2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season

For the 2025 FCS season, see 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season.

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 [a]
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 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.

Conference realignment

Main article: 2021–2026 NCAA 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]}

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. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}

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: ^[10]

• 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. ^[11]
• 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. ^{[12] [13] [14]}
• 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. ^[15]
• 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. ^[16]
• 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. ^[17]
• 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. ^[18]
• 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: ^[19]
    • 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. ^[20] 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. ^{[21] [22]}

Stadiums

• Due to the construction of a new press box at Bowers Stadium, Sam Houston played its 2025 home games at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston. ^[23]
• 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. ^[24]
• 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. ^[25]
• 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. ^[26]
• 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. ^[27]

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. 2/2 Indiana 13, No. 1/1 Ohio State 10 (2025 Big Ten Football Championship Game, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana)
• No. 3/3 Georgia 28, No. 9/10 Alabama 7 (2025 SEC Championship Game, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia)

Postseason

• No. 9/11 Alabama at No. 8/8 Oklahoma (CFP First Round, Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma)
• No. 10/10 Miami (FL) at No. 7/7 Texas A&M (CFP First Round, Kyle Field, College Station, Texas)

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	[28] [29]
August 30	Austin Peay	Middle Tennessee	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee	34–14	18,505	[28] [30]
September 6	Bryant	UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Amherst, Massachusetts	27–26	3,714	[28] [31]
September 6	LIU	Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, Michigan	28–23	15,313	[28] [32]
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

Upsets

See also: 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings § AP Poll

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

Regular season

Date	Visiting team	Home team	Site	Result	Attendance	Ref.
August 28	No. 25  Boise State	South Florida	Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, Florida	7–34	34,707	[33]
August 30	No. 8  Alabama	Florida State	Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, Florida	17–31	67,277	[34]
September 6	No. 12  Arizona State	Mississippi State	Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi [b]	20–24	50,808	[35]
September 6	South Florida	No. 13  Florida	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida	18–16	89,909	[36]
September 6	Baylor	No. 17  SMU	Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, Texas [c]	48–45 2OT	34,852	[37]
September 13	Vanderbilt	No. 11  South Carolina	Williams–Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina	31–7	79,873	[38]
September 13	No. 12  Clemson	Georgia Tech	Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia (rivalry)	21–24	48,059	[39]
September 26	No. 8  Florida State	Virginia	Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, Virginia (Jefferson–Eppes Trophy)	46–38 2OT	50,107	[40]
September 26	No. 24  TCU	Arizona State	Mountain America Stadium • Tempe, Arizona	24–27	53,774	[41]
October 4	No. 7  Penn State	UCLA	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, California	37–42	39,256	[42]
October 4	No. 9  Texas	Florida	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida ( SEC Nation )	21–29	90,714	[43]
October 4	No. 14  Iowa State	Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio	30–38	38,007	[44]
October 11	No. 6  Oklahoma	Texas	Cotton Bowl • Dallas, Texas (Red River Rivalry)	6–23	92,100	[45]
October 11	No. 15  Michigan	USC	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, California	13–31	75,500	[46]
October 11	No. 21  Arizona State	Utah	Rice–Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, Utah	10–42	51,444	[47]
October 11	No. 22  Iowa State	Colorado	Folsom Field • Boulder, Colorado	17–24	52,698	[48]
October 11	Pittsburgh	No. 25  Florida State	Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, Florida	34–31	65,256	[49]
October 17	Louisville	No. 2  Miami (FL)	Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida (Schnellenberger Trophy)	24–21	66,573	[50]
October 17	No. 25  Nebraska	Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, Minnesota ($5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy)	6–24	48,549	[51]
October 18	No. 7  Texas Tech	Arizona State	Mountain America Stadium • Tempe, Arizona	22–26	54,177	[52]
October 18	No. 22  Memphis	UAB	Protective Stadium • Birmingham, Alabama (Battle for the Bones)	24–31	19,037	[53]
October 25	No. 18  South Florida	Memphis	Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium • Memphis, Tennessee	31–34	30,940	[54]
October 25	No. 23  Illinois	Washington	Husky Stadium • Seattle, Washington	25–42	68,630	[55]
October 25	Houston	No. 24  Arizona State	Mountain America Stadium • Tempe, Arizona	24–16	54,256	[56]
November 1	No. 8  Georgia Tech	NC State	Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, North Carolina	36–48	56,919	[57]
November 1	No. 10т  Miami (FL)	SMU	Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, Texas [c]	20–26 OT	35,074	[58]
November 1	West Virginia	No. 22  Houston	TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas	45–35	25,049	[59]
November 7	Tulane	No. 22  Memphis	Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium • Memphis, Tennessee	38–32	30,384	[60]
November 8	Wake Forest	No. 12  Virginia	Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, Virginia	16–9	55,568	[61]
November 8	California	No. 14  Louisville	L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky	29–26 OT	51,381	[62]
November 8	No. 24  Washington	Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, Wisconsin	10–13	71,217	[63]
November 14	Clemson	No. 19  Louisville	L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky	20–19	51,234	[64]
November 15	Arizona	No. 22  Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio	30–24	37,099	[65]
November 15	No. 25  South Florida	Navy	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, Maryland	38–41	34,856	[66]
November 22	Pittsburgh	No. 15  Georgia Tech	Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia	42–28	52,413	[67]
November 22	TCU	No. 25  Houston	TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas	17–14	30,852	[68]
November 29	No. 25  SMU	California	California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California	35–38	28,956	[69]
#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. 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

