The 2025 college football season may still be months away, but spring practices are wrapped up and the Transfer Portal action has largely died down, so it's time to reassess which programs are the best of the best in the nation.
Several folks around the industry have already taken their crack at an updated Top 25 college football rankings piece, and I've compiled that into a consensus as you can see in my post below. I, however, disagree with much of the consensus from just about the very start so I thought it best to create my own list heavily influenced by returning talent and future professional prospects.
The Texas Longhorns are certainly near the top of everyone's rankings list, but who else are the real playoff contenders? And will the SEC return to dominance after a year of struggle? Let's dive in.
1. Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns are far more than just Arch Manning. Colin Simmons may be the best edge rusher in the country. Anthony Hill Jr. (LB), Malik Muhammad (CB), and a handful of other defenders should be early NFL Draft picks next year. They added a top transfer wide receiver in Emmett Mosley to supplement Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore. CJ Baxter should be back healthy at running back. This Texas team is stacked with talent. Steve Sarkisian should have no problem taking this team back to and deep into the College Football Playoff.
2. Clemson Tigers
This may be one of the last years that Clemson has a truly "stacked" roster unless their recruiting trends change rather drastically, but they check all of the boxes of a true playoff contender this season. Cade Klubnik put together a phenomenal season a year ago at quarterback and projects to be a potential first round talent. T.J. Parker and Peter Woods are likely first round defensive front talents with well above average pressure and havoc generation rates. The offense returns nearly all its wide receiver talent from a year ago. Dabo Swinney should be able to cash in and at least win the ACC this season.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State returns their starting quarterback in Drew Allar, both star running backs, early round NFL Draft talents on defense with Dani Dennis-Sutton (EDGE), A.J. Harris (CB), Zane Durant (DL), and more. They upgraded at wide receiver with a trio of transfers in Trebor Pena (Syracuse), Kyron Hudson (USC), and Devonte Ross (Troy). James Franklin and his staff have put together perhaps the best Penn State roster of the century. Time to actually win the big ones late in the season.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes
Ryan Day has questions to answer at quarterback (Julian Sayin) and offensive coordinator (Brian Hartline) before the Buckeyes should truly be crowned favorites to defend their national championship, but the rest of the roster certainly looks ready. They return the two best players in all of college football with All-Americans Caleb Downs (DB) and Jeremiah Smith (WR) and a bevy of high pedigree talents. Potential juggernaut again.
5. Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia is going to have to lean on youth more than ever this season alongside a new full-time starting quarterback in Gunner Stockton. Kirby Smart knows he has a more shallow roster than he's ever had in his Georgia tenure, but defensive pieces are still there to wreak havoc every week with CJ Allen (LB), Christen Miller (DL), Gabe Harris (EDGE), and KJ Bolden (DB) in the Malaki Starks role. They won the SEC in a "down" year last fall for the Georgia Bulldogs. That's still possible once again.
6. LSU Tigers
LSU is one of the few top tier teams returning a veteran quarterback like Garrett Nussmeier. However, they are replacing four out of five starting offensive line spots and they will likely lean on at least five new transfer talents heavily in Mansoor Delane (CB), Patrick Payton (EDGE), Jack Pyburn (EDGE), Barion Brown (WR), and Nic Anderson (WR). There are certainly defensive questions still, but the talent looks like it measures up against the best.
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Star running back Jeremiyah Love won't be able to carry the team by himself, but he may not have to if things pan out just right. CJ Carr (likely starting QB) already looks like the truth this offseason, so if he steps in and instantly upgrades the passing game like many believe then Notre Dame could be headed back deep into the College Football Playoff. However, that is a lot to ask of a completely new young quarterback.
8. Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks grabbed a handful of the best transfer talents in the nation which should give them one of the best rosters in the country yet again. A trio of offensive linemen. Highly productive running back, Makhi Hughes (Tulane). Future first round safety Dillon Thieneman. Bear Alexander at defensive tackle. Similar to Notre Dame, this is all going to come down to Dante Moore at quarterback. A former five star, but he struggled immensely in his first action at UCLA two years ago.
9. Alabama Crimson Tide
Another top ten team with quarterback questions. It's truly a strange year in college football. Ty Simpson likely opens the season at quarterback, but will that be good enough? The Crimson Tide will likely have nearly double-digit Top 100 NFL Draft prospects next spring, so the talent still looks like it's there around whoever plays quarterback. Kalen DeBoer must get the most out of his passer this year, and he might just do it. If not, the hot seat talk will already ramp up.
10. Florida Gators
Billy Napier and his Florida Gators finished hot last season winning four in a row and for good reason. On top of returning one of the most intriguing quarterback talents in the country with DJ Lagway the Gators also have a number of early round NFL Draft talents as well. Tyreak Sapp and Caleb Banks should bring plenty of chaos on the defensive front. The offensive line might be the best unit in the country anchored by Jake Slaughter in the middle. Expectations are high, but the schedule is tough yet again.
11. Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois finished 10-3 last season and the return almost their entire team. Luke Altmyer emerged as a well above average power conference quarterback a year ago. If the underrated defense led by dominant edge rusher Gabe Jacas can take a step forward Illinois should be favored in most every one of their games this season.
12. Michigan Wolverines
It's likely that the "$10 million dollar QB" Bryce Underwood gets to prove he's worth the hype pretty early for Michigan. He might just be a true freshman, but there's absolutely no way he's any worse than the dumpster fire of quarterback play the Wolverines fans were subjected to in 2024. Michigan also returns a ton of defensive talent despite sending Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and Will Johnson off to the NFL.
