Who needs committees, automatic qualifiers and debates over whether college football’s playoff should expand to 14 or even 16 teams?

We’ve got you covered and are way ahead of the curve with our annual NCAA football tournament. Sure, it’s fictional, but we’re not going to let basketball have all the fun in March.

We’ll count down from 64 teams until one team is still standing. Last year, we had Texas beating Ohio State in the national championship game, so at least we were swimming in the right waters.

Here’s the format: We’ve seeded the teams 1 through 64, with the seeds based largely on ESPN’s latest SP+ projections for the 2025 season.

The top four seeds are Ohio State, Texas, Penn State and Georgia (the Buckeyes, Longhorns and Nittany Lions all made the actual playoff semifinals a year ago). With Georgia being the lowest-ranked No. 1 seed, the Bulldogs will be forced to travel to the West Region.

Don’t get too hung up on the seeds. There will be some upsets, just like in the hoops tournament. And, yes, we will have some fun creating compelling storylines with certain matchups in this ever-changing world of college football.

We all had Bill Belichick coaching at North Carolina this time a year ago, right?

First, we examine the field and work our way through the first two rounds of the tournament, narrowing the pool from 64 to 16. We’ll play the rest of the games and crown the national champion on Tuesday.

Jump to a section:
Midwest Regional | South Regional | East Regional | West Regional

The bracket

1-seeds: Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, Georgia

2-seeds: Clemson, Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon

3-seeds: Ole Miss, Michigan, Miami, Tennessee

4-seeds: LSU, SMU, Florida, South Carolina

5-seeds: Missouri, Texas A&M, Illinois, BYU

6-seeds: Kansas State, Oklahoma, Iowa, Louisville

7-seeds: Auburn, Indiana, USC, TCU

8-seeds: Iowa State, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Boise State

9-seeds: Arkansas, Utah, Nebraska, Baylor

10-seeds: Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Washington, Duke

11-seeds: Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt

12-seeds: Colorado, NC State, Memphis, Rutgers

13-seeds: North Carolina, James Madison, Tulane, Florida State

14-seeds: Pittsburgh, Kansas, Army, Cincinnati

15-seeds: UCF, California, Syracuse, Mississippi State

16-seeds: Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Maryland, Boston College

First four out: Arizona, Navy, South Florida, East Carolina

Midwest Regional

First round

(1) Ohio State 45, (16) Boston College 14: A couple of guys from the Northeast, Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Boston College’s Bill O’Brien, go at it in this first-round game. Day, who was BC’s offensive coordinator in 2013-14, has a sizable edge in talent and depth, and it shows as the Buckeyes score touchdowns on their first three possessions and win comfortably.

(2) Oregon 38, (15) UCF 17: Scott Frost is back for his second stint as UCF’s coach, and he’s no stranger to Oregon’s program. Frost was on the Ducks’ staff from 2009-15 and was the offensive coordinator the last three years. The Knights hang around for a while, but the Ducks turn a pair of third-quarter turnovers into touchdowns to pull away for the win.

(3) Tennessee 30, (14) Pittsburgh 21: Let’s dub this one the Johnny Majors Bowl, as Majors won a national championship at Pitt and multiple SEC championships at Tennessee. Desmond Reid has a 45-yard touchdown run and a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown for the Panthers, but the Vols change the complexion of the game thanks to Boo Carter’s 55-yard interception return to set up a touchdown.

(4) South Carolina 24, (13) North Carolina 19: The Gamecocks were one of the hottest teams in the country to close the 2024 regular season and they stay hot through 2025 and into the postseason. It’s Bill Belichick’s first NCAA tournament, and his Tar Heels aren’t able to slow down a fierce South Carolina pass rush that makes the difference in this Battle of the Carolinas. (5) BYU 34, (12) Colorado 13: BYU and Kalani Sitake deserved far more respect than they received during the 2024 season, winning 11 games. They go out and take their respect by force against Deion Sanders and Colorado in a game that’s never in doubt.

(11) Kentucky 24, (6) Louisville 23: The Cardinals win the regular-season finale in the annual Governor’s Cup, their second straight win in the rivalry, but the Wildcats win the rematch a few weeks later to extend their season on Zach Calzada’s late touchdown pass, his 28th of the season.

(7) TCU 28, (10) Georgia Tech 21: Maybe Sonny Dykes won too quickly at TCU when he took the Horned Frogs to the national championship game in his first season. Now in his fourth season, Dykes is looking to make another deep run in the postseason and has the quarterback to do it. Josh Hoover throws for 380 yards in the win over the Yellow Jackets.

