Every matchup from the Celebration Bowl to the national title game

The 2025 college football season is nearly here, and while we all look forward to 16 weeks of excitement, upsets and general mayhem, there will be even more where that came from once we hit the postseason.

The highlight of that, of course, is the 12-team College Football Playoff, now in its second year. As in last season's inaugural CFP, the five highest-ranked conference champions, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams, will make the field. Unlike last year, the four highest-ranked teams (not necessarily conference champions) will be awarded first-round byes. The other eight teams will meet in first-round games at the campus sites of seeds Nos. 5 through 8.

From there, the quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in what had been the New Year's Six bowls, with this season's national championship game scheduled for Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

All of that is just the tip of the iceberg, though. Apart from the playoff is the 35-game slate of bowl games, beginning with the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Dec. 13.

We're here for all of it.

Although no games have yet been played, ESPN bowl gurus Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are nonetheless projecting every postseason matchup, including their breakdowns of how the playoff will play out, just to whet your appetite for the fun ahead.

And we'll be back every week of the season until the actual matchups are set.

Jump to a section: Playoff picks | Quarterfinals Semis, title game | Bowl season

College Football Playoff

First-round games (at campus sites)

Friday, Dec. 19/Saturday, Dec. 20

Times and networks TBD.

Bonagura: No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Georgia Schlabach: No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Ohio State

Bonagura: No. 11 Miami at No. 6 Notre Dame Schlabach: No. 11 Arizona State at No. 6 Alabama

Bonagura: No. 10 Arizona State at No. 7 Alabama Schlabach: No. 10 LSU at No. 7 Notre Dame

Bonagura: No. 9 LSU at No. 8 Oregon Schlabach: No. 9 Miami at No. 8 Oregon

First-round breakdown

Bonagura: There shouldn't be any major surprises here, just as there shouldn't be any confidence from anyone talking about what to expect in college football come December while we're still in August. Here in the era of free agency, it has become even harder to have a good sense of what most teams will truly look like, and anyone who says otherwise is just faking it.

The old formula -- last season's success + returning starters (QB?) = projection -- isn't as reliable as it used to be. That said, the usual suspects have the money to remain at the top of the sport and that matters more than ever.

Schlabach: It's a crapshoot when you're picking the 12 best teams in mid-August, but I gave it my best shot. I went with Texas, Clemson, Penn State and Georgia as my top four seeds, even though the Longhorns and Bulldogs will be breaking in new starting quarterbacks (although Arch Manning and Gunner Stockton did get some playing time last year). Both teams had to replace a plethora of star players who were selected in the NFL draft, but few programs have recruited as well as Georgia and Texas in recent seasons. Honestly, I could see one of three teams --Texas, Georgia or Alabama -- winning the SEC, and I think many people might be sleeping on the Crimson Tide after they lost four games in Kalen DeBoer's first season as coach. It was never going to be easy for anyone to replace Nick Saban, and I still believe DeBoer is one of the best coaches in the sport.

I love what Clemson is bringing back on the defensive line, and I think Cade Klubnik is going to be a star. Penn State brings back many of its best players from a team that just missed reaching the CFP National Championship game last season. If Drew Allar takes the next step, the Nittany Lions might be the class of the Big Ten.

CFP quarterfinals

Wednesday, Dec. 31

CFP quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) 7:30 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 1 Texas Schlabach: No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 1 Texas

Thursday, Jan. 1

CFP quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida) Noon, ESPN Bonagura: No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 4 Clemson Schlabach: No. 10 LSU vs. No. 2 Clemson

CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California) 4 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 2 Penn State Schlabach: No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 3 Penn State

CFP quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Caesars Superdome (New Orleans) 8 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 3 Ohio State Schlabach: No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Georgia

Quarterfinals breakdown

Bonagura: After the 12-team playoff was introduced last year, there was one thing I hammered almost every week in this space: It was ridiculous to give the top four seeds to conference champions. It was a format that punished the No. 1 seed, when one of the main purposes of a seeding system is to reward the best team. (No. 1 Oregon was "rewarded" with a quarterfinal against eventual champion Ohio State.)

