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The Ohio State Buckeyes’ journey to repeat as college football national champions took its first step on Sunday as they were one of 12 teams to reach the College Football Playoff.
The first four teams were pretty much ready for the final reveal. The big change came after the Big Ten Championship, when the Indiana Hoosiers pulled off a thrilling upset over the Buckeyes.
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Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds stops Ohio State’s Max Klare during the second half of the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game in Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Indiana’s Charlie Becker catches a long pass in front of Ohio State’s Jermaine Mathews Jr. during the second half of the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game in Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia and Texas Tech received a bye in the playoffs. The Hoosiers were No. 1, the Buckeyes were No. 2, the Bulldogs were No. 3 and the Red Raiders were No. 4.
While those teams were ultimately set in stone as the top programs going into the final reveal, it was the bottom eight that would create a little more controversy.
The Miami Hurricanes and BYU Cougars were on the outside looking into the field in second-to-last rankings. The committee left two spots open for conference champions to enter the field as No. 11 and 12 seeds. But there was a little more chaos on Saturday than expected.
Texas Tech blew out BYU in the Big 12 Championship, while the Duke Blue Devils upset the Virginia Cavaliers to win the ACC Championship. Meanwhile, the Alabama Crimson Tide, ranked No. 9 last week, picked up their third loss of the season in a 21-point defeat in the SEC Championship against Georgia.
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) rolls out of the pocket against Alabama during the second half of a Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
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The James Madison Dukes and Tulane Green Wave each won conference titles, which could have catapulted them into the playoff picture as two of the best conference champions outside of the power conferences.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish also came in with some questions as they were ranked No. 10 last week and did not play in a conference championship game due to their independent status. Notre Dame lost to Miami in the first game of the season and also lost to Texas A&M. But they have won every game since. For what it’s worth, Miami had losses to Louisville and SMU during the year.
The College Football Playoff Committee had a lot to decide prior to Sunday.
After the top four seeds were decided, the rest of the bracket was revealed.
- No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 James Madison
- No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama
- No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Tulane
- No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Miami
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with his players after winning an NCAA football game 70-7 against Syracuse at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in South Bend. (MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal reacts on the sideline against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 29, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
The Hurricanes were not in the playoffs in last week’s reveal. Notre Dame was left out of the field after being in the field, according to the penultimate rankings.
The Fighting Irish were considered the first team off the field. BYU was the other team out.
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Duke, the ACC champions, did not make the final field.
Ohio State will now look to become back-to-back champions. The last team to go back-to-back was Georgia in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
