The 2025-26 College Football Playoff is finally here, and to help preview the first-round games and beyond, as FOX Sports’ college football experts, we compiled a list of our All-24 College Football Playoff Team.
Our criteria was simple: Who are the biggest impact players on offense and defense from each of the 12 CFP teams? The players listed here are not only 24 of the best in this year’s playoff, but they’re also the ones who could impact the game on either side of the ball, at any time, with the potential to change the entire bracket picture.
Heading into the weekend’s first-round games, we are as keen as our readers to learn which of the players highlighted create a storyline or moment fans will love or which players we might have overlooked that could be postseason stars.
[Best Teams in the College Football Playoff Era: Creating the Ultimate 12-team CFP]
So right here is our FOX Sports activities All-24 School Soccer Playoff Workforce:
No. 9 Alabama‘s CFP Affect Gamers
Offensive: Ty Simpson
Defensive: Brady Hubbard
(Todd Kirkland/Getty Pictures)
Simpson is an important participant on Alabama’s roster. And he’s able to creating the type of run-of-form the Tide might want to win the nationwide title. Early this season, Simpson led Alabama to 4 consecutive wins towards ranked SEC foes, together with the primary street win towards Georgia since October 2019.
Hubbard, a First Workforce All-American security, picked off 4 passes, broke up six extra and compelled three fumbles in what is among the finest breakout seasons for a security in 2025. — RJ Younger
No. 8 Oklahoma‘s CFP Affect Gamers
Offensive: John Mateer
Defensive: Taylor Wein
(Chad Hamilton/Icon Sportswire through Getty Pictures)
Mateer carried out like a Heisman winner by means of Oklahoma’s first three video games of the season after which appeared to regress. He’s thrown simply 12 touchdowns towards 10 interceptions and accounted for simply 161 complete yards in Oklahoma’s win towards Alabama earlier this season. If the Sooners are to go on a roll by means of the subsequent month, Mateer must discover his type from September when he threw for a minimum of 270 yards within the Sooners’ first 4 video games and accounted for 11 complete touchdowns.
Wein has been essentially the most constant defender the Sooners have loved in its entrance seven. His 43 tackles embody 12 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. — RJ Younger
[College Football Playoff Predictions: Why Texas A&M Is Poised To Top Miami In First Round]
No. 10 Miami‘s CFP Affect Gamers
Offensive: WR Malachi Toney
Defensive: DL Rueben Bain
(Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Pictures through Getty Pictures)
Toney is the very best freshman on this yr’s CFP. He led the ACC with 970 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns, and he’s a nightmare matchup for any opposing secondary. In the meantime, Bain is the center of the Hurricanes’ protection, which was ranked tops within the ACC this yr. He posted 37 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks as a junior and earned first-team All-America standing. He’ll be a handful on the road of scrimmage for Texas A&M’s O-line on this first spherical. — Laken Litman
No. 7 Texas A&M‘s CFP Affect Gamers
Offensive: WR KC Concepcion
Defensive: DL Cashius Howell
(David Buono/Icon Sportswire through Getty Pictures)
If Texas A&M goes to beat Miami within the first spherical, these are two guys who must have their finest video games of the season. Concepcion has been an influence participant for the Aggies all yr. The switch wideout from NC State led the SEC with 9 receiving touchdowns and tacked on 460 yards in punt returns. As for Howell, he’s on the middle of Mike Elko’s havoc-wreaking protection and led the SEC with 11.5 sacks this season. — Laken Litman
No. 11 Tulane‘s CFP Affect Gamers
Offensive: Jake Retzlaff
Defensive: Jack Tchienchou
(Michael DeMocker/Getty Pictures)
Retzlaff is Tulane’s main passer and rusher this season with greater than 2,800 yards by means of the air and greater than 600 on the bottom. His decision-making has been and can proceed to show pivotal for Tulane if the Inexperienced Wave is to upset Ole Miss on Saturday.