(9) Arkansas 31, (8) Boise State 27: Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green, who started his career at Boise State, passes and runs his way to 390 total yards against his former teammates, and the Hogs hold on late after the Broncos fail to score a touchdown in four chances from the 6-yard line. Where have you gone, Ashton Jeanty?

Second round

(1) Ohio State 30, (9) Arkansas 24: Green is the better quarterback in this game, but Ohio State is the better team. The Buckeyes wear down the Hogs in the second half. James Peoples, who played in the shadow of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins a year ago, rushes for 105 of his 140 yards in the second half.

(2) Oregon 35, (7) TCU 21: It’s a quarterback duel until midway through the third quarter with Oregon’s Dante Moore accounting for three touchdowns and Hoover leading TCU on three TD drives. But the Ducks stiffen on defense in the fourth quarter and score on back-to-back possessions after being handed short fields by the defense.

(3) Tennessee 28, (11) Kentucky 20: The Wildcats are unable to make it two upsets in a row, even though they keep the game close going into the fourth quarter. Jermod McCoy’s interception deep in Tennessee territory ends a Kentucky drive, and the Vols break out the old Beer Barrel on the sideline to celebrate the win.

(5) BYU 31, (4) South Carolina 30: There’s no stopping South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers in this back-and-forth game. The Cougars simply can’t get him on the ground, but BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker makes the play of the game when he turns a tipped pass into a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Regional semifinals

(1) Ohio State vs. (5) BYU

(2) Oregon vs. (3) Tennessee

South Regional

First round

(1) Texas 45, (16) Maryland 21: In his first postseason game as a starter, Arch Manning doesn’t disappoint. He passes for three touchdowns and runs for another against a Maryland team that surprisingly leads at the half thanks to a pair of Jalil Farooq touchdown catches.

(2) Notre Dame 34, (15) California 27: This first-round matchup is a lot closer than the Golden Domers would have liked. The Golden Bears lead most of the way with first-year coordinator Bryan Harsin mixing up the run with the pass, but Notre Dame puts together its two best drives of the game in the fourth quarter to survive.

(3) Miami 30, (14) Kansas 14: Carson Beck was injured and unable to play in Georgia’s playoff game a year ago. But with a fully healed right elbow (and his luxury cars safely tucked away), Beck throws three touchdown passes, all in the second half, as the Hurricanes overcome a shaky start.

(4) Florida 37, (13) James Madison 10: There’s no hot-seat talk surrounding Billy Napier this season, as the Gators pick up where they left off at the end of the 2024 season. Their leader is clearly quarterback DJ Lagway, but Ron Roberts’ defense holds James Madison to 162 total yards and forces three turnovers.

(5) Illinois 21, (12) NC State 18: Bret Bielema’s teams are renowned for running the ball, bloodying your nose on defense and not beating themselves. That’s the formula in this game, as the Fighting Illini rush for 232 yards and play keepaway from the Wolfpack to avoid the dreaded 5 vs. 12 curse in the NCAA tournament.

(11) Virginia Tech 17, (6) Iowa 14: It’s been a frustrating tournament for No. 6 seeds. This time, the Hawkeyes go down, and once again, they simply can’t muster enough offense to help a stingy defense. Brent Pry and the Hokies get their biggest win of the season in his fourth year in the program.

(7) USC 28, (10) Minnesota 20: All of a sudden, USC is leaning on its defense as second-year coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s unit holds Minnesota to two touchdowns. Linebacker Desman Stephens II scores a touchdown on defense for the Trojans when he forces a fumble, recovers it and sprints 45 yards to the end zone.

(8) Texas Tech 38, (9) Utah 35 (OT): In one of the most exciting first-round games, the Red Raiders and Utes trade scores most of the way, but the two defenses come up with clutch stops to force overtime. Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter forces a fumble on first down, and after three short runs to the 19, Upton Bellenfant boots a 36-yard field goal to win it for Joey McGuire’s club.

Second round

(1) Texas 31, (8) Texas Tech 20: This Lone Star State showdown gets a little testy before the game when the teams have to be separated during warmups. That intensity carries over to the game with the Red Raiders keeping Manning bottled up and not allowing him to escape the pocket, but the Longhorns’ defense is even more dominant, led by All-America linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.

