Ohio State, Auburn lead SI's 2015 preseason college football Top 25
These rankings and scouting reports appear in the Aug. 10, 2015, issue of Sports Illustrated. Subscribe to the magazine here.
Year One of the College Football Playoff went rather well. Ohio State, a team that lost early but appeared to be playing the best, most-dynamic football at season's end, got a chance to prove its mettle on the field, which the Buckeyes did by taking down Alabama and Oregon. The new system brought with it a selection committee that was free enough to drop undefeated Florida State to third in its final rankings, which was the right move (the Seminoles often looked shaky) but would have been unthinkable under the BCS. That's how it's supposed to work, right?
Sort of. Baylor and TCU were one-loss teams, like three of the four that made the playoff, yet neither Big 12 power was given a shot. This didn't quite feel right, but the reality is someone is always going to be left out. Even in an eight-team bracket—an expansion many see as inevitable—there will be little difference between, and much debate about, who's No. 8 and who's No. 9. But the debate is key: It reflects possibility and passion. It gives the regular season meaning. It makes early-August predictions about the Top 25 teams and the four-team playoff field a spark for study and discussion (and maybe even ridicule). Let the arguments begin.
• STAPLES: Uncertainty reigns as 2015 college football season nears
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
RECORD: 2014 14-1
Click here for a complete scouting report.
2. Auburn Tigers
RECORD: 2014 8-5
Click here for a complete scouting report.
3. TCU Horned Frogs
RECORD: 2014 12-1
Click here for a complete scouting report.
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
RECORD: 2014 8-5
Click here for a complete scouting report.
5. Alabama Crimson Tide
RECORD: 2014 12-2
Click here for a complete scouting report.
6. Baylor Bears
RECORD: 2014 11-2
Click here for a complete scouting report.
7. Michigan State Spartans
RECORD: 2014 11-2
Click here for a complete scouting report.
8. USC Trojans
RECORD: 2014 9-4
Click here for a complete scouting report.
9. Florida State Seminoles
RECORD: 2014 13-1
Click here for a complete scouting report.
10. Oregon Ducks
RECORD: 2014 13-2
Click here for a complete scouting report.
11. Georgia Bulldogs
RECORD: 2014 10-3
Click here for a complete scouting report.
12. Clemson Tigers
RECORD: 2014 10-3
Click here for a complete scouting report.
13. Ole Miss Rebels
RECORD: 2014 9-4
Click here for a complete scouting report.
14. UCLA Bruins
RECORD: 2014 10-3
Click here for a complete scouting report.
15. Arizona Wildcats
RECORD: 2014 10-4
Click here for a complete scouting report.
16. Boise State Broncos
RECORD: 2014 12-2
Click here for a complete scouting report.
17. Arizona State Sun Devils
RECORD: 2014 10-3
Click here for a complete scouting report.
18. Stanford Cardinal
RECORD: 2014 8-5
Click here for a complete scouting report.
19. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
RECORD: 2014 11-3
Click here for a complete scouting report.
20. Missouri Tigers
RECORD: 2014 11-3
Click here for a complete scouting report.
21. Oklahoma Sooners
RECORD: 2014 8-5
Click here for a complete scouting report.
22. Arkansas Razorbacks
RECORD: 2014 7-6
Click here for a complete scouting report.
23. LSU Tigers
RECORD: 2014 8-5
Click here for a complete scouting report.
24. Wisconsin Badgers
RECORD: 2014 11-3
Click here for a complete scouting report.
25. Mississippi State Bulldogs
RECORD: 2014 10-3
Click here for a complete scouting report.