Tchienchou leads the group in tackles (77), together with eight within the American title sport towards North Texas. He’ll play in any respect three ranges of the protection and, importantly, performed effectively towards Ole Miss within the Inexperienced Wave’s first encounter with six complete tackles. — RJ Younger
No. 6 Ole Miss CFP Affect Gamers
Offensive: QB Trinidad Chambliss
Defensive: HC Pete Golding
(Justin Ford/Getty Pictures)
Let’s begin with the weird reply first. Sure, Pete Golding is technically Ole Miss’ new head coach following the cleaning soap opera-style departure of Lane Kiffin, who took the identical job at LSU, however he stays this system’s de facto defensive coordinator — which was the function he held the final three seasons — and he’ll proceed to name performs on that facet of the ball in the course of the postseason. So the query right here is how efficient can Golding be, given all of his added obligations as head coach in current weeks? The Rebels enter the playoff ranked among the many prime 35 in each complete protection (333.1 yards per sport) and scoring protection (20.1 factors per sport), they usually’ll possible must exceed these ranges to win a nationwide championship. Can Golding adapt rapidly sufficient to get them there? Solely time will inform.
However the adaptation doesn’t cease there. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, a former Division II switch from Ferris State, started the season as Ole Miss’ backup earlier than Kiffin elevated him to the beginning function in late September. He rapidly morphed into one of the vital explosive dual-threat gamers within the nation and carried the Rebels to the primary playoff look in class historical past, in the end ending eighth within the Heisman Trophy voting. The problem going through Chambliss this weekend and past is to show that he can succeed with out Kiffin, who was the first architect of Ole Miss’ offense alongside coordinator Charlie Weiss Jr. — Michael Cohen
[College Football Playoff Predictions: Why Oregon, Ole Miss Will Cruise Past First Round]
No. 12 James Madison‘s CFP Affect Gamers
Offensive: Alonza Barrett
Defensive: Trent Hendrick
In what proved to be the very best season the Dukes have ever had — making the CFP for the primary time — Barrett and Hendricks are maybe the Group of 5’s two finest gamers. Barrett has accounted for greater than 3,000 complete yards and 38 touchdowns, whereas Hendrick posted 96 tackles, three sacks and a pressured fumble by means of 13 video games this season. JMU was enjoying FCS soccer 4 years in the past. The Dukes will play within the CFP on Saturday as a result of they’ve constantly recruited and developed gamers like Barrett and Hendrick. — RJ Younger
No. 5 Oregon‘s CFP Affect Gamers
Offensive: RB Jordon Davison
Defensive: S Dillon Thieneman
There are contrasting ranges of expertise right here for 2 gamers who may show pivotal to the Geese’ nationwide championship hopes. Davison, a real freshman, was the No. 172 general prospect and No. 12 working again within the nation popping out of powerhouse Mater Dei Excessive College in Santa Ana, California. And whereas he doesn’t lead Oregon in speeding this season — that honor belongs to fellow tailback Noah Whittington, who’s rushed 112 instances for 774 yards — Davison has greater than twice as many speeding touchdowns (13) as anybody else on the roster due to his effectiveness across the purpose line. No Oregon participant has accounted for extra first downs this season (38) than Davison, a 6-foot, 236-pound wrecking ball whose means to maneuver the chains and end drives will probably be essential within the coming weeks.
As for Thieneman, a junior, he’s maintained the sky-high stage he put forth throughout two seasons at Purdue earlier than getting into the switch portal final winter, rating because the No. 11 general prospect and No. 1 security available on the market. He’s confirmed a steadying presence for an Oregon protection that improved from twenty fifth nationally in passing protection in the course of the 2024 marketing campaign (185.9 yards per sport) to 3rd within the nation this season (144.3 yards per sport). Thieneman was named a second-team All-American by the Related Press earlier this week. — Michael Cohen
[College Football Playoff Predictions: First-Round Winners to The National Champion]
No. 4 Texas Tech‘s CFP Affect Gamers
Offensive: RB Cameron Dickey
Defensive: Edge David Bailey
(Ron Jenkins/Getty Pictures)
Contemplating the place the Texas Tech offense ranks getting into the School Soccer Playoff — fifth nationally in yards per sport (480.3) and second nationally in factors per sport (42.5) — it’s straightforward to overlook that the participant as soon as projected to be the group’s beginning working again, switch Quinten Joyner from USC, tore his ACL throughout fall camp. And that’s as a result of the Crimson Raiders’ new starter, sophomore Cameron Dickey, a former highschool quarterback, has been so revelatory. Dickey has carried 198 instances for 1,095 yards and 14 touchdowns, which is tied for fifteenth nationally. His 18 runs of 15-plus yards trails solely 4 gamers from the ability convention this season: Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy (24), Tennessee’s DeSean Bishop (19), Rutgers’ Antwan Raymond (19) and Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy (19).
