College Football Playoff Bracket, Schedule, Scores, and Rankings Update

The 2025-26 College Football Playoff (CFP) bracket has been revealed, highlighting key matchups and the schedule for this expanded postseason format. The first-round games begin on Friday, Dec. 19, with No. 8 Oklahoma hosting No. 9 Alabama at 8 p.m. ET.

Indiana earned the No. 1 seed with a perfect 13-0 record. Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas Tech, seeded second through fourth respectively, have byes into the quarterfinals. These top four teams await the winners of the initial play-in contests before advancing.

The bracket incorporates the CFP selection committee’s final top 25 rankings from early December. Conference champions ranked highly receive automatic berths, which occasionally alters the seeds compared to overall rankings. This ensured representation from five top conference champions.

Below is a summary of the high seeds and their records:

1. Indiana (13-0)
2. Ohio State (12-1)
3. Georgia (12-1)
4. Texas Tech (12-1)
5. Oklahoma (10-2)
6. Alabama (10-3)

The playoff schedule unfolds as follows:
First Round (Dec. 19-20): Games hosted by lower seeds on campus sites.
Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1): Held at neutral bowl venues including the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl.
Semifinals (Jan. 8-9): Hosted at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, and the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
National Championship (Jan. 19): Takes place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The four highest-ranked teams are strategically assigned to major bowl sites based on historic bowl affiliations and seedings. Notably, the bracket does not re-seed after each round, maintaining a fixed path to the title game.

This structure marks the second year of the 12-team playoff, aiming to increase competitiveness and inclusion. The semifinals’ matchups, if seeds hold, will feature Indiana against Texas Tech and Ohio State versus Georgia. The winners will compete for the championship on January 19 in Miami.

Live updates and detailed scores are available for fans tracking the progress throughout the postseason. This playoff format continues to evolve, emphasizing both team performance and conference representation as critical factors.