The College Football Playoff picture got much clearer in Week 14.
No. 1 Ohio State survived a wobbly start and beat No. 15 Michigan 27-9 to snap a four-game losing streak in the rivalry and book a spot opposite No. 2 Indiana in the Big Ten championship game.
On Friday, the Hoosiers swamped Purdue 56-3 to remain unbeaten heading into next Saturday’s clash at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The matchup for the Big 12 championship is also set after No. 7 Texas Tech blew away West Virginia 49-0 and No. 11 Brigham Young dug out of a 14-0 deficit in a 41-21 win against Central Florida.
Half of the ACC race finished according to plan with No. 17 Virginia’s 27-7 win against Virginia Tech. But No. 25 SMU was upset by California, eliminating the Mustangs and sending five-loss Duke into a matchup with the Cavaliers. The Blue Devils edge ahead of No. 13 Miami because of a better conference opponent winning percentage.
Over in the SEC, No. 10 Alabama booked a spot opposite No. 4 Georgia by winning the Iron Bowl against Auburn with a late touchdown.
The American race was settled after No. 22 North Texas won 52-25 against Temple and No. 23 Tulane blanked Charlotte 27-0, setting up a matchup that will determine the Group of Five’s playoff berth.
Elsewhere, Jacksonville State will face Kennesaw State in the Conference USA championship game, Western Michigan and Miami (Ohio) in the MAC and No. 21 James Madison and Troy in the Sun Belt.
Computer rankings will be used to break a multiple-team tie atop the Mountain West.
As expected, rivalry weekend has brought the playoff race into focus. The Buckeyes, No. 8 Oklahoma and the Wolverines lead Saturday’s biggest winners and losers:
Winners
Ohio State
There’s the obvious boost a win against Michigan will give the defending national champions heading into the Big Ten championship. There’s also the Heisman Trophy boost for quarterback Julian Sayin, who stumbled out of the gate but finished with 233 yards and three touchdowns. There’s also a big-time safety net: Ohio State can lose to Indiana and still draw a top four seed and an opening-round bye. Most of all, though, pushing around Michigan in Ann Arbor is the biggest statement to date from a team that has nearly gone wire to wire atop the US LBM Coaches Poll.
Oklahoma
Not the biggest win in program history, and certainly not the prettiest. But you can’t overstate the importance and beauty of a 17-13 win against LSU, which sends Oklahoma into the playoff as an at-large pick after being essentially written off as a contender heading into November. To do so, the Sooners had to overcome a sputtering offense that turned the ball over three times and ran for just 77 yards. They can credit a defense that time and again this season has carried the load, putting this team on their back to bounce back from a disappointing SEC debut. Look for Oklahoma to be a host in the opening round.
Alabama
This one wasn’t pretty, either, but Alabama’s 27-20 win against Auburn caps a topsy-turvy home stretch of the regular season and avoids what would’ve been a very tumultuous offseason for coach Kalen DeBoer. Ahead 17-0 with five minutes left in the first half, the Crimson Tide had to survive a stressful fourth quarter to punch their ticket for a rematch with Georgia. Ty Simpson averaged just 3.5 yards per attempt but had three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 3:50 to play, while the Alabama defense got the job done despite losing the plot on two quick-strike Auburn touchdown drives in the second half. Now, the questions of the week: Can Alabama lose to Georgia and still earn an at-large berth? What if the Bulldogs win by a couple of scores?
Texas Tech and Brigham Young
Texas Tech completed a dominant run through conference play by destroying the Mountaineers. BYU fell behind early but eventually pulled away from feisty UCF, which was looking to secure bowl eligibility. The stage is set for a rematch of the Red Raiders’ 29-7 win earlier this month. The best-case scenario for the Big 12 has BYU winning a close game to land the automatic bid while Tech lands gently in an at-large spot.
Oregon
No. 5 Oregon muscled out a 26-14 win against Washington and will be the third Big Ten team in the playoff field, potentially as high as the No. 6 seed. After the committee raised some questions about a weaker strength of schedule in early November, the Ducks closed things out with wins against Iowa, No. 20 Southern California and the Huskies to put together a solid postseason résumé. While not as dominant as last year’s team, which went unbeaten and was the tournament’s top seed, Oregon looks capable of playing for and winning the national championship.
Vanderbilt
No. 14 Vanderbilt emptied Neyland Stadium ahead of schedule and beat No. 18 Tennessee 45-24 to keep alive the dream of making the playoff as an at-large pick. While that will take some help, one thing is sure: Diego Pavia should be a Heisman finalist after throwing for 268 yards, running for 165 yards and willing the Commodores to double-digit wins for the first time. Regardless of the postseason destination, this has been the best year in program history.
Miami
Losses to Louisville and SMU will keep Miami out of the ACC championship. But the Hurricanes have done their part to be under heavy consideration for an at-large berth after beating No. 24 Pittsburgh 38-7 for a fourth win this year against a team that was ranked in the Coaches Poll at the time of the game. Another factor to keep in mind: Miami is rolling right now, winning four in a row by a combined score of 151-41 to end the year. That still might not be enough. But the Hurricanes deserve to play a big role in the how the committee approaches the tournament’s at-large bids.
At-the-wire bowl teams
Eight teams secured a sixth win and postseason eligibility on Saturday, though conference tie-ins mean not every team is guaranteed a bowl bid. Those who came in just under the wire: Kansas State, Penn State, Washington State, Delaware, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Texas State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Army. Falling short, however, were Florida State, Central Florida, Kentucky and Baylor.
Losers
Michigan
The Wolverines were unable to match the Buckeyes’ physicality and had no chance of finding another avenue to a fifth series win in a row given the utter failures of the passing game. Quarterback Bryce Underwood finished just 8 of 18 for 63 yards with an interception and never pushed the ball downfield, let alone to the first-downs sticks. Meanwhile, Ohio State was able to combat the weather and Michigan’s early surge to perform a much-needed exorcism before facing high-powered Indiana. While a win would’ve given the Wolverines a shot at the Big Ten championship game and an at-large berth, they are now eliminated from playoff contention.
The ACC
SMU trailed 31-14 one play into the fourth quarter, went on a torrid run to take a 35-31 lead with 2:22 to play but couldn’t stop California from going back ahead for good on a touchdown run with 42 seconds left. The Mustangs’ 38-35 loss is a total disaster for the ACC that leaves open the possibility the league is shut out of the playoff entirely. That’s because of the chance that Duke beats Virginia, leaving a five-loss conference champion to compare to what would be a 12-win James Madison team that steamrolled through the Sun Belt. In the end, the league’s saving grace might be the Dukes’ non-conference loss to Louisville. Even if that’s the case, the ACC has gone from a chance at getting two teams in the field — the Cavaliers or Mustangs and Miami, possibly — to not having even one.
Florida State
Another embarrassing season ended with another embarrassment, this one a 40-21 loss to Florida that leaves FSU short of the postseason for the second year in a row. In a two-year run full of low points, this one stands out. With bowl play in sight, the Seminoles were listless, ineffective and punchless against a team with nothing on the line except bragging rights. While Mike Norvell is expected to return in 2026, he will be atop every offseason hot-seat list in what will undoubtedly be a make-or-break season.
Josh Heupel
Not every team is going to make the playoff every season. And it’s not like this has been an absolutely awful year: Tennessee still won eight games and spent a good chunk of the year in the playoff mix. But the Volunteers also beat nobody of consequence and dropped their four biggest games of the year, to Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. That won’t cost Josh Heupel his job, but he will be under increased scrutiny and pressure heading into next season.
Just thankful it’s over
Many teams are just happy to close the book on the 2025 season. That includes Colorado, which dropped to 3-9 with a loss to Kansas State, and Arkansas, which finished winless in the SEC after losing to Missouri. Also happy to be moving on: Wisconsin closed things out with a loss to Minnesota, Rutgers finished a very disappointing year by losing at home to Penn State, Liberty lost to Kennesaw State in double overtime, Syracuse dropped an eighth game in a row to Boston College and finished last in the ACC and North Carolina closed out Bill Belichick’s miserable debut with a 42-19 loss to North Carolina State.