2025 Marks the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP). This replaces the controversial 4-team playoff that was in effect previously. An overview of the 2025 CFP is as follows:
Playoff First Round
*CFP first-round games were played in the home stadium of the higher-seeded team*
- No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Indiana 17
- No. 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10
- No. 5 Texas 38, No. 12 Clemson 24
- No. 8 Ohio State 42, No. 9 Tennesee 17
Playoff Quarterfinal
VRBO Fiesta Bowl – Glendale
- No. 6 Penn State 31, No. 3 Boise State 14
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – Atlanta
- No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (2OT)
Rose Bowl Game – Pasadena
- No. 8 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21
Allstate Sugar Bowl – New Orleans
- No. 7 Notre Dame 23, No. 2 Georgia 10
Playoff Semifinal
Capital One Orange Bowl – Tampa
- No. 6 Penn State 24, No. 7 Notre Dame 27
Goodyear Cotton Bowl – Arlington
- No. 8 Ohio State 28, No. 5 Texas 14
National Championship – No. 8 Ohio State 34 vs. No. 7 Notre Dame 23
The 2025 CFP National Championship Game was played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on January 20, 2025. Ultimately, The Ohio State University Buckeyes brought home the title. Highlights of this matchup include Buckeye Quarterback Will Howard (Offensive MVP) who passed for 231 yards, rushed for 57, had 2 TDs, and an 81% completion rate. Although the Buckeyes fell behind by one touchdown in the first quarter, their dominant performance in the second quarter, with 3 TDs, gave them the momentum they needed to win the game. Jeremiah Smith and Quinshon Judkins were two of the most critical players for Ohio State. After the half, the Buckeyes raised the score to 31-7 with a touchdown and a field goal, but the Irish started a comeback, scoring a touchdown and conversion to end the third. In the fourth quarter, another touchdown and conversion by Notre Dame brought the score to 31-23, but this wasn’t enough, and Ohio State scored a field goal to solidify a 34-23 win on the biggest stage in college football. Overall, this game was not the most eventful of the CFP but was still quite interesting. It is expected that within the next few years, the format of the CFP will be altered to possibly add more teams and/or change the rules on seeding and qualification. This new playoff format added a lot of excitement to college football and will be around for years to come.
