The Ultimate 64-Team NCAA Football Tournament: A March Madness-Style Showdown

Introduction

What if college football adopted a 64-team playoff format, similar to March Madness? We’ve taken the liberty of creating a fictional NCAA football tournament, seeding teams 1 through 64 based on ESPN’s SP+ projections for the 2025 season. Here’s how the first two rounds played out, narrowing the field from 64 to 16.

The Bracket

1-seeds: Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, Georgia 2-seeds: Clemson, Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon 3-seeds: Ole Miss, Michigan, Miami, Tennessee 4-seeds: LSU, SMU, Florida, South Carolina 5-seeds: Missouri, Texas A&M, Illinois, BYU 6-seeds: Kansas State, Oklahoma, Iowa, Louisville 7-seeds: Auburn, Indiana, USC, TCU 8-seeds: Iowa State, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Boise State 9-seeds: Arkansas, Utah, Nebraska, Baylor 10-seeds: Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Washington, Duke 11-seeds: Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt 12-seeds: Colorado, NC State, Memphis, Rutgers 13-seeds: North Carolina, James Madison, Tulane, Florida State 14-seeds: Pittsburgh, Kansas, Army, Cincinnati 15-seeds: UCF, California, Syracuse, Mississippi State 16-seeds: Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Maryland, Boston College

Midwest Regional

First Round:

(1) Ohio State 45, (16) Boston College 14: Ohio State dominates with touchdowns on their first three possessions.
(2) Oregon 38, (15) UCF 17: Oregon pulls away in the second half.
(3) Tennessee 30, (14) Pittsburgh 21: Tennessee’s defense secures the win.
(4) South Carolina 24, (13) North Carolina 19: South Carolina’s pass rush makes the difference.

Second Round:

(1) Ohio State 30, (9) Arkansas 24: Ohio State wears down Arkansas in the second half.
(2) Oregon 35, (7) TCU 21: Oregon’s defense stiffens in the fourth quarter.

South Regional

First Round:

(1) Texas 45, (16) Maryland 21: Arch Manning shines in his first postseason start.
(2) Notre Dame 34, (15) California 27: Notre Dame survives a close game.

Second Round:

(1) Texas 31, (8) Texas Tech 20: Texas’ defense dominates.
(2) Notre Dame 28, (7) USC 24: Notre Dame edges out USC in a classic rivalry.

East Regional

First Round:

(1) Penn State 45, (16) West Virginia 17: Penn State’s offense overwhelms West Virginia.
(2) Alabama 28, (15) Syracuse 7: Alabama’s defense shuts down Syracuse.

Second Round:

(1) Penn State 33, (9) Nebraska 17: Penn State’s defense stifles Nebraska.
(2) Alabama 35, (7) Indiana 21: Alabama proves its dominance over Indiana.

West Regional

First Round:

(1) Georgia 33, (16) Oklahoma State 21: Georgia’s pass rush is too much for Oklahoma State.
(2) Clemson 41, (15) Mississippi State 20: Clemson cruises to an easy win.

Second Round: