2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season

Last updated

2025 NCAA Division I FBS season
NCAA logo.svg
Number of teams136
DurationAugust 23, 2025 – December 13, 2025
Preseason AP No. 1 Texas
Postseason
DurationDecember 13, 2025 – January 19, 2026
Bowl games 41 [a]
Heisman Trophy Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
College Football Playoff
2026 College Football Playoff National Championship
Site Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
NCAA Division I FBS football seasons
←  2024
 

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 ended on December 13. The postseason began 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.

Contents

Conference realignment

Two schools were 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. [1] [2] One formerly independent school, UMass, rejoined the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in 2025, but this time as a full member instead of football-only. [3] [4]

TeamConference in 2024Conference 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. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

SchoolCurrent conferenceFuture 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: [10]

Points of emphasis

Headlines

Stadiums

Kickoff games

Week 0

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

Week 1

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

DateVisiting teamHome teamSiteResultAttendanceRef.
August 30No. 1  Texas No. 3  Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, Ohio ( College GameDay , Big Noon Kickoff ) 7–14  107,524 [28]
August 30No. 9  LSU No. 4  Clemson Memorial Stadium • Clemson, South Carolina  17–10  81,500 [29]
August 31No. 6  Notre Dame No. 10  Miami (FL) Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida (rivalry) 24–27  66,793 [30]
September 27No. 6  Oregon No. 3  Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, Pennsylvania (College GameDay) 30–24 2OT 111,015 [31]
October 11No. 7  Indiana No. 3  Oregon Autzen Stadium • Eugene, Oregon (College GameDay) 30–20  59,625 [32]
October 18No. 5  Ole Miss No. 9  Georgia Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia (College GameDay) 35–43  93,033 [33]
November 8No. 7/8  BYU No. 8/9  Texas Tech Jones AT&T Stadium • Lubbock, Texas (College GameDay) 7–29  60,229 [34]
November 15No. 10/10  Texas No. 5/5  Georgia Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia ( SEC Nation ) 10–35  93,033 [35]
#Rankings from AP poll and CFP released prior to the game.

Conference championship games

DateVisiting teamHome teamSiteResultAttendanceRef.
December 6No. 2/2  Indiana No. 1/1  Ohio State Lucas Oil Stadium • Indianapolis, Indiana (Big Ten Championship Game, Big Noon Kickoff) 13–10  68,214 [36] [37]
December 6No. 3/3  Georgia No. 9/10  Alabama Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia (SEC Championship Game, rivalry, College GameDay, SEC Nation) 28–7  77,247 [38] [39]
#Rankings from AP poll and CFP released prior to the game.

Postseason

DateVisiting teamHome teamSiteResultAttendanceRef.
December 19No. 9/11  Alabama No. 8/8  Oklahoma Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma (CFP first round, College GameDay , SEC Nation ) 34–24  83,550 [40]
December 20No. 10/10  Miami (FL) No. 7/7  Texas A&M Kyle Field • College Station, Texas (CFP first round, College GameDay) 10–3  104,122 [41]
#Rankings from AP poll and CFP released prior to the game.

FCS teams wins over FBS teams

Italics denotes FCS teams.

DateVisiting teamHome teamSiteResultAttendanceRef.
August 29No. 10 (FCS)  Tarleton State Army Michie Stadium • West Point, New York  30–27 2OT 23,032 [42] [43]
August 30 Austin Peay Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee  34–14  18,505 [42] [44]
September 6 Bryant UMass Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, Massachusetts  27–26  3,714 [42] [45]
September 6 LIU Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, Michigan  28–23  15,313 [42] [46]
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

Upsets

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

Regular season

DateVisiting teamHome teamSiteResultAttendanceRef.
August 28No. 25  Boise State South Florida Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, Florida  7–34  34,707 [47]
August 30No. 8  Alabama Florida State Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, Florida  17–31  67,277 [48]
September 6No. 12  Arizona State Mississippi State Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi [b]  20–24  50,808 [49]
September 6 South Florida No. 13  Florida Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida  18–16  89,909 [50]
September 6 Baylor No. 17  SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, Texas [c]  48–45 2OT 34,852 [51]
September 13 Vanderbilt No. 11  South Carolina Williams–Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina  31–7  79,873 [52]
September 13No. 12  Clemson Georgia Tech Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia (rivalry) 21–24  48,059 [53]
September 26No. 8  Florida State Virginia Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, Virginia (Jefferson–Eppes Trophy) 46–38 2OT 50,107 [54]
September 26No. 24  TCU Arizona State Mountain America Stadium • Tempe, Arizona  24–27  53,774 [55]
October 4No. 7  Penn State UCLA Rose Bowl • Pasadena, California  37–42  39,256 [56]
October 4No. 9  Texas Florida Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida ( SEC Nation ) 21–29  90,714 [57]
October 4No. 14  Iowa State Cincinnati Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio 30–38  38,007 [58]
October 11No. 6  Oklahoma Texas Cotton Bowl • Dallas, Texas (Red River Rivalry) 6–23  92,100 [59]
October 11No. 15  Michigan USC Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, California 13–31  75,500 [60]
October 11No. 21  Arizona State Utah Rice–Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, Utah 10–42  51,444 [61]
October 11No. 22  Iowa State Colorado Folsom Field • Boulder, Colorado  17–24  52,698 [62]
October 11 Pittsburgh No. 25  Florida State Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, Florida 34–31  65,256 [63]
October 17 Louisville No. 2  Miami (FL) Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida (Schnellenberger Trophy) 24–21  66,573 [64]
October 17No. 25  Nebraska Minnesota Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, Minnesota ($5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy) 6–24  48,549 [65]
October 18No. 7  Texas Tech Arizona State Mountain America Stadium • Tempe, Arizona 22–26  54,177 [66]
October 18No. 22  Memphis UAB Protective Stadium • Birmingham, Alabama (Battle for the Bones) 24–31  19,037 [67]
October 25No. 18  South Florida Memphis Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium • Memphis, Tennessee  31–34  30,940 [68]
October 25No. 23  Illinois Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, Washington 25–42  68,630 [69]
October 25 Houston No. 24  Arizona State Mountain America Stadium • Tempe, Arizona 24–16  54,256 [70]
November 1No. 8  Georgia Tech NC State Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, North Carolina  36–48  56,919 [71]
November 1No. 10т  Miami (FL) SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, Texas [c]  20–26 OT 35,074 [72]
November 1 West Virginia No. 22  Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas 45–35  25,049 [73]
November 7 Tulane No. 22  Memphis Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium • Memphis, Tennessee 38–32  30,384 [74]
November 8 Wake Forest No. 12  Virginia Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, Virginia 16–9  55,568 [75]
November 8 California No. 14  Louisville L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky  29–26 OT 51,381 [76]
November 8No. 24  Washington Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, Wisconsin  10–13  71,217 [77]
November 14 Clemson No. 19  Louisville L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky 20–19  51,234 [78]
November 15 Arizona No. 22  Cincinnati Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio 30–24  37,099 [79]
November 15No. 25  South Florida Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, Maryland  38–41  34,856 [80]
November 22 Pittsburgh No. 15  Georgia Tech Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia 42–28  52,413 [81]
November 22 TCU No. 25  Houston TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas 17–14  30,852 [82]
November 29No. 25  SMU California California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California  35–38  28,956 [83]
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.
  1. ↑ 41 FBS bowl games plus the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
  2. ↑ Although Mississippi State is usually identified as being in Starkville, virtually all of the campus, including the stadium, lies outside the Starkville city limits, with a mailing address of Mississippi State.
  3. 1 2 Virtually all of the SMU campus, including the stadium, is outside the Dallas city limits in the separate city of University Park. However, all of University Park has a Dallas mailing address.

