How to Play CFB Playoffs Survivor

The College Football Playoff is back with the 12-team format, and it’s basically built for chaos—upsets, short turnarounds, home playoff games, and brutal matchup paths. That’s exactly why college football playoffs survivor is one of the most fun (and strategic) ways to sweat the postseason: you’re not just picking winners—you’re managing scarcity.

On Splash Sports, you’ll pick teams to win across CFP slates, you can only use a team once, and the last entry standing wins.

What it is CFB playoffs survivor

In a CFB playoffs survivor contest, you’re trying to outlast everyone else by picking winners round after round—without re-using teams.

What makes 2025 different:

• More teams = more viable paths. You can play chalk, or build leverage with selective underdogs.
• Home first-round games add real edges for higher seeds.
• Round-based strategy matters more than “who’s best,” because burning elite teams too early can get you boxed out later.

How to play NCAAF Survivor on Splash Sports

Here’s the simple flow for NCAAF playoffs survivor on Splash:

1. Join a contest (public or private).
2. Submit picks before each slate locks. Missed picks are treated like losses.
3. Advance if your pick(s) win. Lose (or miss) and you’re out.
4. No re-using teams. If you already used a team, it’s unavailable the rest of the contest.
5. If everyone gets eliminated in the same slate, the remaining entrants can split—check each contest’s details for exact payout rules.

Top contests for College football playoffs survivor

Kelly’s $250K CFB Playoff Survivor is a guaranteed top-prize contest: 1st place wins $250,020.00 (payout does not change if the contest doesn’t fill). This is a multi-entry contest (up to 83 entries per user) created by kellyinvegas.

If you’re playing college football playoffs survivor and want another way to sweat the postseason, the Splash $100K CFB Bowl Pick’em is the perfect companion. While it’s not a survivor format, it runs through the same postseason window and adds a second lane for college football playoffs survivor predictions fans who also like making against-the-spread calls across bowls and CFP rounds.

The key strategy

When you’re playing college football playoffs survivor predictions, your goal is not to build the “best bracket.” Your goal is to be the last person alive. That changes everything.

The 3 rules that win survivor-style CFP contests:

1. Don’t burn your endgame teams too early. If you spend your strongest teams in Round 1, you’ll be stuck taking coin flips later.
2. Plan for scarcity by round. In formats requiring multiple picks per slate, you need enough safe-ish options every slate.
3. Use “ownership leverage” intentionally. If a heavy favorite is obvious, sometimes you eat the chalk—other times you pivot to a slightly riskier favorite that fewer people will take.

Schedule for College football playoffs survivor

The CFP begins with four first-round campus games on Dec. 19–20, followed by quarterfinals at New Year’s bowls, then semifinals and the national championship.

First Round (Campus Sites)

• (9) Alabama at (8) Oklahoma — Fri, Dec 19 (8:00 PM ET)
• (10) Miami at (7) Texas A&M — Sat, Dec 20 (Noon ET)
• (11) Tulane at (6) Ole Miss — Sat, Dec 20 (3:30 PM ET)
• (12) James Madison at (5) Oregon — Sat, Dec 20 (7:30 PM ET)

Quarterfinals (Bowl Games)

• Cotton Bowl (Dec 31): Miami–Texas A&M winner vs #2 Ohio State
• Orange Bowl (Jan 1): James Madison–Oregon winner vs #4 Texas Tech
• Rose Bowl (Jan 1): Alabama–Oklahoma winner vs #1 Indiana
• Sugar Bowl (Jan 1): Tulane–Ole Miss winner vs #3 Georgia

Semifinals + Title

• Fiesta Bowl (Thu, Jan 8) — Semifinal
• Peach Bowl (Fri, Jan 9) — Semifinal
• National Championship (Mon, Jan 19) — Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens)

2025 first-round picks (with CFB playoff survivor logic)

Below are CFB playoffs survivor picks framed for survivor contests (prioritizing win probability and preserving future value). The bracket seeding and matchups are set.

(12) James Madison at (5) Oregon — Pick: Oregon

This is the cleanest “advance and move on” spot on the board. Oregon opened as a big favorite in early markets, which is exactly what you want if you need a stabilizer pick.

(11) Tulane at (6) Ole Miss — Pick: Ole Miss

Ole Miss opened as a heavy favorite in early odds, and survivor formats love big spreads when you’re trying to avoid landmines.

(10) Miami at (7) Texas A&M — Pick: Texas A&M

Home playoff game + early line edge. Texas A&M has been priced as a modest favorite, which makes them a strong survivor-friendly option—especially if you’re trying not to burn the very top seeds before they even play.

(9) Alabama at (8) Oklahoma — Pick: Alabama (slight), but treat as “high-variance”

This one profiles closest to a coin flip, with early odds showing Alabama around a short favorite. If your contest format forces you into an extra first-round pick, Alabama is viable—just understand you’re taking on more risk here than the other three.

Quick survivor ranking (safest → riskiest):

1. Oregon
2. Ole Miss
3. Texas A&M
4. Oklahoma / Alabama game (highest volatility)

College football playoffs survivor picks

If you’re in a format like Kelly’s $250K CFB Playoff Survivor (2 picks in Round 1 + 2 in quarterfinals + 1 semis + 1 final), you should plan your “inventory” now.

Here’s the clean planning framework:

• Try not to burn any of these teams in Round 1 unless you must: Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas Tech (they’re byes and become premium picks later).
• If you take Oregon / Ole Miss / Texas A&M in Round 1, you’re likely setting yourself up to use bye teams in quarterfinals when the matchups get tougher and there are fewer “free squares.”
• Watch the bracket paths:
  • Alabama/Oklahoma winner runs into #1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal.
  • Tulane/Ole Miss winner runs into #3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal.

FAQ

Can I pick the same team twice in college football playoffs survivor?
No—survivor strategy is built around scarcity. Once you use a team, it’s gone for the rest of the contest.

What if I forget to pick?
In most survivor formats, missed picks eliminate you. Always set picks before the slate locks.

What’s the #1 mistake people make in CFB playoffs survivor predictions?
Using the best teams too early, then getting stuck in later slates with only coin flips left.

Lock in your college football playoffs survivor picks

The best part of postseason games is that there’s always another slate—and that’s exactly why college football playoffs survivor is such a blast in 2025. Whether you’re grinding through CFB playoffs survivor strategy in Kelly’s $250K contest or stacking points in the $100K Bowl Pick’em, the edge comes from planning ahead and adapting when the bracket breaks.

Build a roadmap before the first kickoff, save a few “endgame” teams for later rounds, and don’t forget the double-pick slates. Then use the schedule and spreads to fine-tune your college football playoffs survivor predictions as matchups lock. Make smart, intentional college football playoffs survivor picks, and you’ll give yourself the best chance to survive the chaos—and be the last entry standing when it matters most.