Springball is a wrap, and the 2025 college football season is a little more than three months away. It’s post-spring rankings season, and one of college football’s biggest voices released his post-spring top 25.
Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt shared his top 25 after spring ball, and it has an interesting look. When you examine the top 25, there is a lot of turnover at key positions for some of the teams that most expect to be among the best in college football this year.
Six teams in Klatt’s top 10 will feature new starting quarterbacks. In some instances, the expectation is that the new starters will upgrade the position. That will also be the case with the Oklahoma Sooners, who were included in Klatt’s top 25. The Sooners will face seven of Klatt’s top 25.
Here’s a look.
Drew Allar is really good. The Penn State defense is as well. But the Nittany Lions have struggled against good teams in the James Franklin era. Can this be the year they get over the hump?
I guess with question marks surrounding a number of the top 10 teams in the nation, someone has to be ranked No. 2, but this feels a bit rich for the Texas Longhorns. Arch Manning has a chance to be great but the Longhorns are turning over a lot of their offense.
Will Ohio State be good? Probably. Will they repeat as national champions? Doubtful. They have two of the best players in the nation in Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs but they lost so much talent and they’ll be relying on a new starter at quarterback.
Um… what? Sure, Dan Lanning is building a fantastic program in Eugene, but the Ducks aren’t as good as the team that won the Big Ten and earned the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
5. Clemson Tigers
Cade Klubnik is one of two players returning for 2025 with more than 40 touchdowns on the season (the other is John Mateer). Clemson returns the most production in the country for 2025.
Riley Leonard is out the door and he was a key catalyst for their offense. Jermiyah Love is one of the best running backs in the country but if they don’t get good quarterback play, the Irish may not return to the playoff.
The LSU Tigers are hoping year two of the Garrett Nussmeier experience will be as productive as year twos of Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels, who won Heisman trophies in their second season starting for the Bayou Bengals.
8. Georgia Bulldogs
This feels low for Georgia. Sure, the Bulldogs are working through a quarterback battle, but Kirby Smart has kept the Bullodogs among the best of the nation for a long time. Other than the 2020 COVID-shortened season, Georgia hasn’t won fewer than 11 games since Smart’s first season at the helm in 2016.
9. Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama lost some key talent and leadership from last year’s crew, but it’s still a talented squad. Like Ole Miss, they feel like a team that could take a step back from 2024.
Illinois? I’m with y’all. But they did beat South Carolina and Michigan last season. The Illini are No. 3 in the nation in ESPN’s returning production. That experience bodes well for Bert Bielema.
11. South Carolina Gamecocks
The South Carolina Gamecocks were a couple of plays away from being a playoff team last year. At the same time, they lost some key defensive talent. But if LaNorris Sellers improves off his strong 2024 performance, the Gamecocks could make some noise in the SEC.
12. Michigan Wolverines
Michigan is 29th in ESPN’s returning production metric, but they’ll be breaking in a first-time starter in true freshman Bryce Underwood. He’s a talented player but the expectations are big in Ann Arbor.
D.J. Lagway. You’re up. The former five-star prospect will begin the season as the starter for the Gators and they’ve got the talent to be one of the better teams in the SEC. But the schedule doesn’t provide many weeks off or layups. They won’t have much margin for error in 2025.
14. BYU Cougars
BYU has been as active as anyone in the transfer portal, much to the chagrin of their Big 12 rivals. Keilani Sitake has developed a toughness and an attitude in Provo. Can they ride that wave to a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth?
15. Arizona State Sun Devils
Sam Leavitt and Arizona State were a play away from going to the College Football Playoff semifinals. They’ll have to replace the production and leadership of Cam Skattebo but they’ve got a great coach in Kenny Dillingham.
Avery Johnson is one of the more dynamic quarterbacks in the country and Chris Kleiman is one of the best coaches in the Power Four. However, a 5-4 Big 12 schedule isn’t going to cut it. They need a resurgent season in 2025.
17. Iowa State Cyclones
Matt Campbell and the Iowa State Cyclones have a chance to contend in the Big 12 with Rocco Becht. But games against Kansas State, BYU, Iowa, and Arizona State loom large.
18. Miami Hurricanes
It’s the Carson Beck show in Miami as the Hurricanes hope his leadership and experience will push them into the College Football Playoff.
19. Texas A&M Aggies
Mike Elko is building something in College Station. The pieces are in place to make them competitive, but they need a better passing effort from Marcel Reed.
20. Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss is one of the bigger regression candidates in 2025 after losing Jaxson Dart, Tre Harris, Walter Nolen, Chris Paul Jr. and a host of other talented players to the NFL this offseason.
21. Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana found lightning in a bottle in 2024. Will lightning strike twice for the Hoosiers?
The Auburn Tigers are banking on a great wide receiver corps and a bounceback season from Jackson Arnold to put them into the College Football Playoff conversation.
The Iowa Hawkeyes will play good defense. They’ll run the ball well. But they need far better quarterback play if they’re going to ascend into contender status.
24. Baylor Bears
Dave Aranda found something in Sawyer Robertson. Can he also find a defense (finished 81st in points per game in 2024)?
25. Oklahoma Sooners
It’s all about the Oklahoma offense for the Sooners. If they’re respectable, they’ll be one of the best teams in the nation in 2025.
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