NCAAF
2025 College
Football Playoff
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The 2025 College Football Playoff first round continues with No. 10 Miami taking on No. 7 Texas A&M in College Station. The winner will advance to face No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Follow for live play-by-play updates and the latest news and analysis from The Athletic’s college football staff.
In his capacity as an ACC Network analyst, former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher has returned to Kyle Field for the first time since he was fired in 2023.
Yes, Texas A&M played an SEC schedule, but the Aggies avoided many of the conference’s best teams. Among the SEC teams ranked in the top 20 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, Texas A&M only faced one — and lost that game, to Texas. The Aggies avoided Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt.
Of course, Aggie fans will quickly point out that Texas A&M won on the road at Notre Dame in Week 2, helping knock a very good Fighting Irish team out of the Playoff. But Miami’s talent level is on par with Notre Dame and Texas, making this arguably the toughest opponent the Aggies have faced this season.
Head coaches always face scrutiny. Win or lose. Lose, and it’s bad. Win, and it creates more pressure.
Win big, and fans want even more.
So which head coach is under the most pressure in the College Football Playoff? Our Ralph Russo ranks the coaches and the pressure they’re facing in the postseason.
Miami cornerback Keionte Scott and Texas A&M running back Le'Veon Moss are both expected to return from injury and play today, per the ESPN broadcast.
Regardless of what happens today, Texas A&M will reload a talented roster behind wide receiver Mario Craver, who signed a new contract to remain at the school in 2026.
In his sophomore season at Texas A&M, the Mississippi State transfer has 825 receiving yards and four touchdowns despite battling a lower-body injury late in the season. But Craver is good to go today.
Quarterbacks inspire confidence. If you have a good or great signal caller on your side, you’re going to feel pretty good about your chances every time your favorite team takes the field. That feeling is only amplified when the playoffs roll around.
So as we embark on the 2025 College Football Playoff, we’re examining the quarterbacks who have led their programs to the field and ranking them from 12th to first.
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The Aggies rolled through the first 11 games of their season, including a thrilling one-point win at Notre Dame and a historic rally to edge South Carolina (again by one point). But then they struggled against rival Texas in the regular-season finale and missed out on the SEC Championship Game.
This year’s College Football Playoff may lack the marquee first-round matchups of 2024’s inaugural 12-team bracket, but it makes up for it in star power throughout the field. Seven of the top nine finishers in Heisman Trophy voting will compete in this year’s CFP, representing five different teams. Unfortunately, only one of those seven will play this weekend: Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
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I’ve watched a lot of Texas A&M and Miami this week to prepare for the Cotton Bowl matchup and come into this game really interested in the plans both teams have for these stellar wide receivers: Texas A&M star KC Concepcion and Miami’s Malachi Toney.
Concepcion was named a first-team all-American as an all purpose player by The Athletic and Toney is just as dangerous all over the field. I’m curious how both of these defenses plan to take these weapons away, because they are both dangerous out wide but also as punt returners and even in the backfield at times.
The Hurricanes started the season with one of the best wins of 2025, beating Notre Dame, and they were 5-0 after beating rival Florida State. But then Miami lost two of its next three games (to Louisville and SMU) to seemingly drop out of the Playoff mix.
Then, the Hurricanes responded by winning their final four games and got some help to sneak into the Playoff field.
The second 12-team College Football Playoff is upon us. But what would the postseason look like with this year’s field and past and future formats?
Our Seth Emerson spent the time breaking it all down here.
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This is a matchup between two quarterbacks who have both had plenty of shining moments during the past year-plus, but also plenty of questions when it comes to big games that can be answered with a win today.
For all the buzz generated around his offseason transfer from Georgia, Carson Beck is quietly playing some of the best football of his career right now. The Miami quarterback has a career-high 74.7 completion percentage, 3,072 passing yards and 25 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. He has an 11-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio during his past four games.
Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed at one point seemed like a Heisman Trophy contender, especially after leading the Aggies’ furious second-half comeback from down 30-3 to South Carolina. But the last time we saw Reed, he struggled against a Texas defense with a similar talent as the one he will see against Miami today. Reed threw for 180 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss. Reed has a 61.8 completion percentage, 2,932 passing yards and the same 25-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio as Beck. He also has 466 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in 2025.
Whichever quarterback can elevate his play against a stout defensive front today will likely be the one heading to a bowl game on New Year’s Day.
No. 7 Texas A&M (11-1)
Why you should get on board: You love watching someone drop the baggage of past failures and start living up to their potential.
Why you shouldn’t: Do we know how good the Aggies truly are? Yes, they beat Notre Dame, which was a massive win. But the SEC schedule included wins over four programs that fired their head coach, plus wins over bad Mississippi State and South Carolina teams and a Missouri squad that was on its third-string quarterback. The only team Texas A&M faced with a winning conference record (Texas) beat the Aggies.
Bottom line: Texas A&M handled its business in the regular season, so kudos to the Aggies, but they still feel like a bit of an unknown as the Playoff starts. Are they elite or a product of their schedule? You could potentially jump on the bandwagon, only for Texas A&M to revert to past form and disappoint. So keep your guard up.
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Who is going to win the College Football Playoff? That’s the question we’re all asking right now, right?
Well, our college staff members made their predictions for each game. Check those out here.
No. 8 Miami (10-2)
Why you should get on board: You just watched “The U” 30 for 30 and are feeling the nostalgia, yearning for the Hurricanes to get back on top again.
Why you shouldn’t: You don’t want the ACC’s incompetence to be rewarded.
Bottom line: In every discussion about Miami making a long Playoff run, you have to account for Mario Cristobal having to navigate several games against programs with a similar talent level and elite coaching. Those games will likely be close and come down to in-game decision-making, which hasn’t been Cristobal’s strong suit over the years. The Hurricanes have enough talent to make noise this postseason, but Cristobal is a wild card.
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Cashius Howell versus Miami right tackle Francis Mauigoa could be a battle of future first-round picks.
Considered a late-round pick entering the season, Howell has far exceeded those expectations. However, he had his least impactful game of the season the last time the Aggies played, a loss to Texas. With an SEC-best 11.5 sacks, Howell has the burst and edge athleticism to heat up the pocket in the blink of an eye. But scouts want to see better consistency in his secondary rush moves and as a run defender.
It won’t be easy for Howell when he is lined up against Mauigoa, who has been one of the most consistent offensive tackles I have scouted in college football this season. Despite not having great length, Mauigoa does a great job staying square to rushers, with the balance through contact to settle down and halt power. Whether he is a tackle or guard at the next level (NFL scouts are split), Mauigoa will be in the conversation to be the first offensive lineman drafted in April.
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The Hope-O-Meter is back in all its awesome glory. So, how hopeful are fans for the College Football Playoff?
Our Manny Navarro looks at each team’s fan base entering the postseason.
No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M (-3.5)
Mike Elko’s team was 11-0 and then lost its shot at playing for an SEC championship and a first-round bye when it lost to rival Texas in the regular-season finale. Miami, meanwhile, won its last four games to rally past Notre Dame in the rankings for the final at-large spot in the field.
Both teams have the size and talent on the offensive and defensive lines to make a deep Playoff run — and are getting key players back from injury. It’s obvious what this contest comes down to — which quarterback plays the cleaner game. Marcel Reed and Carson Beck have each thrown 10 interceptions this season.
Prediction: Beck and Reed each throw interceptions, but Beck gets the last word with a 20-yard touchdown strike to Keelan Marion in overtime.
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This is the most anticipated matchup of the College Football Playoff first round, and for good reason, given the talent level of these two teams.
But awaiting today’s winner in the Cotton Bowl is maybe the most talented team in the country: defending national champion Ohio State.
Texas A&M fans may be excited about the chance to play the Buckeyes in their home state, but they only need to ask fans of rival Texas how well that worked out last year — The Longhorns lost the Cotton Bowl, then a Playoff semifinal, to eventual national champion Ohio State 28-14 in January.
