Once the spring transfer portal came and went, Andy and I took big swings at trying to rank next year’s Top 25. Now that rosters have fully settled, there is a clearer picture for what expectations should be.
The next logical step is to use those rankings to try and visualize what next year’s 12-team College Football Playoff bracket may look like. While it’s certainly understandable to think it’s insane to attempt to predict the results of next year’s games, it’s a fun exercise that allows us to dig into schedules and project which teams will have the best personnel. Let’s get into it.
First Round
No. 12 Boise State vs. No. 5 Ohio State
Boise State makes its second consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff. Unfortunately for the Broncos, they will have to face another monster from the Big Ten in their first game. Boise State didn’t measure up with Penn State in the postseason last year, so this year it’s hard to imagine the Broncos will play their way into another first-round bye. Boise State meets Ohio State, and the Buckeyes out-talent the Broncos.
No. 11 Alabama vs. No. 6 LSU
Alabama plays LSU in November, but who doesn’t want one of college football’s most iconic matchups twice in the same season? LSU has a rough schedule, but it feels like America is a little behind the curve on how good the Tigers have a chance to be this year. Alabama has one of the most talented rosters in the country, but LSU gets the best of the Crimson Tide this season. Brian Kelly has waited patiently for his time and he gives the LSU fan base what it absolutely needs from him in 2025, including two wins over the Crimson Tide.
No. 10 Illinois vs. No. 7 Notre Dame
Everyone has been saying Illinois is this year’s Indiana. Well, there is a solid chance of that happening. And if it does, how funny would it be if the Illini had to head up to South Bend in the first round of the CFP? Notre Dame surprised people last year advancing to the title game — beating Georgia along the way — but the Irish are going to be very good again. Having one of the best offensive lines in and perhaps the best running back in college football is going to lead to wins for Notre Dame, including another first-round home victory over an upstart Big Ten foe.
No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Oregon
Go back to Sept. 3, 2022. It was Dan Lanning‘s first game at Oregon. The Ducks played Georgia and were blown completely off the field. It wasn’t even competitive. But a lot has changed since then and Oregon has closed the immense talent gap that used to exist between itself and the best programs. The Ducks have spent the entire summer grueling over what happened against the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. In another shot at a top-tier opponent, Oregon gets over the hump and the Bulldogs suffer another early CFP exit.
Quarterfinals
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 4 BYU in the Cotton Bowl
Ohio State gets the Penn State’s path from last year because in this simulation the seeding hasn’t been fixed yet. BYU made it out of the Big 12 and got the bye as one of the most exciting offensive teams in the country, but then reality sets in when a loaded team is standing on the other sideline. Ohio State won’t be what it was last year, but the Buckeyes — who still have perhaps the two best players in college football — aren’t going down to a Big 12 team in the quarterfinals.
No. 6 LSU vs. No. 3 Clemson in the Orange Bowl
Oh look, another rematch. LSU and Clemson face off in week one of the season and it’s going to be one of the most exciting nonconference games of the year. Both teams are CFP quality and the Tigers, who currently have a five-game losing streak in openers, end it in 2025. The problem? Clemson dominates the ACC and comes into the CFP hot. Things are gelling. Dabo Swinney is in the zone. The Tigers, equipped with one of the best defensive lines in the country, don’t lose this game twice.
No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Penn State in the Rose Bowl
In one of the most insane stats you’ll ever see, Penn State went the entire game in its CFP semifinals loss to Notre Dame without a receiver catching a pass. And yet, the Nittany Lions were still a possession away from reaching the national title game. This offseason, James Franklin addressed the receivers room in a big way — picking up Syracuse transfer Trebor Pena and others — and the Nittany Lions are a more explosive team offensively. Penn State, the Big Ten champs, move on.
No. 9 Oregon vs. No. 1 Texas in the Sugar Bowl
Oregon is hoping this is the year it gets over the hump. But unfortunately for Lanning and the Ducks, they run into the deepest and most talented team in college football in 2025. That team is led by Arch Manning, who is fresh off a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. It’s not that Oregon hasn’t gotten better year over year, but the Ducks continue to have an unfortunate path to the College Football Playoff semifinal. Texas wins.
Semifinals
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl
There have been a lot of familiar matchups in this CFP projection, both in terms of 2025 rematches and games from last year’s Playoff popping back up again. But even though the CFP has expanded, there are still going to be usual suspects in the semifinals. So we get another Ohio State-Texas game, which is expected given the talent both teams possess. This year, though, Texas finally gets over the hump and knocks off the Buckeyes to advance to the title game.
No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 2 Penn State in the Peach Bowl
Penn State fans have been waiting for Franklin to break through and the year the Nittany Lions had is certainly enough. It won the Big Ten and traversed a tough path in the postseason to return to the semifinals. Doing it two years in a row is a sign of program growth and consistency, but Clemson returns to the promised land.
National Championship Game
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Clemson in the national title game
It has been 20 years since Texas won the national championship and it has been a rough two decades for Longhorns fans. But Steve Sarkisian has built a program that was good enough to consistently knock on the door before finally kicking it down. Manning becomes the next star of the sport and Texas asserts itself as one of the premier programs in college football, conquering the SEC and the the nation. Clemson, though disappointed, has a regained confidence in Swinney and his plan.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
