The regular season has one week left, and for the first time in years, three teams are already guaranteed a spot in the 12-team Playoff no matter what happens next Saturday: Ohio State, Indiana, and Texas A&M. All three are undefeated and have already earned one of the four valuable first-round byes.

Indiana is the biggest story of the year. Twelve months ago they were just another bowl team; today they are the national surprise. Their defense is outstanding and they almost never make mistakes on offense. They are the classic Cinderella that could go very far.

Texas Tech, with only one loss, has become the most physical team in the Big 12 and will probably take the fourth bye. They win games in the trenches and have beaten almost every direct rival.

In the SEC, Texas A&M is safely in, but the second automatic spot will be decided between Ole Miss, Alabama, and maybe Georgia. This weekend’s Iron Bowl and Egg Bowl will decide who gets to the SEC Championship with real chances.

The ACC is basically Miami’s to lose. If they win the conference title next week, they’re in. They had a rough start with two early losses, but they have looked like a completely different team in the second half of the season.

The Big Ten already has Ohio State and Indiana locked in, but there is still one more spot on the line. It will basically come down to “The Game” this Saturday: the winner between Ohio State and Michigan will take the conference title and a high seed; the loser is probably out.

For the Group of 5, Tulane has done everything right and will almost certainly be the invited team. They will face one of the giants in the first round, but just getting there is already historic for them.

This weekend is Rivalry Week: Iron Bowl, The Game, Egg Bowl, Civil War, Apple Cup… one loss and your season can end right there. After that come the conference championship games, and on December 7 the final bracket will be revealed. The 2025 college football season has been wild, and the best part is still ahead.