The2025 NCAA Tournament field is set, and college basketball fans are gearing up for another wild edition of March Madness. But what if this bracket wasn’t for basketball? What if the 68-team tournament was instead played on the gridiron?
Some schools are powerhouses in both sports—think Alabama, for example —while others excel in one but struggle in the other. If this bracket were reimagined as a college football tournament, which teams would find themselves advancing? Who would be the Cinderella that shocks the field?
Let’s break down each region and project who would win March Madness 2025 if it were played on the football field instead of the hardwood. Just for reference, it's only fair that we do this with the idea that it would be 2024 teams — so teams from this past fall that have already played — not 2025 teams.
South Region
- (1) Auburn vs. (16) Alabama State/St. Francis
- (8) Louisville vs. (9) Creighton
- (5) Michigan vs. (12) UC San Diego
- (4) Texas A&M vs. (13) Yale
- (6) Ole Miss vs. (11) UNC/San Diego State
- (3) Iowa State vs. (14) Lipscomb
- (7) Marquette vs. (10) New Mexico
- (2) Michigan State vs. (15) Bryant
Sorry, mid-major, but a college football bracket is not for you. In the first-round, we've got Auburn, Louisville, Michigan, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Iowa State, New Mexico, and Michigan State advancing. From there, we've got Louisville beating Auburn and Michigan beatingTexas A&M, with Michigan advancing past Louisville. Ole Miss would knock out Iowa State and Michigan State, earning a spot against the Wolverines, and Lane Kiffin would have the rebels in the Final Four.
Predicted South Region CFB winner: Ole Miss Rebels
East Region
- (1) Duke vs. (16) American/Mount St. Mary's
- (8) Mississippi State vs. (9) Baylor
- (5) Oregon vs. (12) Liberty
- (4) Arizona vs. (13) Akron
- (6) BYU vs. (11) VCU
- (3) Wisconsin vs. (14) Montana
- (7) Saint Mary's vs. (10) Vanderbilt
- (2) Alabama vs. (15) Robert Morris
The East Region would actually have been a relatively competitive region when it comes to football. Alabama was a three-loss team, so they're not unbeatable and we believe BYU and Baylor — at least the way the Bears were playing to close out the regular season — could have even competed with the Crimson Tide. Ultimately, though, this region would belong to the Oregon Ducks.
I've got Alabama and BYU playing a tough one, with the Crimson Tide advancing, before losing to Oregon in the Elite 8. Of course, before Alabama even got to BYU, they'd have to play Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt again, and that could be dangerous.
Predicted East Region CFB Winner: Oregon Ducks
West Region
- (1) Florida vs. (16) Norfolk State
- (8) UConn vs. (9) Oklahoma
- (5) Memphis vs. (12) Colorado State
- (4) Maryland vs. (13) Grand Canyon
- (6) Missouri vs. (11) Drake
- (3) Texas Tech vs. (14) UNC Wilmington
- (7) Kansas vs. (10) Arkansas
- (2) Saint John's vs. (15) Omaha
Unfortunately, the West Region is full of a bunch of teams that sorely underperformed in 2024, or don't even have football teams. We've got the DJ Lagway-led Florida team advancing past Oklahoma and Memphis, while we give Texas Tech the slightest of advantages over Kansas and Missouri. Ultimately, it would be Florida advancing in this region, which many would probably describe as "weak"
Predicted West Region CFB Winner: Florida Gators
Midwest Region
- (1) Houston vs. (16) SIU Edwardsville
- (8) Gonzaga vs. (9) Georgia
- (5) Clemson vs. (12) McNeese
- (4) Purdue vs. (13) High Point
- (6) Illinois vs. (11) Texas/Xavier
- (3) Kentucky vs. (14) Troy
- (7) UCLA vs. (10) Utah State
- (2) Tennessee vs. (15) Wofford
The Midwest Region, in my opinion, is probably the strongest when it comes to football brands. You've got Georgia, Clemson, Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas all in the same region. For those playing along at home, four of those teams were in the College Football Playoff last season.
We've got Georgia advancing past Houston and Clemson, with 11-seeded Texas getting past Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee for an SEC Championship rematch. Assuming no Carson Beck, we'd take Texas to win that region.
Predicted Midwest Region CFB Winner: Texas Longhorns
Final Four Prediction
In our hypothetical, you'd be set up with two matchups:
- Florida Gators vs. Ole Miss Rebels
- Texas Longhorns vs. Oregon Ducks
Both of these would be competitive games. I know we saw Florida upset Ole Miss in the regular season, but something tells me if the game was played with a trip to the national title on the line, it'd be Ole Miss advancing. As far as Texas vs. Oregon, that game would be a toss-up. We're giving the edge to Texas, but you've got to think that a hypothetical road that featured games against Illinois, Tennessee, and Georgia could begin wearing them down.
National Championship Prediction
How the bracket played out when you look at the matchups within the regions, we project that it would come down to Texas and Ole Miss for a the hypothetical national championshp if the 68-team bracket were college football teams.
That would, in turn, give Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns their national championship and it would be one to remember, for sure.
Much of this simply has to do with how matchups are set in the bracket itself, but it's still interesting nonetheless.
Who would you have advancing in each round if this were a college football tournament?