College Football’s Week 14—the critical Conference Championship Weekend—was a decisive and chaotic final act, serving as the ultimate arbiter for the new 12-team College Football Playoff field. The slate of high-stakes matchups saw dramatic upsets, rivalry heartbreaks, and the solidification of two undefeated titans at the top of the rankings. While No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana marched toward their inevitable Big Ten Championship clash, the rest of the Top 12 experienced immense reshuffling. Key victories by Oregon over Washington, Alabama in the Iron Bowl, and the dramatic ascension of BYU into the Big 12 title game defined the weekend. This final week of November confirmed the parity of the 2025 season, leaving the CFP Selection Committee with a dizzying set of scenarios before revealing the full bracket.
The SEC Showdown: Alabama and Georgia Set the Stage
The Southeastern Conference once again provided the most compelling narrative, culminating in a highly anticipated rematch for the SEC Championship.
The final regular-season rivalry games provided the last piece of the puzzle for the SEC title game. The Georgia Bulldogs clinched their spot by defeating Georgia Tech 16-9 in a defensive struggle on Friday. More dramatically, the Alabama Crimson Tide did its job by overcoming rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl, securing the other berth in the championship game. This victory sets up a monumental clash between No. 3 Georgia and No. 9 Alabama for the fourth time since 2018 in the SEC Championship. This matchup is not only a battle for the conference crown but will have immense College Football Playoff (CFP) seeding implications, particularly for the loser, who will be hoping to hold onto an at-large bid. The outcome will likely determine who secures a crucial first-round bye in the expanded CFP bracket.
Conversely, the chaos was encapsulated by Texas A&M’s massive win over rival Texas, propelling the Aggies to a coveted 11-1 final record and keeping them in the thick of the CFP conversation despite missing the SEC Championship game.
The Big Ten Dominance: An Unbeaten Showdown
The Big Ten Conference established itself as the league of undefeated titans, with both Ohio State and Indiana securing their spots in the title game with perfect records.
The Ohio State Buckeyes, defending national champions, cemented their 12-0 season by decisively defeating rival Michigan 27-9. This victory not only granted them a spot in the Big Ten Championship but also provided a major checkmark for their potential No. 1 overall seed status. Their opponent, the Indiana Hoosiers, also finished the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record after defeating Purdue. The ensuing Big Ten Championship will be an historic all-unbeaten matchup, with Indiana aiming for its first conference crown since 1967. The winner of this game will be an undeniable lock for a top-two CFP seed and a crucial first-round bye.
Meanwhile, Oregon also concluded its season strongly, defeating Washington to finish 11-1. The Ducks are expected to be a lock for one of the four first-round byes, confirming the Big Ten’s three-team dominance at the very top of the 2025 college football landscape.
Big 12 and ACC: The Race for Automatic Bids
The final week created dramatic scenarios in the Big 12 and ACC, where every result directly affected the allocation of the five automatic CFP bids.
The Big 12 Championship game was set to be a rematch between No. 4 Texas Tech and No. 11 BYU. Texas Tech had already beaten the Cougars earlier in the season, but BYU’s incredible 11-1 season proved its resilience. The result of this rematch will determine the conference’s automatic qualifier and have major ripple effects on the at-large bids. In the ACC, the picture was more complicated. No. 17 Virginia clinched one berth with a win over Virginia Tech, while Duke earned the other spot after SMU lost its chance with a missed field goal against California. This setup created a potential crisis, as the ACC’s highest-ranked team, No. 12 Miami, failed to make the title game, opening the door for a Group of Five champion to grab the fifth automatic bid.
The two highest-ranked Group of Five teams, No. 20 Tulane and No. 24 North Texas, will face off in the AAC title game, with the winner having a strong chance to secure one of the five automatic bids over the weaker ACC champion.
CFP Chaos: Rebels Rise, Irish Fall
The final CFP ranking reveal after Week 14 was a prime example of the selection committee’s unpredictable process, rewarding performance over stability.
Despite the highly publicized departure of head coach Lane Kiffin to LSU, the Ole Miss Rebels actually moved up one spot to No. 6 in the penultimate rankings, finishing the regular season at 11-1. Committee chairman Hunter Yuracheck stated they could only evaluate the team based on its 11-1 record, despite the coaching upheaval. This decision set up a high-stakes first-round CFP matchup for the Rebels. Conversely, Notre Dame (10-2) fell one spot to No. 10, placing them squarely on the playoff bubble. The committee favored Alabama (10-2) over the Irish due to the Tide’s “signature win” over Auburn, despite Notre Dame having a longer winning streak. The chaos culminated in a wide-open playoff picture, with the committee emphasizing strength of wins and overall body of work in a season defined by massive top-25 records, creating a final bracket where nearly every first-round game will be a compelling clash.