The intent was understandable, but good on the powers that be who reversed course after one year and installed the commonsense straight seeding format this year. It will likely mean multiple teams from the same conference will get byes -- and that's fine. In this case, I have two teams from the Big Ten (Penn State and Ohio State), while Mark has two from the SEC (Texas and Georgia).

Schlabach: I had Ohio State, Alabama, LSU and Oregon advancing out of the first-round games. I'm not quite as sold on the Ducks as the other three programs with unproven Dante Moore taking over at quarterback and star receiver Evan Stewart sidelined with a knee injury. Oregon's defense needs to take another step after allowing 109 points in three games against Ohio State and Penn State (although the Ducks did win two of those games). The Ducks play the Nittany Lions on the road Sept. 27 and they don't play Ohio State, Illinois or Michigan during the regular season.

If LSU's defense is markedly better this season, the Tigers could be an SEC title contender. They should have one of the most explosive offenses in the FBS with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and receiver Aaron Anderson returning, plus a handful of playmakers from the transfer portal.

CFP semifinals, national championship game

Thursday, Jan. 8

CFP semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona) 7:30 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 1 Texas Schlabach: No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 1 Texas

Friday, Jan. 9

CFP semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) 7:30 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Penn State Schlabach: No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 2 Clemson

Monday, Jan. 19

CFP National Championship Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida) 7:45 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 1 Texas Schlabach: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 1 Texas

National championship breakdown

Bonagura: According to ESPN BET, there are nine teams with odds of between +550 and +1,500 to win the national title. It's not a perfect science, of course, but there is a high likelihood the eventual champion will come from that group: Ohio State (+550), Texas (+550), Penn State (+650), Georgia (+800), Clemson (+900), Alabama (+1,000), Notre Dame (+1,100), Oregon (+1,400) and LSU (+1,500). If you're looking for semifinal teams, then this group is also a good place to start.

Schlabach: I have my top four seeds advancing to the semifinals and top two playing in the CFP National Championship game. As we witnessed last year, the 12-team CFP is much more unpredictable, given the long layoffs for the top seeds and teams getting hot at the right time of the season.

The Georgia-Texas matchup in the Fiesta Bowl would be a rematch of last year's SEC championship game, which the Bulldogs won 22-19 in overtime. The Longhorns also lost to the Bulldogs at home during the regular season in 2024, and they might have to once again figure out a way to get past them to win the SEC. Texas plays at Georgia on Nov. 15 in one of the league's most anticipated games. A Penn State-Clemson contest in the Peach Bowl would feature two of the game's best quarterbacks. It would also be an intriguing chess match with former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Tom Allen joining Dabo Swinney's staff this season.

I have Clemson and Texas meeting in the national championship game, and I'll go with the Longhorns to win it all. That's putting a lot on Arch Manning in his first season as a starter, and the Texas offensive line is going to have to do a better job of protecting the quarterback than it did in big contests last season.

Complete bowl season schedule

Saturday, Dec. 13

Cricket Celebration Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) Noon, ABC Bonagura: Southern vs. South Carolina State Schlabach: Jackson State vs. South Carolina State

LA Bowl SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California) 9 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Colorado vs. UNLV Schlabach: Oregon State vs. San José State

Tuesday, Dec. 16

IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama) 9 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Appalachian State vs. Western Kentucky Schlabach: Eastern Michigan vs. Jacksonville State

Wednesday, Dec. 17

StaffDNA Cure Bowl Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) 5 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: UConn vs. Florida Atlantic Schlabach: Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina

68 Ventures Bowl Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama) 8:30 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: James Madison vs. Florida International Schlabach: Georgia Southern vs. Miami (Ohio)

Friday, Dec. 19

Myrtle Beach Bowl Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina) Noon, ESPN Bonagura: Jacksonville State vs. South Alabama Schlabach: East Carolina vs. James Madison

Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida) 3:30 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Auburn vs. Boston College Schlabach: Vanderbilt vs. North Carolina