Conference championship games

Postseason

Bowl games

Conference standings

2025 American Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 20 Tulane y$^ 7–1  11–3 
No. 25 North Texas y 7–1  12–2 
Navy  7–1  10–2 
South Florida  6–2  9–4 
East Carolina  6–2  9–4 
Memphis  4–4  8–5 
Army  4–4  7–6 
UTSA  4–4  7–6 
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: Tulane 34, North Texas 21
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
As of December 30, 2025
Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 19 Virginia y 7–1  11–3 
Duke y$ 6–2  8–5 
No. 10 Miami (FL) ^ 6–2  11–2 
No. 22 Georgia Tech  6–2  9–4 
SMU  6–2  8–4 
Pittsburgh  6–2  8–5 
Louisville  4–4  9–4 
Wake Forest  4–4  8–4 
NC State  4–4  8–5 
California  4–4  7–6 
Clemson  4–4  7–6 
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: Duke 27, Virginia 20OT
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
As of December 30, 2025
Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 1 Indiana y$^ 9–0  13–0 
No. 2 Ohio State y^ 9–0  12–1 
No. 5 Oregon ^ 8–1  12–1 
No. 16 USC  7–2  9–3 
No. 18 Michigan  7–2  9–3 
No. 23 Iowa  6–3  8–4 
Washington  5–4  9–4 
Illinois  5–4  8–4 
Minnesota  5–4  8–5 
Nebraska  4–5  7–5 
Northwestern  4–5  7–6 
UCLA  3–6  3–9 
Penn State  3–6  7–6 
Wisconsin  2–7  4–8 
Rutgers  2–7  5–7 
Michigan State  1–8  4–8 
Maryland  1–8  4–8 
Purdue  0–9  2–10 
Championship: Indiana 13, Ohio State 10
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
As of December 30, 2025
Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 Big 12 Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 4 Texas Tech y$^ 8–1  12–1 
No. 12 BYU y 8–1  12–2 
No. 15 Utah  7–2  10–2 
No. 21 Houston  6–3  10–3 
No. 17 Arizona  6–3  9–3 
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 34, BYU 7
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
As of December 30, 2025
Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 Conference USA football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Kennesaw State y$ 7–1  10–4 
Jacksonville State y 7–1  9–5 
Western Kentucky  6–2  9–4 
Missouri State  5–3  7–6 
FIU  5–3  7–6 
Louisiana Tech  5–3  7–5 
Delaware  4–4  7–6 
Liberty  3–5  4–8 
Middle Tennessee  2–6  3–9 
New Mexico State  2–6  4–8 
UTEP  1–7  2–10 
Sam Houston  1–7  2–10 
Championship: Kennesaw State 19, Jacksonville State 15
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
As of December 30, 2025
2025 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Western Michigan y$ 7–1  10–4 
Miami (OH) y 6–2  7–7 
Ohio  6–2  9–4 
Toledo  6–2  8–5 
Central Michigan  5–3  7–6 
Akron* 4–4  5–7 
Buffalo  4–4  5–7 
Kent State  4–4  5–7 
Eastern Michigan  3–5  4–8 
Ball State  3–5  4–8 
Bowling Green  2–6  4–8 
Northern Illinois  2–6  3–9 
UMass  0–8  0–12 
Championship: Western Michigan 23, Miami (OH) 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
  • * Ineligible for postseason play due to low APR score
As of December 30, 2025
2025 Mountain West Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Boise State y$ 6–2  9–5 
UNLV y 6–2  10–4 
San Diego State  6–2  9–4 
New Mexico  6–2  9–4 
Fresno State  5–3  9–4 
Hawaii  5–3  9–4 
Utah State  4–4  6–7 
Air Force  3–5  4–8 
Nevada  2–6  3–9 
Wyoming  2–6  4–8 
San Jose State  2–6  3–9 
Colorado State  1–7  2–10 
Championship: Boise State 38, UNLV 21
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
As of December 30, 2025
Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Washington State  1–0  7–6 
Oregon State  0–1  2–10 
As of December 30, 2025
Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 9 Alabama y^ 7–1  11–3 
No. 3 Georgia y$^ 7–1  12–1 
No. 6 Ole Miss ^ 7–1  12–1 
No. 7 Texas A&M ^ 7–1  11–2 
No. 13 Texas  6–2  9–3 
No. 8 Oklahoma ^ 6–2  10–3 
No. 14 Vanderbilt  6–2  10–2 
Tennessee  4–4  8–4 
Missouri  4–4  8–5 
LSU  3–5  7–6 
Kentucky  2–6  5–7 
Florida  2–6  4–8 
South Carolina  1–7  4–8 
Auburn  1–7  5–7 
Mississippi State  1–7  5–7 
Arkansas  0–8  2–10 
Championship: Georgia 28, Alabama 7
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
As of December 30, 2025
Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 Sun Belt Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
No. 24 James Madison xy$^ 8–0  12–2 
Old Dominion  6–2  10–3 
Coastal Carolina  5–3  6–6 
Georgia Southern  4–4  7–6 
Marshall  3–5  5–7 
Appalachian State  2–6  5–8 
Georgia State  0–8  1–11 
West Division
Troy xy 6–2  8–6 
Southern Miss  5–3  7–6 
Louisiana  5–3  6–7 
Arkansas State  5–3  7–6 
Texas State  3–5  6–6 
South Alabama  3–5  4–8 
Louisiana–Monroe  1–7  3–9 
Championship: James Madison 31, Troy 14
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
As of December 30, 2025
Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 11 Notre Dame  –  10–2 
UConn  –  9–4 
As of December 30, 2025
Rankings from CFP Rankings

Rankings

The Top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls

Preseason polls

AP
RankingTeam
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
RankingTeam
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

CFB Playoff final rankings

The College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee announced its final rankings on December 7, 2025.

