Get to know your college football playoff teams: Seeds 1-4

The quarter-finals of the College Football Playoffs begin on New Year’s Eve, with all the games streaming live and free on DAZN.

As we look forward to what promises to be four mouthwatering matchups, we break down what you need to know about each playoff team and what they’re expecting.

We began this series by looking at the #9 to #12 seeds, including the Alabama Crimson Tide, Miami Hurricanes, and more. We followed it up with the #5 to #8 seeds, introducing the likes of the Ole Miss Rebels and Oregon Ducks. And now, we turn our attention to the #1 to #4 seeds as they enter the race for the National Championship:

#4: Texas Tech Red Raiders

Not traditionally associated with the blue bloods of college football, Texas Tech is a program to watch in the next decade as they embrace the money-driven era of collegiate sports. Backed by former Red Raiders offensive lineman Cody Campbell, a billionaire oil and gas entrepreneur, TTU has not been shy in handing out NIL money to secure some of the best high school and transfer portal talent.

That’s not to say that Tech doesn't have a history to be proud of. Before joining the Big 12, the Red Raiders had eleven conference titles to their name, spread across the Border Conference and SWC. Lubbock has produced 12 consensus All-Americans, and high profile NFL stars such as Michael Crabtree and Patrick Mahomes.

Enjoying pockets of relevance throughout their history, TTU will probably be most fondly remembered during the Air Raid era of Mike Leach, a head coach who never endured a losing season in his ten years at the helm. And under current leader Joey McGuire, the Red Raiders look set for a similar period of success.

Texas Tech have enjoyed a near-perfect 2025, boasting a 12-1 record and the first Big 12 title in their history. Leading the charge has been a ferocious defense, with star linebackers Jacob Rodriguez and David Bailey accounting for 153 tackles and 14.5 sacks between them.

Facing the #5 Oregon Ducks in the Orange Bowl, the competition steps up a level for McGuire and his team from this point out. But Tech is no Cinderella Story and an opponent to be feared in their own right; a win in Miami and they’ll be tossing the tortillas on New Year’s Day.

#3: Georgia Bulldogs

The Georgia football program is a juggernaut. A school with a proud tradition on the gridiron, UGA has challenged at the top of the sport ever since Kirby Smart took charge in Athens. Under his ten-year stewardship, the Bulldogs have five SEC titles, two national championships, and never won less than eight games in a season.

Even by Georgia’s own standards, that’s an unprecedented level. And this is a school that has two other claimed national titles, delivered a pair of Heisman trophy winners in Frank Sinkwich and Herschel Walker, and produced a whopping 41 consensus All-Americans in their 133-year history.

The biggest compliment you can probably give to the modern day ‘Dawgs under Smart was their ability to challenge Nick Saban and Alabama’s dominance, not just in the SEC but nationally. Adding to the intrigue is that Georgia’s head coach was a protege of Saban’s, running his Crimson Tide defense for seven years.

The current Bulldogs roster is teeming with talent destined for the NFL. Linebacker CJ Allen tops the list, but also keep an eye out for his running mate Chris Cole, as well as defensive back KJ Bolden and receiver Zachariah Branch. Quarterback Gunner Stockton might not be at those levels, but is a real competitor.

At 12-1, Georgia enjoyed another SEC title in 2025. The only blip on the record was an inadvertent home loss to the aforementioned Alabama, but they were able to avenge the defeat in the conference title game. Since that loss, only one team has been able to score more than 21 points against them, and they face them on Thursday night…

The Bulldogs get set to face Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl, with the Rebels showing they can cope admirably without departed head coach Lane Kiffin. A comfortable 41-10 win over Tulane in the last round was impressive, but Georgia is a different beast. This one should be a shootout, and well worth staying up for.

#2: Ohio State Buckeyes

Current reigning champions Ohio State are a team familiar to most American Football fans, even if the college game is not your first code of choice. Boasting the highest winning percentage of any program in college football history, the Buckeyes are always relevant and a perennial participant in the playoffs.

Woody Hayes. Paul Brown. John Wilce. Earle Bruce. Jim Tressell. Urban Meyer; the list of successful head coaches in Columbus goes on and on. And, after last season’s success, you can firmly add the name of Ryan Day to the above list, who only trails Meyer with his own personal win percentage.

Despite churning out stars to the pro game, Ohio State seems to produce high caliber replacements every year. Whilst not being averse to dipping into the portal, the Buckeyes are better known for talent development, particularly at positions such as wide receiver, where name after name grace the Horseshoe each season.

Day has this roster in fine shape once again, and the Buckeyes have buzzsawed through the regular season schedule with alarming ease. However, their first true test came in the Big Ten championship game where they fell to Indiana, knocking them down to the #2 seed. Ohio State will be desperate to set the record straight.

Despite the recent loss, there is the feeling that both the Buckeyes and Hoosiers are a level above the competition in 2025. They get to prove that on New Year’s Eve against Miami, who they meet in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas. The Hurricanes are on a heater, winning their last five games, and must be respected.

Quarterback Julian Sayin leads the offense, with star receiver Jeremiah Smith to target. But it’s the ground game that has been dominant for Ohio State this year, and running back Bo Jackson is ready to take the playoffs by storm. Can the Buckeyes win back to back national titles, just like they did in 2018-2019?

#1: Indiana Hoosiers

If you have only started following college football in the last two seasons, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Indiana Hoosiers have been as historically dominant as the likes of Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia.

Well, this couldn’t be further from the case. In fact, until recently, Indiana had the worst winning percentage among Power 4 conference teams, finally jumping Wake Forest last month to avoid the unwanted record. More known as a basketball school, the rise of the program can be attributed to one man: Curt Cignetti.

Cignetti coaches with a chip on his shoulder. Aged 64, it took him far too long to secure a big job, despite doing nothing other than winning at IUP, Elon and James Madison. He immediately declared war on the Big Ten, and backed it up with 24 wins in two seasons - and a pair of unprecedented playoff invites.

Many felt the Hoosiers weren’t worthy of their place in the postseason bracket last year. Nobody is throwing that accusation around this time, with IU beating Ohio State to win the Big Ten, and firmly seated as the team to beat with just eight programs left in the running.

This is a roster built via the transfer portal, allowing them swift success. That isn’t a guarantee, and credit needs to go to Cignetti and his staff for being able to blend together a bunch of self-described ‘misfits’ into an offense and defense equally adept at winning football games for the other.

Some have followed Cignetti from JMU; cornerback D’Angelo Ponds the biggest example. Ponds has become one of the best shutdown corners in the nation. Then, of course, there’s Fernando Mendoza, the Cal transfer who casually threw for 3,000 yards, 30 touchdowns and won the Heisman Trophy.

Everything Cignetti has touched seems to have turned to gold. But Indiana has not simply caught lightning in a bottle, and with the finances in place are setting themselves up for consistent success. That begins on New Year’s Day with a quarter-final against Alabama. Can the Hoosiers shock the world and win it all?

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