2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season is the 156th season of college football in the United States, the 120th season organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the 50th of the highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The regular season began on August 23 and is scheduled to end on December 13. The postseason will begin on December 13, and, aside from any all-star games that are scheduled, end on January 19, 2026, with the College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This will be the second season of the 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) system.

2025 NCAA Division I FBS season
Number of teams	136
Duration	August 23, 2025 – December 13, 2025
Preseason AP No. 1	Texas
Postseason
Duration	December 13, 2025 – January 19, 2026
Bowl games	41
College Football Playoff
2026 College Football Playoff National Championship
Site	Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
NCAA Division I FBS football seasons
← 2024

Conference realignment

Two schools are playing their first FBS seasons in 2025; Delaware (from the Coastal Athletic Association) and Missouri State (from the Missouri Valley conference) began their transitions from Division I FCS in 2024 and joined Conference USA (CUSA) in July 2025. One formerly independent school, UMass, rejoined the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in 2025, but this time as a full member instead of football-only.

Team	Conference in 2024	Conference in 2025
Delaware	CAA Football (FCS)	CUSA
Missouri State	Missouri Valley (FCS)	CUSA
UMass	Independent (FBS)	MAC

The 2025 season will be the last for eight FBS teams in their current conferences.

School	Current conference	Future conference
Boise State	Mountain West	Pac-12
Colorado State	Mountain West	Pac-12
Fresno State	Mountain West	Pac-12
Northern Illinois	MAC	Mountain West
San Diego State	Mountain West	Pac-12
Texas State	Sun Belt	Pac-12
Utah State	Mountain West	Pac-12
UTEP	CUSA	Mountain West

Rule changes

The following playing rule changes were approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Committee on April 17, 2025:

• In an effort to reduce feigned injuries, if medical personnel have to enter the field to tend to an injured player after the ball is spotted by officials ready for play, that team will be charged a timeout (or a five-yard delay of game penalty if out of timeouts). If this occurs after the two-minute timeout (and the injury is the only reason for the clock to stop), a 10-second runoff applies if the team is out of timeouts.
• Starting with the third overtime period, teams will only be permitted one timeout to use until the game is concluded. Previously teams received a timeout for each overtime period, including the two-point attempts that begin with the third overtime.
• Eliminating media timeouts after the second overtime period, and reducing the mandatory rest periods in games without media timeouts to only after the second overtime period (instead of after the second and fourth overtimes).
• Once a decision is made on instant replay reviews, the referee will only use the terms "Overturned" and "Upheld". "Confirmed" or "Stands" will no longer be used.
• On punt formations, no player can be directly in line of the snap to a potential kicker and no player can be inside of the frame of the snapper to qualify as a legal scrimmage kick formation. If these requirements are not met, five players numbered 50-79 must be on the line of scrimmage. Also, if the snapper is on the end of a line, he loses the scrimmage kick protection and the defense can line up a player over the snapper.
• If a player on the kickoff return team gives a "T" signal with his arms, the team gives up their right to return the kickoff and the play will be whistled dead once the ball is caught or recovered.
• Enhance rules regarding words or signals used to distract opponents trying to put the ball in play. The terms "stem" and "move" would only be permitted for defenses, and defenses cannot use cadence or sounds that simulate offensive team signals.
• Included players attempting to recover a loose ball to the list of "defenseless players".
• Contact to an offensive player in a passing posture is now considered "Roughing the Passer". If targeting occurs with this act, the roughing the passer penalty would remain even if the targeting penalty is overturned on replay.
• Added "simulating brandishing a weapon" to the list of acts considered unsportsmanlike conduct.
• Codifying the rule change from the 2024's Ohio State–Oregon game, after the two-minute timeout, teams called for having 12 or more players participating in a down will be penalized five yards, and the offense would have the option to reset the game clock to the time at the start of the play. If the 12th or more player(s) were running off the field and had no influence on the play, the yardage penalty would apply but no clock reset option would be available. The clock reset option is also available without accepting the penalty.
• The Coach to Player (C2P green dot) communication technology currently used in FBS will be a permissible option for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). In 2026, the C2P technology will be allowed in Divisions II and III.

Points of emphasis

• Continued focus on protection of defenseless players, concussions, pre-snap actions from both offense/defense, and feigning injuries.
• Focus on penalizing taunting actions by players and pre-game actions between teams that become unsportsmanlike conduct.
• Sideline control, including leaving the playing area to dispute an officiating decision.
• Illegal contact against a passer.
• Pace of play and substituting during up-tempo offenses, ensuring defenses are not at a disadvantage before the snap.