The top five ranked conference champions, along with the seven highest ranked at-large teams, will be selected to compete in the College Football Playoff. The top four ranked teams will receive a first-round bye. This is a change from the 2025–26 season, when the top four ranked conference champions got a first-round bye. [84]

This was the first time that two Group of Five teams – Tulane and James Madison – were included in the playoff. [85] [86]


RankTeamW–LConference and standingBowl game
1 Indiana Hoosiers 13–0Big Ten champions Rose Bowl (CFP quarterfinal)
2 Ohio State Buckeyes 12–1Big Ten first place (tie) Cotton Bowl (CFP quarterfinal)
3 Georgia Bulldogs 12–1SEC champions Sugar Bowl (CFP quarterfinal)
4 Texas Tech Red Raiders 12–1Big 12 champions Orange Bowl (CFP quarterfinal)
5 Oregon Ducks 11–1Big Ten third placeCFP first-round game
6 Ole Miss Rebels 11–1SEC first place (tie)CFP first-round game
7 Texas A&M Aggies 11–1SEC first place (tie)CFP first-round game
8 Oklahoma Sooners 10–2SEC fifth place (tie)CFP first-round game
9 Alabama Crimson Tide 10–3SEC first place (tie)CFP first-round game
10 Miami Hurricanes 10–2ACC second place (tie)CFP first-round game
11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10–2IndependentDeclined bowl bid
12 BYU Cougars 11–2Big 12 first place (tie) Pop-Tarts Bowl
13 Texas Longhorns 9–3SEC fifth place (tie) Citrus Bowl
14 Vanderbilt Commodores 10–2SEC fifth place (tie) ReliaQuest Bowl
15 Utah Utes 10–2Big 12 third place Las Vegas Bowl
16 USC Trojans 9–3Big Ten fourth place (tie) Alamo Bowl
17 Arizona Wildcats 9–3Big 12 fourth place (tie) Holiday Bowl
18 Michigan Wolverines 9–3Big Ten fourth place (tie) Citrus Bowl
19 Virginia Cavaliers 10–3ACC first place Gator Bowl
20 Tulane Green Wave 11–2American championsCFP first-round game
21 Houston Cougars 9–3Big 12 fourth place (tie) Texas Bowl
22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 9–3ACC second place (tie) Pop-Tarts Bowl
23 Iowa Hawkeyes 8–4Big Ten sixth place ReliaQuest Bowl
24 James Madison Dukes 12–1Sun Belt championsCFP first-round game
25 North Texas Mean Green 11–2American first place (tie) New Mexico Bowl
Unranked conference champions' bowl games
RankTeamW–LConference and standingBowl game
– Kennesaw State Owls 10–4CUSA champions Myrtle Beach Bowl
– Western Michigan Broncos 10–4MAC champions Myrtle Beach Bowl
– Boise State Broncos 9–5Mountain West champions LA Bowl
– Duke Blue Devils 8–5ACC champions Sun Bowl

Final rankings

RankAssociated PressCoaches' Poll
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

Postseason

College Football Playoff

Playoff participants

TeamConferenceRecordQualification methodCollege Football Playoff
AppearanceLast bidResult of last appearance
Alabama Southeastern Conference 10–3 (7–1)At-large9th 2023 Lost to Michigan in the semifinals
Georgia Southeastern Conference12–1 (7–1)Conference champion5th 2024 Lost to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals
Indiana Big Ten Conference 13–0 (9–0)Conference champion2nd 2024 Lost to Notre Dame in the first round
James Madison Sun Belt Conference 12–1 (8–0)Conference championFirst appearance
Miami (FL) Atlantic Coast Conference 10–2 (6–2)At-largeFirst appearance
Ohio State Big Ten Conference12–1 (9–0)At-large7th 2024 Won National Championship against Notre Dame
Oklahoma Southeastern Conference10–2 (6–2)At-large5th 2019 Lost to LSU in the semifinals
Ole Miss Southeastern Conference11–1 (7–1)At-largeFirst appearance
Oregon Big Ten Conference11–1 (8–1)At-large3rd 2024 Lost to Ohio State in the quarterfinals
Texas A&M Southeastern Conference11–1 (7–1)At-largeFirst appearance
Texas Tech Big 12 Conference 12–1 (8–1)Conference championFirst appearance
Tulane American Conference 11–2 (7–1)Conference championFirst appearance

CFP 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. [87]

Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, will host the College Football Playoff National Championship. Hard Rock Stadium for Super Bowl LIV (49606707583).jpg
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, will host the College Football Playoff National Championship.
First round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship
Jan 1 – Orange Bowl, Hard Rock Stadium
Dec 20 – Autzen Stadium 4 Texas Tech  
Jan 9 – Peach Bowl, Mercedes-Benz Stadium
5 Oregon 515 Oregon  
   
12 James Madison 34Jan 1 – Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl
   
Dec 19 – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 1 Indiana  
Jan 19 – Hard Rock Stadium
8 Oklahoma 249 Alabama  
   
9 Alabama 34Jan 1 – Sugar Bowl, Caesars Superdome
   
Dec 20 – Vaught–Hemingway Stadium 3 Georgia  
Jan 8 – Fiesta Bowl, State Farm Stadium
6 Ole Miss 416 Ole Miss  
   
11 Tulane 10Dec 31 – Cotton Bowl Classic, AT&T Stadium
   
Dec 20 – Kyle Field 2 Ohio State  
7 Texas A&M 310 Miami (FL)  
10 Miami (FL) 10
class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 12 playoff participants (teams in bold received byes to the quarterfinals)
Blue pog.svg Big Ten, Red pog.svg SEC, Green pog.svg ACC, Pink pog.svg Big 12, Purple pog.svg American, Black pog.svg Sun Belt
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Norman
Red pog.svg
College Station
Red pog.svg
Oxford
Red pog.svg
Eugene
Yellow pog.svg
Fiesta Bowl
Yellow pog.svg
Peach Bowl
Orange pog.svg
Rose Bowl
Orange pog.svg
Sugar Bowl
Orange pog.svg
Orange Bowl
Orange pog.svg
Cotton Bowl
Green pog.svg
National Championship
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Locations of the playoff games: campus site first round games (red), quarterfinals (orange), semifinals (yellow), and the national championship (green)

College Football Playoff games

Winners are listed in boldface.

