want with it.’ They’re putting us in situations to build a plan and find out what we can do with our finances rather than just going out and saying, ‘Oh, dang, I just got this much money. Let me go ahead and blow it all,’ and then realize that you’ll have taxes later down the line,” Daniels added.
The Big 12 recently has entered into a multi-year partnership with PayPal, which will facilitate revenue-sharing payments from universities to their athletes through the popular online payment platform. This agreement will also enable athletes to receive NIL payments seamlessly.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said West Virginia was one of the first schools in the conference to utilize PayPal’s HyperWallet.
UCF AD Terry Mohajir talks NIL, construction, Space Game and International games
“Two weeks ago, they brought in a couple of people to talk to us about the revenue sharing because there have been so many changes,” said West Virginia receiver Jaden Bray. “We have to switch to a whole new app. We’ve got to upload everything. There’s so much stuff. So they do a great job of teaching us.”
Daniels believes this new opportunity will prepare him for a possible career in the NFL.
“It’s a better chance, a better time for you to learn in college when you’re making hundreds of thousands of dollars than when you go to the NFL and you start making 10s of millions of dollars. What are you going to do with it then?” he said.
That said, some coaches warn their players against falling prey to unsavory third-party elements, especially like an agent.
“Some of these guys are taking 20-to-25% [of their income] from these guys,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “That’s outlandish. It should be 3-to-5% just like the NFL, and certification would be an absolute step in the right direction.”
Originally from Germany, UCF offensive lineman Paul Rubelt faces limitations with NIL and revenue-sharing due to his status as an international student. However, he remains unfazed by the opportunities his teammates can seize that are often more lucrative.
“I’ve gotten so much through the school,” Rubelt said. “We get gear. We get free food. We receive disbursements, such as scholarship money and housing. That’s a lot of stuff and a free degree. I’m on my second degree now, so that’s more than I can ask of being an international student.”
Bianchi: How Scott Frost’s 5-word truth bomb blew up the Nebraska Cornhuskers
Rublet sees a significant advantage to revenue-sharing.
“It’s awesome for players to get,” he added. “Can it be out of control? Probably. So there are good [things] and bad [things].”
Throughout it all, it still comes down to what is accomplished on the field, according to Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy.
“The teams and coaches who can put that aside will focus on coaching and playing football and find a way to come together to get the best chance to win. That’s the only way I think we can handle the monetary side of college football at this time,” he said.
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
NIL
Two Longhorns baseball commits drafted in first round of MLB Draft
Two of the centerpieces of Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle’s 2025 recruiting class are likely going pro before ever arriving onto the 40 Acres. Both Gavin Fein and Kayson Cunningham were drafted in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Third baseman Fein was drafted No. 12 by the Texas Rangers. Cunningham, a shortstop, was […]

Two of the centerpieces of Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle’s 2025 recruiting class are likely going pro before ever arriving onto the 40 Acres. Both Gavin Fein and Kayson Cunningham were drafted in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft.
Third baseman Fein was drafted No. 12 by the Texas Rangers. Cunningham, a shortstop, was drafted No. 18 by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Fein, of The Temecula (Calif.) Great Oaks, has been committed to the Longhorns for nearly four years. As a senior, he hit .358 with 16 RBIs and five home runs. In 2024, his brother Dylan was drafted in the seventh round by the A’s.
Cunningham, a San Antonio Johnson product, committed to the Longhorns in June of 2024. He hit an astounding .509 as a senior, with 27 RBIs and 39 runs scored. He also stole 21 bases on 25 attempts. Cunningham was both the Gatorade Player of the Year and USA Baseball Player of the Year.
Neither player is expected to end up playing for the Longhorns now. First round money in the MLB Draft is higher than any college baseball player could make via NIL.
Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @LonghornsWire.
NIL
How To Maximize NIL Deals And Endorsements In Road To Glory In College Football 26
College sports changed forever when the NCAA finally allowed student athletes to be paid for their work on the field. Endorsements and sponsorships are now a big part of the college experience for players, and this focus on building a brand is present in College Football 26‘s Road to Glory mode. Related College Football 26: […]

College sports changed forever when the NCAA finally allowed student athletes to be paid for their work on the field. Endorsements and sponsorships are now a big part of the college experience for players, and this focus on building a brand is present in College Football 26‘s Road to Glory mode.