Headlines

• April 25, 2025 – The University of Kentucky (UK) board of trustees approved a proposal to transfer the UK athletic program to a separate though related non-profit company known as Champions Blue, LLC. Both UK and outside media characterized the move, believed to be the first of its type by a major university, as a reaction to the then-impending settlement of the House v. NCAA legal case, which led to a formal revenue-sharing arrangement between athletic programs and student-athletes.
• July 21 – The American Athletic Conference announced a name change to the American Conference as part of a comprehensive rebranding strategy. The conference will also no longer use an initialism, opting for "American" as its short form.
• September 4 – The NCAA FBS Oversight Committee voted on major changes to the transfer portal. Under the proposal, the current 30-day period for players to enter the portal, divided into a 20-day December window and a 10-day April window, would be replaced by a single 10-day window that would run from January 2–11. This new 10-day window would apply to both undergraduate and graduate transfers. The committee also recommended that the month of December become a recruiting "dead period" during which coaches and recruits cannot meet in person, and that the signing date for new recruits change from August 1 to November 15 of a recruit's senior year in high school.
• September 17 – The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee approved the proposed single January transfer portal, but chose not to adopt the proposed January 2–11 dates. In response to feedback from FBS and FCS players, the oversight committees for both subdivisions were to discuss the dates and duration of the portal, with the Administrative Committee to set the final parameters at its scheduled October meeting. Players still competing in postseason play when the new portal closes will have a 5-day portal after their teams' final games, and the existing 30-day window for players undergoing a head coaching change will tentatively remain in place.
• September 29 – The FBS Oversight Committee recommended that the single January transfer portal be open for 15 days from January 2–16 instead of the originally proposed 10-day window. The revised recommendation also creates a 5-day window for players involved in postseason contests on or after January 12, with the window opening on the day after the team's last game. The Administrative Committee, whose next meeting was October 7–8, had to approve these changes before they took effect. The committee also discussed possible changes to the 30-day window for players undergoing a head coaching change, with continuing discussions set for its next scheduled meeting.
• October 8:
  • The Administrative Committee, which officially renamed itself the Division I Cabinet at its scheduled meeting, introduced a proposal to expand allowed logos on student-athletes' uniforms and equipment beyond those of the manufacturer. It also approved the following changes to the transfer portal, effective immediately:
    • The committee approved the previously recommended single window running from January 2–16. This only affects entry into the portal.
    • The window for players undergoing a head coaching change was modified. The window for these players will open five calendar days after the hiring or public announcement of a new head coach, and run for 15 days. Should a school not hire or announce a new head coach after 30 days from the previous coach's departure, a separate 15-day window will open on the 31st day, provided that the 31st day is on or after January 3. The opportunity for such a window will exist through June 30.
• October 12 – James Franklin was fired at Penn State after 12 seasons with the school. Franklin's contract had called for a buyout of more than $49 million, at the time the second biggest buyout in college football history, but a much lower buyout of $9 million was later negotiated when Franklin was hired for the vacancy at Virginia Tech. Franklin was 4–21 against AP top-10 opponents in his time at Penn State. Associate head coach Terry Smith will serve as the Nittany Lions' interim head coach for the remainder of the season, the school said.

Stadiums

• Due to the construction of a new press box at Bowers Stadium, Sam Houston is playing its 2025 home games at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston.
• The UCF Knights announced new naming rights as following the name change of FBC Mortage to Acrisure Mortgage, the FBC Mortgage Stadium was renamed to the Acrisure Bounce House.
• Following a donation of $100 million by businessman and Illinois alumnus Larry Gies to the school's athletic department, the Fighting Illini's stadium was renamed Gies Memorial Stadium in memory of his late father Larry Sr. shortly after the start of the season.
• As part of a project to better connect Rice University with the adjacent Rice Village shopping and restaurant district, the university announced that it would downsize Rice Stadium from its current capacity of about 47,000. By project completion, set for 2028, the new capacity is expected to be slightly over 30,000.
• On November 11, The University of Arizona announced a 20 year naming rights deal with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, with the venue now being called Casino Del Sol Stadium.

Kickoff games

Week 0

The regular season began on Saturday, August 23 with five games in Week 0.

• Aer Lingus College Football Classic (at Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland):
  • No. 22 Iowa State 24, No. 17 Kansas State 21
• Kansas 31, Fresno State 7
• Western Kentucky 41, Sam Houston 24
• Hawaii 23, Stanford 20
• UNLV 38, Idaho State 31

Week 1

• Aflac Kickoff Game (at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia):
  • No. 24 Tennessee 45, Syracuse 26
  • No. 13 South Carolina 24, Virginia Tech 11
• Duke's Mayo Classic (at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina):
  • Appalachian State 34, Charlotte 11

Top 10 matchups

Rankings through Week 10 reflect the AP poll. Rankings for Week 11 and beyond list College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP poll rankings second; teams that were not ranked in the top 10 of both polls are noted.

Regular season

• Week 1
  • No. 3 Ohio State 14, No. 1 Texas 7 (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio)
  • No. 9 LSU 17, No. 4 Clemson 10 (Memorial Stadium, Clemson, South Carolina)
  • No. 10 Miami (FL) 27, No. 6 Notre Dame, 24 (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida)
• Week 5
  • No. 6 Oregon 30, No. 3 Penn State 24 (2OT) (Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania)
• Week 7
  • No. 7 Indiana 30, No. 3 Oregon 20 (Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon)
• Week 8
  • No. 9 Georgia 43, No. 5 Ole Miss 35 (Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia)
• Week 11
  • No. 8/9 Texas Tech 29, No. 7/8 BYU 7 (Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas)
• Week 12
  • No. 5/5 Georgia 35, No. 10/10 Texas 10 (Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia)

Conference championship games

• No. 1/1 Ohio State vs. No. 2/2 Indiana (2025 Big Ten Football Championship Game, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana)
• No. 3/3 Georgia vs. No. 10/10 Alabama (2025 SEC Championship Game, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia)

Postseason

Bowl games

CFB Playoff games

CFB Playoff National championship game

FCS teams wins over FBS teams

Italics denotes FCS teams.

Date	Visiting team	Home team	Site	Result	Attendance	Ref.
August 29	No. 10 (FCS) Tarleton State	Army	Michie Stadium • West Point, New York	30–27 ^2OT	23,032
August 30	Austin Peay	Middle Tennessee	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee	34–14	18,505
September 6	Bryant	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, Massachusetts	27–26	3,714
September 6	LIU	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, Michigan	28–23	15,313
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

Upsets

This section lists unranked teams defeating AP Poll-ranked teams during the season.

Regular season

• August 28, 2025
  • South Florida 34, No. 25 Boise State 7
• August 30, 2025
  • Florida State 31, No. 8 Alabama 17
• September 6, 2025
  • Mississippi State 24, No. 12 Arizona State 20
  • South Florida 18, No. 13 Florida 16
  • Baylor 48, No. 17 SMU 45 ^2OT
• September 13, 2025
  • Vanderbilt 31, No. 11 South Carolina 7
  • Georgia Tech 24, No. 12 Clemson 21
• September 26, 2025
  • Virginia 46, No. 8 Florida State 38 ^2OT
  • Arizona State 27, No. 24 TCU 24
• October 4, 2025
  • UCLA 42, No. 7 Penn State 37
  • Florida 29, No. 9 Texas 21
  • Cincinnati 38, No. 14 Iowa State 30
• October 11, 2025
  • Texas 23, No. 6 Oklahoma 6
  • USC 31, No. 15 Michigan 13
  • Utah 42, No. 21 Arizona State 10
  • Colorado 24, No. 22 Iowa State 17
  • Pittsburgh 34, No. 25 Florida State 31
• October 17, 2025
  • Louisville 24, No. 2 Miami (FL) 21
  • Minnesota 24, No. 25 Nebraska 6
• October 18, 2025
  • Arizona State 26, No. 7 Texas Tech 22
  • UAB 31, No. 22 Memphis 24
• October 25, 2025
  • Memphis 34, No. 18 South Florida 31
  • Washington 42, No. 23 Illinois 25
  • Houston 24, No. 24 Arizona State 16
• November 1, 2025
  • NC State 48, No. 8 Georgia Tech 36
  • SMU 26, No. 10 Miami (FL) 20 ^OT
  • West Virginia 45, No. 22 Houston 35
• November 7, 2025
  • Tulane 38, No. 22 Memphis 32
• November 8, 2025
  • Wake Forest 16, No. 12 Virginia 9
  • California 29, No. 14 Louisville 26 ^OT
  • Wisconsin 13, No. 24 Washington 10
• November 14, 2025
  • Clemson 20, No. 19 Louisville 19
• November 15, 2025
  • Arizona 30, No. 22 Cincinnati 24
  • Navy 41, No. 25 South Florida 38
• November 22, 2025
  • Pittsburgh 42, No. 15 Georgia Tech 28
  • TCU 17, No. 25 Houston 14
• November 29, 2025
  • California 38, No. 25 SMU 35