After the completion of the regular season and conference championship games, seven teams had secured CFP berths: American champion Tulane, Big Ten champion Indiana, Big 12 champion Texas Tech, SEC champion Georgia, and Sun Belt champion James Madison, who qualified as the highest-ranked CFP non-AQ conference champion.

Bowl GameDateVisitorHomeScoreTV
Non-bowl game (First round) (Norman, OK - Campus site)December 19No. 11 (9) AlabamaNo. 8 Oklahoma34−24 ABC/ESPN
Non-bowl game (First round) (College Station, TX - Campus site)December 20No. 10 MiamiNo. 7 Texas A&M10−3
Non-bowl game (First round) (Oxford, MS - Campus site)(11) No. 20 TulaneNo. 6 Ole Miss10–41 TNT/TruTV/TBS
Non-bowl game (First round) (Eugene, OR - Campus site)(12) No. 24 James MadisonNo. 5 Oregon34–51
Cotton Bowl Classic (quarterfinal) (Arlington, TX)December 31No. 10 MiamiNo. 2 Ohio StateESPN
Capital One Orange Bowl (quarterfinal) (Miami Gardens, FL)January 1No. 5 OregonNo. 4 Texas Tech
Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi (quarterfinal) (Pasadena, CA)No. 9 (11) AlabamaNo. 1 Indiana
Allstate Sugar Bowl (quarterfinal) (New Orleans, LA)No. 6 Ole MissNo. 3 Georgia
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (semifinal) (Glendale, AZ)January 8
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (semifinal) (Atlanta, GA)January 9
College Football Playoff National Championship Game
(Miami Gardens, FL)		January 19

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.

Non-CFP bowl games

Winners are listed in boldface.

The 2025–26 bowl game lineup had one change from the previous season: The Bahamas Bowl was replaced with the Xbox Bowl. [88]

The bowl games that are not part of the College Football Playoff are: [89] [90] [91] [92]

Bowl GameDateVisitorHomeScoreTV
LA Bowl (Inglewood, CA)December 13 Boise State† Washington 10−38 ABC
Salute to Veterans Bowl (Montgomery, AL)December 16 Troy‡ Jacksonville State‡ 13–17 ESPN
Cure Bowl (Orlando, FL)December 17 Old Dominion South Florida 24–10
68 Ventures Bowl (Mobile, AL) Louisiana Delaware 13–20
Xbox Bowl (Frisco, TX)December 18 Missouri State Arkansas State 28–34 ESPN2
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Conway, SC)December 19 Kennesaw State† Western Michigan† 6–41ESPN
Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, FL) Memphis NC State 7–31
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, ID)December 22 Washington State Utah State 34–21
Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, FL)December 23 Toledo Louisville 22–27
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, LA) Western Kentucky Southern Miss 27–16
Frisco Bowl (Frisco, TX) UNLV‡ Ohio 10–17
Sheraton Hawaiʻi Bowl (Honolulu, HI)December 24 California Hawaii 31–35
GameAbove Sports Bowl (Detroit, MI)December 26 Central Michigan Northwestern 7–34
Rate Bowl (Phoenix, AZ) New Mexico Minnesota 17–20 OT
First Responder Bowl (University Park, TX) [a] FIU UTSA 20–57
Military Bowl (Annapolis, MD)December 27 Pittsburgh East Carolina 17–23
Pinstripe Bowl (Bronx, NY) Penn State Clemson 22–10ABC
Fenway Bowl (Boston, MA) UConn Army 16–41ESPN
Pop-Tarts Bowl (Orlando, FL)No. 22 Georgia Tech No. 12 BYU‡ 21–25ABC
Arizona Bowl (Tucson, AZ) Miami (OH)‡ Fresno State 3–18 The CW
New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, NM)No. 25 North Texas‡ San Diego State 49–47ESPN
Taxslayer Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL)No. 19 Virginia‡ Missouri 13–7ABC
Texas Bowl (Houston, TX) LSU No. 21 Houston 35–38ESPN
Birmingham Bowl (Birmingham, AL)December 29 Georgia Southern Appalachian State 29–10
Independence Bowl (Shreveport, LA)December 30 Coastal Carolina Louisiana Tech
Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl (Nashville, TN) Tennessee Illinois
Valero Alamo Bowl (San Antonio, TX)No. 16 USC TCU
ReliaQuest Bowl (Tampa, FL)December 31No. 23 Iowa No. 14 Vanderbilt
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl (El Paso, TX) Arizona State Duke† CBS
Citrus Bowl (Orlando, FL)No. 18 Michigan No. 13 Texas ABC
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl (Paradise, NV) [b] Nebraska No. 15 Utah ESPN
Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, TX)January 2 Rice Texas State
AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN) Navy Cincinnati
Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Charlotte, NC) Wake Forest Mississippi State
Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA)No. 17 Arizona SMU FOX
  1. ↑ All locations in University Park, including the venue, have a Dallas mailing address.
  2. ↑ All locations in Paradise, including the venue, have a Las Vegas mailing address.

