Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

ESPN Releases 'Post-Spring' College Football Top 25 Rankings

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated May 10, 2025 10:49 AM ET

We're still several months away from the start of the 2025 college football season, and yet, ESPN has already made major changes to its too-early top 25.

ESPN previously had Ohio State as the No. 1 team in the nation. That makes sense considering Ryan Day's program is coming off a national championship run that included wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame.

That being said, Ohio State no longer holds the top spot in ESPN's rankings. In fact, the Buckeyes have dropped out of the top three.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach has Penn State ranked No. 1 in the country. With Drew Allar at quarterback, this could be the year the Nittany Lions finally win the Big Ten. It won't be easy though.

"There's a new No. 1 with Penn State jumping from No. 3 after defending College Football Playoff national champion Ohio State lost a boatload of players to the NFL draft, along with both of its coordinators," Schlabach wrote.

Schlabach is also incredibly high on Clemson. They've jumped from the No. 7 spot all the way to No. 2 in just a few months.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 09: Drew Allar #15 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts after throwing an interception during the fourth quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on January 09, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)Megan Briggs/Getty Images

The latest rankings from ESPN also have Texas and Georgia ranked ahead of Ohio State. Both teams are returning a plethora of key players from last year's squad, with Arch Manning being the top name for the Longhorns.

Here's the top 25:

Penn State
Clemson
Texas
Georgia
Ohio State
LSU
Notre Dame
Oregon
Alabama
BYU
Illinois
Arizona State
South Carolina
Iowa State
SMU
Texas Tech
Indiana
Kansas State
Florida
Michigan
Miami
Louisville
Texas A&M
Ole Miss
Oklahoma

It's a bit odd seeing Ohio State at No. 5, but maybe this will motivate the defending champions.

The biggest drop in the rankings belongs to Tennessee. Now that Nico Iamaleava is out of the picture, the Volunteers have gone from No. 19 to being unranked.

ESPN will definitely release an updated top 25 before the season begins in August.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: