2025-26 College Football Playoff Preview

The CFP bracket is set for the 12-team 2025-26 College Football Playoff. Notre Dame was left out, causing some chaos and crying in South Bend with the Irish electing not to play in any bowl game. How can you blame them with the CFP Committee snub?  The Big Ten championship game was a 13-10 defensive duel won by Indiana (13-0) over Ohio State (12-1), and those two teams are the top 2 seeds in the CFP and get a bye along with SEC champion No. 3 Georgia (12-1) and Big 12's best champion No. 4 Texas Tech (12-1). 

THE STAGE IS SET FOR THE 2025-26 PLAYOFF 🏈🏆#CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/GPoYiE5YmQ

— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) December 7, 2025

I've included the schedule, early matchups and odds, and four teams will host opening round games Dec. 19-20 on their home fields - Oklahoma (10-2), Texas A&M, (11-1), Ole Miss (11-1) and Oregon (11-1).

Updates as quarterfinal matchups and odds are determined with additional information you can bet on. 

That includes the article and College Football Playoff quarterback ratings and profiles, stats and insight I provided for BetOnline. 

Check back and follow along as I add more Fairway Forecasts and updates with picks and opinions on the most watched and wagered games in the College Football Playoff. Last chance to join the BetOnline $25,000 CFP bracket contest is Dec. 19. 

Our coverage at OSGA of Conference Championship games picks and opinions on side selections went 5-2 ATS. That followed 11-4 ATS on CFB rivalry weekend and the biggest rivalry games. 

CFP Opening Round

(Dec. 19-20) 

No. 8 Oklahoma (pk) vs. No. 9 Alabama, 40.5 | 8 p.m. ET | ABC, ESPN (Friday) - total now 41 on game day. (Alabama wins 34-24).

Alabama opened a -1.5 point favorite, and currently pick 'em at BetOnline, where live/in-game betting will peak on Saturday during the three additional quarterfinal games. 

Alabama (10-3) had an impressive run midseason beating Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Tennessee - all top 20 teams at the time. An escape at South Carolina with a pair of TD's in the final 2 minutes, and a 23-21 home loss to defensive dominator Oklahoma (10-2) despite a 406-312 yards edge for the 'Tide (-3 in turnovers) was part of the late season struggles. That included a 28-7 blowout loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama’s running game ranked last in the SEC this season averaging 104 yards per game including just 78 rushing yards per game over their last three contests vs. FBS opponents. But Oklahoma’s offense has scored just 17 points against both Missouri and LSU in low-scoring wins since beating Alabama while struggling to run the ball themselves with QB John Mateer not his normal self since suffering a hand injury halfway through the season. Opinion: Alabama 

Saturday, Dec. 20

No. 7 Texas A&M (-3.5) vs. No. 10 Miami, 51.5 | 12 p.m. | ABC, ESPN, WatchESPN (Miami wins 10-3)

Updated line -3.5 and total 48

Miami (10-2) has top performers and NFL-caliber players along the offensive line and defensive line that grades out as the only team in the country to rank top 5 in both OL and DL units by Pro Football Focus (PFF). The 'Canes also feature a top 10 scoring defense (15 ppg) and total yards defense (285 ypg). Texas A&M (11-1) lost their season finale rivalry game to Texas, 27-17 to cost them a spot in the SEC Championship Game. Stronger scheduel for the SEC side, although the Aggies avoided playing Georgia, Alabama or Ole Miss - the other three 7-1 teams in SEC play. Still, Aggies duel-threat QB Reed threw 10 INT's this season, and 1-2 more anticipated against Miami. Hurricanes QB Carson Beck tossed 6 INT's in Miami's two losses, by 3 and 6 points. All four home teams won and covered in last year's CFB first round, but the Hurricane's have the strength to win in hostile environment. Opinion: Miami

No. 6 Ole Miss (-16.5) vs. No. 11 Tulane, 56.5|  3:30 p.m. | TNT, truTV, HBO Max (Ole Miss wins 41-10) 

Updated line -17.5 and total 57

A rematch of the Ole Miss Rebels (11-1) blowout 45-10 win over Tulane (11-2) in September. While Tulane was held to a season-low 282 yards offense including some garbage time against backups, the Green Wave defense allowed a season-high 548 in defeat. But situations have changed considerably since and most recently with Ole Miss head coach leaving to take the LSU coaching vacancy and Kiffin won’t coach this CFP game. Tulane's Jon Sumrall will coach his final game and then move on to Florida as the Gators new head coach. The Green Wave passing attack can keep them in striking distance if the Tulane defense can force a few turnovers as they did against the high-powered North Texas attack (5 TO's) in winning the AAC championship game. Opinion: Tulane

No. 5 Oregon (-20.5) vs. No. 12 James Madison, 50.5|  7:30 p.m. | TNT, truTV, HBO Max (Oregon wins 51-34) 

Updated line -21 and total 47 

A top 5 superior strength of schedule for Oregon (11-1) against a bottom-tier SOS of Sun Belt winner James Madison (12-1). Both teams have stronger, balanced offenses, but the Ducks are better (461 at 6.9 yards per play) to the Dukes 448 at 6.3 with JMU's only loss this season against the one Power Four team they played at Louisville, 28-14. Oregon has six wins by 20 or more points this season while scoring 42 points in two recent home games against USC and Minnesota. James Madison coach Bob Chesney leads the Dukes into Big Ten country before he joins the conference next season as UCLA's coach. Pick: Oregon and Opinion Over with team total prop Oregon over 34 points as the rain is clearing into Saturday kickoff.
 