† - Conference Champion ‡ - At Large Bid

Bowl Challenge Cup standings

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

ConferenceGamesWins–losses (pct.)Bowls
CFPOtherTotalWonLostRemaining
ACC210124–4 (.500)CFP1, Gasparilla, Boca Raton, Gator Hawaii, Military, Pinstripe, Pop-Tarts Cotton , Sun, Duke's Mayo, Holiday
American1894–3 (.571) First Responder, Military, Fenway, New Mexico CFP1, Cure, Gasparilla Armed Forces, Liberty
Big 1219‡102–0 (1.000) Pop-Tarts, Texas Orange , Alamo, Sun, Las Vegas, Liberty, Holiday
Big Ten49135–0 (1.000)CFP1, LA, GameAbove Sports, Rate, Pinstripe Cotton , Rose , Orange , Music City, Alamo, ReliaQuest, Citrus, Las Vegas
CUSA--773–4 (.429) Salute to Veterans, 68 Ventures, New Orleans Xbox, Myrtle Beach, First Responder Independence
MAC--552–3 (.400) Myrtle Beach, Frisco Boca Raton, GameAbove Sports, Arizona N/a
Mountain West--772–4 (.333) Hawaii, Arizona LA, Famous Idaho Potato, Frisco, New Mexico N/a
Pac-12--111–0 (1.000) Famous Idaho Potato N/aN/a
SEC76‡132–4 (.333)CFP1 × 2CFP1 × 2, Gator, Texas Sugar  × 2, Rose , Music City, ReliaQuest, Citrus, Duke's Mayo
Sun Belt19‡103–5 (.375) Cure, Xbox, Birmingham CFP1, Salute to Veterans, 68 Ventures, New Orleans, Birmingham Independence, Armed Forces
Independent--2‡20–1 (.000)N/a Fenway N/a

Berths to be determined: Fiesta (2), Peach (2), Championship (2)

Notes:

  • As the playoff progresses, additional CFP berths will be added to this table.
  • One CFP first-round game featured two SEC teams.
  • The Birmingham Bowl will feature two Sun Belt teams.
  • The Sugar Bowl will feature two SEC teams.
  • ‡ Iowa State, Kansas State, and Notre Dame opted out of their bowl games.
  • † Appalachian State, Mississippi State, and Rice were participated in a bowl game due to bowl-eligible teams opting out.

All-star games

DateTime (EST)GameSiteTelevisionParticipantsResultsRef.
Dec 15, 202511:00 am FCS Bowl Municipal Stadium
Daytona Beach, Florida 		Varsity Sports NetworkAmerican Team
National Team
Jan 10, 2026Noon Hula Bowl Acrisure Bounce House
Orlando, Florida [a] 		CBS Sports Network Team Aina
Team Kai
Jan 18, 202611:00 am Tropical Bowl Municipal Stadium
Daytona Beach, Florida 		Varsity Sports NetworkAmerican Team
National Team
Jan 27, 20268:00 pm East–West Shrine Bowl AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas 		NFL Network East Team
West Team
Jan 31, 20262:30 pm Senior Bowl Hancock Whitney Stadium
Mobile, Alabama 		American Team
National Team
Feb 21, 20264:00 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.

Selection of teams

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

Bowl-eligible teams

†: Iowa State, Kansas State, and Notre Dame opted out of their bowl games, but they were still bowl-eligible.

†: Former Pac-12 teams were considered for bowls with Pac-12 tie-ins instead of their current conference for 2025.

Number of postseason berths available: 82
Number of bowl-eligible teams: 82

Bowl-ineligible teams

Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 54

  1. 1 2 Delaware and Missouri State were normally bowl-ineligible due to their FCS-to-FBS transitions; however, as they posted bowl-eligible records and there were not enough bowl-eligible teams, both were invited. [93] [94]
  2. ↑ Akron is ineligible due to low APR scores. [95] The team posted a 5–7 record for the season, and it would not have been bowl-eligible regardless.

† Appalachian State, Mississippi State, and Rice were not bowl-eligible, but they participated in a bowl game due to bowl-eligible teams opting out.

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 games

ConferenceChampionship gamePlayers of the yearCoach of
the year
DateVenue (Location)MatchupResultOverall/MVPOffensiveDefensiveSpecial teams
American Dec 5 Yulman Stadium
(New Orleans, Louisiana)		No. 24 North Texas at No. 20 Tulane Tulane 34–21N/a Drew Mestemaker, QB, North Texas [96] Landon Robinson, DL, Navy [96] Patrick Durkin, K, Tulane [96] Eric Morris, North Texas [96]
CUSA AmFirst Stadium
(Jacksonville, Alabama)		 Kennesaw State at Jacksonville State Kennesaw State 19–15 Cam Cook, RB, Jacksonville State [97] Kejon Owens, RB, FIU [97] Baron Hopson, LB, Kennesaw State [97] Jacob Fields, DB, Louisiana Tech Cole Maynard, P, Western Kentucky [97] Jerry Mack, Kennesaw State [97]
MW Albertsons Stadium
(Boise, Idaho)		 UNLV at Boise State Boise State 38–21N/a Anthony Colandrea, QB, UNLV [98] Jaxton Eck, LB, New Mexico [98]
Chris Johnson, DB, San Diego State 		Kansei Matsuzawa, K, Hawai‘i Jason Eck, New Mexico
Sun Belt Bridgeforth Stadium
(Harrisonburg, Virginia)		 Troy (West) at No. 25 James Madison (East) JMU 31–14 Alonza Barnett, QB, James Madison [99] Colton Joseph, QB, Old Dominion [99] Trent Hendrick, LB, James Madison [99] N/a Bob Chesney, James Madison [99]
ACC Dec 6 Bank of America Stadium
(Charlotte, North Carolina)		No. 17 Virginia vs Duke Duke 27–20 (OT) Haynes King, QB, Georgia Tech [100] Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami [100] N/a Tony Elliott, Virginia [100]
Big Ten Lucas Oil Stadium
(Indianapolis, Indiana)		No. 1 Ohio State vs No. 2 Indiana Indiana 13–10N/a Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana [101] Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State [101] Nico Radicic, K, Indiana; Ryan Eckley, P, Michigan State; & Kaden Wetjen, RS, Iowa [101] Curt Cignetti, Indiana [101]
Big 12 AT&T Stadium
(Arlington, Texas)		No. 4 Texas Tech vs No. 11 BYU Texas Tech 34–7N/a LJ Martin, RB, BYU [102] Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech [102] Palmer Williams, P, Baylor [102] Kalani Sitake, BYU [102]
MAC Ford Field
(Detroit, Michigan)		 Western Michigan vs Miami (OH) WMU 23–13 Nadame Tucker, DE, Western Michigan [103] Broc Lowry, QB, Western Michigan [103] Nadame Tucker, DE, Western Michigan [103] Da’Realyst Clark, KOR, Kent State [103] Lance Taylor, Western Michigan [103]
SEC Mercedes-Benz Stadium
(Atlanta, Georgia)		No. 9 Alabama vs No. 3 Georgia Georgia 28–7N/a Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt [104] Cashius Howell, DE, Texas A&M [104] Tate Sandell, K, Oklahoma [104] Clark Lea, Vanderbilt [104]
Pac-12†N/aN/aN/aN/aN/aN/a

Conference champions' bowl games

For conference champions not part of the College Football Playoff.