Postseason

Bowl games

Conference standings

2025 American Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 24 Tulane y   7 – 1     10 – 2   North Texas y   7 – 1     11 – 1   Navy   7 – 1     9 – 2   South Florida   6 – 2     9 – 3   East Carolina   6 – 2     8 – 4   Memphis   4 – 4     8 – 4   Army   4 – 4     6 – 5   UTSA   4 – 4     6 – 6   Temple   3 – 5     5 – 7   Florida Atlantic   3 – 5     4 – 8   Rice   2 – 6     5 – 7   UAB   2 – 6     4 – 8   Tulsa   1 – 7     4 – 8   Charlotte   0 – 8     1 – 11   Championship: North Texas at Tulane $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of December 1, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings	2025 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 18 Virginia y   7 – 1     10 – 2   Duke y   6 – 2     7 – 5   No. 12 Miami (FL)   6 – 2     10 – 2   No. 23 Georgia Tech   6 – 2     9 – 3   No. 21 SMU   6 – 2     8 – 4   No. 22 Pittsburgh   6 – 2     8 – 4   Louisville   4 – 4     8 – 4   Wake Forest   4 – 4     8 – 4   NC State   4 – 4     7 – 5   California   4 – 4     7 – 5   Clemson   4 – 4     7 – 5   Stanford   3 – 5     4 – 8   Florida State   2 – 6     5 – 7   Virginia Tech   2 – 6     3 – 9   North Carolina   2 – 6     4 – 8   Boston College   1 – 7     2 – 10   Syracuse   1 – 7     3 – 9   Championship: Virginia vs. Duke $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of December 1, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings	2025 Big Ten Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Indiana y   9 – 0     12 – 0   No. 1 Ohio State y   9 – 0     12 – 0   No. 6 Oregon   8 – 1     11 – 1   No. 17 USC   7 – 2     9 – 3   No. 15 Michigan   7 – 2     9 – 3   Iowa   6 – 3     8 – 4   Washington   5 – 4     8 – 4   Illinois   5 – 4     8 – 4   Minnesota   5 – 4     7 – 5   Nebraska   4 – 5     7 – 5   Northwestern   4 – 5     6 – 6   UCLA   3 – 6     3 – 9   Penn State   3 – 6     6 – 6   Rutgers   2 – 7     5 – 7   Wisconsin   2 – 7     4 – 8   Michigan State   1 – 8     4 – 8   Maryland   1 – 8     4 – 8   Purdue   0 – 9     2 – 10   Championship: Indiana vs. Ohio State $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of December 1, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 Big 12 Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 5 Texas Tech y   8 – 1     11 – 1   No. 11 BYU y   8 – 1     11 – 1   No. 13 Utah   7 – 2     10 – 2   No. 25 Arizona   6 – 3     9 – 3   Houston   6 – 3     9 – 3   No. 20 Arizona State   6 – 3     8 – 4   Iowa State   5 – 4     8 – 4   TCU   5 – 4     8 – 4   Cincinnati   5 – 4     7 – 5   Kansas State   5 – 4     6 – 6   Baylor   3 – 6     5 – 7   Kansas   3 – 6     5 – 7   UCF   2 – 7     5 – 7   West Virginia   2 – 7     4 – 8   Colorado   1 – 8     3 – 9   Oklahoma State   0 – 9     1 – 11   Championship: Texas Tech vs. BYU ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of December 1, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings	2025 Conference USA football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Jacksonville State y   7 – 1     8 – 4   Kennesaw State y   7 – 1     9 – 3   Western Kentucky   6 – 2     8 – 4   Missouri State   5 – 3     7 – 5   FIU   5 – 3     7 – 5   Louisiana Tech   5 – 3     7 – 5   Delaware   4 – 4     6 – 6   Liberty   3 – 5     4 – 8   New Mexico State   2 – 6     4 – 8   Middle Tennessee   2 – 6     3 – 9   UTEP   1 – 7     2 – 10   Sam Houston   1 – 7     2 – 10   Championship: Kennesaw State at Jacksonville State $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of December 1, 2025	2025 Mid-American Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Western Michigan y   7 – 1     8 – 4   Miami (OH) y   6 – 2     7 – 5   Ohio   6 – 2     8 – 4   Toledo   6 – 2     8 – 4   Central Michigan   5 – 3     7 – 5   Akron*   4 – 4     5 – 7   Buffalo   4 – 4     5 – 7   Kent State   4 – 4     5 – 7   Ball State   3 – 5     4 – 8   Eastern Michigan   3 – 5     4 – 8   Bowling Green   2 – 6     4 – 8   Northern Illinois   2 – 6     3 – 9   UMass   0 – 8     0 – 12   Championship: Western Michigan vs. Miami (OH) $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant * Ineligible for postseason play due to low APR score As of December 1, 2025
2025 Mountain West Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Boise State y   6 – 2     8 – 4   UNLV y   6 – 2     10 – 2   San Diego State   6 – 2     9 – 3   New Mexico   6 – 2     9 – 3   Fresno State   5 – 3     8 – 4   Hawaii   5 – 3     8 – 4   Utah State   4 – 4     6 – 6   Air Force   3 – 5     4 – 8   Wyoming   2 – 6     4 – 8   San Jose State   2 – 6     3 – 9   Nevada   2 – 6     3 – 9   Colorado State   1 – 7     2 – 10   Championship: UNLV at Boise State As of December 1, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings	2025 Pac-12 Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Washington State   1 – 0     6 – 6   Oregon State   0 – 1     2 – 10   As of December 1, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings	2025 Southeastern Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 10 Alabama y   7 – 1     10 – 2   No. 4 Georgia y   7 – 1     11 – 1   No. 7 Ole Miss   7 – 1     11 – 1   No. 3 Texas A&M   7 – 1     11 – 1   No. 16 Texas   6 – 2     9 – 3   No. 8 Oklahoma   6 – 2     10 – 2   No. 14 Vanderbilt   6 – 2     10 – 2   Missouri   4 – 4     8 – 4   No. 19 Tennessee   4 – 4     8 – 4   LSU   3 – 5     7 – 5   Kentucky   2 – 6     5 – 7   Florida   2 – 6     4 – 8   Auburn   1 – 7     5 – 7   Mississippi State   1 – 7     5 – 7   South Carolina   1 – 7     4 – 8   Arkansas   0 – 8     2 – 10   Championship: Georgia vs. Alabama $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of December 1, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 Sun Belt Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   East Division James Madison xy   8 – 0     11 – 1   Old Dominion   6 – 2     9 – 3   Coastal Carolina   5 – 3     6 – 6   Georgia Southern   4 – 4     6 – 6   Marshall   3 – 5     5 – 7   Appalachian State   2 – 6     5 – 7   Georgia State   0 – 8     1 – 11   West Division Troy xy   6 – 2     8 – 4   Southern Miss   5 – 3     7 – 5   Louisiana   5 – 3     6 – 6   Arkansas State   5 – 3     6 – 6   Texas State   3 – 5     6 – 6   South Alabama   3 – 5     4 – 8   Louisiana–Monroe   1 – 7     3 – 9   Championship: Troy at James Madison x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of December 1, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings	2025 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 9 Notre Dame   –     10 – 2   UConn   –     9 – 3   As of December 1, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings

Rankings

The Top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls

Preseason polls

AP Ranking Team 1 Texas (25) 2 Penn State (23) 3 Ohio State (11) 4 Clemson (4) 5 Georgia (1) 6 Notre Dame 7 Oregon (1) 8 Alabama 9 LSU 10 Miami (FL) 11 Arizona State 12 Illinois 13 South Carolina 14 Michigan 15 Florida 16 SMU 17 Kansas State 18 Oklahoma 19 Texas A&M 20 Indiana 21 Ole Miss 22 Iowa State 23 Texas Tech 24 Tennessee 25 Boise State

USA Today Coaches Ranking Team 1 Texas (28) 2 Ohio State (20) 3 Penn State (14) 4 Georgia (3) 5 Notre Dame 6 Clemson (2) 7 Oregon 8 Alabama 9 LSU 10 Miami (FL) 11 Arizona State 12 Illinois 13 South Carolina 14 Michigan 15 Ole Miss 16 SMU 17 Florida 18 Tennessee 19 Indiana 20 Kansas State 21т Texas A&M Iowa State 23 BYU 24 Texas Tech 25 Boise State

Postseason

College Football Playoff bracket

This is the second year under the expanded College Football Playoff format. Under this format, the five highest-ranked conference champions will receive automatic bids, while the next seven highest-ranked teams will receive at-large bids. In a change starting this season, the top four seeds receive first-round byes, even if they are not conference champions.

First round

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Championship

Dec 31 – Cotton Bowl, AT&T Stadium

Dec 19 or 20 – Campus site

Jan 8 – Fiesta Bowl, State Farm Stadium

Jan 1 – Orange Bowl, Hard Rock Stadium

Dec 19 or 20 – Campus site

Jan 19 – Hard Rock Stadium

Jan 1 – Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl

Dec 19 or 20 – Campus site

Jan 9 – Peach Bowl, Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Jan 1 – Sugar Bowl, Caesars Superdome

Dec 19 or 20 – Campus site

This bracket:

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Projected bracket

Projected bracket based on November 25 rankings

First round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship Dec 31/Jan 1 Dec 19/20 – Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 1 Ohio State   Jan 8/9 8 Oklahoma               9 Notre Dame   Dec 31/Jan 1       Dec 19/20 – Jones AT&T Stadium 4 Georgia   Jan 19 – Hard Rock Stadium 5 Texas Tech               12 Tulane   Dec 31/Jan 1       Dec 19/20 – Autzen Stadium 3 Texas A&M   Jan 8/9 6 Oregon               11 Miami (FL)   Dec 31/Jan 1       Dec 19/20 – Vaught–Hemingway Stadium 2 Indiana   7 Ole Miss         10 Alabama

Bowl games

Normally, a team is required to have a .500 minimum winning percentage during the regular season to become bowl-eligible (six wins for an 11- or 12-game schedule, and seven wins for a 13-game schedule). If there are not enough winning teams to fulfill all open bowl slots, teams with losing records may be chosen to fill available bowl slots. Additionally, on the rare occasion in which a conference champion does not meet eligibility requirements, they are usually still chosen for bowl games via tie-ins for their conference.

Selection teams

The below lists of teams are based on team records as published by the NCAA and bowl eligibility criteria.

Bowl-eligible teams

• ACC (11): California, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (FL), NC State, Pittsburgh, SMU, Virginia, Wake Forest
• American (8): Army, East Carolina, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, South Florida, Tulane, UTSA
• Big Ten (12): Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, USC, Washington
• Big 12 (10): Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas State, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah
• CUSA (7): Delaware, FIU, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Louisiana Tech, Missouri State, Western Kentucky
• MAC (5): Central Michigan, Miami (OH), Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
• Mountain West (7): Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV, Utah State
• Pac-12 (1): Washington State
• SEC (10): Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, LSU, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
• SBC (9): Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, James Madison, Louisiana, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, Texas State, Troy
• Independent (2): Notre Dame, UConn

Number of postseason berths available: 82

Number of bowl-eligible teams: 82

Bowl-ineligible teams

• ACC (6): Boston College, Florida State, North Carolina, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
• American (6): Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Rice, Temple, Tulsa, UAB
• Big Ten (6): Maryland, Michigan State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, Wisconsin
• Big 12 (6): Baylor, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma State, UCF, West Virginia
• CUSA (5): Liberty, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, UTEP
• MAC (8): Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, UMass
• Mountain West (5): Air Force, Colorado State, Nevada, San Jose State, Wyoming
• Pac-12 (1): Oregon State
• SEC (6): Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, South Carolina
• SBC (5): Appalachian State, Georgia State, Louisiana–Monroe, Marshall, South Alabama

Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 54

1. 41 FBS bowl games plus the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
2. Delaware is normally bowl ineligible due to their FCS to FBS transition; however, as they posted a bowl-eligible record and there were not enough eligible teams, they were invited.
3. Missouri State is normally bowl ineligible due to their FCS to FBS transition; however, as they posted a bowl-eligible record and there were not enough eligible teams, they were invited.
4. Akron is ineligible due to low APR scores. The team posted a 5–7 record for the season, and would not have been bowl eligible regardless.

Conference summaries

Rankings in this section are based on CFP rankings released prior to the games (Week 13–December 2).

Note: Clicking on a link in the Conference column will open an article about that conference's championship game, where applicable.

Conference	Championship game				Players of the year				Coach of the year
	Date	Venue (Location)	Matchup	Result	Overall/MVP	Offensive	Defensive	Special teams
American	Dec 5	Yulman Stadium (New Orleans, Louisiana)	North Texas at Tulane		—
CUSA		AmFirst Stadium (Jacksonville, Alabama)	Kennesaw State at Jacksonville State
MW		Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)	UNLV at Boise State		—
Sun Belt		Bridgeforth Stadium (Harrisonburg, Virginia)	Troy (West) at James Madison (East)					—
ACC	Dec 6	Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)	Virginia vs Duke					—
Big Ten		Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, Indiana)	Ohio State vs Indiana		—				TBD (coaches & media)
Big 12		AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)	Texas Tech vs BYU		—
MAC		Ford Field (Detroit, Michigan)	Western Michigan vs Miami (OH)		—
SEC		Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)	Alabama vs Georgia		—
Pac-12†	—	—	—	—	—				—

Conference performance in bowl games

CFP bowl games are denoted in bold type. First-round CFP playoff games are included, and denoted as CFP1.

All-star games

Date	Time (EST)	Game	Site	Television	Participants	Results	Ref.
Dec 7, 2025	11:00 am	FCS Bowl	Municipal Stadium Daytona Beach, Florida	Varsity Sports Network	American Team National Team
Jan 10, 2026	Noon	Hula Bowl	Acrisure Bounce House Orlando, Florida	CBS Sports Network	Team Aina Team Kai
Jan 18, 2026	11:00 am	Tropical Bowl	Municipal Stadium Daytona Beach, Florida	Varsity Sports Network	American Team National Team
Jan 27, 2026	8:00 pm	East–West Shrine Bowl	AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas	NFL Network	East Team West Team
Jan 31, 2026	2:30 pm	Senior Bowl	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, Alabama		American Team National Team
Feb 21, 2026	4:00 pm	HBCU Legacy Bowl	Yulman Stadium New Orleans, Louisiana		Team Robinson Team Gaither

1. The stadium has an Orlando mailing address, but it is located in unincorporated Orange County.

Awards and honors

Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player

Player	School	Position	1st	2nd	3rd	Total

Other overall

Award	Winner	Position	School
AP Player of the Year
Lombardi Award
Maxwell Award	Jeremiyah Love Fernando Mendoza Julian Sayin	RB QB QB	Notre Dame Indiana Ohio State
SN Player of the Year
Walter Camp Award

Special overall

Award	Winner	Position	School
Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began as walk-on)
Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player)
Polynesian Football Player of the Year Award (top Polynesian player)
Jon Cornish Trophy (top Canadian player)
Campbell Trophy ("academic Heisman")
Academic All-American of the Year
Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete)	Matt Hofer Michael Taaffe Tanner Wall	OL DB S	Toledo Texas BYU

Offense

Quarterback

Award	Winner	School
Davey O'Brien Award	Fernando Mendoza Marcel Reed Julian Sayin	Indiana Texas A&M Ohio State
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award	Haynes King Fernando Mendoza Diego Pavia Marcel Reed Gunner Stockton	Georgia Tech Indiana Vanderbilt Texas A&M Georgia
Manning Award

Running back

Award	Winner	School
Doak Walker Award	Ahmad Hardy Kewan Lacy Jeremiyah Love	Missouri Ole Miss Notre Dame

Wide receiver

Award	Winner	School
Fred Biletnikoff Award	Skyler Bell Makai Lemon Jeremiah Smith	UConn USC Ohio State

Tight end

Award	Winner	School
John Mackey Award	Kenyon Sadiq Eli Stowers Michael Trigg	Oregon Vanderbilt Baylor

Lineman

Award	Winner	Position	School
Rimington Trophy (center)
Outland Trophy (interior lineman)	Spencer Fano Logan Jones Kayden McDonald	OT C DT	Utah Iowa Ohio State
Joe Moore Award (offensive line)	N/A

Defense

Award	Winner	Position	School
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player)
Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player)	Caleb Downs Cashius Howell Jacob Rodriguez	S DE LB	Ohio State Texas A&M Texas Tech
Lott Trophy (defensive impact)

