College Football Playoff: David Pollack predicts which 12 teams will make 12-team bracket

College football analyst David Pollack predicted his 12 team field for the College Football Playoff ahead of the 2025 season. There are some familiar faces plus some newcomers to the 12-team bracket.

Pollack revealed his College Football Playoff on his podcast, See Ball Get Ball. It should be noted the teams revealed below are listed in alphabetical order.

Pollack didn’t exactly rank the teams, or seed them, from No. 1 to 12. So, let’s dive into his 12-team field, in alphabetical order, starting at the top.

Alabama

The Crimson Tide will return to the College Football Playoff in Year 2 under Kalen DeBoer. They fell short last season, but bring back the tools to make a run.

QB Ty Simpson is set to be under center, throwing to star sophomore Ryan Williams. A revamped defense should be a scary sight to other SEC teams this coming season.

Arizona State

The Sun Devils were one of the surprise College Football Playoff teams last year after being picked to finish last in the Big 12. Arizona State will return, per Pollack.

Actually, Arizona State is the only Big 12 team on this list, so they’ll have to win the league again. Kenny Dillingham seems to be pushing all of the right buttons. They also have QB Sam Leavitt back under center. 

Boise State

More fun colors in the College Football Playoff! What, you don’t like orange and blue? In all seriousness, Boise State appears to be the best Group of Five team once again before eventually moving over to a new version of the Pac-12.

You can’t replace Ashton Jeanty, but you can try with transfer Malik Sherrod and a combination of other guys. The defense is full of juniors and seniors, so there’s a wealth of experience for Spencer Danielson’s crew.

Clemson

Clemson will return to the College Football Playoff for the second straight year and this team might be geared to winning it all. Cade Klubnik is back at QB and coming off a career year, he’ll have studs Antonio Williams and Bryant Wesco to throw to.

Dabo Swinney must be thrilled by his defense too. On just the defensive line, there could be two first round picks in TJ Parker and Peter Woods.

Georgia

The Bulldogs are “Gs” who move in silence like lasagna, or something. Georgia is certainly under the radar compared to previous years, but they should be borderline automatic for the College Football Playoff.

Gunner Stockton takes over at QB and he’ll have transfer WR Zachariah Branch to throw to this season. Kirby Smart’s defense should be borderline elite once again.

Miami

The Hurricanes missed out on the College Football Playoff last season despite going 10-2 on the season. The loss to Syracuse was the final nail in the coffin.

Still, Miami brings back a lot of talent and transfer QB Carson Beck to take over under center. Mario Cristobal has the chops, but he and the program need to capitalize and get to the dance.

Notre Dame

Marcus Freeman led Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff in his third full season as head coach and nearly won it all. Now, it’s about getting back and finishing the job.

RB Jeremiyah Love is back in the backfield and is in the Heisman conversation. Coupled with stellar line play and stout defense, it’s now on CJ Carr or Kenny Minchey to steer the ship at quarterback.

Ohio State

Ohio State and Ryan Day have a weight lifted off their shoulders considering they won the entire College Football Playoff last season. But now, it’s time to try and do it again.

WR Jeremiah Smith and DB Caleb Downs are the stars of the show for this elite team. The big question will be how QB Julian Sayin, the projected starter, adapts to the expectations and Day’s offense. Don’t forget, Chip Kelly went back to the NFL and Jim Knowles is off to Penn State, as far as the coordinators are concerned.

Oregon

Oregon will try to rectify the errors of the Rose Bowl last year after going 13-0 and being the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. Dan Lanning has improved the team every year so the expectations should be no different.

Dante Moore takes over at QB after sitting a year following his transfer from UCLA. Vibes are high after he was a backup and developed last year.

Penn State

Penn State is going with the Ohio State model by running it back in 2025. The Nittany Lions could very well be the top team when it’s all said and done.

Drew Allar is the biggest key to operating the offense and getting Penn State back to the College Football Playoff. The addition of Jim Knowles as DC to improve an elite defensive unit is massive.

Texas

Arch Manning could lead Texas to the promised land this season if he’s as good as advertised. College Football Playoff appearances are not enough at this point for the Longhorns.

After back to back semifinal appearances, this team is built to win now. But, how will the developed guys perform taking over for NFL talent that has since departed?

Texas A&M

The Aggies get in Pollack’s College Football Playoff field, which might be a bit of a surprise to some people. Mike Elko had this team rolling at one point last year before a less than stellar ending.

Marcel Reed is an exciting talent at quarterback and he’ll be helped by transfer WRs Mario Craver and KC Concepcion. The defense is pretty junior and senior heavy too.