Related
College Football 26: How To Turn A 1-Star Program Into A Powerhouse In Five Seasons
Turning a one-star program into a powerhouse in College Football 26 is going to require a little patience and a lot of clever gameplanning.
While your academics and practice take up a lot of your time, you can also wade into the wild world of campus celebrity, attending parties with friends and signing deals with local businesses. Just make sure it doesn’t become your sole focus, or you’ll find it hard to stay on the field. Here’s how to start making money moves in College Football 26.
Picking Your School
The first step to raking in endorsement deal cash is to select your school. After completing the high school experience, you’ll be asked to choose which university you would like to attend. Pay attention to what it says in the NIL Opportunities section. Bigger programs will generally provide greater chances for sponsorship, given that they are a larger national draw.
You’ll also want to select a school where you can play early and often! Look at your projected role when browsing colleges, and try to find one where you will be a starter. Making your player a five-star recruit during character creation is helpful, since it will drum up interest from bigger programs and give you the option to see meaningful action as soon as possible.
Managing Your Weekly Agenda
Once you get to school, you’ll have access to your Weekly Agenda menu. If you want to start landing NIL deals, you’ll need to invest in your Brand with energy points. This will cause your player to socialize, attracting more fans.
You’ll only have one endorsement slot open to begin with, but increasing your following will unlock the ability to sign multiple deals (other slots open up when you’ve acquired 10,000, 250,000, and one million fans).
It may be tempting to invest all your energy each week into your Brand, but doing so will negatively impact both your Academics and Leadership. You’ll need to balance your responsibilities, or risk becoming academically ineligible to play and damaging the coach’s happiness.
The bigger your Brand becomes, the better the endorsement deals you’ll receive, allowing you greater autonomy to decide which companies you’d like to partner with.
Your following will also be increased by performing well in games, which you can see on the post-game stats screen.
Accepting Endorsement Deals
As your Brand grows, businesses will approach you in between weeks of the season with potential offers. These will require you to part with some energy upfront, but they will shower you with various perks. These can include skill points, boosts to Weekly Agenda meters, stat boosts, and even more fans.
When starting out, it’s best to take whatever deals you can get, but as your popularity grows, you can afford to be more selective. It may even be to your benefit to turn certain opportunities down, especially if you need to pour a lot of energy into Academics and Leadership on a certain week.

Next
College Football 26: How To Change Music
College Football 26 allows you to choose from several songs to create the perfect playlist. Here’s every song and how to choose what works for you.
NIL
John Calipari describes his mental health entering second season at Arkansas
John Calipari often likes to remind fans and media alike how little he had to work with when he was formally announced as Arkansas‘ fifth head coach since Nolan Richardson in early April 2024. But as the former longtime Kentucky head man enters his second season in Fayetteville, Calipari is overcome by a sense of […]


John Calipari often likes to remind fans and media alike how little he had to work with when he was formally announced as Arkansas‘ fifth head coach since Nolan Richardson in early April 2024. But as the former longtime Kentucky head man enters his second season in Fayetteville, Calipari is overcome by a sense of comfortability.
Despite not having a single player on the team when he took the job, Calipari utilized the NCAA Transfer Portal to rebuild the Razorbacks roster and eventually led Arkansas (22-14, 8-10 SEC) back to the Sweet 16 before falling to ninth-seeded Texas Tech. It was the Hogs’ fourth Sweet 16 appearance in its last five seasons after three consecutive Sweet 16s between 2020-23 under then-coach Eric Musselman.
“Last year, you know how it started. We had no team, we had no staff. I said, ‘Can I see the schedule?’ There was no schedule,” Calipari recalled during an offseason press conference July 11. “… And now you bring guys together that did not know each other, and I had a couple from before (at Kentucky), but the reality of it was it was a brand-new team. Then we get hurt. I didn’t get to do the scrimmaging, so I knew we’d be behind.
“But at the end of the year, that was the most rewarding year I can remember in a long time, because they stayed true and they stayed strong. We just kept tweaking and changing to make us good.”
It was an encouraging debut season for Calipari, and one he’s confident the Razorbacks will build upon entering Year 2. That’s despite losing four of its Top 5 leading scorers — forwards Adou Thiero (15.1 ppg) and Johnell Davis (12 ppg) went to the NBA, while 7-2 junior center Zvonimir Ivisic (8.5 ppg) and superstar freshman guard Boogie Fland (13.5 ppg) exited via the transfer portal to Illinois and Florida, respectively.
Nevertheless, Arkansas still returns a strong contingent off of last season’s Sweet 16 squad, including junior guard D.J. Wagner, who ranked fourth averaging 11.2 ppg last season, sophomore wing Karter Knox, and senior center Trevon Brazile, while adding 6-foot-10 former Alabama and South Carolina forward Nick Pringle out of the transfer portal. Calipari also signed the No. 4 overall recruiting class in 2025, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings, including landing five-star guards Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas.
Despite the influx of new faces, Calipari is mentally more at ease entering Year 2 in Fayetteville, in large part to feeling more comfortable with his surroundings at Arkansas.
“Right now, you can tell, I’m more comfortable. Like, (last year) I had walk in here and I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t know the campus. You guys have to understand, I was never on this campus. … So I’m just more comfortable,” Calipari continued. “And let me tell you, I’m so happy and comfortable and at peace with what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. Because we’re about the kids. It ain’t this and that, it’s about those kids. Now, if we do our job, they’ll lead us to where we’re trying to go.
“I’ll say it again, it’s real what we’re doing and you can’t deny what … it is starting and it’s going to go for a long time. I’ve done this before. The first year is a hard one, the first year is a tough one. The second year is tough too, but at least you’re more grounded in what you’re trying to do and you feel more comfortable.”
NIL
2025 SEC Media Days kicks off in Atlanta
ATLANTA, Georgia (KBTX) – SEC Media Days returns to Atlanta for the first time since 2022 at the College Football Hall of Fame and Omni Hotel Monday-Thursday. Texas A&M will be the last of 16 teams to take the podium, Thursday afternoon. Taurean York, Ar’maj Reed Adams, and Will Lee III will accompany head coach […]