Defensive front

Award	Winner	School
Dick Butkus Award (linebacker)
Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end)

Defensive back

Award	Winner	Position	School
Jim Thorpe Award	Mansoor Delane Caleb Downs Leonard Moore	CB S CB	LSU Ohio State Notre Dame

Special teams

Award	Winner	School
Lou Groza Award (placekicker)	Aidan Birr Kansei Matsuzawa Tate Sandell	Georgia Tech Hawaiʻi Oklahoma
Ray Guy Award (punter)	Brett Thorson Evan Crenshaw Palmer Williams	Georgia Troy Baylor
Jet Award (return specialist)
Patrick Mannelly Award (long snapper)

Coaches

Award	Winner	School
AFCA Coach of the Year
AP Coach of the Year
Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
George Munger Award
Home Depot Coach of the Year
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award
Walter Camp Coach of the Year

Assistants

Award	Winner	Coordinator	School
AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year
Broyles Award

All-Americans

The following players were recognized as consensus All-Americans for 2025. Unanimous selections are followed by an asterisk (*).

2025 Consensus All-Americans

Name	Position	Year	University
	Quarterback
	Running back
	Wide receiver
	Tight end
	Offensive line
	Defensive line
	Linebacker
	Defensive back
	Kicker
	Punter
	All-purpose/return specialist

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2025, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled game before its bowl game. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2025, see 2024 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.

School	Outgoing Coach	Date	Reason	Contract Buyout	Replacement
Virginia Tech	Brent Pry	September 14, 2025	Fired	$6 million	Philip Montgomery (interim)
UCLA	DeShaun Foster	September 14, 2025	Fired	$5 million	Tim Skipper (interim)
Oklahoma State	Mike Gundy	September 23, 2025	Fired	$15 million	Doug Meacham (interim)
Arkansas	Sam Pittman	September 28, 2025	Fired	$9.8 million	Bobby Petrino (interim)
Oregon State	Trent Bray	October 12, 2025	Fired	$4 million	Robb Akey (interim)
Penn State	James Franklin	October 12, 2025	Fired	$9 million	Terry Smith (interim)
UAB	Trent Dilfer	October 12, 2025	Fired	$2.4 million	Alex Mortensen (interim)
Florida	Billy Napier	October 19, 2025	Fired	$21 million	Billy Gonzales (interim)
Colorado State	Jay Norvell	October 19, 2025	Fired	$1.5 million	Tyson Summers (interim)
LSU	Brian Kelly	October 26, 2025	Fired	$54 million	Frank Wilson (interim)
Auburn	Hugh Freeze	November 2, 2025	Fired	$15.8 million	D. J. Durkin (interim)
California	Justin Wilcox	November 23, 2025	Fired	$10.9 million	Nick Rolovich (interim, bowl)
UConn	Jim L. Mora	November 26, 2025	Hired by Colorado State	N/A	Gordon Sammis (interim, bowl)
South Florida	Alex Golesh	November 30, 2025	Hired by Auburn	N/A	Kevin Patrick (interim, bowl)
Memphis	Ryan Silverfield	November 30, 2025	Hired by Arkansas	N/A	Reggie Howard (interim, bowl)
Coastal Carolina	Tim Beck	November 30, 2025	Fired	$1.7 million	Jeremiah Johnson (interim, bowl)
Ole Miss	Lane Kiffin	November 30, 2025	Hired by LSU	N/A	Pete Golding

End of season

The list includes coaching changes announced during the season that will not take effect until the end of the season.

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement	Previous position
Virginia Tech	Philip Montgomery (interim)	November 17, 2025	Permanent replacement	James Franklin	Penn State head coach
Oklahoma State	Doug Meacham (interim)	November 25, 2025	Permanent replacement	Eric Morris	North Texas head coach
North Texas	Eric Morris	November 25, 2025	Hired by Oklahoma State	TBD
Colorado State	Tyson Summers (interim)	November 26, 2025	Permanent replacement	Jim L. Mora	UConn head coach
Oregon State	Robb Akey (interim)	November 28, 2025	Permanent replacement	JaMarcus Shephard	Alabama co-offensive coordinator
Stanford	Frank Reich (interim)	November 28, 2025	Permanent replacement	Tavita Pritchard	Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach
Auburn	D. J. Durkin (interim)	November 30, 2025	Permanent replacement	Alex Golesh	South Florida head coach
Arkansas	Bobby Petrino (interim)	November 30, 2025	Permanent replacement	Ryan Silverfield	Memphis head coach
Florida	Billy Gonzales (interim)	November 30, 2025	Permanent replacement	Jon Sumrall	Tulane head coach
Tulane	Jon Sumrall	November 30, 2025	Hired by Florida	TBD
Michigan State	Jonathan Smith	November 30, 2025	Fired	TBD
LSU	Frank Wilson (interim)	November 30, 2025	Permanent replacement	Lane Kiffin	Ole Miss head coach
Kentucky	Mark Stoops	November 30, 2025	Fired	TBD

1. Franklin had originally been owed $49 million, but he and Penn State agreed to the lower buyout after he was hired by Virginia Tech.

