It’s that time of year again when college football fans are given the privilege to think their team can make a turnaround and get back into national contention after a down year.
Spring is a time of renewal and hope, especially for those schools that thought they could take a step forward last season, only to trip over themselves and have a year to forget.
What teams have the best chance to use the 2025 season to improve the most?
Let’s turn to the experts for that question: the bookies.
Here’s a rundown of the teams that are projected to improve the most this season and win the most games compared to the year before, according to the numbers at BetMGM.
Florida State: 5.5 more wins
A year ago, the Seminoles won just two games in a nightmare season coming off its ACC title the previous fall, but the bookies over at BetMGM expect a turnaround, forecasting an over/under of 7.5 wins, an improvement of 5.5 wins in 2025.
Key to that progress will be some promising transfer acquisitions made this offseason, led by the addition of quarterback Thomas Castellanos and wide receiver Duce Robinson, both working under first-year offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.
But the Noles also lost important defensive producers, like edge rusher Patrick Payton, who started 26 games over the last two years before moving on to LSU, and Marvin Jones, Jr., who had four sacks last season, but who transferred to Oklahoma.
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Auburn: 2.5 more wins
Hugh Freeze is just 11-14 in his two years leading the program, and despite coming off a 5-7 record last season, an influx of talent should provide a strong foundation to build from, earning a 7.5 win total from BetMGM.
Leading that group is quarterback Jackson Arnold, who swapped Oklahoma crimson for Auburn blue, and is a former five-star prospect looking to start over again in an offense that is loaded with legit wide receiver talent.
That includes transfer Eric Singleton, formerly of Georgia Tech, who was the top-rated skill player in the portal this offseason, according to the 247Sports big board.
Two experienced tackles, Xavier Chaplin and Mason Murphy, will help anchor Auburn’s line in front of Arnold, and the Tigers’ defensive line boasts blue-chip talent coming in, too.
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Kansas: 2.5 more wins
Arguably the best team in college football to not make a bowl game, the Jayhawks won 5 games a year ago, but are listed at over/under 7.5 wins this season, according to BetMGM.
Kansas won three games against Top 25 teams and came out on the wrong end of 5 of the 6 one-score games it played in.
Jalon Daniels returns for a fifth season at quarterback, but the KU offense, now led by Jim Zebrowski after Jeff Grimes’ departure to Wisconsin, will be without tailback Devin Neal and receivers Lawrence Arnold and Luke Grimm.
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Oklahoma State: 2.5 more wins
Mike Gundy and the Cowboys started 3-0 and moved up to No. 13 in the polls in the first three weeks of the 2024 season, but didn’t win another game, finishing 3-9 and 0-9 in Big 12 play.
The books are cautious with Oklahoma State, landing at an over/under of 5.5 wins this season, given the notable changeover on the roster and among Gundy’s assistants.
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Purdue: 2.5 more wins
The Boilermakers collapsed into a 1-11 record that included an 0-9 mark in Big Ten games and the worst home loss in school history after a 66-0 defeat at the hands of Notre Dame.
Farewell, Ryan Walters. Hello, Barry Odom. The latter has built a name for himself after building UNLV up into nearly a playoff contender last season, but he’s basically starting from scratch cleaning up this mess after all of Purdue’s best players ran for the portal this offseason.
BetMGM lists Purdue with an over/under total of 3.5 wins this season.
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Utah: 2.5 more wins
Kyle Whittingham-coached teams always play a physical brand of defense, but the more interesting aspect of this Utes team to watch could be at quarterback.
Jason Beck steps into the offensive coordinator role alongside incoming New Mexico transfer signal caller Devon Dampier, who ran Beck’s offense a year ago to acclaim.
The Lobos were top 25 nationally in scoring, averaging nearly 34 points per game and Dampier is a noted dual threat, rushing for almost 1,200 yards and 19 touchdowns a year ago.
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