CFP Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)

Betting lines below are openers. See updated lines, odds, insight and analysis in additional College Football Playoff matchups, coverage plus post-Christmas Bowls. 

Wednesday, Dec. 31

No. 2 Ohio State (-10) vs. No. 10 Miami, 43 | Cotton Bowl | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN (Miami wins 24-14)

Miami (11-2) earned a big road win at Texas A&M to kickoff the College Football Playoff. The 10-3 win in the first four CFP games saw the Hurricanes top defense hold the Aggies to just 89 rushing yards on 35 attempts. The ‘Canes offense was on the short end of possession time while gaining less than 280 yards offense on 12 first downs, but 175 rushing in that CFP victory led by a top-10 run-blocking offensive line and potential first-round NFL Draft pick at right tackle, Francis Mauigoa. Miami’s 86.8 team Pro Football Focus (PFF) pass-blocking grade ranks No. 3 in the entire nation, and QB Carson Beck’s 2.33 second average time to throw is the third-fastest in the entire FBS. Now Miami will try to pull the upset and tackle Ohio State (12-1), whose dominant defense led the country (217 ypg, 3,8 yards per play) while holding every opponent to 17 points or less - the first team to do so in nearly 50 years. That also included limiting No. 1 Indiana to 13 points in a 13-10 loss in the Big Ten Championship game. Only two teams in college football history have played 13 games and held the opponents to 106 points or less, 1,100 rushing yards or less and 1,700 passing yards or less - the 2025 Ohio State Buckeyes and 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide. Ohio State has nine players ranked by ESPN among the top 50 players in this year’s College Football Playoff, and five of them are on defense ranking in the Top 25.  But the Hurricanes defensive line is also elite, ranking No. 2 in the nation in Pro Football Focus (PFF) pass-rush grade behind fellow playoff team Texas Tech. The run defense is also among the best, and Miami features two defensive lineman ranking among the best in the CFP to make this one of the top CFP games to watch as defensive players dominate in a lower-scoring slugfest. 

Miami is BetOnline’s biggest liability to win the NCAA title and College Football Playoff, followed by Texas Tech and Georgia. 

Pick: Miami and Under. 

Thursday, Jan. 1

No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon (-1), 52.5 | Orange Bowl | 12 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN (Oregon wins 23-0) 

Pick: Texas Tech 

See more game analysis for CFB quarterfinals at OSGA and post-Christmas Bowls. 

No. 1 Indiana (-7) vs. No. 9 Alabama, 48 | Rose Bowl | 4 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN (Indiana wins 38-3)

Opinion: Indiana

No. 3 Georgia (-6.5) vs. No. 6 Ole Miss, 56.5 | Sugar Bowl | 8 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN (Ole Miss wins 39-34)

Lean: Ole Miss 

College Football Playoff Picks and Opinions 6-3 ATS into semifinals. Leans 1-0 and Props 1-0. 

CFP Semifinals (Jan. 8-9)

No. 10 Miami (-3) vs. No. 6 Ole Miss, 52 | Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN 

Pick: Miami

No. 1 Indiana (-4) vs. No. 5 Oregon, 47 | Peach Bowl (Atlanta) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN

Leans: Oregon and Under

College Football Playoff National Championship

NCAAF Championship Game

Monday, Jan. 19 - Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN

BetOnline has also posted advance lines for potential matchups in the CFP quarterfinals ahead of first round games. 

- Texas A&M +7 vs Ohio State
- Miami FL +10 vs Ohio State
- Oregon -1 vs Texas Tech
- JMU +13.5 vs Texas Tech
- Oklahoma +6 vs Indiana
- Alabama +4.5 vs Indiana
- Ole Miss +4.5 vs Georgia
- Tulane +17.5 vs Georgia

Check back and follow @FairwayJay and @OffShoreGaming on X for more updates on College Football Playoff, sports betting news and information you can bet on. 

You can bet on it. 

FairwayJay is a proven sports handicapper and loves college football. He's been handicapping and betting college football for more than two decades and is recognized as one of the sports industry's most insightful analysts. He chips in additional sports betting coverage and reporting on industry news and events. Follow FairwayJay here at OSGA.com and on X @FairwayJay for more sports and betting insights.