• December 6
  • Duke 27, No. 16 Virginia 20 ^OT

Conference standings

2025 American Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 20 Tulane y$^   7 – 1     11 – 2   No. 25 North Texas y   7 – 1     11 – 2   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: Tulane 34, North Texas 21 ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of December 9, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings	2025 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 19 Virginia y   7 – 1     10 – 3   Duke y$   6 – 2     8 – 5   No. 10 Miami (FL) ^   6 – 2     10 – 2   No. 22 Georgia Tech   6 – 2     9 – 3   SMU   6 – 2     8 – 4   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: Duke 27, Virginia 20OT ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of December 9, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings	2025 Big Ten Conference football standings v t e 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     11 – 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     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   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 9, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 Big 12 Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 4 Texas Tech y$^   8 – 1     12 – 1   No. 12 BYU y   8 – 1     11 – 2   No. 15 Utah   7 – 2     10 – 2   No. 17 Arizona   6 – 3     9 – 3   No. 21 Houston   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 9, 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 – 5   Kennesaw State y$   7 – 1     10 – 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   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 9, 2025	2025 Mid-American Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Western Michigan y$   7 – 1     9 – 4   Ohio   6 – 2     8 – 4   Toledo   6 – 2     8 – 4   Miami (OH) y   6 – 2     7 – 6   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 23, Miami (OH) 13 $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant * Ineligible for postseason play due to low APR score As of December 9, 2025
2025 Mountain West Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Boise State y$   6 – 2     9 – 4   UNLV y   6 – 2     10 – 3   New Mexico   6 – 2     9 – 3   San Diego State   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   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 9, 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 9, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings	2025 Southeastern Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 9 Alabama y^   7 – 1     10 – 3   No. 3 Georgia y$^   7 – 1     12 – 1   No. 6 Ole Miss ^   7 – 1     11 – 1   No. 7 Texas A&M ^   7 – 1     11 – 1   No. 13 Texas   6 – 2     9 – 3   No. 8 Oklahoma ^   6 – 2     10 – 2   No. 14 Vanderbilt   6 – 2     10 – 2   Tennessee   4 – 4     8 – 4   Missouri   4 – 4     8 – 4   LSU   3 – 5     7 – 5   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 9, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings
2025 Sun Belt Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   East Division No. 24 James Madison xy$^   8 – 0     12 – 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 – 5   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: James Madison 31, Troy 14 ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of December 9, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings	2025 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 11 Notre Dame   –     10 – 2   UConn   –     9 – 3   As of December 9, 2025 Rankings from CFP Rankings

Rankings

Main article: 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football 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

CFB Playoff final rankings

The College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee is expected to announce its final team rankings for the season on December 7, 2025.

