When is the Orange Bowl? Projected teams & college football postseason scenarios 

The Orange Bowl is one of the most important bowl games in all of college football as it is one of the six bowl games, dubbed the New Year's Six, that determines the two teams to reach the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. It is tied for the second-oldest bowl game in college football – trailing only the Rose Bowl – as the inaugural Orange Bowl took place following the 1934 season.

This year's game will be of particular importance as it will be one of two semifinal games. While there is still plenty to be determined, here's a closer look at when the Orange Bowl will take place this season and which teams could earn a spot in the postseason game.

When is the Orange Bowl? Projected teams & college football postseason scenarios

The 2025 Capital One Orange Bowl will take place on Jan. 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, home of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes. Play is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN with a trip to the national title on the line.

There is still plenty to be determined in regards to postseason seeding as well as which teams even make the 12-team tournament. Under the new format, the four highest-ranked conference champions will receive a first-round bye and earn a trip to the quarterfinals, while the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion will receive an automatic bid – but no first-round bye. The seven remaining seeds would be given to the next seven highest-ranked teams.

The Oregon Ducks, Texas Longhorns, Miami (FL) Hurricanes and Boise State Broncos would be the top-four seeds, and earn a first-round bye if the season ended today. The Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Indiana Hoosiers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Alabama Crimson Tide, Ole Miss Rebels, Georgia Bulldogs and BYU Cougars would make up the rest of the field.

There is still plenty to be determined over the final two weeks of the regular season and conference championship weekend, however, as no teams have clinched a postseason spot. Furthermore, each program currently in position to earn the five automatic bids has at least one team in their conference that could be a threat to steal that position.

As things stand, based off the current rankings, the projection is that the Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks will clash in the 2025 Orange Bowl. That would mark a matchup of the Week 7 Game of the Year contender and potentially the Big Ten Championship Game.