Bailey, in the meantime, was one of the vital coveted edge rushers within the switch portal given his physique of labor throughout three seasons at Stanford that included 22.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks and 7 pressured fumbles. Texas Tech paid him handsomely — Bailey’s reported compensation package deal with the Crimson Raiders is price greater than $3 million this season — and it’s confirmed a sensible expenditure. Bailey enters the playoff main the nation in pressures (76) and is tied for first in quarterback hits (20), in line with Professional Soccer Focus. — Michael Cohen
No. 3 Georgia‘s CFP Affect Gamers
Offensive: QB Gunner Stockton
Defensive: DB JaCorey Thomas
(Jonathan Bachman/Getty Pictures)
Georgia has been on a tear since its loss to Alabama in September, and these guys are a part of the explanation why. Stockton could have dropped out of the Heisman Trophy dialog earlier within the season, however he’s been one of the vital environment friendly quarterbacks within the nation, finishing greater than 70% of his passes for two,691 yards with 23 touchdowns to simply 5 interceptions. As for Thomas, he’s had the fifth-most tackles for Georgia this season and was a menace within the SEC championship sport the place he led the group with six tackles, one for loss, plus a sack. — Laken Litman
No. 2 Ohio State‘s CFP Affect Gamers
Offensive: WR Jeremiah Smith
Defensive: DB Caleb Downs
(Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire through Getty Pictures)
It’s laborious to select simply two influence gamers on a group this loaded, however you most likely offend no person by selecting Smith and Downs right here. Smith caught 80 passes for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore and is commonly double-teamed, whereas Downs is commonly risk No. 1 for opposing quarterbacks. Each will probably be instrumental in serving to Ohio State attempt to defend their nationwide title. — Laken Litman
No. 1 Indiana‘s CFP Affect Gamers
Offensive: QB Fernando Mendoza
Defensive: S Louis Moore
(Michael Reaves/Getty Pictures)
It feels considerably apparent to pick Fernando Mendoza, the freshly topped Heisman Trophy winner, as an influence participant for Indiana given his evident significance to what the Hoosiers have achieved this season. However to some extent, that’s additionally the purpose. The place would the Hoosiers be with out his 49-yard landing go to broad receiver Elijah Sarratt with 1:28 remaining on the street towards Iowa? The place would they be with out his eight-yard landing to Sarratt the next week within the fourth quarter towards then-No. 3 Oregon? And what about his herculean throw to wideout Omar Cooper Jr. within the last seconds to protect a victory at Penn State? Or his gutsy late-game heave to Charlie Becker within the Massive Ten championship sport that helped Indiana soften the clock? Time after time, Mendoza has answered the decision in essentially the most pressure-packed moments. And that’s what he’ll must do on this yr’s playoff for the Hoosiers to win all of it.
On the opposite facet of the ball, Moore has emerged as among the finest ball-hawking safeties within the nation for a protection that’s tied for sixth nationally in takeaways (25) and tied for seventh in interceptions (17). He started his profession at Indiana earlier than transferring to Ole Miss forward of the 2024 season, the primary below head coach Curt Cignetti. Then Moore rejoined the Hoosiers for the 2025 marketing campaign and exploded for a career-high six interceptions that earned him first-team All-Massive Ten honors. He notched one interception every towards Iowa, then-No. 3 Oregon and then-No. 1 Ohio State to assist protect one-score victories. — Michael Cohen
RJ Younger is a nationwide school soccer author and analyst for FOX Sports activities. Comply with him @RJ_Young.
Michael Cohen covers school soccer and school basketball for FOX Sports activities. Comply with him at @Michael_Cohen13.
Laken Litman covers school soccer, school basketball and soccer for FOX Sports activities. She is the creator of “Sturdy Like a Lady,” revealed in spring 2022 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX. Comply with her at @LakenLitman.
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