The top five ranked conference champions, along with the seven highest ranked remaining teams, will be selected to compete in the College Football Playoffs. 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. ^[70]

Rank	Team	W–L	Conference and standing	Bowl game
1	Indiana Hoosiers	13–0	Big Ten Champions	Rose Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal)
2	Ohio State Buckeyes	12–1	Big Ten first place (tie)	Cotton Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal)
3	Georgia Bulldogs	12–1	SEC Champions	Sugar Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal)
4	Texas Tech Red Raiders	12–1	Big 12 Champions	Orange Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal)
5	Oregon Ducks	11–1	Big Ten second place	CFP first-round game
6	Ole Miss Rebels	11–1	SEC first place (tie)	CFP first-round game
7	Texas A&M Aggies	11-1	SEC first place (tie)	CFP first-round game
8	Oklahoma Sooners	10–2	SEC fifth place (tie)	CFP first-round game
9	Alabama Crimson Tide	10-3	SEC first place (tie)	CFP first-round game
10	Miami Hurricanes	10–2	ACC second place (tie)	CFP first-round game
11	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	10–2	FBS independent	N/A (declined bid)
12	BYU Cougars	11–2	Big 12 first place (tie)	Pop-Tarts Bowl
13	Texas Longhorns	9–3	SEC fifth place (tie)	Citrus Bowl
14	Vanderbilt Commodores	10–2	SEC fifth place (tie)	ReliaQuest Bowl
15	Utah Utes	10–2	Big 12 third place	Las Vegas Bowl
16	USC Trojans	9–3	Big Ten fourth place (tie)	Alamo Bowl
17	Arizona Wildcats	9–3	Big 12 fourth place (tie)	Holiday Bowl
18	Michigan Wolverines	9–3	Big Ten fourth place (tie)	Citrus Bowl
19	Virginia Cavaliers	10–3	ACC first-place	Gator Bowl
20	Tulane Green Wave	11–2	American champion	CFP first-round game
21	Houston Cougars	9–3	Big 12 fourth place (tie)	Texas Bowl
22	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	9–3	ACC second place (tie)	Pop-Tarts Bowl
23	Iowa Hawkeyes	8–4	Big Ten sixth place	ReliaQuest Bowl
24	James Madison Dukes	12–1	Sun Belt champion	CFP first-round game
25	North Texas Mean Green	11–2	American first place (tie)	New Mexico Bowl

Unranked conference champions' bowl games

Rank	Team	W–L	Conference and standing	Bowl game
–	Kennesaw State Owls	10–3	CUSA champions	Myrtle Beach Bowl
–	Western Michigan Broncos	9–4	MAC champions	Myrtle Beach Bowl
–	Boise State Broncos	9–4	Mountain West champions	LA Bowl
–	Duke Blue Devils	8–5	ACC champions	Sun Bowl
–	Washington State Cougars	6–6	Pac-12 champions	Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Final rankings

Rank	Associated Press	Coaches' 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

Main article: 2025–26 College Football Playoff

Playoff participants

Team	Conference	Record	Qualification method	College Football Playoff
				Appearance	Last bid	Result of last appearance
Alabama	Southeastern Conference	10–3 (7–1)	At-large	9th	2023	Lost to Michigan in the semifinals
Georgia	Southeastern Conference	12–1 (7–1)	Conference champion	5th	2024	Lost to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals
Indiana	Big Ten Conference	13–0 (9–0)	Conference champion	2nd	2024	Lost to Notre Dame in the first round
James Madison	Sun Belt Conference	12–1 (8–0)	Conference champion	First appearance
Miami (FL)	Atlantic Coast Conference	10–2 (6–2)	At-large	First appearance
Ohio State	Big Ten Conference	12–1 (9–0)	At-large	7th	2024	Won National Championship against Notre Dame
Oklahoma	Southeastern Conference	10–2 (6–2)	At-large	5th	2019	Lost to LSU in the semifinals
Ole Miss	Southeastern Conference	11–1 (7–1)	At-large	First appearance
Oregon	Big Ten Conference	11–1 (8–1)	At-large	3rd	2024	Lost to Ohio State in the quarterfinals
Texas A&M	Southeastern Conference	11–1 (7–1)	At-large	First appearance
Texas Tech	Big 12 Conference	12–1 (8–1)	Conference champion	First appearance
Tulane	American Conference	11–2 (7–1)	Conference champion	First 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. ^[71]

