The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the peak of FBS competition. It determines the national champion through a high-stakes, 12-team bracket. As the 2025-26 season approaches, the selection process has evolved, introducing a new seeding model that promises a fairer, more competitive postseason.
Keep reading to learn everything you need about how the 2025 CFP field will be selected, structured, and seeded, and to get a clear view of the path to the January 19 national championship game in Miami, Florida.
How Will the Adjusted 12-Team CFP Operate?
College Football Playoff Selection Committee: Who Decides the Field?
The CFP Selection Committee is a 13-member panel of former coaches, players, athletic directors, and a journalist. Chaired by Michigan’s Warde Manuel, the committee evaluates teams based on strength of schedule, head-to-head results, outcomes against common opponents, and player availability.
The committee meets weekly from mid-season, releasing six Top 25 rankings starting on November 5, 2025. The final rankings are unveiled on Selection Day on December 7, 2025.
The voting process is very detail-oriented. Members first identify a pool of top teams and rank them in groups of three or four over seven rounds. If fewer than five conference champions rank in the Top 25, the highest-ranked champions outside this group are elevated to ensure five automatic bids.
The 12-Team Field: Who Qualifies?
The 2025 CFP field includes the five highest-ranked conference champions, securing automatic bids, plus the seven next-highest-ranked teams, regardless of conference affiliation.
Unlike 2024, when the top four conference champions earned byes, the 2025 format adopts straight seeding. In this new format, the top four teams in the committee’s final rankings, champion or not, receive first-round byes, seeded 1-4.
This change addresses 2024’s shortcomings, in which lower-ranked champions like Boise State (No. 9) and Arizona State (No. 12) received byes over higher-ranked teams.
For example, if Notre Dame, an independent, ranks in the top four, it could earn a bye. The remaining teams, seeded Nos. 5-12, play first-round games on December 19-20, 2025, with the higher seed hosting.
Matchups pair No. 5 vs. No. 12, No. 6 vs. No. 11, No. 7 vs. No. 10, and No. 8 vs. No. 9. There will be no reseeding, and rematches or same-conference games aren’t avoided to prioritize competitive integrity.
How Is the Adjusted CFP Structured?
The 2025-26 CFP schedule is the following:
- First Round (Dec. 19-20, 2025): Four games on campus sites, hosted by seeds 5-8
- Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1, 2026): Cotton, Orange, Rose, and Sugar Bowls, with top seeds choosing their preferred bowl where possible
- Semifinals (Jan. 8-9, 2026): Fiesta and Peach Bowls
- National Championship (Jan. 19, 2026): Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
The straight-seeding model makes the best teams have it the hardest, addressing 2024’s long layoffs for top seeds, like Oregon’s 59-20 Rose Bowl loss after a three-week break.
RELATED: Paul Finebaum Rips New CFP Format, Says It Makes Regular Season and SEC Title Irrelevant
In conclusion, the 2025 CFP selection process balances both the tradition as well the evolution of the sport.
It rewards champions while prioritizing the best teams. With the Big Ten and SEC pushing for a 14- or 16-team field by 2026, including multiple automatic qualifiers per conference, the playoff’s future is still very adaptable.
The committee’s final rankings on December 7 will set the stage for the postseason, which will culminate in the championship showdown in Miami.
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