CFP bracket predictions: Instant picks for 2025-26 College Football Playoff

The 12-team field for the 2025-26 College Football Playoff was finally revealed on Sunday and the countdown to the national title game in Miami on January 19 is officially on.

Indiana is the No. 1 overall seed is as the only 13-0 team in the country and it will be joined by Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas Tech as the top-four seeds in the field who will get byes straight into the quarterfinals on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. They will await the other eight schools in the bracket, who will compete in a set of first-round games at on-campus sites taking place on Friday, December 19 and Saturday, December 20.

Let’s not waste any more time and make some quick predictions for how this CFP will play out.

Winner: Oklahoma

Winner: Texas A&M

Winner: Ole Miss

Winner: Oregon

We have some interesting matchups to kick this bracket off in the first round, starting with Alabama visiting Oklahoma on Friday night in a rematch from their mid-November battle in Tuscaloosa. The Tide’s inclusion as a three-loss team is the biggest point of controversy in this year’s bracket, especially right after getting pummeled by Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Defense and special teams were the deciding factors for the Sooners in their two-point regular season victory over the Tide and I think that in a raucous home environment, they’ll put the clamps on them once again.

Saturday’s slate will feature another regular-season rematch with American Champion Tulane visiting an Ole Miss team with Pete Golding now running the show instead of Lane Kiffin. The Rebels absolutely crushed the Green Wave 45-10 way back in September and while this matchup should be a bit closer, I think they’ll be motivated out of pure spite in the wake of the Kiffin saga. Meanwhile, both of Miami’s losses this season have involved Carson Beck committing multiple turnovers and that doesn’t bode well when heading on the road to face a tough A&M defense. And unfortunately for James Madison, I think they’ll be totally outclassed when visiting Eugene to take on Oregon.

Winner: No. 2 Ohio State

Winner: No. 4 Texas Tech

Winner: No. 1 Indiana

Winner: No. 6 Ole Miss

First off, guys. Why are we sending Ohio State to the Cotton Bowl instead of, ya know, the actual top-four team from the state of Texas? Anyway, the Buckeyes will enter the picture after losing their heavyweight fight against the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Championship Game and I think they’ll be able to bounce back in what should be a slugfest against a game Texas A&M team.

Indiana will make its first Rose Bowl appearance since New Year’s Day 1968 and judging by the demeanor of Curt Cignetti coached teams, they’re not going to simply be happy to be in Pasadena. In what should be another strong defensive battle, I’m giving the edge to presumed Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza to make enough plays to win like he did in the Big Ten title game. I think Texas Tech’s wrecking crew of a defense will be able to throw Dante Moore off kilter enough to win the Orange Bowl and give me Ole Miss pulling off the first upset of this playoff bracket by taking out Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Their regular-season matchup saw the Rebs blow a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter and I’ll say that they get their redemption here. The celebration out of the Superdome will be so loud that Lane Kiffin will probably hear it in Baton Rouge.

Winner: No. 2 Ohio State

Winner: No. 4 Texas Tech

Ohio State goes to the desert and absolutely eviscerates Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl, ending the Rebels’ “Cinderalla” story. And then the following night in Atlanta, another defensive dogfight takes place where I’ll tab David Bailey and the Red Raiders to take out the No. 1 seed in the Peach Bowl.

Winner: No. 2 Ohio State

Like last season, the collective talent of Ohio State proves to be too much and the Buckeyes hoist their second straight CFP title.