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

12

James Madison

Jan 1 – Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl

Dec 19 – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

1

Indiana

Jan 19 – Hard Rock Stadium

8

Oklahoma

9

Alabama

Jan 1 – Sugar Bowl, Caesars Superdome

Dec 20 – Vaught–Hemingway Stadium

3

Georgia

Jan 8 – Fiesta Bowl, State Farm Stadium

6

Ole Miss

11

Tulane

Dec 31 – Cotton Bowl Classic, AT&T Stadium

Dec 20 – Kyle Field

2

Ohio State

7

Texas A&M

10

Miami (FL)

This bracket:

• view
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• edit

Alabama

Georgia

Indiana

James Madison

Miami (FL)

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Ole Miss

Oregon

Texas A&M

Texas Tech

Tulane

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Locations of the 12 playoff participants (teams in bold received byes to the quarterfinals)
Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12, American, Sun Belt

Norman

College Station

Oxford

Eugene

Fiesta Bowl

Peach Bowl

Rose Bowl

Sugar Bowl

Orange Bowl

Cotton Bowl

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 Game	Date	Visitor	Home	Score	TV
Non-bowl game (First round) (Norman, OK - Campus site)	December 19	No. 9 Alabama	No. 8 Oklahoma		ABC/ESPN
Non-bowl game (First round) (College Station, TX - Campus site)	December 20	No. 10 Miami	No. 7 Texas A&M
Non-bowl game (First round) (Oxford, MS - Campus site)		No. 11 Tulane	No. 6 Ole Miss		TNT/TruTV
Non-bowl game (First round) (Eugene, OR - Campus site)		No. 12 James Madison	No. 5 Oregon
Cotton Bowl Classic (quarterfinal) (Dallas, TX)	December 31		No. 2 Ohio State		ESPN
Capital One Orange Bowl (quarterfinal) (Miami Gardens, FL)	January 1		No. 4 Texas Tech
Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi (quarterfinal) (Pasadena, CA)			No. 1 Indiana
Allstate Sugar Bowl (quarterfinal) (New Orleans, LA)			No. 3 Georgia
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (semifinal) (Glendale, AZ)	January 8
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (semifinal) (Atlanta, GA)	Janaury 9
College Football Playoff National Championship Game (Miami Gardens, FL)	January 19

Bowl games

Main article: 2025–26 NCAA football 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. ^[72]

The bowl games that are not part of the College Football Playoff are: ^{[73] [74] [75] [76]}

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

Bowl Challenge Cup standings

See also: Bowl Challenge Cup

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

Conference	Games			Wins–losses (pct.)	Bowls
	CFP	Other	Total		Won	Lost
ACC				0–0 (–)
American				0–0 (–)
Big 12				0–0 (–)
Big Ten				0–0 (–)
CUSA				0–0 (–)
MAC				0–0 (–)
Mountain West				0–0 (–)
Pac-12				0–0 (–)
SEC				0–0 (–)
Sun Belt				0–0 (–)
Independent				0–0 (–)

Postseason 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 [a]	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.

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

• 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 ^[a] , FIU, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Louisiana Tech, Missouri State ^[a] , 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

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

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 ^[b] , 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. 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. ^{[77] [78]}
2. Akron is ineligible due to low APR scores. ^[79] The team posted a 5–7 record for the season, and it 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 games

