Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt released his way-too-early top 25 after the spring transfer portal window. With spring ball concluding and the 2025 college football season around three months away, Klatt ranked his top 25 teams.
Surprisingly, he didn’t include Georgia in his top five, ranking them eighth. It’s four spots lower from where he placed Georgia in his way-too-early top 10 after the national championship.
Klatt introduces Georgia as a team that “he didn’t really know what to do with”. He wanted to put them higher due to the prestige, but he wasn’t sold on the roster. Here’s his reasoning for putting Georgia at No. 8:
“This is a team that is going to have to win because their roster is better than other rosters,” said Klatt. “Gunner Stockton is going to have to be a real quality player. This is a trust with Georgia. They recruit well and they develop well… there’s just some teams ahead of them where I believe in the quarterback a little more than Georgia’s.”
That’s why teams such as LSU and Oregon rank higher than Georgia. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier is a potential Heisman candidate and first-round draft selection. For Oregon, UCLA transfer Dante Moore is expected to win the starting job after Dillon Gabriel was drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
Notre Dame also leapfrogs Georgia in the rankings and Joel Klatt believes that Notre Dame could go undefeated if they win their first two games of the season.
Illinois and Alabama enter the top 10. Alabama has several returning pieces on the team, such as Kaydn Proctor and Ryan Williams. Illinois returns a lot and has a relatively easy schedule. Klatt believes the Fighting Illini could be the non-traditional Big Ten team to make the playoffs.
Here is Joel Klatt’s post-spring top 25
25. Oklahoma
24. Baylor
23. Iowa
22. Auburn
21. Indiana
20. Ole Miss
19. Texas A&M
18. Miami
17. Iowa State
16. Kansas State
15. Arizona State
14. BYU
13. Florida
12. Michigan
11. South Carolina
10. Illinois Fighting Illini
2024 record: 10-3
Projected starting quarterback: Luke Altmeyer
2024 record: 9-4
Projected starting quarterback: Ty Simpson
2024 record: 11-3
Projected starting quarterback: Gunner Stockton
7. LSU Tigers
2024 record: 9-4
Projected starting quarterback: Garrett Nussmeier
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
2024 record: 14-2
Projected starting quarterback: C.J. Carr
5. Clemson Tigers
2024 record: 10-4
Projected starting quarterback: Cade Klubnik
4. Oregon Ducks
2024 record: 13-1
Projected starting quarterback: Dante Moore
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
2024 Record: 14-2
Projected starting quarterback: Julian Sayin
2. Texas Longhorns
2024 Record: 13-4
Projected starting quarterback: Arch Manning
- Penn State Nittany Lions
2024 Record: 13-3
Projected starting quarterback: Drew Allar