Monday, Dec. 22

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho) 2 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Toledo vs. San José State Schlabach: Buffalo vs. Air Force

Tuesday, Dec. 23

Boca Raton Bowl Flagler Credit Union Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida) 2 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: East Carolina vs. Ohio Schlabach: South Florida vs. Toledo

New Orleans Bowl Caesars Superdome (New Orleans) 5:30 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Louisiana vs. Liberty Schlabach: Louisiana vs. Western Kentucky

Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl Frisco, Texas 9 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Georgia Southern vs. Northern Illinois Schlabach: North Texas vs. Sam Houston State

Wednesday, Dec. 24

Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu) 8 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Fresno State vs. Oregon State Schlabach: UNLV vs. Navy

Friday, Dec. 26

GameAbove Sports Bowl Ford Field (Detroit) 1 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Maryland vs. Miami (Ohio) Schlabach: Michigan State vs. Ohio

Rate Bowl Chase Field (Phoenix) 4:30 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Baylor vs. Iowa Schlabach: TCU vs. Minnesota

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas) 8 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Cincinnati vs. Texas State Schlabach: UTSA vs. Arkansas State

Saturday, Dec. 27

Go Bowling Military Bowl Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland) 11 a.m., ESPN Bonagura: Duke vs. Army Schlabach: Virginia Tech vs. Memphis

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl Yankee Stadium (Bronx, New York) Noon, ABC Bonagura: North Carolina vs. Illinois Schlabach: Pittsburgh vs. Iowa

Wasabi Fenway Bowl Fenway Park (Boston) 2:15 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: NC State vs. Navy Schlabach: NC State vs. Tulane

Pop-Tarts Bowl Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) 3:30 p.m., ABC Bonagura: SMU vs. Texas Tech Schlabach: Louisville vs. Texas Tech

Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona) 4:30 p.m., CW Network Bonagura: Bowling Green vs. Colorado State Schlabach: Bowling Green vs. Fresno State

Isleta New Mexico Bowl University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 5:45 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Hawai'i vs. Cal Schlabach: Colorado State vs. Texas State

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida) 7:30 p.m. ABC Bonagura: Virginia Tech vs. Missouri Schlabach: Georgia Tech vs. Missouri

Kinder's Texas Bowl NRG Stadium (Houston) 9:15 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: BYU vs. Texas A&M Schlabach: Iowa State vs. Tennessee

Monday, Dec. 29

Birmingham Bowl Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama) 2 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Arkansas vs. Tulane Schlabach: Auburn vs. Boston College

Tuesday, Dec. 30

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana) 2 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Iowa State vs. Louisiana Tech Schlabach: BYU vs. Liberty

Music City Bowl Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee) 5:30 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Minnesota vs. Oklahoma Schlabach: Michigan vs. Ole Miss

Valero Alamo Bowl Alamodome (San Antonio) 9 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Kansas State vs. Washington Schlabach: Kansas State vs. USC

Wednesday, Dec. 31

ReliaQuest Bowl Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida) Noon, ESPN Bonagura: Indiana vs. Ole Miss Schlabach: Indiana vs. South Carolina

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas) 2 p.m., CBS Bonagura: Virginia vs. UCLA Schlabach: Florida State vs. Colorado

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) 3 p.m., ABC Bonagura: Michigan vs. Tennessee Schlabach: Illinois vs. Texas A&M

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas) 3:30 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Nebraska vs. Utah Schlabach: Nebraska vs. Utah

Friday, Jan. 2

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas) 1 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: TCU vs. Memphis Schlabach: Kansas vs. Army

AutoZone Liberty Bowl Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee) 4:30 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Kansas vs. Florida Schlabach: Baylor vs. Oklahoma

Duke's Mayo Bowl Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina) 8 p.m., ESPN Bonagura: Louisville vs. South Carolina Schlabach: Duke vs. Florida

TBD

DIRECTV Holiday Bowl Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego) Time TBD, Fox Bonagura: Georgia Tech vs. USC Schlabach: SMU vs. Washington