College Football 2025: Athlon’s Preseason Top 25 Revealed

Is Notre Dame the nation's best bet to keep Texas and Arch Manning from a national championship?

Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman is announced to fans after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs after the game at Caesars Superdome. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Summer is full speed ahead in the United States which means just one thing: college football is right around the corner.

OK, your Fourth of July parade and BBQ is as well, as is perhaps a family getaway in the coming weeks, but you know your mind has already started to daydream a bit about those Saturdays in the fall which are now less than 10 weeks away.

So, who will hold the big trophy in mid-January when the national championship is claimed? And which players, coaches, and teams will tell the story of the fall in 2025?

Here at Notre Dame on SI, we keep our eye on all things Fighting Irish and wonder if Marcus Freeman and company's chances are better to win it all this year than last, when it went to the title round.

Athlon Sports has its 2025 College Football Preview magazine out, and in it, it gives its preseason rankings. Here is how Athlon rates the top 25 ahead of the season, as well as a thought on each from yours truly.

25. Boise State Broncos

Boise State feels like a program you can write down for 10-plus wins before the year starts, but truly, how does it replace generational running back Ashton Jeanty?

Boise State travels to Notre Dame on Oct. 4

24. SMU Mustangs

Will SMU be able to pull off the same kind of magic as last year with a trip to Clemson and a home game against Miami now appearing on the schedule?

23. Iowa State Cyclones

With the injuries the Cyclones dealt with last year while still managing to win 11 games, this feels low.

22. Texas Tech Red Raiders

The Red Raiders have shown they're not a team to be taken lightly in the NIL era, but can they finally make their first appearance in a Big 12 championship game this fall?

21. Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel watches the game in the first half at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nico Iamaleava was no great shakes despite the hype, but I'm concerned with what even Josh Heupel will be able to muster up with this offense.

20. Oklahoma Sooners

I don't want to say hot seat because that feels strong, but is 2025 make or break for Brent Venables in Norman?

19. Texas A&M Aggies

Nov 30, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts during the second half against the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns defeated the Aggies 17-7. at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Kindly put, Texas A&M is a unique place with a lot of moving parts that make long-term success difficult for head coaches. The good news is Mike Elko seems to get life in Aggieland better than most and went a long way in creating a culture change in his first season.

Notre Dame hosts Texas A&M on Sept. 13.

18. Ole Miss Rebels

How quickly can Austin Simmons find his feet in replacing star quarterback Jaxson Dart? The answer to that question will tell if Ole Miss can challenge a playoff spot as it has a very favorable conference schedule by SEC standards.

17. Illinois Fighting Illini

Starters galore return for an Illinois team that won 10 games last season. Thanks to a favorable schedule, an underrated star quarterback, and an experienced head coach, this team could very possibly win 10 games and have a seat in the College Football Playoff.

16. Indiana Hoosiers

How will Indiana perform when its not sneaking up on anyone in 2025? And how it will perform with Illinois and trips to Iowa, Oregon, and Penn State all on a much more difficult schedule this fall?

15. Michigan Wolverines

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore watches quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) during the first half of the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What can Michigan get out of the quarterback position this season? Bryce Underwood is a mega-recruit but a true freshman, who could hold the cards to the Wolverines returning to the CFP.

14. Arizona State Sun Devils

Cam Skattebo feels like he's the only piece of the reigning Big 12 champions that is gone. That might not be entirely true but with Heisman Trophy contending quarterback Sam Leavitt back, getting back to the College Football Playoff, and winning a game, should be the expectation.

13. Kansas State Wildcats

I'm not buying the Kansas State hype in mid-summer as the November struggles spoke volumes to me last season, but a Week 0 win over Iowa State in Ireland would quiet a lot of my doubt.

12. South Carolina Gamecocks

LaNorris Sellers is among the very best quarterbacks in the SEC, but how much can you trust a defense that loses the production (only four returning starters) South Carolina loses from a year ago?

11. Florida Gators

Dec 20, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) is presented the MVP trophy after the win against the Tulane Green Wave at Raymond James Stadium. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Is Florida a playoff threat and is quarterback DJ Lagway a Heisman contender? The stretch of games at LSU, at Miami (FL), vs. Texas, and at Texas A&M from Sept. 13 to Oct. 11 will answer both of those questions.

10. Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Carson Beck isn't close to the most interesting part of this team in 2025. Miami needs to get its defense right as it allowed 30 or more points in five of eight ACC contests a year ago. Can their transfer portal additions do enough, quickly enough, to get it done?

Notre Dame travels to Miami on Aug. 31.

9. Oregon Ducks

Oregon has to replace 16 starters from the team that won the Big Ten championship in its conference debut. The good news is that Dante Moore appears to be the real deal at quarterback, and the Big Ten scheduling Gods were incredibly generous, aside from a late-September trip to Happy Valley.

8. Alabama Crimson Tide

Dec 31, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer looks on before running onto the field before a game against the Michigan Wolverines at Raymond James Stadium. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Kalen DeBoer has won big everywhere he's coached. Yes, his first year was a step back from the Alabama standard, but you can't convince me there isn't a more undersold team entering the season than the Crimson Tide.

7. LSU Tigers

If not now, when for Brian Kelly on the Bayou? No coach in America faces more pressure in Week 1 than him, when the highly regarded Tigers open the year at Clemson.

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Apr 12, 2025; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (right) hands off to running back Kedren Young (left) during the Blue-Gold game at Notre Dame Stadium. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Notre Dame has the best offensive line and best running back room in the country entering 2025. Now, get ready to watch it with a passing game that should pose a real threat downfield with quarterback CJ Carr.

5. Clemson Tigers

Clemson returns a ton so is understandably a sexy pick to make noise in 2025, but how much of that is because of a program revival, and how much is because of a lackluster ACC?

4. Georgia Bulldogs

Listen, Georgia is loaded and is the reigning SEC champs, but based on their offensive issues from a year ago, along with Carson Beck transferring to Miami, I'd be lying out of my teeth if I said I had confidence in this outfit finishing the season as a top-five team.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

The talent that graduated to the NFL is undeniable, but this is Ohio State we're talking about. It's reloaded, not rebuilt. That said, new quarterback Julian Sayin mixed with new offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is something to keep in your head, even with Ryan Day still calling the shots.

2. Penn State Nittany Lions

One look at the returning production for Penn State, quarterback Drew Allar included, and you can see why the Nittany Lions are a popular pick in the Big Ten this preseason. However, trusting James Franklin in high pressure situations feels like a losing bet until proven otherwise. I could see a Big Ten championship, but I simply don't trust him to win the three or four playoff games necessary to win it all.

1. Texas Longhorns

Jan 1, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

As much as I like to challenge the narrative in things like this, the fact of the matter is Texas's offense is loaded, and the defense may have the best front in college football. This isn't a one-horse race by any means, but it is hard to find anyone with as strong of case as Texas' to win it all in 2025.