The 2025–26 College Football Playoff was the 12th edition of the postseason tournament and the second to feature a 12-team format, determining the national champion of the 2025 FBS season. The field represented six conferences, with the SEC sending five teams (Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama, Oklahoma) and the Big Ten sending three (Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon), while Texas Tech, Miami, Tulane, and James Madison came from other leagues. The action began with four first-round games at campus sites on December 19–20, where Oregon, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Miami advanced to face the top seeds in quarterfinals at the Cotton, Orange, Rose, and Sugar Bowls (Dec 31–Jan 1), followed by semifinals at the Fiesta and Peach Bowls (January 8–9). The championship took place on January 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, with the bracket released by the committee on December 7. Notably, the top four seeds (who earned byes) were assigned to the Nos. 1–4 ranked teams rather than the highest-ranked conference champions, a change from the prior year. Committee leadership shifted mid-season when chair Mack Rhoades resigned, replaced by Hunter Yurachek, while Randall McDaniel stepped down for personal reasons but planned to return the following year.