The 2025-26 College Football Playoff is just days away, and an expanded 12-team system means more games, more tension, and a stronger challenge for divisional voters. With 11 games to predict correctly, finding the perfect part is no easy task. NCAA.com is set to track the number of full entries remaining as the process progresses, starting with this weekend's first-round games.
How Hard Is It to Predict the Perfect CFP Bracket?
This is my second year 12-gameand last season proved the unpredictability. No. 8 Ohio State made a splash in the sectional as a player, beating top seeds like No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl and eventually beat No. 7 Notre Dame in the national championship. It shows that byes don't always help and that road teams can pull off big wins.
2025-26 College Football Playoff Bracket and Odds
The College Football Playoff is locked in, with Indiana earning the No. 1 seed after a strong season. The top four seeds get byes: No. 1 Indiana, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia, and No. 4 Texas Tech.
The first round matches have started at the following sites:
- Friday, December 19th: No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN)
- Saturday, December 20th:
- No. 10 Miami (Fla.) at No. 7 Texas A&M (12 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN)
- No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT/truTV/HBO Max)
- No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT/truTV/HBO Max)
The winners advance to the quarterfinals on New Year's Eve and New Year's Eve, including classics like the Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl. The semifinals are Jan. 8-9 in the Fiesta and Peach Bowls, with the national championship on Jan. 19 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
What the fans are voting for so far
According to the first information from NCAA Bracket Challenge (as of December 18), here's how the polls are going:
- Most popular national champion: Indiana (28%), followed by Ohio State (25%) and Georgia (21%).
- First round favorites:
- Oregon vs. James Madison (93%)
- Ole Miss vs. Tulane (87%)
- Texas A&M over Miami (69%)
- It's close to Oklahoma vs. Alabama, with Alabama edging at 50%.
The closest matchup looks like Oklahoma-Alabama, which could blow up a lot out of the gate. Low seeds like James Madison and Tulane have a shot to turn the upset if they pull off the upset.
National Football League Division
| Team | % chosen to win the title |
| No. 1 Indiana | 28.44% |
| No. 2 Ohio State | 25.02% |
| No. 3 Georgia | 21.36% |
| No. 4 Texas Tech | 7.14% |
| No. 5 Oregon | 4.75% |
| No. 9 Alabama | 3.60% |
| No. 7 Texas A&M | 2.99% |
| No. 6 Ole Miss | 1.73% |
| No. 8 Oklahoma | 1.63% |
| No. 10 Miami (Fla.) | 1.59% |
| 12 James Madison | 1.26% |
| No. 11 Tulane | 0.51% |
Why Full Scales Don't Sell
Projecting all 11 winners correctly needs to be every right, and college football loves chaos. Last year at Ohio State as the 8th seed reminded everyone that anything can happen once the playoffs start. NCAA.com will update the full rankings after each round, so check back to see how quickly they drop.
If you want to play in the NCAA Bracket Challenge for free, you can check it out here.
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