Spring practices are finished across the country, and the college football transfer portal is closed. That means it’s time to reevaluate teams ahead of the 2025 season now that we have a better idea of their rosters and who will start at each position.
If you don’t like where your team is ranked. Don’t worry. We’ll do it again in August as fall camp opens.
This isn’t the super-team era anymore. With that in mind, look at what Penn State is bringing back from a team that was a drive away from going to the national title game last season. They have a quarterback in Drew Allar who may be a top-5 pick in the NFL Draft next year, the best running back duo in the country in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, along with one of the best edge rushers in Dani Dennis-Sutton. Oh, and Penn State addressed its receiver problem by picking up Kyron Hudson (USC), Devonte Ross (Troy) and, most recently, Trebor Pena (Syracuse) in the portal. Why shouldn’t Penn State be No. 1?
There seem to be a lot of people who question whether Arch Manning is going to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football. But, for sake of argument, let’s say he isn’t. Have people been paying attention to the level of talent the Longhorns possess this year? There is a game-breaker at almost every position group and there are a handful of players — Colin Simmons, Manning, Anthony Hill and, gulp, Ryan Wingo — who could emerge as big stars. Texas could be No. 1 and get zero argument from me.
For some reason, Clemson has the eighth-best odds to win the national championship and is sitting at around 20-1 to win it all. That’s value, because when you look at the Tigers, there’s a lot to like. They almost feel like a virtual lock to win the ACC. Quarterback Cade Klubnik returns after seeing it click last year, he has a group of talented receivers to target and the Tigers have the best defensive line in the country. Dabo Swinney won the ACC last year with a solid team. What will he do with a loaded one?
Ohio State had perhaps the last super roster of this era in college football last year. The Buckeyes lost a ton of talent after capturing the national title, evident in the 14 players selected in the NFL Draft. Yet, Ohio State still has the best offensive player (wide receiver Jeremiah Smith) and defensive player (safety Caleb Downs) in the country. Ohio State may be closer in talent to the other good teams this year, but the Buckeyes will unequivocally be in the College Football Playoff hunt yet again in 2025.
Brian Kelly isn’t Mr. Popular, but he’s unequivocally been a successful college coach during his career. Though things haven’t gone according to plan in his first three years at LSU, we’re at the point where it’s starting to feel like he needs to win big. The good news is he has one of the best quarterbacks in Garrett Nussmeier, and the Tigers added 18 players in the transfer portal, many of whom fill in areas of need. If LSU can fix its defense, it should be in the mix in the SEC.
Kirby Smart is the best coach in college football and he deserves our benefit of the doubt, so I’m willing to look past the feeling in my gut that the Bulldogs will have an underwhelming offense again in 2025 in handing over the quarterback reigns to Gunner Stockton. Georgia has amassed a level of talent on an annual basis no other program can boast, has developed like mad men and has produced winners. Oh, and with linebackers CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson, safety KJ Bolden and cornerback Daylen Everette, the Bulldogs defense should be nasty.
Notre Dame broke through last year and proved to the world that it was capable of doing what everyone has universally doubted — beat the best teams in the sport in the postseason. And Notre Dame did it last season with a banged-up roster. Notre Dame will have the best offensive line in college football, which will make the transition to quarterback CJ Carr much easier. Also, receiver Jaden Greathouse could emerge as a star this year and we know Notre Dame is going to have a tough and physical defense.
Alabama took a step back last year in its first season without Nick Saban, but how much does that say about Kalen DeBoer? The man has won everywhere he’s been. And now in year 2, DeBoer brings back basically his entire roster from last season. Yes, there is some concern about Ty Simpson and the quarterbacks, but Alabama has one of the best rosters in the sport and DeBoer is teaming up again with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Is this the year Alabama gets back to being Alabama?
The way Oregon’s season ended last year has left a bitter taste in peoples’ mouths as it pertains to analyzing them, but don’t read too much into what happened against Ohio State. The Ducks did lose a lot of talent after last year, but they have been recruiting like gangbusters and brought in some big-time transfers like running back Makhi Hughes (Tulane), offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon (USC) and safety Dillon Thieneman (Purdue). Oregon is going to be very good again this season.
Illinois isn’t this year’s Indiana because the entire sport sees the Fighting Illini coming. Nobody is going to be surprised by Bret Bielema‘s team, especially because it returns virtually everyone from a squad that won 10 games a year ago. Quarterback Luke Altmyer is a stud and they brought in West Virginia receiver transfer Hudson Clement to eat up a lot of targets. Some people may roll their eyes when they see Illinois this high, but the Fighting Illini have a real chance to make the CFP this year if things go right.
Doubt all you want, but it’s my prediction that DJ Lagway will be the best player in college football by November. Though there is some concern about the time he’s missed this offseason recovering from injury, his recovery has reportedly progressed without any hitches. Florida also has big-time true freshman receiver Dallas Wilson and a defense that improved as last year went on. Florida has an incredibly difficult schedule, but the Gators have a chance to shock people this year.
It feels like ancient history now because BYU didn’t make the CFP last year, but the Cougars spent the entire season leading the Big 12. Though BYU ran out of gas at the end of the year, it has quarterback Jake Retzlaff, running back LJ Martin and receivers Chase Roberts and Keelon Marion returning. The defenses has some pieces to replace, especially after linebacker Harrison Taggart transferred to California this spring, but the Cougars should be considered the Big 12 favorites heading into the year.
Speaking of favorites to win the Big 12, here comes Arizona State checking in one spot behind BYU. The Sun Devils won the Big 12 a year ago, in large part because of tailback Cam Skattebo‘s heroic performances. But Arizona State returns underrated quarterback Sam Leavitt and receiver Jordyn Tyson is an explosive playmaker. The defense also returns 10 starters. Arizona State is going to be in the conference race until the end.
Florida is pretty high in these rankings because of an all-world quarterback who is set to break out this year. Well, South Carolina has one of those in LaNorris Sellers, who has spent the entire offseason being compared to Lagway. The Gamecocks also have one of the best defenders in the country in defensive end Dylan Stewart. South Carolina brought in transfers like defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (Texas A&M), linebacker Shawn Murphy (Florida State) and cornerback Brandon Cisse (NC State) to bolster the defensive side of the ball.
Auburn lost a bunch of games last season that could be boiled down to incompetent quarterback play, so coach Hugh Freeze wasn’t taking any risks. It brought in transfers Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) and Ashton Daniels (Stanford) and signed big-time freshman Deuce Knight. Arnold is expected to start, but Freeze has options. Oh, and whoever wins the quarterback job will be throwing to Cam Coleman and Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton. Auburn played tough and hung in the SEC last year. If it fixes its offense, the Tigers could be much better than people think.
Can you buy a good football team? Texas Tech donor Cody Campbell is about to find out. The billionaire oil baron sponsored Texas Tech’s NIL pursuit and the Red Raiders adding more than 20 players in the portal to help solidify a leaky defense. Texas Tech may have the most talented roster in the Big 12 heading into the season, but now Joey McGuire needs to put the pieces together to form a functional team.
Everyone is down on Oklahoma after a disaster season a year ago. Are they too down on the Sooners? First, Brent Venables went out and got the most influential transfer in the portal in quarterback John Mateer from Washington State. He brought offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle with him. Oklahoma also added running back Jadyn Ott from Cal. If Oklahoma’s offensive line is much improved, the Sooners should have a big turnaround this year, though they do have the hardest schedule in college football.
There is no nice way to say it. Michigan’s offense was downright terrible a year ago. And even so, the Wolverines were competitive in every game and even beat Ohio State before the Buckeyes rolled to the national championship. Michigan also signed five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, who I believe will wind up starting this season. If Michigan can have a halfway decent offense this year, the Wolverines should be a tough out every week in the Big Ten.
A year ago at this time, Ole Miss was the team who spent a boatload of money in the NIL space to go all-in on the 2024 season. The Rebels drubbed Georgia at home at the end of last season, but choked one off against Florida after and didn’t even make the CFP. But in that Georgia game you got a glimpse of the future in quarterback Austin Simmons, who may actually be a star. Ole Miss has something to prove, though it comes into the season with much less fanfare than it had last fall.
It’s hard to figure what to make of Miami. This feels like it could be too low, but I’m admittedly not the guy who thinks Carson Beck is going to will Miami to the CFP. If the Hurricanes couldn’t do it last year with Cam Ward, Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George and Damien Martinez, why would they this year? Well, the Hurricanes should have nasty lines and they did some work plugging holes in the spring portal window. If Miami has a much better defense, maybe they’ll start lower and finish higher than last year’s team.
SMU was one of the teams who took the country by storm last year. Now the Mustangs return a large port of the team that made the CFP last season, including quarterback Kevin Jennings. Though Jennings played terribly in the CFP loss at Penn State, he could be one of the most sensational quarterbacks in the sport with a step forward.
Louisville got USC transfer quarterback Miller Moss in the portal and now the Cardinals are putting a lot on his shoulders. Moss does join a team with one of the best running backs in the country in Isaac Brown and the Cardinals are expecting a ton from receiver Caullin Lacy. The defense may be leaky, but Jeff Brohm has proven to always get the most out of his roster. This roster is good enough to be a problem in the ACC if things come together.
Are people down on quarterback Avery Johnson? Some are. But if you actually look close, he is a freak of nature athlete who could stand to take a huge step forward in production this year. Kansas State, a fixture in the Big 12 race last year, added offensive coordinator Matt Wells to help him along.
Tennessee got blindsided this spring when quarterback Nico Iamaleava left the program after an NIL dispute. This team wasn’t one that was coming into the year as a national title dark horse, but the Volunteers needed to act fast to shore up the quarterback room. They landed UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar, who ironically lost the job he transferred from Appalachian State to take when Iamaleava chose the Bruins. Tennessee still has enough talent to be ranked.
Trying to figure out what Texas A&M is going to be is a fun offseason game every year. A lot falls on the shoulders of quarterback Marcel Reed, who will go into his second year as the starter in College Station. He has two really good running backs in Le’Veon Moss and Reuben Owens and the Aggies got NC State receiver transfer KC Concepcion. They have to replace a lot of talent along the defensive front, but the Aggies brought in a handful of transfers to ease those worries. If Texas A&M is good this year, it could completely mess up the SEC.
Next 5: Indiana, Iowa State, Utah, Washington and Baylor
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