ConferenceChampionW–LRankBowl game
ACC Duke 8–5
—
Sun Bowl
CUSA Kennesaw State 10–3
—
Myrtle Beach Bowl
MAC Western Michigan 9-4
—
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Mountain West Boise State 9–4
—
LA Bowl

At-large bowl games

At-Large Teams
SchoolConferenceRecordResultBowl game
North Texas American 11–2New Mexico Bowl
Virginia ACC 10–3Gator Bowl
BYU Big 12 11–2Pop-Tarts Bowl
Jacksonville State Conference USA 8–5W 17–13Salute to Veterans Bowl
Miami (OH) MAC 7–6Arizona Bowl
UNLV Mountain West 10–3Frisco Bowl
Troy Sun Belt 8–5L 13–17Salute to Veterans Bowl

Awards and honors

Source: [105]

Heisman Trophy voting

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

PlayerSchoolPosition1st2nd3rdTotal
Fernando Mendoza Indiana QB643191512,362
Diego Pavia Vanderbilt QB1893521641,435
Jeremiyah Love Notre Dame RB46157267719
Julian Sayin Ohio State QB8118172432
Jacob Rodriguez Texas Tech LB1756132295
Jeremiah Smith Ohio StateWR4183684
Gunner Stockton Georgia QB362231
Trinidad Chambliss Ole Miss QB25714
Caleb Downs Ohio StateS231015
Haynes King Georgia Tech QB211013

Major award winners

AwardWinnerPositionSchool
AP Player of the Year Fernando Mendoza [106] QB Indiana
Maxwell Award (college football player of the year)
Walter Camp Award (top back) [107]
Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback)
SN Player of the Year Diego Pavia [108] Vanderbilt
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (Sr. quarterback) [109]
Doak Walker Award (running back) Jeremiyah Love RB Notre Dame
Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver) [110] Makai LemonWRUSC
John Mackey Award (tight end)Eli StowersTEVanderbilt
Rimington Trophy (center)Logan Jones C Iowa
Outland Trophy (interior lineman)Spencer Fano OT Utah
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player) Jacob Rodriguez LB Texas Tech
Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player)
Dick Butkus Award (linebacker)
Lombardi Award (top lineman)
Lott Trophy (defensive impact) Caleb Downs S Ohio State
Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back)
Lou Groza Award (placekicker) Tate Sandell PK Oklahoma
Ray Guy Award (punter) Brett Thorson P Georgia
AFCA Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti [111] HC Indiana
AP Coach of the Year [112]
Home Depot Coach of the Year
Walter Camp Coach of the Year [113]
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Clark Lea [114] Vanderbilt
Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year
George Munger Award
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award
AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year [115] Bryant Haines DC Indiana
Broyles Award

Other major award winners

AwardWinnerPositionSchool
Manning Award QB
Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began as walk-on) Drew Mestemaker [116] North Texas
Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player) KC Concepcion [117] WR/RS Texas A&M
Polynesian Football Player of the Year Award (top Polynesian player) Spencer Fano OT Utah
Makai Lemon WR USC
Jon Cornish Trophy (top Canadian player) Antwan Raymond [118] RB Rutgers
Campbell Trophy ("academic Heisman") Eli Stowers [119] TE Vanderbilt
Academic All-American of the Year To be announced on January 27, 2026
Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete) Michael Taaffe DB Texas
Joe Moore Award N/AOLIowa
Ted Hendricks Award DE
Jet Award RS
Patrick Mannelly Award Beau Gardner LSGeorgia

All-Americans

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

2025 Consensus All-Americans
NamePositionYearUniversity
Fernando Mendoza QuarterbackJunior Indiana
Ahmad Hardy Running backSophomore Missouri
Jeremiyah Love*Junior Notre Dame
Skyler Bell Wide receiver
Redshirt Redshirt.svg
Redshirt
Senior		 UConn
Makai Lemon*Junior USC
Jeremiah Smith*Sophomore Ohio State
Eli Stowers*Tight endSenior Vanderbilt
Spencer Fano*Offensive LineJunior Utah
Logan Jones*Senior Iowa
Francis Mauigoa Junior Miami (FL)
Kadyn Proctor Alabama
Carter Smith
Redshirt Redshirt.svg
Redshirt
Junior		 Indiana
David Bailey*Defensive lineSenior Texas Tech
Rueben Bain Jr. Junior Miami (FL)
Cashius Howell*
Redshirt Redshirt.svg
Redshirt
Senior		 Texas A&M
Kayden McDonald*Junior Ohio State
CJ Allen Linebacker Georgia
Arvell Reese Ohio State
Jacob Rodriguez*Senior Texas Tech
Mansoor Delane*Defensive back LSU
Caleb Downs*Junior Ohio State
Bishop Fitzgerald
Redshirt Redshirt.svg
Redshirt
Senior		 USC
Leonard Moore*Sophomore Notre Dame
Kansei Matsuzawa KickerSenior Hawaii
Punter
KC Concepcion All-purpose,
return specialist		Junior Texas A&M
Kaden Wetjen Senior Iowa

Milestones and records

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.

SchoolOutgoing CoachDateReasonContract BuyoutReplacement
Virginia Tech Brent Pry September 14, 2025Fired [120] $6 million [121] Philip Montgomery (interim)
UCLA DeShaun Foster September 14, 2025Fired [122] $5 million [121] Tim Skipper (interim)
Oklahoma State Mike Gundy September 23, 2025Fired [123] $15 million [121] Doug Meacham (interim)
Arkansas Sam Pittman September 28, 2025Fired [124] $9.8 million [121] Bobby Petrino (interim)
Oregon State Trent Bray October 12, 2025Fired [125] $4 million [121] Robb Akey (interim)
Penn State James Franklin October 12, 2025Fired [126] $9 million [127] [a] Terry Smith (interim)
UAB Trent Dilfer October 12, 2025Fired [128] $2.4 million [121] Alex Mortensen
Florida Billy Napier October 19, 2025Fired [129] $21 million [121] Billy Gonzales (interim)
Colorado State Jay Norvell October 19, 2025Fired [130] $1.5 million [121] Tyson Summers (interim)
LSU Brian Kelly October 26, 2025Fired [131] $54 million [121] Frank Wilson (interim)
Auburn Hugh Freeze November 2, 2025Fired [132] $15.8 million [133] D. J. Durkin (interim)
California Justin Wilcox November 23, 2025Fired [134] $10.9 million [134] Nick Rolovich (interim, bowl)
North Texas Eric Morris November 25, 2025Hired by Oklahoma State [135] N/A Drew Svoboda (interim, bowl) [136]
UConn Jim L. Mora November 26, 2025Hired by Colorado State [137] N/A Gordon Sammis (interim, bowl)
South Florida Alex Golesh November 30, 2025Hired by Auburn [138] N/A Kevin Patrick (interim, bowl)
Memphis Ryan Silverfield November 30, 2025Hired by Arkansas [139] N/A Reggie Howard (interim, bowl)
Coastal Carolina Tim Beck November 30, 2025Fired [140] $1.7 million [141] Jeremiah Johnson (interim, bowl)
Ole Miss Lane Kiffin November 30, 2025Hired by LSU [142] N/A Pete Golding [143]
Washington State Jimmy Rogers December 5, 2025Hired by Iowa State [144] N/A Jesse Bobbit (interim, bowl)
Southern Miss Charles Huff December 6, 2025Hired by Memphis [145] N/A Blake Anderson [146]
Toledo Jason Candle December 6, 2025Hired by UConn [147] N/A Robert Weiner (interim, bowl)
Michigan Sherrone Moore December 10, 2025Fired [148] N/A Biff Poggi (interim, bowl)
Missouri State Ryan Beard December 11, 2025Hired by Coastal Carolina [149] N/A Nick Petrino (interim, bowl)
Ohio Brian Smith December 17, 2025Fired [150] N/A John Hauser [151]

End of season

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

SchoolOutgoing coachDateReasonReplacementPrevious position
Virginia Tech Philip Montgomery (interim)November 17, 2025Permanent replacement James Franklin [152] Penn State head coach
Oklahoma State Doug Meacham (interim)November 25, 2025Permanent replacement Eric Morris [135] North Texas head coach
North Texas Drew Svoboda [136] (interim, bowl)November 25, 2025Permanent replacement Neal Brown [153] Texas special assistant
Colorado State Tyson Summers (interim)November 26, 2025Permanent replacement Jim L. Mora [137] UConn head coach
Oregon State Robb Akey (interim)November 28, 2025Permanent replacement JaMarcus Shephard [154] Alabama co-offensive coordinator
Stanford Frank Reich (interim)November 28, 2025Permanent replacement Tavita Pritchard [155] Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach
Auburn D. J. Durkin (interim)November 30, 2025Permanent replacement Alex Golesh [138] South Florida head coach
Arkansas Bobby Petrino (interim)November 30, 2025Permanent replacement Ryan Silverfield [139] Memphis head coach
Florida Billy Gonzales (interim)November 30, 2025Permanent replacement Jon Sumrall [156] Tulane head coach
Tulane Jon Sumrall November 30, 2025Hired by Florida [156] Will Hall [157] Tulane passing game coordinator
Michigan State Jonathan Smith November 30, 2025Fired [158] Pat Fitzgerald [159] Northwestern head coach
LSU Frank Wilson (interim, bowl)November 30, 2025Permanent replacement Lane Kiffin [142] Ole Miss head coach
Kentucky Mark Stoops November 30, 2025Fired [160] Will Stein [161] Oregon offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach
South Florida Kevin Patrick (interim, bowl)December 3, 2025Permanent replacement Brian Hartline [162] Ohio State offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach
Kansas State Chris Klieman December 3, 2025Retired [163] Collin Klein [164] Texas A&M offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach
California Nick Rolovich (interim, bowl)December 5, 2025Permanent replacement Tosh Lupoi [165] Oregon defensive coordinator/linebackers coach
Penn State Terry Smith (interim, bowl)December 5, 2025Permanent replacement Matt Campbell [166] Iowa State head coach
Iowa State Matt Campbell December 5, 2025Hired by Penn State [166] Jimmy Rogers [144] Washington State head coach
UConn Gordon Sammis (interim, bowl)December 6, 2025Permanent replacement Jason Candle [147] Toledo head coach
UCLA Tim Skipper (interim)December 6, 2025Permanent replacement Bob Chesney [167] James Madison head coach
James Madison Bob Chesney December 6, 2025Hired by UCLA [167] Billy Napier [168] Florida head coach
Memphis Reggie Howard (interim, bowl)December 6, 2025Permanent replacement Charles Huff [145] Southern Miss head coach
Toledo Robert Weiner (interim, bowl)December 10, 2025Permanent replacement Mike Jacobs [169] Mercer head coach
Coastal Carolina Jeremiah Johnson (interim, bowl)December 11, 2025Permanent replacement Ryan Beard [149] Missouri State head coach
Utah Kyle Whittingham December 12, 2025Stepped down [170] Morgan Scalley [171] Utah defensive coordinator/safeties coach
Washington State Jesse Bobbit (interim, bowl)December 12, 2025Permanent replacement Kirby Moore [172] Missouri offensive coordinator
Missouri State Nick Petrino (interim, bowl)December 19, 2025Permanent replacement Casey Woods [173] SMU offensive coordinator/tight ends coach
Michigan Biff Poggi (interim, bowl)December 26, 2025Permanent replacement Kyle Whittingham [174] Utah head coach
  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. [20]

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).

RankDateTimeMatchupNetworkViewers (millions) [175] [176] LocationSignificance
1November 29, 202512:00 p.m.No. 1 Ohio State 27No. 15 Michigan 9 Fox 18.42 Michigan Stadium
Ann Arbor, MI 		Rivalry, Big Noon Kickoff
2August 30, 202512:00 p.m.No. 1 Texas 7No. 3 Ohio State 1416.62 Ohio Stadium
Columbus, OH 		College GameDay , Big Noon Kickoff
3November 28, 20257:30 p.m.No. 3 Texas A&M 17No. 16 Texas 27 ABC 13.04 Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium
Austin, TX 		Rivalry
4September 13, 20253:30 p.m.No. 6 Georgia 44No. 15 Tennessee 4112.58 Neyland Stadium
Knoxville, TN 		Rivalry, College GameDay
5November 29, 20257:30 p.m.No. 10 Alabama 27 Auburn 2011.31 Jordan–Hare Stadium
Auburn, AL 		Rivalry
6August 31, 20257:30 p.m.No. 6 Notre Dame 24No. 10 Miami 2710.80 Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, FL 		Rivalry, Kickoff game (Week 1)
7August 30, 20253:30 p.m.No. 8 Alabama 17 Florida State 3110.66 Doak Campbell Stadium
Tallahassee, FL
8November 15, 20253:30 p.m.No. 11 Oklahoma 23No. 4 Alabama 2110.48 Saban Field at Bryant–Denny Stadium
Tuscaloosa, AL
9August 30, 20257:30 p.m.No. 9 LSU 17No. 4 Clemson 1010.45 Memorial Stadium
Clemson, SC 		Kickoff game (Week 1)
10November 15, 20257:30 p.m.No. 10 Texas 10No. 5 Georgia 3510.43 Sanford Stadium
Athens, GA