(2) Notre Dame 28, (7) USC 24: This storied rivalry comes down to the final minute with backup quarterback CJ Carr scoring on a fourth-and-goal run from the 2. Carr enters the game late in the fourth quarter to replace Steve Angeli, who was shaken up while trying to scramble.

(3) Miami 34, (6) Virginia Tech 17: Miami controls the line of scrimmage from the outset with All-America offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa anchoring a line that clears the way for 535 yards of total offense. The Hurricanes pass for 280 yards and rush for 255 yards.

(5) Illinois 30, (4) Florida 27: Some of the best news for Illinois in the offseason was that outside linebacker Gabe Jacas planned to return for the 2025 season. He is Illinois’ only answer for Lagway, who is sensational for the Gators with two touchdown passes and a touchdown run. But Jacas comes up with back-to-back sacks late to push Florida out of range for a tying field goal.

Regional semifinals

(1) Texas vs. (5) Illinois

(2) Notre Dame vs. (3) Miami

East Regional

First round

(1) Penn State 45, (16) West Virginia 17: Rich Rodriguez’s return to West Virginia produces a solid season, but the Mountaineers don’t have any answers for Penn State’s explosive offense. Drew Allar throws for 300 yards and Nicholas Singleton rushes for 135, and the Nittany Lions sit most of their starters in the fourth quarter.

(2) Alabama 28, (15) Syracuse 7: Kane Wommack’s defense steals the show in a game that’s played in freezing temperatures. The Orange cross midfield only twice, and their touchdown comes in the final minute of the game. Alabama attempts just 16 passes, a low for a Kalen DeBoer-coached team.

(3) Michigan 28, (14) Army 27: After Army linebacker Kalib Fortner strikes for a scoop-and-score touchdown, breaking two tackles on his way to the 38-yard return, Michigan puts together an 82-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes to send the Black Knights to a heartbreaking defeat.

(4) SMU 30, (13) Tulane 21: In the old days (two years ago), this would have been an AAC vs. AAC matchup. But with SMU now in the ACC, the Mustangs post their second straight season with double-digit wins. The Green Wave keep it close, but with quarterback Darian Mensah and running back Makhi Hughes both gone via the transfer portal, Tulane doesn’t have the offensive punch to finish the job.

(12) Memphis 24, (5) Texas A&M 20: Nobody wanted to see their name pop up opposite of Memphis in the first round. This proves to be Ryan Silverfield’s best team yet, and that’s after he won 11 games in 2024. Enjoying a breakout season, running back Brady Kluse adds to it with 128 rushing yards to send the Tigers to the second round.

(11) Wisconsin 26, (6) Oklahoma 21: Luke Fickell received a one-year extension in the offseason after going 5-7 in 2024, and some fans weren’t thrilled about it. He needed a big third season in Madison, and the Badgers play their best game of the season in their most important game of the season. A late goal-line stand preserves the win.

(7) Indiana 34, (10) Washington 13: Don’t refer to Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers as one-year wonders. They’re dominant in their second straight playoff appearance with defensive stalwarts Mikail Kamara and Aiden Fisher combining for 25 tackles. Indiana’s defense holds Washington to a pair of field goals in the second half.

(9) Nebraska 28, (8) Arizona State 24: Looking for a signature win in his third year in Lincoln, Matt Rhule gets it amid chants of “Go Big Red” echoing throughout the stadium. Quarterback Dylan Raiola twice converts crucial third downs in the last six minutes to keep the Huskers’ season alive.

Second round

(1) Penn State 33, (9) Nebraska 17: Tom Allen moved on to Clemson as defensive coordinator, but with Jim Knowles coming over from Ohio State as DC, the Nittany Lions are as disruptive as ever. Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant combine for 6.5 tackles for loss, and the Huskers are never able to find any rhythm on offense.

(2) Alabama 35, (7) Indiana 21: There was considerable unrest in and around the Alabama program last year when Indiana made it into the playoff and the Crimson Tide didn’t. But this time, Alabama doesn’t have a clunker late in the season against Oklahoma, enters the playoff with some momentum and proves on the field (head to head) that it’s a better team than Indiana.

(3) Michigan 26, (11) Wisconsin 16: No matter how many talented players Michigan loses on defense, the Wolverines always seem to reload. They do it again in 2025, with returning veterans TJ Guy and Derrick Moore having their best seasons. Michigan’s entire defensive front seven is dominant in this game, and Wisconsin can’t keep up.