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)	No. 24 North Texas at No. 20 Tulane	Tulane 34–21	—	Drew Mestemaker, QB, North Texas [80]	Landon Robinson, DL, Navy [80]	Patrick Durkin, K, Tulane [80]	Eric Morris, North Texas [80]
CUSA		AmFirst Stadium (Jacksonville, Alabama)	Kennesaw State at Jacksonville State	Kennesaw State 19–15	Cam Cook, RB, Jacksonville State [81]	Kejon Owens, RB, FIU [81]	Baron Hopson, LB, Kennesaw State [81] Jacob Fields, DB, Louisiana Tech	Cole Maynard, P, Western Kentucky [81]	Jerry Mack, Kennesaw State [81]
MW		Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)	UNLV at Boise State	Boise State 38–21	—	Anthony Colandrea, QB, UNLV [82]	Jaxton Eck, LB, New Mexico [82] 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 [83]	Colton Joseph, QB, Old Dominion [83]	Trent Hendrick, LB, James Madison [83]	—	Bob Chesney, James Madison [83]
ACC	Dec 6	Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)	No. 17 Virginia vs Duke	Duke 27–20 (OT)	Haynes King, QB, Georgia Tech [84]		Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami [84]	—	Tony Elliott, Virginia [84]
Big Ten		Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, Indiana)	No. 1 Ohio State vs No. 2 Indiana	Indiana 13–10	—	Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana [85]	Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State [85]	Nico Radicic, K, Indiana; Ryan Eckley, P, Michigan State; & Kaden Wetjen, RS, Iowa [85]	Curt Cignetti, Indiana [85]
Big 12		AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)	No. 4 Texas Tech vs No. 11 BYU	Texas Tech 34–7	—	LJ Martin, RB, BYU [86]	Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech [86]	Palmer Williams, P, Baylor [86]	Kalani Sitake, BYU [86]
MAC		Ford Field (Detroit, Michigan)	Western Michigan vs Miami (OH)	WMU 23–13	Nadame Tucker, DE, Western Michigan [87]	Broc Lowry, QB, Western Michigan [87]	Nadame Tucker, DE, Western Michigan [87]	Da’Realyst Clark, KOR, Kent State [87]	Lance Taylor, Western Michigan [87]
SEC		Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)	No. 9 Alabama vs No. 3 Georgia	Georgia 28–7	—
Pac-12†	—	—	—	—	—				—

Conference champions' bowl games

For conference champions not part of the College Football Playoff.

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

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	Jeremiyah Love Fernando Mendoza Diego Pavia Jacob Rodriguez Julian Sayin	RB QB QB LB QB	Notre Dame Indiana Vanderbilt Texas Tech Ohio State

Special overall

Award	Winner	Position	School
Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began as walk-on)	Drew Mestemaker Febechi Nwaiwu Michael Taaffe	QB OL DB	North Texas Oklahoma Texas
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	Diego Pavia [88]	Vanderbilt
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 [89]	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)	Caleb Downs Cashius Howell Leonard Moore Jacob Rodriguez	S DE CB LB	Ohio State Texas A&M Notre Dame Texas Tech
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)	Caleb Downs	S	Ohio State

Defensive front

Award	Winner	School
Dick Butkus Award (linebacker)	Jacob Rodriguez	Texas Tech
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)	Tyler Duzansky Beau Gardner Spencer Triplett	Penn State Georgia North Carolina

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

Main article: 2025 College Football All-America Team

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 [90]	$6 million [91]	Philip Montgomery (interim)
UCLA	DeShaun Foster	September 14, 2025	Fired [92]	$5 million [91]	Tim Skipper (interim)
Oklahoma State	Mike Gundy	September 23, 2025	Fired [93]	$15 million [91]	Doug Meacham (interim)
Arkansas	Sam Pittman	September 28, 2025	Fired [94]	$9.8 million [91]	Bobby Petrino (interim)
Oregon State	Trent Bray	October 12, 2025	Fired [95]	$4 million [91]	Robb Akey (interim)
Penn State	James Franklin	October 12, 2025	Fired [96]	$9 million [97] [a]	Terry Smith (interim)
UAB	Trent Dilfer	October 12, 2025	Fired [98]	$2.4 million [91]	Alex Mortensen
Florida	Billy Napier	October 19, 2025	Fired [99]	$21 million [91]	Billy Gonzales (interim)
Colorado State	Jay Norvell	October 19, 2025	Fired [100]	$1.5 million [91]	Tyson Summers (interim)
LSU	Brian Kelly	October 26, 2025	Fired [101]	$54 million [91]	Frank Wilson (interim)
Auburn	Hugh Freeze	November 2, 2025	Fired [102]	$15.8 million [103]	D. J. Durkin (interim)
California	Justin Wilcox	November 23, 2025	Fired [104]	$10.9 million [104]	Nick Rolovich (interim, bowl)
UConn	Jim L. Mora	November 26, 2025	Hired by Colorado State [105]	N/A	Gordon Sammis (interim, bowl)
South Florida	Alex Golesh	November 30, 2025	Hired by Auburn [106]	N/A	Kevin Patrick (interim, bowl)
Memphis	Ryan Silverfield	November 30, 2025	Hired by Arkansas [107]	N/A	Reggie Howard (interim, bowl)
Coastal Carolina	Tim Beck	November 30, 2025	Fired [108]	$1.7 million [109]	Jeremiah Johnson (interim, bowl)
Ole Miss	Lane Kiffin	November 30, 2025	Hired by LSU [110]	N/A	Pete Golding [111]
Washington State	Jimmy Rogers	December 5, 2025	Hired by Iowa State [112]	N/A	Jesse Bobbit (interim, bowl)
Southern Miss	Charles Huff	December 6, 2025	Hired by Memphis [113]	N/A	Blake Anderson (interim, bowl)

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 [114]	Penn State head coach
Oklahoma State	Doug Meacham (interim)	November 25, 2025	Permanent replacement	Eric Morris [115]	North Texas head coach
North Texas	Eric Morris	November 25, 2025	Hired by Oklahoma State [115]	Neal Brown [116]	Texas special assistant
Colorado State	Tyson Summers (interim)	November 26, 2025	Permanent replacement	Jim L. Mora [105]	UConn head coach
Oregon State	Robb Akey (interim)	November 28, 2025	Permanent replacement	JaMarcus Shephard [117]	Alabama co-offensive coordinator
Stanford	Frank Reich (interim)	November 28, 2025	Permanent replacement	Tavita Pritchard [118]	Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach
Auburn	D. J. Durkin (interim)	November 30, 2025	Permanent replacement	Alex Golesh [106]	South Florida head coach
Arkansas	Bobby Petrino (interim)	November 30, 2025	Permanent replacement	Ryan Silverfield [107]	Memphis head coach
Florida	Billy Gonzales (interim)	November 30, 2025	Permanent replacement	Jon Sumrall [119]	Tulane head coach
Tulane	Jon Sumrall	November 30, 2025	Hired by Florida [119]	Will Hall [120]	Tulane passing game coordinator
Michigan State	Jonathan Smith	November 30, 2025	Fired [121]	Pat Fitzgerald [122]	Northwestern head coach
LSU	Frank Wilson (interim)	November 30, 2025	Permanent replacement	Lane Kiffin [110]	Ole Miss head coach
Kentucky	Mark Stoops	November 30, 2025	Fired [123]	Will Stein [124]	Oregon offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach
South Florida	Kevin Patrick (interim)	December 3, 2025	Permanent replacement	Brian Hartline [125]	Ohio State offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach
Kansas State	Chris Klieman	December 3, 2025	Retired [126]	Collin Klein [127]	Texas A&M offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach
California	Nick Rolovich (interim)	December 5, 2025	Permanent replacement	Tosh Lupoi [128]	Oregon defensive coordinator/linebackers coach
Penn State	Terry Smith (interim)	December 5, 2025	Permanent replacement	Matt Campbell [129]	Iowa State head coach
Iowa State	Matt Campbell	December 5, 2025	Hired by Penn State [129]	Jimmy Rogers [112]	Washington State head coach
Washington State	Jesse Bobbit (interim)	December 5, 2025	Permanent replacement	TBD
UConn	Gordon Sammis (interim)	December 6, 2025	Permanent replacement	Jason Candle [130]	Toledo head coach
Toledo	Jason Candle	December 6, 2025	Hired by UConn [130]	TBD
UCLA	Tim Skipper (interim)	December 6, 2025	Permanent replacement	Bob Chesney [131]	James Madison head coach
James Madison	Bob Chesney	December 6, 2025	Hired by UCLA [131]	Billy Napier [132]	Florida head coach
Memphis	Reggie Howard (interim)	December 6, 2025	Permanent replacement	Charles Huff [113]	Southern Miss 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).

