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ESPN Releases Way-Too-Early Top 25 For 2025 Season

Originally posted on The Spun | By Kameron Duncan | Last updated Jan 21, 2025 9:28 AM ET

The Ohio State Buckeyes reached the top of the college football mountain on Monday night, winning their first national championship in a decade.

The Buckeyes were able to earn the title with an impressive victory over Notre Dame, giving head coach Ryan Day his first national championship.

The Buckeyes have only been crowned for a few hours after Monday night's triumphant victory, but ESPN is already looking to the future.

In the aftermath of the national championship game, the network has released its "Way-Too-Early" Top 25 rankings for the 2025 college football season.

Ohio State is, unsurprisingly, at the top of the list.

ESPN cited the emergence of a former top prospect in Julian Sayin as the new starting quarterback, along with returning underclassmen Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs.

The Buckeyes were followed by the Texas Longhorns at No. 2. Texas may be the most-watched team in all of college football next season, but if Arch Manning can live up to the hype, they'll be contenders once again.

Penn State and Notre Dame, the other two national semifinalists, entered the "Way-Too-Early" poll for next season ranked at numbers three and four, respectively.

Georgia, despite the loss of several key players to the transfer portal and the NFL Draft, rounds out the top five.

Oregon, Clemson, LSU, BYU and South Carolina make up the back end of the top ten after the end of the national championship game.

These rankings are obviously subject to change and further evaluation before we get to the start of training camp in the summer.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 20: Jeremiah Smith #4 of the Ohio State Buckeyes scores a touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second quarter in the 2025 CFP National Championship at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Players can still choose to declare for the draft or to enter the portal, and adding or losing a few players can be the difference between a national championship, as we saw this season with Ohio State.

The Buckeyes will enjoy their championship after Monday night's huge win, and with good reason. It's the culmination of a year-long goal, and proof that they were able to rise to the occasion after facing some adversity near the end of the season.

Ohio State won its seventh national championship on Monday night. With more talent coming in to help some of the players who were on the field for the championship victory, the Buckeyes are going to be considered among the favorites to win once again next year.

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

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