Just like that, the final week of the college football season is in the books, which means there remains one week left until the official 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is released.
The top four seeds for the 12-team field appeared to be near locks, though that is now in question following No. 3 Texas A&M (No. 3 in College Football Playoff rankings) falling to No. 16 Texas (No. 16 in CFP rankings). There remains some uncertainty within the field for the remaining eight seeds as well, especially in the ACC and Group of Five.
To help sort it out, USA TODAY Sports brought live projections to the 12-team CFP bracket throughout Week 14 games, including a look at what the CFP top 25 rankings and projected 12-team bracket looked like heading into the final week of the regular season:
College Football Playoff Week 14 live scoreboard
Here’s a look at scores and results in Week 14 from the top 25 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings:
- Ohio State: Beat No. 15 Michigan 27-9
- Indiana: Beat Purdue 56-3
- Texas A&M:Lost to No. 16 Texas, 27-17
- Georgia: Beat No. 23 Georgia Tech, 16-9
- Texas Tech: Beat West Virginia 49-0
- Oregon: Beat Washington 26-14
- Ole Miss: Beat Mississippi State 38-19
- Oklahoma: Beat LSU 17-13
- Notre Dame: Beat Stanford 49-20
- Alabama: Beat Auburn 27-20
- BYU: Beat BYU 41-21
- Miami: Beat No. 22 Pitt 38-7
- Utah: Beat Kansas 31-21
- Vanderbilt: Beat No. 19 Tennessee 45-24
- Michigan: Lost to No. 1 Ohio State 27-9
- Texas: Beat No. 3 Texas A&M 27-17
- USC: Beat UCLA 29-10
- Virginia: Beat Virginia Tech 27-7
- Tennessee: Lost 45-24 to No. 14 Vanderbilt | ESPN (Fubo)
- Arizona State: Lost 23-7 to No. 25 Arizona
- SMU: Lost 38-35 to Cal
- Pitt: Lost 38-7 to No. 12 Miami
- Georgia Tech: Lost to No. 4 Georgia 16-9
- Tulane: Beat Charlotte 27-0
- Arizona: Beat No. 20 Arizona State 23-7
CFP bracket projections
Here’s a live projection of the 12-team CFP field after Week 14 games:
- Ohio State (12-0)
- Indiana (12-0)
- Georgia (11-1)
- Texas Tech (11-1)
- Oregon (11-1)
- Ole Miss (11-1)
- Texas A&M (11-1)
- Oklahoma (10-2)
- Notre Dame (10-2)
- Alabama (10-2)
- Virginia (10-2)
- Tulane (10-2)
* bolded teams denote shift (up/down) in the projected CFP bracket from current CFP bracket.
NOTRE DAME FINISHES ROUT OF STANFORD: Two fourth-quarter touchdowns by the Cardinal don’t take away from what was a dominant performance by the Fighting Irish. Marcus Freeman’s squad sent a message to the CFP selection committee with a 49-20 win over Stanford, likely securing its place as a top-10 CFP team in the process. – Zac Al-Khateeb (Sunday, Nov. 30 at 2:30 a.m. ET)
NOTRE DAME POURING IT ON STANFORD: It’s a matter when, not if, Notre Dame makes the CFP at this point. The Fighting Irish score another touchdown to increase their lead 42-3 on the road vs. Stanford. – Zac Al-Khateeb (Sunday, Nov. 30 at 12:30 a.m. ET)
NOTRE DAME CFP OUTLOOK:Despite losing Jeremiyah Love briefly, No. 9 Notre Dame is on track to pick up a win at Stanford, as the Fighting Irish lead the Cardinal 28-3 at halftime. A win for Notre Dame would help boost Marcus Freeman’s team’s odds at making the CFP for the second consecutive season.
Should No. 10 Alabama beat No. 4 Georgia in next week’s SEC championship game, the Crimson Tide should bump the Fighting Irish in the bracket. But for now, Alabama stays behind Notre Dame in the rankings. – John Leuzzi (Sunday, Nov. 30 at 12:08 a.m. ET)
SMU MISSES OUT ON ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Despite a valiant comeback effort, No. 21 SMU will miss out on the ACC championship game as Sam Keltner misses the potential, game-tying 52-yard field goal as time expires. As a result of Keltner’s missed field goal, Cal picks up the 38-35 upset win and Rhett Lashlee’s squad is heading back to Dallas without a ticket to the ACC championship game.
Who goes to the ACC championship game in the Mustangs’ place? That’d be five-loss Duke. Yes, a five-loss team will play in the ACC championship game with a berth to the CFP on the line. – John Leuzzi (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 11:53 p.m. ET)
ALABAMA WINS IRON BOWL: After blowing a 17-0 lead, Alabama and Ty Simpson lead the 10th-ranked Crimson Tide to a 27-20 win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl to stave off a potential hit to the Crimson Tide’s CFP outlook. Simpson connected with Isaiah Horton for a 6-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to reclaim the lead. The Crimson Tide’s defense sealed the win with the recovery of Cam Coleman’s fumble on the next drive.
The Crimson Tide will meet up with No. 4 Georgia in the SEC championship game on Saturday, Dec. 6 in Atlanta. – John Leuzzi (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 11:30 p.m. ET)
VIRGINIA SECURES ACC CHAMPIONSHIP SPOT: No. 18 Virginia is back in the ACC championship game for the first time since 2019 with a 27-7 win over Virginia Tech. The win for the Cavaliers moves them into the 12-team field as the ACC’s penciled-in representative, as the win also eliminated Miami and Georgia Tech from contention for the conference championship game.
It remains unclear as to whom the Cavaliers will play at Bank of America Stadium next Saturday, as it could be SMU or Duke, depending on whether the Mustangs can come back and defeat Cal on the road. – John Leuzzi (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 10:20 p.m. ET)
BYU CFP OUTLOOK: Can BYU make the College Football Playoff? As things stand, the Cougars remain out of the field, as they came in at No. 11 in the latest CFP top 25 rankings. However, a win against No. 5 Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship game would get Kalani Sitake and the Cougars into the field and could make the Big 12 a two-bid league. – John Leuzzi (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 9:35 p.m. ET)
TULANE LEADING AT HALFTIME: No. 24 Tulane is 30 minutes away from securing its spot in the American Conference championship game, as it leads Charlotte 21-0 at halftime. According to the American Conference, a win for the Green Wave would have Jon Sumrall’s squad hosting the conference championship game in New Orleans against North Texas on Friday, Dec. 6. – John Leuzzi (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 9:20 p.m. ET)
There’s a ton of football to still be played, but an SMU loss would send Duke to the ACC championship game as a five-loss team. Click here to read the tiebreaker scenarios for the ACC. – John Leuzzi (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 8:53 p.m. ET)
IRON BOWL KICKS OFF: The Iron Bowl is officially underway between Alabama and Auburn.
The 99th edition of the Iron Bowl has significant CFP implications involved for Alabama and the rest of the field. A win for Alabama would boost the Crimson Tide’s chances of making the field, while a loss would open the door for several programs to steal an at-large bid. Some notable teams that could steal a bid include No. 11 BYU, which will meet No. 5 Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game in Week 15, No. 12 Miami, No. 14 Vanderbilt and No. 16 Texas. – John Leuzzi (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. ET)
VANDERBILT ROLLS TENNESSEE: Vanderbilt picks up its first 10-win season in program history with a commanding 45-24 win over No. 19 Tennessee. It’s the fourth ranked win of the season for the Commodores, which makes for an impressive resume for Clark Lea’s squad.
Four ranked wins to two losses may not be enough for Vanderbilt to get into the field, making the Commodores an early candidate for a spot on the CFP snub list. They were ranked No. 14 in the latest CFP top 25. – John Leuzzi (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 7:32 p.m. ET)
OKLAHOMA OUTLASTS LSU: Oklahoma survives a late-season scare vs. unranked LSU, using a fourth-down stop to force a turnover on downs vs. the Tigers and escape with a 17-13 win. With the 10-2 Sooners ineligible for the SEC championship game and already ranked No. 8 in the CFP, it seems Brent Venables and Co. will be in line for a playoff berth and potential first-round home game.
SEC CHAMPIONSHIP BERTH ON LINE IN IRON BOWL: Alabama is a little over an hour away from kickoff for its biggest game of the season: The Iron Bowl.
A win in the Iron Bowl would clinch an SEC championship game berth for the Crimson Tide and would go a long way for Kalen DeBoer’s squad’s CFP outlook. A loss would almost certainly keep the Crimson Tide out of the field for the second consecutive season. – John Leuzzi (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 6:14 p.m. ET)
OKLAHOMA TIED WITH LSU: Is Oklahoma on upset watch with a 3-3 tie with LSU at halftime? That remains to be seen with a lot of football to be played in Norman. But it does raise the question of what a Sooners loss to the Tigers does to the CFP picture.