Conference championship games

All times Eastern.Rankings are from the CFP Rankings. [177]

RankDateTimeMatchupNetworkViewers (millions) [178] [179] ConferenceLocation
1December 68:00 p.m.No. 2 Indiana 13No. 1 Ohio State 10 FOX 18.33 Big Ten Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
2December 64:00 p.m.No. 3 Georgia 28No. 9 Alabama 7 ABC 16.86 SEC Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
3December 612:00 p.m.No. 11 BYU 7No. 4 Texas Tech 348.99 Big 12 AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
4December 68:00 p.m. Duke 27OTNo. 17 Virginia 203.88 ACC Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
5December 58:00 p.m.No. 24 North Texas 21No. 20 Tulane 342.41 American Yulman Stadium
New Orleans, Louisiana
6December 58:00 p.m. UNLV 21 Boise State 38 FOX 1.52 MW Albertsons Stadium
Boise, Idaho
7December 57:00 p.m. Troy 14No. 25 James Madison 31 ESPN 1.15 Sun Belt Bridgeforth Stadium
Harrisonburg, Virginia
9December 612:00 p.m. Miami (OH) 13 Western Michigan 231.06 MAC Ford Field, Detroit, MI
10December 57:00 p.m. Kennesaw State 19 Jacksonville State 15 CBSSN n.a. CUSA AmFirst Stadium
Jacksonville, Alabama

Most watched non-CFP bowl games

All times Eastern.Rankings are from the CFP Rankings. [177]

RankDateTimeMatchupNetworkViewers (millions)GameLocation

College Football Playoff games

RankDateTimeMatchupNetworkViewers (millions)GameLocation
December 198:00 pm (ET)No. 9 Alabama34No. 8 Oklahoma24ABC/ESPN14.94Non-bowl game (First round) Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Norman, OK (Campus site)
December 2012:00 pm (ET)No. 10 Miami10No. 7 Texas A&M314.72 Kyle Field
College Station, TX (Campus site)
4:00 pm (ET)No. 20 Tulane10No. 6 Ole Miss41TNT6.20 Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Oxford, MS (Campus site)
8:00 pm (ET)No. 24 James Madison34No. 5 Oregon514.36 Autzen Stadium
Eugene, OR (Campus site)
December 317:30 pm (ET)No. 10 MiamiNo. 2 Ohio StateESPN Cotton Bowl Classic (Quarterfinals) AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas
January 11:00 pm (ET)No. 5 OregonNo. 4 Texas Tech 2026 Orange Bowl (Quarterfinals) Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, Florida
5:00 pm (ET)No. 9 AlabamaNo. 1 Indiana Rose Bowl (Quarterfinals) Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
4:00 pm (ET)No. 6 Ole MissNo. 3 Georgia Sugar Bowl (Quarterfinals) Caesars Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
January 87:30 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. [180] [181]

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. [182]

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. [183] 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. [184]

Attendances

See also

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "CUSA Adds Delaware, Blue Hens to Join in 2025". Conference USA (Press release). November 28, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
    2. ↑ "CUSA Adds Missouri State" (Press release). Conference USA. May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
    3. ↑ Withers, Tom (February 27, 2024). "UMass will join Mid-American Conference as a full sports member in 2025, MAC commissioner says". Associated Press . Retrieved February 27, 2024.
    4. ↑ Hernandez, Victoria (February 26, 2024). "UMass to join MAC conference, including previously independent football, per reports". USA Today . Retrieved February 27, 2024.
    5. ↑ "Ushering in a new era, the Pac-12 Conference strengthens its legacy by welcoming four respected academic and athletic universities" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
    6. ↑ Bonagura, Kyle (September 12, 2024). "Explaining Pac-12 expansion: How it started, what are the financial ramifications, what's next?". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
    7. ↑ "Pac-12 Conference and Utah State University Unite to Advance the New Era of the 100-Year-Old Legacy" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
    8. ↑ "Mountain West Officially Welcomes UTEP Into The Conference" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. October 1, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
    9. ↑ "Mountain West Adds Northern Illinois As A Football-Only Member" (Press release). January 7, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
    10. ↑ "Changes to Injury Timeouts Approved in Football" (Press release). NCAA. April 16, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
    11. ↑ "2025 Official Football Rules". NCAA. June 19, 2025. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
    12. ↑ "New model represents innovative approach to future of college athletics" (Press release). University of Kentucky. April 24, 2025. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
    13. ↑ Backus, Will (April 25, 2025). "Kentucky board of trustees approves shifting university's athletics department into limited liability company". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
    14. ↑ Titus, Payton (April 27, 2025). "University of Kentucky, ahead of House settlement, approves board to help navigate change". Courier Journal . Retrieved April 27, 2025.
    15. ↑ "American Conference Launches Modernized Brand Identity Ahead of Football Media Days" (Press release). American Conference. July 21, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
    16. ↑ "FBS Oversight Committee proposes changes to notification-of-transfer window" (Press release). NCAA. September 4, 2025. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
    17. ↑ Olson, Max (September 17, 2025). "NCAA eliminates spring transfer portal window for football". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
    18. ↑ "DI FBS Oversight Committee modifies notification-of-transfer period recommendation" (Press release). NCAA. September 29, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
    19. ↑ "DI Administrative Committee introduces proposal for commercial logos on uniforms, apparel and equipment" (Press release). NCAA. October 9, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
    20. 1 2 Marcello, Brandon (November 17, 2025). "Penn State, James Franklin agree to drastically reduced buyout as ex-coach moves on to Virginia Tech". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
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    22. ↑ "Penn State fires Franklin amid midseason free fall". ESPN.com. October 12, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
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