Week 1 of the 2025 college football season features a loaded slate, including LSU at Clemson, Notre Dame at Miami and Alabama at Florida State, among others. LSU-Clemson could be a top-five matchup, as could the biggest headliner: Manning and Texas visiting Ohio State in a matchup of the 2024 national champion and our early 2025 favorite.

The NFL playoffs continue this weekend with the conference championships, determining who will play in Super Bowl LIX. The Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles play in the NFC Championship Game, while the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs play in the AFC Championship Game.

The difference between these predictions and the top-25 ranking is that the bracket predictions more heavily weigh the future games to be played on the field, predicting the outcome. That said, let's take a look at the first bracket projection for the 2025 season.

Ohio State took down Notre Dame to win the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff and claim the school’s first national championship since 2014, but now it’s time to get an early look ahead to the 2025 college football season and what teams are in contention right now.