Rank	Date	Time	Matchup				Network	Viewers (millions) [133] [134]	Location	Significance
1	November 29, 2025	12:00 p.m.	No. 1 Ohio State	27	No. 15 Michigan	9	Fox	18.42	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	Rivalry, Big Noon Kickoff
2	August 30, 2025	12:00 p.m.	No. 1 Texas	7	No. 3 Ohio State	14		16.62	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	College GameDay , Big Noon Kickoff
3	November 28, 2025	7:30 p.m.	No. 3 Texas A&M	17	No. 16 Texas	27	ABC	13.04	Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX	Rivalry
4	September 13, 2025	3:30 p.m.	No. 6 Georgia	44	No. 15 Tennessee	41		12.58	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	Rivalry, College GameDay
5	November 29, 2025	7:30 p.m.	No. 10 Alabama	27	Auburn	20		11.31	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	Rivalry
6	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)
7	August 30, 2025	3:30 p.m.	No. 8 Alabama	17	Florida State	31		10.66	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL
8	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
9	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)
10	November 15, 2025	7:30 p.m.	No. 10 Texas	10	No. 5 Georgia	35		10.43	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA

Conference championship games

All times Eastern.Rankings are from the CFP Rankings. ^[135]

Rank	Date	Time	Matchup				Network	Viewers (millions)	Conference	Location
	December 5	7:00 p.m.	Troy	14	No. 25 James Madison	31	ESPN		Sun Belt	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, Virginia
			Kennesaw State	19	Jacksonville State	15	CBSSN		CUSA	AmFirst Stadium Jacksonville, Alabama
		8:00 pm	No. 24 North Texas	21	No. 20 Tulane	34	ABC		American	Yulman Stadium New Orleans, Louisiana
			UNLV	21	Boise State	38	FOX		MW	Albertsons Stadium Boise, Idaho
	December 6	12:00 p.m.	No. 11 BYU	7	No. 4 Texas Tech	34	ABC		Big 12	AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
			Miami (OH)	13	Western Michigan	23	ESPN		MAC	Ford Field, Detroit, MI
		4:00 p.m.	No. 3 Georgia	28	No. 9 Alabama	7	ABC		SEC	Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
		8:00 p.m.	Duke	27OT	No. 17 Virginia	20	ABC		ACC	Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
			No. 2 Indiana	13	No. 1 Ohio State	10	FOX		Big Ten	Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

Most watched non-CFP bowl games

All times Eastern.Rankings are from the CFP Rankings. ^[135]

Rank	Date	Time	Matchup				Network	Viewers (millions)	Game	Location

College Football Playoff games

Rank	Date	Time	Matchup				Network	Viewers (millions)	Game	Location
	December 19	8:00 pm (ET)	No. 9 Alabama		No. 8 Oklahoma		ABC/ESPN		Non-bowl game (First round)	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (Campus site)
	December 20	12:00 pm (ET)	No. 10 Miami		No. 7 Texas A&M					Kyle Field College Station, TX (Campus site)
		4:00 pm (ET)	No. 11 Tulane		No. 6 Ole Miss		TNT			Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (Campus site)
		8:00 pm (ET)	No. 12 James Madison		No. 5 Oregon					Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR (Campus site)
	December 31	7:30 pm (ET)			No. 2 Ohio State		ESPN		Cotton Bowl Classic (Quarterfinals)	AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas
	January 1	1:00 pm (ET)			No. 4 Texas Tech				2026 Orange Bowl (Quarterfinals)	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida
		5:00 pm (ET)			No. 1 Indiana				Rose Bowl (Quarterfinals)	Rose Bowl Pasadena, California
		4:00 pm (ET)			No. 3 Georgia				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. ^{[136] [137]}

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. ^[138]

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. ^[139] 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. ^[140]

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

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External links

Media related to 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season at Wikimedia Commons