Television viewers and ratings

Top 10 most watched regular season games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the AP Poll (before 11/4) and CFP Rankings (thereafter).

Rank	Date	Time	Matchup				Network	Viewers (millions)	Location	Significance
1	August 30, 2025	12:00 p.m.	No. 1 Texas	7	No. 3 Ohio State	14	Fox	16.62	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	College GameDay, Big Noon Kickoff
2	September 13, 2025	3:30 p.m.	No. 6 Georgia	44	No. 15 Tennessee	41	ABC	12.58	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	Rivalry, College GameDay
3	August 31, 2025	7:30 p.m.	No. 6 Notre Dame	24	No. 10 Miami	27		10.80	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL	Rivalry, Kickoff game (Week 1)
4	August 30, 2025	3:30 p.m.	No. 8 Alabama	17	Florida State	31		10.66	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL
5	November 15, 2025	3:30 p.m.	No. 11 Oklahoma	23	No. 4 Alabama	21		10.48	Saban Field at Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL
6	August 30, 2025	7:30 p.m.	No. 9 LSU	17	No. 4 Clemson	10		10.45	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	Kickoff game (Week 1)
7	November 15, 2025	7:30 p.m.	No. 10 Texas	10	No. 5 Georgia	35		10.43	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA
8	September 27, 2025	7:30 p.m.	No. 17 Alabama	24	No. 5 Georgia	21		10.42	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	Rivalry
9	October 18, 2025	3:30 p.m.	No. 5 Ole Miss	35	No. 9 Georgia	43		9.79	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	College GameDay
10	September 6, 2025	7:30 p.m.	No. 15 Michigan	13	No. 18 Oklahoma	24		9.67	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	College GameDay

Conference championship games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the CFP Rankings.

Rank	Date	Time	Matchup				Network	Viewers (millions)	Conference	Location
	December 5		UNLV		Boise State		Fox		MW	Albertsons Stadium Boise, Idaho
		7:00 p.m.	Troy		James Madison		ESPN		Sun Belt	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, Virginia
—		7:00 p.m.	Kennesaw State		Jacksonville State		CBSSN		CUSA	AmFirst Stadium Jacksonville, Alabama
		8:00 pm	North Texas		Tulane		ABC		AAC	Yulman Stadium New Orleans, Louisiana
	December 6	12:00 p.m.	BYU		Texas Tech				Big 12	AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
			Miami (OH)		Western Michigan		ESPN		MAC	Ford Field, Detroit, MI
		4:00 p.m.	Georgia		Alabama		ABC		SEC	Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
		8:00 p.m.	Duke		Virginia				ACC	Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
			Indiana		Ohio State		FOX		Big Ten	Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

Most watched non-CFP bowl games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the CFP Rankings.

Rank	Date	Time	Matchup				Network	Viewers (millions)	Game	Location

College Football Playoff games

Rank	Date	Time	Matchup				Network	Viewers (millions)	Game	Location
		8:00 pm (ET)					ABC/ESPN		Non-bowl game (First round)	TBD TBD (Campus site)
	December	12:00 pm (ET)					TNT			TBD TBD (Campus site)
		4:00 pm (ET)								TBD TBD (Campus site)
		8:00 pm (ET)					ABC/ESPN			TBD TBD (Campus site)
	December 31	7:30 pm (ET)					ESPN		Cotton Bowl Classic (Quarterfinals)	AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas
	January 1	1:00 pm (ET)							2026 Orange Bowl (Quarterfinals)	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida
		5:00 pm (ET)							Rose Bowl (Quarterfinals)	Rose Bowl Pasadena, California
		4:00 pm (ET)							Sugar Bowl (Quarterfinals)	Caesars Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana
	January 8	7:30 pm (ET)							Fiesta Bowl (Semifinals)	State Farm Stadium Glendale, Arizona
	January 9								Peach Bowl (Semifinals)	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia
	January 19								College Football Playoff National Championship	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida

Television changes

This is the first season of a new television contract for the Big 12 Conference with ESPN, Fox Sports and TNT Sports. ESPN hold the rights to the top four college football games per season, and twelve of the top twenty games, along with the Big 12 Championship Game. TNT Sports sublicense thirteen games from ESPN.

The Pac-12 Conference renewed their media partnership with The CW for the 2025 season, while also agreeing to two-game deals with ESPN and CBS Sports. While The CW will continue to carry majority of the home games for Oregon State and Washington State, ESPN will carry two Oregon State home games and CBS will carry one home game from each school in primetime.

This is the final year of the Mountain West Conference's broadcast agreement with Fox Sports and CBS Sports. The conference has not yet announced a new agreement. Despite being announced as a multi-year deal, the Mountain West did not continue an agreement with TNT Sports from 2024 to air 14 games on TruTV.

Attendances

See also

• 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season
• 2025 NCAA Division II football season
• 2025 NCAA Division III football season
• 2025 NAIA football season
• 2025 U Sports football season

Notes