With Week 7 of the 2025 college football season in the books, it's time to project how the 12-team playoff will look by December. The projected field features a number of changes following Week 7 action. Ohio State maintains the No. 1 seed after a road victory over Illinois, with Miami at No. 2. Indiana took a massive jump forward in the playoff projection after a road win at Oregon. Alabama climbs to No. 4 after defeating Missouri, and Texas Tech moves a few spots forward after an easy victory over Kansas. Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, and USC remain the top teams on the bubble after Week 7.
Although the season is just a month old, the impact of every game isn't limited to just the top four. Instead, each contest takes on an increased role due to eight additional spots in the playoff, as well as seeding, and the automatic bids for conference champions.
As a refresher for '25: 12 teams — the five highest-rated conference champions and seven highest-ranked at-large selections by the selection committee — will receive berths to the College Football Playoff. The top four teams receive a bye, with the first-round games slated to be played at the home sites of the higher seed. In a change from '24, the top four teams receiving a bye do not have to be conference champions. Beginning with the quarterfinals, all games through the national championship will be played at bowl or neutral sites.
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2025 After Week 7
With Week 7 completed, Athlon Sports projects the CFP field for 2025:
The Projected Field for 2025-26
Ranking All 136 College Football Teams for 2025
1. Ohio State (Projected Big Ten Champion)
2. Miami (Projected ACC Champion)
3. Indiana
4. Alabama (Projected SEC Champion)
5. Texas A&M
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas Tech (Projected Big 12 Champion)
8. Oregon
9. Georgia
10. LSU
11. Tennessee
12. South Florida (Projected Highest G5 Champion)
Bubble Watch After Week 7
Notre Dame (4-2)
Georgia Tech (6-0)
USC (5-1)
Oklahoma (5-1)
Michigan (4-2)
BYU (6-0)
Missouri (5-1)
Vanderbilt (5-1)
Texas (4-2)
Iowa State (5-2)
Arizona State (4-2)
Illinois (5-2)
Utah (5-1)
Virginia (5-1)
Nebraska (5-1)
Cincinnati (5-1)
Louisville (4-1)
G5 Playoff Contenders
Projected Conference Champions:Boise State, James Madison, Toledo, and Western Kentucky
Other G5 Teams in the Mix: UNLV, Buffalo, North Texas, Memphis, Navy, Tulane, Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech, and Ohio
First-round games will be placed on campus sites of highest seed. Matchups will take place from Dec. 19-20
No. 5 Texas A&M vs. No. 12 South Florida
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 TennesseeNo. 7 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 LSU
No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Georgia
Second-round games will be played at bowl sites and will take place from Dec. 31-Jan. 1.
Cotton Bowl (Dec. 31)
Projection: No. 3 Indiana vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
Orange Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 2 Miami vs. No. 7 Texas Tech
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Oregon
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 5 Texas A&M
Semifinal games will be played at bowl sites. Matchups are scheduled for Jan. 8-9.
Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 8)
Projection: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Alabama
Peach Bowl (Jan. 9)
Projection: No. 2 Miami vs. No. 3 Indiana
Jan. 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Miami
Related: 7 Coaching Candidates to Replace James Franklin at Penn State
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26
Related: College Football Rankings: Athlon Sports Top 25 (After Week 7)
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
