Ohio State played like a juggernaut in College Football Playoff en route to its first national championship since 2014.

In or out? A verdict on which of the College Football Playoff qualifiers will be back in the bracket next season.

The first 12-team Playoff had a lot of great moments. It could also use some tweaks. In the short term, leaders are unlikely to make major changes to the format for the 2025 season. The bigger stuff is more likely to come in 2026, when the new contracts kick in and the SEC and Big Ten basically get to do whatever they want.

The Bulldogs earned the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff but were defeated by the No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-2) in the quarterfinals, with a final score of 23-10. Gunner Stockton replaced Beck in the second half of the Texas game and played the entire Notre Dame game.

ESPN kept it simple by picking all of the home teams in the first round. Basically, until proven otherwise, home field advantage is a real thing in the first round of the 12-team playoff. By the way, Michigan beating Ohio State, essentially, back to back weeks in Ann Arbor? The scenes!

Moving forward, Paul Finebaum and many other college football pundits will be expecting the SEC to return to glory in a big way. Whether it’s Georgia, Texas, Alabama or some other team, the conference needs to make a mark in 2025, after a disappointing 2024 season.

A pair of powerhouse programs square off in the College Football Playoff national championship game in ESPN's 2025 projections from Bill Connelly. The Ohio State Buckeyes secured the first national title in the 12-team playoff era, taking down Notre Dame, 34-23, for the program's ninth championship.

Alabama experienced a mixed season in 2024. The Crimson Tide recorded a 3-1 record against ranked opponents during the season, plus a victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks, who finished ranked No. 15 in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels displayed similar rookie success during his first season at Arizona State in 2019.

The College Football Playoff's format is under the microscope after the national championship was decided following an uneven 12-team debut.

The 11 College Football Playoff games averaged 15.6 million viewers according to Nielsen, as audiences increased during each round

Ohio State won it all, but neither the Buckeyes nor their league mates produced any drama that could contend with No. 1 on this list.