The last of the scarlet and gray confetti has been swept up from the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta after Ohio State’s national championship victory against Notre Dame on Monday.

But already, the odds for who will be celebrating this time next year are already out.

And to nobody’s surprise, the Buckeyes are the favorites to repeat. The way-too-early odds for Ryan Day’s newly crowned champs are +425. Judging from the rest of the numbers set by DraftKings sportsbook, the 2025 College Football Playoff field will look a lot like the one that played for the championship in 2024.

But as we’ve learned so many times in the past, things don’t always turn out the way the experts or the oddsmakers think they will.

Just ask Florida State.

So as we put the wraps on one season, let’s take a peek ahead to the next and predict which of the 12 Playoff teams will play their way back into the bracket. And who figures to be home for the holidays watching it all on TV?

No. 12 Clemson: In

The 3-loss Tigers backed into this season’s Playoff when Miami spit the bit against Syracuse in the final week of the regular season. But they shouldn’t have to sweat it out this time around. Virtually every key player returns, including quarterback Cade Klubnik, who will start the year as a Heisman front-runner after throwing for  3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns. Top receiving threats Bryant Wesco Jr., TJ Moore and Antonio Williams are also returning, as are ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year Sammy Brown and star pass rushers TJ Parker and Peter Woods. With Dabo Swinney finally signing transfers to improve depth on a defense that will be improved with the arrival of new coordinator Tom Allen, Clemson is clearly the team to beat in the ACC.

No. 11 SMU: Out

The Mustangs made an immediate splash in their first ACC season by going undefeated in the league, earning a spot in the conference championship game and sneaking into the Playoff field with the final at-large bid. Their selection wasn’t popular, especially after their lopsided opening-round loss at Penn State. But they were anything but a fluke. And given coach Rhett Lashlee’s track record as a proven winner, along with the return of quarterback Kevin Jennings, they won’t be just a 1-year wonder. That said, there are several major holes to fill with the loss of 1,000-yard rusher Brashard Smith and the pass-rushing duo of Elijah Roberts and Jahfari Harvey. And the schedule, which includes a trip to Clemson and home games against Miami, Louisville and Syracuse, will be more challenging.

No. 10 Indiana: Out

What does national Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti do for an encore after leading the Hoosiers to the best season in their 126-year history in his debut in Bloomington? Following up an 11-2 season in which the only losses came against the teams that played for the national championship won’t be easy. Especially without 7 offensive starters, including quarterback Kurtis Rourke and a schedule that has Indiana making trips to Oregon and Penn State. But Cignetti has history on his side. He is a combined 25-8 in Season 2 at previous stops IUP (12-2), Elon (6-5) and James Madison (7-1). He’s also replenished his roster with 18 transfers, including Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Still, catching lightning in a bottle twice in a loaded Big Ten is a tall task.

9. Tennessee: In

Josh Heupel got the Volunteers into the Playoff, where they were the first of 4 teams to get steamrolled by eventual champion Ohio State. With the return of quarterback Nico Iamaleava and several other key puzzle pieces, they should be right back in the mix again in 2025. They’ve been given the 8th-best odds at +1600. But Heupel will have to find replacements for record-breaking running back Dylan Sampson, his top 3 pass catchers, half of his offensive line and star edge rusher, James Pearce Jr. (7.5 sacks). And Tennessee will have its work cut out for it to survive the grind of a difficult SEC schedule that begins with a showdown with Georgia and includes a road test at Alabama.

8. Ohio State: In

Yes, the Buckeyes are losing championship game MVP Will Howard, along with its 2-headed running back monster of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, left tackle Josh Simmons and stud defenders Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, among others. But the pressure is finally off coach Ryan Day. And he has a reported $20 million to spend on building another championship-caliber roster on a solid foundation that includes the best returning receiver in the country (Jeremiah Smith) and the best defensive player at any position (Caleb Downs).

7. Notre Dame: In

The Irish will face a more challenging schedule than the one they breezed through – with the exception of Northern Illinois – this season. They open at Miami, followed by a home game against Texas A&M in Week 2 while also facing Boise State and Arkansas. They’ll also have to cherry-pick another transfer quarterback to fit into an offense that returns playmakers running hack Jeremiyah Love and receiver Jaden Greathouse to go with a veteran line. On defense, the secondary will also need to be rebuilt. But if Marcus Freeman proved anything during Notre Dame’s run to this year’s title game, it’s that he’s one of the best young coaching minds in the game. And he has talented coordinators around him. You have to like their chances of finding a way to get the job done.

No. 6 Penn State: Out

Let’s start with the premise that despite finally getting over the hump and making it into the Playoff this year – and winning twice once there – James Franklin still has a lot to prove before he’s able to shed the “can’t win a big game” stigma he carries. In order to do that, Franklin has to rebuild a defense that lost not only its best player, edge rusher Abdul Carter but also coordinator Allen to Clemson. QB Drew Allar returns, but with do-everything tight end Tyler Warren matriculating to the NFL, Franklin also will have to bulk up a receiving corps that didn’t catch a single pass in the Nittany Lions’ semifinal loss to Notre Dame. If nothing else, Franklin can at least find inspiration from Big Ten rival Day, who earned his own personal vindication by leading Ohio State to the title.

No. 5 Texas: In

The eyes of Texas will be on Arch Manning, who will finally be given the keys to the offense by Steve Sarkisian after 2 seasons as an understudy to Quinn Ewers. But while Manning will be the center of attention this fall, he is nowhere near the only reason the Longhorns have the second-shortest odds to win the national championship at +550. Manning will be surrounded by plenty of offensive firepower, including running backs Tre Wisner and CJ Baxter. And the defense, which allowed the 4th-fewest points and 3rd-fewest yards nationally, should be just as good with the return of linebacker Colin Simmons and disruptive pass rusher Trey Moore. We’ll get a glimpse of how good Manning and Texas are right out of the gate when they meet Ohio State at the Horseshoe in the season-opener.

No. 4 Arizona State: Out

Kenny Dillingham did a fabulous job in taking a team that won only 3 games the previous season and was picked to finish last in the Big 12 all the way to the conference championship and a Playoff bye. His Sun Devils backed up their regular season credentials by coming within a 4th-down stop in overtime of beating Texas and advancing to the semifinals. They should still have plenty of talent on hand with the return of quarterback Sam Leavitt and receiver Jordyn Tyson on offense and all-conference safety Xavion Alford and tackle CJ Fite on defense. But emerging from a crowded Big-12 pack that includes Playoff contenders Iowa State, BYU and Colorado won’t be as easy without running back Cam Skattebo, the engine that drove the team in 2024.

No. 3 Boise State: Out

Losing Heisman finalist Ashton Jeanty and his 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns is a huge blow. So is the departure of offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. Although the Broncos are to the Group of 5 in football what Gonzaga is to mid-majors in basketball and are perennially among the nation’s best non-power conference teams, it’s hard to see them getting close to the top-10 ranking they earned this season. They’ll be among the top contenders for the guaranteed G5 Playoff spot. But they’ll have plenty of competition from UNLV, Army, Tulane, Miami (Ohio) and others.

No. 2 Georgia: In

We’ll never know how far the Bulldogs might have gone had quarterback Carson Beck been able to play in their quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame. But even with Beck in the lineup, Georgia wasn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut. So that’s an area that will need attention. Kirby Smart has already taken steps to help out Beck’s backup Gunner Stockton or whoever he plucks from the portal by bringing in Zachariah Branch from Southern Cal and Noah Thomas from Texas A&M to shore up a receiving corps that had more than its share of the drops in 2024. The Bulldogs didn’t get any breaks from the SEC schedule-makers, with their first 2 league games at Tennessee and home to Alabama. But if anyone can handle tough competition, it’s Smart who is 53-5 with 2 nattys in the past 5 seasons.

No. 1 Oregon: In

Even though they were the top overall seed and the nation’s only undefeated team, the Ducks had the misfortune of drawing the toughest quarterfinal opponent in the Rose Bowl in woefully underseeded Ohio State. The disappointment of getting knocked out so early should fuel a team that didn’t miss a beat in its transition from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. Dan Lanning has built a consistently elite program that shouldn’t suffer much if any drop-off as long as he can find a suitable replacement for Heisman finalist quarterback Dillon Gabriel. (Dante Moore is a 5-star who transferred from UCLA and served as a backup this season.) Oregon’s defense returns most of its best players, including the edge rushing duo of Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti, and All-Big Ten linebacker Bryce Boettcher. The Ducks have won 10 or more games in each of Lanning’s 3 seasons. And 2026 should be more of the same.