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which college football teams are in the playoffs

For the current 2025–26 season, the College Football Playoff uses a 12‑team format, and the full field for this year has already been selected. The playoff is currently underway, with quarterfinals and semifinals being played through early January.

Current playoff teams

The 12 teams in the 2025–26 College Football Playoff field are as follows (seeding and basic context):

  • No. 1 Indiana (Big Ten champion, undefeated)
  • No. 2 Ohio State (at‑large, Big Ten)
  • No. 3 Georgia (SEC champion)
  • No. 4 Texas Tech (Big 12 champion)
  • No. 5 Oregon (Pac‑12 champion / automatic bid)
  • No. 6 Ole Miss (at‑large, SEC)
  • No. 7 Texas A &M (at‑large, SEC)
  • No. 8 Oklahoma (at‑large, SEC)
  • No. 9 Alabama (at‑large, SEC; first three‑loss team to make CFP)
  • No. 10 Miami (FL) (at‑large, ACC)
  • No. 11 Tulane (American champion, Group of Five auto bid)
  • No. 12 James Madison (Sun Belt champion, Group of Five auto bid)

These teams make up the full playoff bracket for the 2025–26 season, from first‑round hosts through byes for the top four seeds.

Format and where things stand

  • The top four conference champions (Indiana, Texas Tech, Georgia, and one other champ based on ranking) receive first‑round byes into the quarterfinals.
  • Seeds 5–12 play first‑round games on campus sites, then advance into New Year’s Six bowl quarterfinals and semifinals.
  • Current coverage focuses heavily on quarterfinal and semifinal matchups such as Indiana–Alabama, Georgia–Ole Miss, Ohio State–Miami, and Texas Tech–Oregon.

Context and “latest news”

  • Storylines this year include Indiana’s rapid rise to the No. 1 seed, Texas Tech’s breakout as a top‑four seed, and multiple SEC teams (Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma) crowding the field.
  • Media and fan discussions are emphasizing how the 12‑team format has opened the door for Group of Five champions like Tulane and James Madison to get a real shot at the national title.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.