13. South Carolina Gamecocks
The South Carolina defense returns nearly nothing from last year's starting squad and will probably end up leaning on a half dozen transfers on that side of the ball alone. This ranking is all about quarterback LaNorris Sellers taking yet another step forward in his development, utilizing his absurd dual-threat abilities as an elite rushing threat and improving passer. The offensive weapons around him like wide receivers Nyck Harbor, Mazeo Bennett, and Jared Brown all have strong breakout potential as well.
14. Arizona State Sun Devils
Sam Leavitt is one of the best returning quarterbacks in all of college football. Cam Skattebo received the bulk of the credit for offensive success last season, but Leavitt kept the team on schedule, creating explosive plays all year long too. He and elite wide receiver talent Jordyn Tyson should carry the offense. The Sun Devils defense doesn't offer a ton of future NFL talent, but it was above average by most every measure a year ago. Arizona State should be in the mix to win the Big 12 once again.
15. Ole Miss Rebels
Austin Simmons stepped onto the field last season against Georgia–in briefly for an injured Jaxson Dart–and immediately sliced up the Bulldogs defense. If Simmons can flash more of that incredible potential and arm talent throughout his first full season starting for Ole Miss then the Rebels have a real shot to be nearly as good as the 2024 team. The pass rush won't likely be number one in the nation again, but the team is stacked with transfer talent again.
16. SMU Mustangs
SMU lost much of their pass rushing talent and their do-everything running back, but the vast majority of key contributors are back for the Mustangs. Kevin Jennings broke out impressively last year at quarterback with 28 total touchdowns on just 11 starts. He should be the engine that makes everything go for a team fresh off an 11-3 season.
17. BYU Cougars
BYU was one of the most pleasant surprises in all of college football last season, finishing the year 11-2. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff and most of the Cougars older roster is back for one more ride. The schedule looks completely beatable once again, so BYU likely stays ranked rather highly all year long.
18. Auburn Tigers
The Auburn Tigers have been amassing talent to fix the horrible mess left by the coaching staff prior to Hugh Freeze and the first year to potentially compete is finally here. Transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold needs to hit the ground running and corral his turnovers, but the Tigers have one of the best wide receiver rooms in the country with Cam Coleman, Eric Singleton Jr., Malcolm Simmons and more. The defense boasts first round edge defender Keldric Faulk and other massive future NFL defensive front talents too. Underrated potential here.
19. Kansas State Wildcats
Quarterback Avery Johnson needs to take another step forward in his development as a passer, but even without doing so offers phenomenal athletic upside that creates problems for opposing defenses. The Wildcats should have an explosive run game to lean on, Jayce Brown to help move the chains at wide receiver as one of the best in the nation, and good enough defense to repeat last year's efforts at the very least.
20. Texas A&M Aggies
Despite losing two pass rushers to the first and second rounds of the NFL Draft this the Aggies still return plenty of projected future NFL talent on the defensive side of the ball. Marcel Reed needs to improve his consistency as a passer, but his unbelievably explosive rushing ability left several opposing defenses struggling. That likely repeats as Texas A&M plays spoiler all season long even if they falter in Aggies fashion at critical moments.
21. Oklahoma Sooners
John Mateer put together a wildly productive season for Washington State last season and Sooners fans now hope he'll be the savior that fixes Oklahoma. Mateer posted nearly 4000 yards of offense and 44 total touchdowns in just 12 games last year. He should inject some life into a Sooners offense that struggled with injury all throughout 2024. Oklahoma already has a near elite defense. If the offense gets right they have some shocking playoff contender potential.
22. Tennessee Volunteers
Yes, yes. Nico Iamaleava is gone. Transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar brings with him nearly 2,000 FBS snaps of experience for Appalachian State, but it remains to be seen if his game can translate at the SEC level. Tennessee lost a handful of key defensive talents, but that side of the ball should still be a plus. This situation could go either way–from playoff bid to completely unranked. The Vols are a wild card team.
23. Miami Hurricanes
Transfer quarterback Carson Beck is still recovering from his elbow surgery. The wide receiver room will be completely different. The defensive secondary is almost all new faces among the starters. Beck may plug in and look like his old self at quarterback at some point this season, but the consensus is far too high on a team with an extreme abundance of question marks. Francis Mauigoa should hold the offensive line together and Rueben Bain should bring the pressure on defense, but Miami has a very shaky foundation this season.
24. Baylor Bears
Emergent star quarterback Sawyer Robertson led the Baylor Bears on a six game winning streak down the stretch of last season to become one of the best passers in the nation. The team returns a ton of talent around him with Bryson Washington at running back, Michael Trigg at tight end, as well as some key transfer talent. Baylor should be rated much higher than consensus (barely Top 40).
25. Louisville Cardinals
Louisville just sent a handful of important talents to the NFL Draft, but Jeff Brohm brought in yet another veteran quarterback talent with a decent arm and lackluster mobility (his specialty). Brohm always gets the most out of his quarterback talents while trusting his strong defensive staff to get the other side of the ball in a good spot. The team added an elite pass rusher in Clev Lubin and some other key transfers along the offensive line who should help them see success in 2025.
We'll be back with more College Football coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to see why Arch Manning could actually live up to the hype just look back on some of his 2024 season highlights and the 200+ snaps he already played for Texas last year.
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