Twelve teams still have an opportunity to win a national championship entering the 2025 College Football Playoff, and each one surely wants to celebrate a title as much as any other. But only one program can hoist a trophy in Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19—and there are a few that need to claim victory more than others.
This year’s field has everything: playoff debutantes from the Group of 5 and power conferences, fast-rising programs that have thrived in the modern era and perennial contenders back in pursuit of national championships. So let’s rank every one of the 12 programs in order of who needs a title the most when the playoff kicks off this Friday:
