NCAA Football: Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech
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The road to glory is almost complete, but for the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff, the toughest task on that path to a national championship still lies ahead. In order to hoist the CFP trophy at season's end, the title winner must win either three or four consecutive games against the fiercest competition the sport has to offer. It all culminates in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship.

Last year's winner, Ohio State, ran the table despite having to play in the first round. Now that the bracket has been reconstructed with a straight-seeding model for 2025, will one of the four teams to receive a first-round bye take advantage of needing just three wins instead of four to reach the mountaintop? No. 1 Indiana, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Texas Tech will have time to recharge and scout their potential quarterfinal opponents when the first round unfolds on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20.

That first leg of the championship race features four on-campus games. No. 8 seed Oklahoma opens the action on Dec. 19 when it hosts No. 9 seed Alabama. And on Dec. 20, a trio of games pit No. 7 seed Texas A&M against No. 10 seed Miami, No. 6 seed Ole Miss against No. 11 seed Tulane and No. 5 seed Oregon against No. 12 seed James Madison.

While three conference champions and a runner-up benefit from first-round byes, perhaps the mid-December start to the postseason will allow a contender further down the seeding list to shake off any lingering rust, calm the playoff jitters and build momentum for a run to the championship game.

Upsets, at least from a seeding perspective, largely defined last season's playoff as the championship game featured the No. 7 and No. 8 teams in the bracket. Time will tell if the favorites bode better in the 2025 postseason.

CFP National Championship location, date, time

Date: Monday, Jan. 19 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Hard Rock Stadium -- Miami Gardens, Florida
TV: ESPN | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)