Based on the CFP selection committee's initial top 25 rankings of the 2025–26 college football season, which were revealed on Tuesday, Nov. 4, here is a look at the College Football Playoff bracket. The top spot in the initial rankings is Ohio State. This CFP bracket is not the official final version. On Sunday, December 7, that will be made public. According to the latest CFP rankings, this bracket is exactly how it would seem right now. Bracket for the 2025–26 College Football Playoffs The top 25 rankings from the initial selection committee are used in this bracket on Tuesday, November 4. On Sunday, December 7, the committee's final rankings and the official College Football Playoff bracket will be announced after four more in-season rankings. The top 25 ranking does not always correspond to the playoff seed because the top five conference winners always advance, regardless of whether they are ranked higher or lower than teams in the top 25. Here's how the matchups look: First Round (and related quarterfinal matchups) No. 12 Memphis at No. 5 Georgia Winner vs. No. 4 Alabama in the quarterfinals No. 11 Virginia at No. 6 Ole Miss Winner vs. No. 3 Texas A&M in the quarterfinals No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 7 BYU Winner vs. No. 2 Indiana in the quarterfinals No. 9 Oregon at No. 8 Texas Tech Winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State in the quarterfinals Rankings and seeds for the College Football Playoffs Regardless of how they do in their conference, the top four teams advance to the quarterfinals via first round byes. The list of these teams is bold. Every team in the bracket is italicized. Bids are automatically awarded to the top five conference winners. Here are the initial CFP top 25 rankings. Ohio State: 8-0 Indiana: 9-0 Texas A&M: 8-0 Alabama: 7-1 Georgia: 7-1 Ole Miss: 8-1 BYU: 8-0 Texas Tech: 8-1 Oregon: 7-1 Notre Dame: 6-2 Texas: 7-2 (first team out) Oklahoma: 7-2 Utah: 7-2 Virginia: 8-1 (No. 11 seed as the fourth highest-ranked conference champion) Louisville: 7-1 Vanderbilt: 7-2 Georgia Tech: 8-1 Miami (Fla.): 6-2 USC: 6-2 Iowa: 6-2 Michigan: 7-2 Missouri: 6-2 Washington: 6-2 Pitt: 7-2 Tennessee: 6-3 NR: Memphis is the fifth highest-ranked conference champion and gets the No. 12 seed despite not ranking in the top 25 rankings. There is no re-seeding of the bracket. Like the first round, the four quarterfinal games are not held on campus. The Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl will host the quarterfinals, which are set for December 31 and January 1. One of these bowls will be given to the top four teams based on seeding and past bowl relationships. On January 8 and 9, the four quarterfinal winners will square off in the semifinals at either the Peach Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl. No. 1 would play No. 4 and No. 2 would play No. 3 if the seeding hold. The CFP national championship match between the two semifinal winners will take place in Miami on Monday, January 19. 2025-26 College Football Playoff schedule First round (Dec. 19-20) — on campus Friday, Dec. 19 8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN, WatchESPN Saturday, Dec. 20: 12 p.m. on ABC, ESPN, WatchESPN 3:30 p.m. on TNT, truTV, HBO Max 7:30 p.m. on TNT, truTV, HBO Max Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1) Wednesday, Dec. 31 Cotton Bowl (Arlington, Texas) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN Thursday, Jan. 1 Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Fla.) | 12 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) | 4 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN Sugar Bowl (New Orleans) | 8 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN Semifinals (Jan. 8-9) Thursday, Jan. 8 Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN Friday, Jan. 9 Peach Bowl (Atlanta) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN College Football Playoff National Championship Game Monday, Jan. 19 Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN