Everybody loves to rank things. People rank Star Wars movies, types of pizza, fast food restaurants, and everything in between. You name it, and there’s probably a ranking for it somewhere out there in the ethos.
I’d argue that no set of rankings is scrutinized and argued about more than those produced during (and before) the college football season. The preseason AP Poll was released a little over a week ago, and the sharks were out to criticize that ranking for all it was worth. It’s the ever-constant bickering regarding which team is the best that makes college football so different from every other sport on the North American continent. It’s also what makes it the most toxic, but that’s a story for another day.
Today, it’s time for me, the college football sage that I am, to release my preseason D Poll. For those unfamiliar with the D Poll, it’s like any other college football poll out there, but it’s curated by a man (me) who values vibes and feelings, as well as the actual results on the field, over anything else.
Last year, Indiana and SMU weren’t ranked up alongside the “big boys” because of their “easier” strength of schedule. I don’t care about strength of schedule, or if I do, it’s to a much smaller degree than most people. This poll had the Hoosiers and the Mustangs in the top 10 well before the mainstream media. Why? Because they were winners, and that’s what I value most.
It’s obviously difficult to value winning in a preseason poll, so today’s iteration of the D Poll is much more aligned with the vibes and feelings criteria. And don’t get it twisted—this poll is a fluid entity. Just because I have a team ranked today doesn’t mean it’ll be in the poll by the time Week 2 or 3 rolls around. If you show me that a specific team isn’t up to snuff, I’m more than happy to get it out of here.
For those who aren’t interested in diving into the behemoth that is this post, look at the awesome graphic that my wonderful wife crafted for me! Isn’t it awesome?
Let’s get into it.
25. James Madison
This list needed a representative from the Group of Six, and while all the other polls will lift Boise State to this slot, I thought it’d be fun to give some love to James Madison.
Ever since its transition from the FCS to the FBS in 2022, James Madison has been a perennial contender in the Sun Belt. Even Curt Cignetti leaving to take the job at Indiana couldn’t stop the momentum that the Dukes were building in Harrisonburg, Virginia. JMU went 9-4 a year ago with an impressive 70-50 victory over North Carolina. That game was fun.
It’s Sun Belt title or bust for the Dukes as they enter the season as the odds-on favorite to win the conference. Anything less would feel like a disappointment, quite frankly. James Madison was always an FCS team that was looking for championships. The FBS version of the university is looking for much of the same.
Please don’t let me down. It’s always fun to have a new G6 team to root for.
24. Texas Tech
The Red Raiders brought in the second-highest transfer portal class (only behind LSU), thanks to oil billionaire and alum Cody Campbell and a slew of other rich donors. Texas Tech’s roster is now filled with money, money, money, and more money. It was an insane development, and one that folks in Lubbock hope pays dividends in the form of wins.
New offensive coordinator Mark Leftwich will lead an offense that features returning quarterback Behren Morton and a wealth of talented receivers such as Micah Hudson, Reggie Virgil, Roy Alexander, Caleb Douglas, and Coy Eakin. With a shored-up offensive line, watch out for the Red Raiders to continue to sling the rock around like no other team in the land.
Defensively, Texas Tech improved quite a bit. Transfers Lee Hunter, Skyler Gill-Howard, Anthony Holmes Jr., David Bailey, Romello Height, and Brice Pollack all bring star power and ability to a defense that severely lacked both of those last season. Should the unit improve to the level that is expected, then watch out because the conference championship could be on the horizon.
Essentially, the goal for Texas Tech is to become a conference contender overnight. Lofty? Yes. Attainable? Also yes.
For more of my thoughts on Texas Tech’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
23. Indiana
Last year was a dream for the Hoosiers. They went 11-2, made the College Football Playoff, and surprised everybody on the planet along the way. To say that Indiana came out of nowhere last season would be the understatement of the millennium.
This season’s iteration of the Hoosiers might be better than last’s, believe it or not, but due to the difficulties of their schedule, I’m not sure if the results will be improved. After all, how could they be? Indiana hit what I believe to be their ceiling last season, and anything above that would surprise me.
Though, with a starting quarterback in Adrian Mendoza, who NFL Draft experts have potentially going in the first round, what do I know? Perhaps the Hoosiers are actually the team to beat in the Big Ten, and everything I say is a moot point. Or maybe the tough schedule makes life difficult, and Indiana flames out. It’s hard to say, but all I know is that Curt Cignetti will have those boys ready to play every single Saturday, and that’s good enough for me to put them in the opening D Poll.
For more of my thoughts on Indiana’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
22. Michigan
This ranking is all about the quarterback. If Bryce Underwood wasn’t the signal-caller for the maize and blue, I’m not sure I’d have them ranked.
Obviously, Underwood’s true abilities are yet to be seen. As a true freshman, there will be some growing pains to work through as the season progresses. I project that those kinks will be ironed out at some point, but there’s a legitimate possibility that they never are, and Michigan flounders its way through 2025.
Head coach Sherrone Moore will miss two games—Weeks 3 and 4—due to a self-imposed suspension by the university because of the sign-stealing scandal from a couple of seasons ago. It’s unlikely that that severely affects the outcome of the season as a whole; after all, Jim Harbaugh was suspended for two important games against Penn State and Ohio State in 2023, and Michigan ended up winning both. But it’s definitely something to keep an eye on as the residual effects of the hefty financial punishment on the Wolverines start to take effect in the seasons to come.
Anyway, Michigan will probably be good this year, but how good is really the question. In my eyes, not good enough to warrant a spot in the top 10, although I’m sure that folks in Ann Arbor disagree with me.
For more of my thoughts on Michigan’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
21. Baylor
SethStack is an official fan of Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson. If you have any quarrels or complaints about that man, please take those elsewhere.
All jokes aside, Robertson is one of my favorite QBs, not just in the Big 12, but in the country. It was his rise toward the end of last season that enabled the Bears to go on the run they did. Watching him was a joy; watching his team succeed was a struggle—that’s just the TCU grad coming out of me.
Isn’t it crazy that Baylor head coach Dave Aranda was on the verge of being fired if 2024 didn’t go well, only to now be firmly secure? From being at the top of the list of coaches who were about to be sent packing to the top of the Big 12 coaching rankings is an insane turn of events, but one that was rightly earned with last season’s turnaround.
Other than the quarterback, there’s a ton to like about the Bears. Running back Bryson Washington is so fun to watch, and receivers Josh Cameron and Kobe Prentice provide some nice pass-catchers for Robertson. Defensively, Aranda’s crew should be well-positioned, given the improvements made toward the end of last year’s campaign.
If Baylor can build on last year’s hot streak, then 2025 could be a special season in Waco. While this TCU fan might not want it to happen, I think it’s only right of me to acknowledge that it’s a definite possibility.
For more of my thoughts on Baylor’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
20. Louisville
Jeff Brohm’s track record is such that no matter where he is, that team is going to surpass expectations. Louisville is not ranked in the AP’s preseason poll, but here they are at No. 20. Why? Because of my confidence in Brohm.
Even with the uncertainty that is transfer quarterback Miller Moss, Brohm’s ability to win at his previous stops at Western Kentucky and Purdue, as well as his first two seasons at Louisville, has proven to me that doubting his coaching abilities is a fool’s errand. I’ll grant you that, at least on paper, Louisville’s roster doesn’t stack up with the rest of its top-tier counterparts in the ACC—Clemson, Miami, and perhaps even SMU—but the consistent track record of Brohm supersedes any doubts created by that fact.
Louisville might not win the ACC this season, though I wouldn’t be so sure that a trip to the College Football Playoff is too far out of the question, should everything break the right way.
19. Kansas State
With a healthy Avery Johnson back in Manhattan, alongside an offense that’s looking to switch things up, K-State should be on everybody’s radar as a potential Big 12 title contender.
Despite a fairly difficult schedule, there’s reason to believe that the Wildcats’ ceiling is fairly high. They’d better be, given the expectations of the fanbase. The K-State faithful are aching for a lot of wins, and rightfully so. Last season promised a ton of success, but a lackluster back half of the season due to a litany of injuries derailed any of those hopes.
K-State opens the season tomorrow against Iowa State in Dublin in what should be a fantastic precursor to a Big 12 championship race that’s bound to go down to the wire. I predict that the result of tomorrow’s contest will tell us a whole lot about what the Wildcats can do in 2025.
For more of my thoughts on Kansas State’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
18. Texas A&M
There’s no doubt in my mind that Texas A&M can be better than 8-4 this season. The roster is the second-most talented in the state of Texas; it’s filled with studs at almost every position. But can it get the 8-4 monkey off its back and finally realize the dream of an SEC title?
Mike Elko came in to change the culture, and I’m convinced he successfully did so last season. Even then, the plague of 8-4 remained constant. It’s now Elko’s job to parlay the successful wins off the field in both recruiting and culture into wins on the field. I think he can do it.
He’ll have to do so with returning quarterback Marcel Reed, who I’m unfortunately not too high on. While he was the best signal-caller on the roster last season—Connor Weigman was impressing absolutely nobody with what he was doing—there was still a ton of room to improve for Reed. Another year in offensive coordinator Collin Klein’s system should help, but I’m still a little wary of putting all my eggs into Reed’s basket.
Regardless, should the roster click like it could, Texas A&M’s ceiling is 10 or 11 wins. Or maybe the 8-4 curse is an ever-present entity that the Aggies will never be able to shake off. Only time will tell.
17. Utah
Last year’s crazy disappointment of a season has to be a blip on the radar, right?
I attribute much of the disaster-fest that was the 2024 Utah Utes to Cam Rising’s injury in Week 2 against Baylor. If that doesn’t occur, and Rising is healthy the entire campaign, Utah probably is a contender for a Big 12 title. Alas, that didn’t happen, and instead, the Utes went 5-7 in their inaugural season in the conference.
Some positive regression is bound to strike Kyle Whittingham’s squad, and with new quarterback Devon Dampier—a player who’s been highly touted all offseason—I believe that a lot of wins will be coming Utah’s way.
When the Utes jumped ship from the sinking Pac-12 and ran over to the Big 12, it was expected that they’d be right up there in the standings with the best of the conference right away. With that not happening immediately, people in Salt Lake City began to get a little nervous. Don’t fear, however, as Utah is going to make it back to Arlington this season. Take that to the bank, I dare you.
For more of my thoughts on Utah’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
16. USC
Compared to the rest of the college football world, I’m quite high on USC. The heralding of the program’s demise is premature and, frankly, disrespectful.
Lincoln Riley is a great head coach, and to think that he’d just let a historically successful program like USC wither away and die on his watch is crazy. There’s no way. And with the great wins on the recruiting trail, plus some upgrades to the football facilities, I’d say the vibes are quite high in Los Angeles.
In my Big Ten win totals post, I asserted that the Trojans are going to go 9-3 this year with big wins over Illinois, Michigan, and Notre Dame. Is all that a bit too much, considering the last two years of decline? Probably, but I’m nothing but an optimist when it comes to teams I believe in, and I believe in Riley’s crew. If I’m the only believer in USC, then that’s how it’s going to be.
For more of my thoughts on USC’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
15. Florida
Much like Michigan, this ranking is solely due to DJ Lagway. With him at quarterback, there is no ceiling for the 2025 Florida Gators.
That’s not entirely true—the roster around him is quite talented—but without Lagway, this team is a shell of itself, and the heights it can reach immediately fall off a cliff should he not be available. His presence is a massive question mark, too, with all the injury concerns that he dealt with last season and during spring and fall camp this year. Can he be relied upon to take the football field every Saturday? Right now, that’s up in the air.
If he does, Florida could genuinely win it all, but since I can’t be certain that he’ll always be there and ready to go, I’m forced to slot the Gators lower than their potential. There’s also the fact that head coach Billy Napier actually has to prove to the country that he can win games at Florida with the talented roster that he’s assembled. Personally, I’m in the “believe in Billy” camp, though I know several others who aren’t. If Lagway is healthy, then I don’t think anything Napier does matters. Just put the boys on the field and let them win some ball games.
For more of my thoughts on Florida’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
14. Miami
The Hurricanes were on pace to make the ACC Championship Game, and subsequently the College Football Playoff, before disaster struck, and they lost two crucial games to Georgia Tech and Syracuse. That allowed Clemson to sneak in the back door and make it to Charlotte instead, leaving Miami on the outside looking in once the regular season concluded.
It’s now Mario Cristobal, new quarterback Carson Beck, and a reloaded offense’s job to avenge last season. Although the ceiling is definitely a trip to the CFP, I’m not so bullish on those prospects being as much of a reality as going 8-4 is. But my doubts don’t necessarily matter for these preseason rankings, because, at least on paper, Miami is talented enough to warrant a spot in the preseason D Poll’s top 15. All I hope is that their performance on the field backs up my support.
Or maybe I don’t, because after all, I did pick them to go under their win total.
For more of my thoughts on Miami’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
13. LSU
Is it too grand to say that this is a make-or-break year for Brian Kelly at LSU? No, certainly not.
Kelly is making roughly $10 million a year and has been in Baton Rouge since 2022. In three seasons, the Tigers have won the SEC zero times and have made the CFP zero times. For the amount of cash that LSU has invested in the Kelly regime, both in him and in assets on the field, the results have been subpar.
It’s time for that to change. With the top transfer portal class in the land, as well as a veteran quarterback in Garrett Nussmeier, folks down in Louisiana’s capital are confident that some winning can be done in 2025. I’m sure they realize that it’s necessary for such a feat to take place, because if it doesn’t, then Kelly is out the door.
SEC championships and national titles are the standard at LSU, and since that hasn’t been occurring under Kelly, a coach who was brought on to revitalize the program after Ed Orgeron’s star dwindled, folks are beginning to get antsy. My advice to LSU is to start winning. And do it quickly.
For more of my thoughts on LSU’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
12. SMU
The Mustangs’ breakout 2024 makes expectations for 2025 quite high, as they should be. The resources that SMU possesses are just too great for it to be any other way.
While a ton of last year’s production is not returning to Dallas, the players who are provide enough support to the operation that I’m somewhat confident in the Mustangs (as their high ranking obviously suggests). Quarterback Kevin Jennings returns, and tight end RJ Maryland, who missed half of last season with an injury, is also back. The defensive unit, while filled with some new faces, should be up to par with last year’s as one of the best Mustangs’ defenses of the 21st century.
All that leads to what I believe is going to be another good campaign in Dallas. The schedule is not easy, I’ll grant you that, but this roster is deep and talented enough to survive it.
For more of my thoughts on SMU’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
11. South Carolina
Is there any other program in America that’s on the upswing quite like South Carolina? Following an encouraging finish to 2024 that ended in Gamecocks fans being up in arms that they were left out of the College Football Playoff, as well as the return of several key playmakers—quarterback LaNorris Sellers being chief among them—the vibes are high in Columbia.
Shane Beamer’s squad did lose quite a bit of talent to the NFL Draft—five Gamecocks were selected—but as mentioned above, there’s some real talent returning that should make a massive impact this season. Sellers is the key, obviously. His continued improvement and health are what will keep South Carolina in the SEC race down the stretch. Without him, this high of a ranking would be ludicrous.
On one hand, the Gamecocks have enough talent to push for a CFP berth if everything plays out right. On the other, the schedule is brutal—bouts against Missouri, Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Clemson await—and the overall inconsistency of the Beamer era looms large. 2025 will be a weekly struggle to prove to people that they can sustain success week in and week out. If they do, watch out for South Carolina, because it’ll be playoff-bound.
10. Oregon
Spoiler alert: Oregon will not be as good as it was last season in 2025. I hope that doesn’t ruin anybody’s day.
That’s not to say that I don’t think the Ducks are going to succeed this season. There’s a ton of turnover in Eugene, starting at the quarterback position. Fresh face Dante Moore enters the fold, with everything hinging on his ability to lead the team to victories. If he lives up to the hype, then the Ducks might be able to cruise through what’s a relatively light schedule. If they have to turn elsewhere, or if he’s just not as good as we all thought, then there could be trouble on the horizon.
Still, Dan Lanning is one of the best coaches in America, and his ability to consistently build a winning team at Oregon leads me to believe that once the curtains close on 2025, we’ll all look back and say that the Ducks, while flawed and perhaps not as deep as last year’s team, were still quite fantastic.
For more of my thoughts on Oregon’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
9. Arizona State
I don’t know if the vibes have ever been higher at Arizona State. To have the hometown alum head coach come back and lead the program to a conference championship and a memorable appearance in the College Football Playoff is a dream. At times, it felt almost too good to be true.
What makes the whole experience even better is that almost the entirety of last season’s historic team returns. Quarterback Sam Leavitt—a dual-threat machine—returns to lead an offense that features quality pass-catchers such as Jordan Tyson and Chamon Metayer. Even with Cam Skattebo’s absence, there’s still tons to like about the Sun Devils’ offense.
Kenny Dillingham and company also expect the defense to continue to make big leaps. The pass rush, headlined by top sacker Clayton Smith, as well as Prince Dorbah, looks to be one of the most deadly in the Big 12. Pair that with a secondary that’s experienced, and Arizona State might just be cooking with gas.
I have the Sun Devils winning the Big 12 once again, and this time they might even win a game in the CFP. The dream lives on in Tempe, and if this pace continues, it’ll be going on for quite some time.
For more of my thoughts on Arizona State’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
8. Illinois
OK, I realize that this might be a bit extreme, but hear me out!
No team that’s expected to contend for a conference championship has a quarterback with as much experience as Illinois signal-caller Luke Altmyer. Yes, that is not good enough of a reason alone to slot the Fighting Illini right here in the top 10, but pair that with a head coach in Bret Bielema, who’s a perennial winner, and I think there’s something there.
Illinois flashed onto the scene with an electric 10-win season a year ago and is poised to potentially be this season’s surprise, but only to the casual college football fan. Anybody who’s been keeping up with what Bielema and company have been doing over his tenure knows that it’s now or never for the Fighting Illini. This roster, with all the experience it possesses, can win the Big Ten. As crazy as that might sound, I legitimately believe it, so here they are.
Please don’t prove me wrong, Illinois. I’m on my knees begging you to succeed.
For more of my thoughts on Illinois’ 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
7. Alabama
Last year was an anomaly—Alabama is back.
Kalen DeBoer didn’t start his time in Tuscaloosa on the best footing. Losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Michigan (in the bowl game) left a terrible taste in a ton of people’s mouths, most notably the Crimson Tide faithful, who aren’t afraid to criticize at a moment’s notice. Still, there’s a ton to like about the 2025 iteration of the squad, one that I ascertain to be one of the best in America.
In order for Alabama to succeed, all it has to do is not royally screw up like it did a year ago. If it doesn’t fall short in the “easy” games on its schedule, then a trip to the playoff and a chance to once again be on top of the college football world will be theirs for the taking. But with a new quarterback in Ty Simpson, there could be some growing pains toward the beginning of the season. Luckily for Simpson and the rest of the offense, their head coach is one of the most intelligent minds in the industry, and he’ll be ready to handle whatever adversity might come their way.
To be honest, I’m quite high on Alabama. If it weren’t for some of those weird blunders last season, then it’d probably be higher up on this list. Unfortunately, I have to take those into account—whether that’s fair or not is a question for another time—thus leaving the Crimson Tide here at No. 7.
For more of my thoughts on Alabama’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
6. Ohio State
It should be no surprise that the reigning national champions are ranked this highly. Ohio State, despite losing a ton of last year’s production to the NFL—14 Buckeyes heard their names called—the team is still built to win a natty this season. But with a new quarterback in Julian Sayin, as well as a ton of fresh faces on the roster, questions abound as to just how likely that actually is.
With all that new talent, there’s bound to be some start-up struggles at the beginning of the schedule, which, unfortunately for Ohio State, begins with Texas. Two other big tests against Penn State and Michigan also await on a slate of games that’s otherwise fairly manageable. All the Buckeyes have to do is take care of business in those three, and they should be well on their way toward another playoff appearance.
I’d be remiss not to mention the Jeremiah Smith of it all. Smith proved to the world in his freshman season in Columbus that he was one of the best receivers we’d ever seen and was already prepared for the NFL. Due to draft eligibility regulations, he’ll have to play two more years in college before that’s even possible, which is a bummer for him but a great reward for all of us who desire to see the best of the best playing in college.
For more of my thoughts on Ohio State’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
5. Georgia
Carson Beck is gone, and Georgia is all the better for it.
That’s somewhat of a joke, though I’m sure if you asked the players in the locker room in Athens, they’d tell you that’s as true a statement as “the sky is blue.” Beck was probably not the leader of men that his position required, and that showed at times as the Bulldogs maneuvered their way through what was a weird 2024.
Even the oddities of the season didn’t stop Georgia from winning the SEC and earning a bye in the first-ever 12-team CFP. If it weren’t for Beck’s arm injury in the SEC Championship, there’s a real possibility that Georgia would’ve advanced much further in the postseason than it actually did.
Kirby Smart is the best coach in college football, no ifs, ands, or buts. The roster he coaches is also the deepest, the most talented, and the most ready to take a game by the scruff of its neck. Georgia is filled with NFL players. I think it’s safe to say that’s the reason for its success.
It’s a little weird that Georgia, of all schools, is flying under the radar, but it is. Nobody seems to remember what that place is capable of, despite it being one of the best teams in the land just one season ago. Watch out for Georgia. You don’t want to be caught napping when the Bulldogs show up at your door.
For more of my thoughts on Georgia’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
4. Clemson
For the first time in what feels like forever, Clemson can win the national championship in 2025.
Dabo Swinney did what everybody believed to be impossible and built up Clemson into a program that won titles out of the blue back in the 2010s. Now, after several seasons of mediocre-to-OK results—at least on the scale of Clemson’s usual expectations—a fully loaded roster that has experience and talent is here to save the day.
Cade Klubnik returns for his third season as QB, and I’ve seen a ton of Heisman buzz for the former Austin Westlake product. Maybe that’s because the offensive line in front of him is projected to be the best that the Tigers have put out there since the national championship years of 2016 and 2018. Or maybe that’s because the skill position players around him, like Antonio Williams and Bryant Wesco Jr., are fantastic. Or maybe it’s because the Clemson defense features studs like T.J. Parker, who are legitimate candidates to go in the top five of next year’s NFL Draft.
Long story short, Clemson might be back, and subsequently, it is high up in the D Poll right there with all the other big dogs. Order has finally returned to the galaxy.
For more of my thoughts on Clemson’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
3. Notre Dame
Just a couple of days ago, it was announced that redshirt freshman CJ Carr won the starting quarterback job for Notre Dame. If you’d told me this at the beginning of the spring, I wouldn’t have been surprised, and I’d honestly have been elated. Now, however, the emotions are a bit different after all we’d seen and heard from fall camp.
Regardless of anybody’s reservations surrounding Carr, the roster around him is deep enough for me to realize that the Fighting Irish are going to be quite good this season. With the exception of some tough games at the beginning of the season against Miami and Texas A&M, everything else is so manageable that if Notre Dame just takes care of business, it’s going to be in the playoff at the end of the year without having to put in that much effort.
If everything clicks, I firmly believe that Notre Dame can win the national championship. And while I might not be betting or picking that, I don’t think it’s so far off base. After all, this team played for a national title last year, even after losing to Northern Illinois in the regular season. Sometimes, the Fighting Irish just surprise us.
For more of my thoughts on Notre Dame’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
2. Penn State
Everybody seems to be on the Penn State hype train. Just about every college football pundit I am aware of has touted the praise of the Nittany Lions. I’m no different.
Drew Allar is back. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are back. Nick Dawkins is back. Dani Dennis-Sutton is back. OK, I think you get it. Just about everybody is back for Penn State, and that means that we predictors and previewers have a fairly viable idea about what this roster is capable of. And since last year’s team made it to the semifinals of the CFP, everybody’s pretty bullish on what the 2025 Nittany Lions can accomplish.
The key for Penn State is to win the “big game.” There are two of those on the schedule this season: Oregon on September 27 and Ohio State on November 1. If it can just split those two, or even win both of them, perfect. If not, then I’m afraid the narratives surrounding James Franklin’s inability to rise to the occasion will continue for another season.
For more of my thoughts on Penn State’s 2025 season, click the link below to listen to Seth’s College Football Corner.
1. Texas
Hear ye, hear ye! The Texas Longhorns are the best team in college football! (At least in the preseason, which doesn’t mean all that much, but it’s still cool, right?)
It’s safe to say that Texas is officially back. Two straight trips to the playoff have eliminated any possibility of anybody yelling about the Longhorns being unable to play up to their potential. Steve Sarkisian has built a powerhouse in Austin. All that’s left to do is actually take hold of the sport by the neck and win the big one.
Everybody knows that Arch Manning is finally getting his shot to be the starting quarterback. Everybody also knows that if he’s as good as we all think, then Texas will no doubt be playing for the SEC title, but also the national title as well. It all hinges on Manning, and I’m fairly confident that he’s really that guy.
The schedule is also one that leads me to believe that the Longhorns are for real. Only four difficult games lie in front of them: Week 1 against Ohio State, Red River in Dallas versus Oklahoma, a trip to Athens to play Georgia, and a home bout against rival Texas A&M on Black Friday. Win two out of four, and they’re easily in the playoff. Win three out of four, and they’re the real deal. Win all four, and we might be witnessing one of the best teams ever assembled.
It’s cliché to say that college football is better when X is playing well, but I’d say that’s certainly true for Texas. With the Longhorns back in the national conversation, everybody in the Lone Star State, as well as America, seems to be more excited about what the 2025 season could bring. I’m certainly excited, and I hope all of you are too.