The Sooners entered Week 14 well-positioned to host a CFP first-round game coming off three consecutive top-25 wins against Tennessee, Alabama and Missouri. A loss to LSU, however, could take Oklahoma out of the 12-team field as a three-loss team with no path to the SEC championship game. That could open the door for Texas to take Oklahoma’s spot in the field after the Longhorns’ marquee upset of No. 3 Texas A&M. – John Leuzzi (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 5:12 p.m. ET)
TEXAS TECH IN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Texas Tech clinched its spot in the Big 12 title game well before kicking off against West Virginia in Morgantown. The Red Raiders went on to beat the Mountaineers 49-0 to avoid any negative hit to their CFP outlook. The win should keep Joey McGuire’s squad in the top four after Texas A&M’s drop last night. – John Leuzzi (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 4:02 p.m. ET)
MIAMI DEFEATS PITT: Carson Beck and Miami handle business and defeat No. 22 Pitt handily, 38-7. It’s the fourth ranked win of the season for the Hurricanes, who entered Week 14 playing with a small margin of error to make the CFP and the ACC championship game.
Is a 4-0 record against ranked opponents this season enough to keep the Hurricanes in the field, even if they are unable to get into the ACC championship game? It’s going to be something to monitor leading into the next CFP top 25 rankings reveal, especially with Notre Dame just being three spots ahead of Miami in the most recent rankings. – John Leuzzi (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 3:41 p.m. ET)
OHIO STATE STAYS AT TOP SPOT: Ohio State dominated Michigan 27-9 on Nov. 29, ending its 4-game losing streak against its top rival. Next is a Big Ten championship game matchup against No. 2 Indiana, with the winner taking the No. 1 seed in the final College Football Playoff bracket. – Austin Curtright (Saturday, Nov. 29 at 3:36 p.m. ET)
TEXAS A&M DROPS AFTER TEXAS LOSS: Texas A&M needed a win to get into the SEC championship game. Arch Manning and the Longhorns, however, got in the way of that with a 27-17 win over the Aggies on Friday, a loss that has dropped Mike Elko’s squad to the No. 7 projected seed and moved Georgia, Texas Tech, Oregon and Ole Miss all up a spot. – John Leuzzi (Friday, Nov. 28 at 11:55 p.m. ET)
CFP rankings after Week 13
Similar to how the top 25 rankings looked on Sunday, Nov. 23, the top five seeds did not change between the Week 12 CFP top 25 rankings unveil and the Week 13 one, as Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Georgia and Texas Tech stayed at No. 1 through No. 5, respectively.
Here’s a full look at what the CFP top 25 rankings looked like following the selection committee’s fourth unveiling:
- Ohio State
- Indiana
- Texas A&M
- Georgia
- Texas Tech
- Oregon
- Ole Miss
- Oklahoma
- Notre Dame
- Alabama
- BYU
- Miami
- Utah
- Vanderbilt
- Michigan
- Texas
- USC
- Virginia
- Tennessee
- Arizona State
- SMU
- Pitt
- Georgia Tech
- Tulane
- Arizona
CFP Week 13 bracket
Here’s a look at what the 12-team CFP bracket looks like after Week 13:
- Ohio State
- Indiana
- Texas A&M
- Georgia
- Texas Tech
- Oregon
- Ole Miss
- Oklahoma
- Notre Dame
- Alabama
- Miami
- Tulane
* Denotes five highest ranked conference champions
CFP schedule
Here’s a full breakdown of the 2025-26 College Football Playoff bracket schedule:
CFP First-Round (On campus sites)
- Friday, Dec. 19
- Game 1: 8 p.m. ET
- Saturday, Dec. 20
- Game 2: Noon ET
- Game 3: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Game 4: 7:30 p.m. ET
CFP Quarterfinals
- Wednesday, Dec. 31
- Cotton Bowl (Game 5): 7:30 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Jan. 1
- Orange Bowl (Game 6): Noon ET
- Rose Bowl (Game 7): 4 p.m. ET
- Sugar Bowl (Game 8): 8 p.m. ET
CFP Semifinals
- Thursday, Jan. 8
- Fiesta Bowl (Game 9): 7:30 p.m. ET
- Friday, Jan. 9
- Peach Bowl (Game 10): 7:30 p.m. ET
CFP Championship
- Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium (Miami): 7:30 p.m. ET
When is the next CFP rankings reveal?
The fifth College Football Playoff top 25 rankings is set for 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 2. It is the final release of the top 25 rankings by the CFP selection committee before the official release on Sunday, Dec. 7 at noon ET.
Here’s a look at the remaining dates on when the College Football Playoff rankings will be released:
- Tuesday, Dec. 2: 7 p.m. ET
- Sunday, Dec. 7: Noon ET