ATLANTA, Georgia (KBTX) – SEC Media Days returns to Atlanta for the first time since 2022 at the College Football Hall of Fame and Omni Hotel Monday-Thursday.
Texas A&M will be the last of 16 teams to take the podium, Thursday afternoon. Taurean York, Ar’maj Reed Adams, and Will Lee III will accompany head coach Mike Elko to preview the 2025 season.
Every head football coach in the SEC along with select athletes will address hundreds of media members over the next four days. While focusing on previewing their seasons, topics such as the future of the college football playoff format, revenue sharing, and NIL Go will likely be the focus of conversations this week.
For complete coverage of 2025 SEC Media Days from Texas A&M sportswriter Travis L. Brown and KBTX sports director Tyler Shaw, you can go to kbtx.com/sports and watch KBTX News.
Copyright 2025 KBTX. All rights reserved.
NIL
NIL Deals Getting Rejected Already By New College Sports Commission
The purge of mostly fake NIL agreements has already begun PublishedJuly 13, 2025 7:56 PM EDT•UpdatedJuly 13, 2025 7:57 PM EDT Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link Things are changing quickly in the name, image and likeness world, thanks to the new College Sports Commission. This week, that new agency sent out a lengthy letter to […]

The purge of mostly fake NIL agreements has already begun
Things are changing quickly in the name, image and likeness world, thanks to the new College Sports Commission.
This week, that new agency sent out a lengthy letter to schools informing them that the commission had rejected a number of agreements between recruits or players and the NIL collectives that have proliferated throughout college football in recent years. Those NIL collectives had previously operated with little oversight or interference, allowing them to funnel money to key players on behalf of their associated schools.
Part of the new House-approved settlement, though, created this commission to evaluate NIL deals moving forward. And they’re already making their presence felt.
RELATED: House Settlement Approved, College Athletics Undergo Massive Change

Inglewood, CA – January 09: Georgia Bulldogs fan cheer in the stands before the CFP National Championship Football game against the TCU Horned Frogs at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Monday, January 9, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
College Sports Commission Shuts Down Invalid NIL Deals
Some of these arrangements, per the commission, have no “valid business purpose” and, according to a new Associated Press report, “don’t adhere to rules that call for outside NIL deals to be between players and companies that provide goods or services to the general public for profit.”
The new ruling is expected to lead to several collectives permanently shutting down, as schools will now pay players directly, and the “fake” NIL agreements will be under stricter scrutiny.
A number of them have already closed, with those supporting programs like Georgia, Colorado, Alabama and Notre Dame announcing plans to shut down. Some of those schools have made deals with Learfield to make legitimate NIL arrangements.
Roughly 1,500 deals have been cleared in the month or so since the NIL Go system started, with financial figures ranging from “three figures to seven figures.” Many others though, were denied because they did not fit with the new “valid business purpose” required standard.
“In other words, NIL collectives may act as marketing agencies that match student-athletes with businesses that have a valid business purpose and seek to use the student’s NIL to promote their businesses,” the memo explained.
How this impacts schools that have maximized NIL collective-based recruiting, like say, Texas A&M, remains to be seen. But things are rapidly changing in college football. As they always do.
-
Technology2 weeks ago
Pet fitness and wellness trends for a healthier and happier dog
-
College Sports2 weeks ago
WAC to Rebrand to UAC, Add Five New Members in 2026
-
Motorsports2 weeks ago
Why Cosmetics are Making Up for Lost Time in Women’s Sports
-
College Sports2 weeks ago
A new era of Dickinson hockey begins behind the bench – The Dickinson Press
-
Health3 weeks ago
Florida assault survivor shares hope for change with new mental health law
-
Motorsports1 week ago
Team Penske names new leadership
-
Motorsports2 weeks ago
NASCAR This Week – Patriot Publishing LLC
-
Sports3 weeks ago
How to Market FAST Sports Content to New Audiences
-
Youtube3 weeks ago
Funniest MLB rain delay moments
-
Youtube2 weeks ago
BREAKING: NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signs the RICHEST annual salary in league history