(12) Memphis 28, (4) SMU 24: Another one of those tournament games that makes the postseason so much fun, Memphis rallies from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to earn a trip to the Sweet 16. Quarterback Brendon Lewis, in his first season with the Tigers after transferring from Nevada, etches his name into Memphis lore with a game-winning 37-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds.

Regional semifinals

(1) Penn State vs. (12) Memphis

(2) Alabama vs. (3) Michigan

West Regional

First round

(1) Georgia 33, (16) Oklahoma State 21: Coming off his first losing season at Oklahoma State since his first year as coach in 2005, Mike Gundy leads his Cowboys back into the upper half of the Big 12. But the Bulldogs’ pass rush is too much for OSU to bear, and Kirby Smart’s bunch wins its first playoff game since the 2022 season, when the Dawgs won it all.

(2) Clemson 41, (15) Mississippi State 20: This Clemson team looks a lot like the Clemson teams that were winning and playing for national championships from 2015 to 2019. The Tigers play like it in a first-round romp over the Bulldogs that’s never really in doubt.

(3) Ole Miss 37, (14) Cincinnati 21: Ole Miss’ new-look offensive line takes a while to get going in 2025, but by playoff time, the Rebels are paving the way for the running game and giving first-year starting quarterback Austin Simmons plenty of time to throw. Simmons throws two of his three touchdown passes in the second half.

(4) LSU 25, (13) Florida State 17: These teams met in 2022 and 2023 to open the season, with Florida State winning both times. The Seminoles are starting over again after a nightmarish season a year ago, and it’s an equally pivotal season for Brian Kelly and the Tigers. The difference in this game is LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s ability to keep drives alive with key third-down throws.

(5) Missouri 38, (12) Rutgers 23: The Tigers hit the transfer portal hard in the offseason, especially on offense, and one of those newcomers, Kevin Coleman Jr., shreds Rutgers’ pass defense with 165 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions. The Mississippi State transfer twice turns short passes into big gains to keep Rutgers from making a late rally.

(11) Vanderbilt 23, (6) Kansas State 21: Diego Pavia was electrifying in his first season at Vanderbilt and takes things to another level in his second season. Although he’s not at his “A” best in this game, Pavia twice converts on fourth-and-short late in the fourth quarter to keep the Wildcats from getting the ball back.

(7) Auburn 35, (10) Duke 14: Hugh Freeze hits it right with his transfer quarterback, and Jackson Arnold takes advantage of his fresh start after leaving Oklahoma and throws two touchdown passes in the first half. The Tigers never look back from there and sail into the second round.

(8) Iowa State 28, (9) Baylor 16: Matt Campbell has had one opportunity after another to leave Iowa State, but he’s now in his 10th season as the Cyclones’ coach. His team follows up an 11-win season by getting a first-round playoff win thanks to a stifling defense that holds the Bears to just three first downs in the second half.

Second round

(1) Georgia 20, (8) Iowa State 13: Iowa State doesn’t back down and is able to keep Georgia’s running game at bay in a slugfest that quickly becomes a line of scrimmage game — meaning it’s played mostly between the 30s. The Bulldogs finally get some breathing room when sophomore safety KJ Bolden forces a fumble that sets up a short Gunner Stockton touchdown pass.

(2) Clemson 35, (7) Auburn 20: Lewis Grizzard, the late Southern columnist and humorist, would have loved this one. He once remarked that Clemson was “Auburn with a lake.” The Tigers are nearly flawless on third down with quarterback Cade Klubnik hitting 7-of-8 passes on third down on his way to three touchdown passes.

(3) Ole Miss 31, (11) Vanderbilt 21: Lane Kiffin elects to kick onside to open the game. The Rebels recover and score a touchdown in three plays, which sets the tone for the entire game. Pavia makes enough plays to keep the Commodores close, but Suntarine Perkins records his 15th and 16th sacks of the season to end any hope of a Vanderbilt comeback.

(4) LSU 37, (5) Missouri 31: In a season that sees more than a few SEC quarterbacks blossom into stars, Nussmeier puts up the best numbers. He takes turns connecting with new targets Nic Anderson and Barion Brown on explosive plays, and the Tigers from the Bayou outscore the Tigers from Columbia in a wildly entertaining game nobody wants to see end.

Regional semifinals

(1) Georgia vs. (4) LSU

(2) Clemson vs. (3) Ole Miss

• Coming Tuesday: From the Sweet 16 to the national championship