College football teams to buy or sell after early season struggles

Sep 6, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) reacts after getting hit by San Jose State Spartans linebacker Taniela Latu (4) during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The college football season is only three weeks old, but already the administrations at UCLA and Virginia Tech have seen enough to make changes at their head coach positions. Not many programs have reached that level of panic yet, but some teams do have their fan bases worried. Here is a look at several preseason Top 25 teams that have started the 2025 season slow and whether it is time to cash out now, or reinvest because this season will turn around.

Notre Dame: Buy

There is plenty to love about this Notre Dame roster, even though the Fighting Irish have started the season 0-2. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

A Top 5 ranked team in the preseason, Notre Dame has started the 2025 season with an 0-2 record. Despite not recording a win yet this season, though, the Fighting Irish are still ranked, and that is a testament to the talent on this team. There were mistakes and opportunities Marcus Freeman would like to have back from early-season losses to Miami and Texas A&M, but those are two Top 10 ranked programs right now and both games came down to the final minute of play. What should give Irish fans hope is an ultra-talented roster and an offensive backfield that could still grow into one of the very best in college football. Notre Dame does not face another ranked team until USC comes to town on Oct. 18, and the next month will give Freeman time to round his team into shape for a postseason run.

Florida: Sell

Another disappointing start to a season has put Florida head coach Billy Napier’s job in jeopardy. With ranked teams looming on the schedule in the next three games, Gator fans would hope their team rallies around its embattled head coach. However, when you look at how UCLA and Virginia Tech responded this past weekend with their head coaches on the hot seat, Napier should be concerned. The Bruins and Hokies were two of the worst performing teams against the spread in Week 3, and their head coaches immediately paid the price. In this day and age with college football players able to move about more freely with the Transfer Portal, early season struggles may be causing some players to start looking out for their futures more than their head coach’s.

Arizona State: Buy

The meteoric rise of Arizona State was one of college football’s top storylines in the 2024 season, but after a 2-1 start to the 2025 season there are questions whether last season was an anomaly for the Sun Devils. This team went from 3-9 in Kenny Dillingham’s first season to 11-3 and a College Football Playoff berth after being picked to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 last season. A Week 2 loss to Mississippi State dropped the Sun Devils out of the Top 25, where they had started as high as No. 11, but at 2-1 this team can still catch fire and make another run at the CFP. The next four game stretch, with two Top 25 teams in that span, will be crucial.

Clemson: Sell

Clemson was taken down by Georgia Tech in their ACC opener this past weekend, and now sits at 1-2 on the season. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The reasoning here is deeper than just the Tigers losing two of their first three games. After LSU beat Clemson, the national conversation centered more around LSU’s resurgence than Clemson’s stumble, and yet LSU has not exactly lit the world on fire in subsequent games. After barely surviving Troy in a game which they trailed 16-3 at the half, Clemson was handed another loss by Georgia Tech on Saturday and this team does not look on par with preseason expectations. On paper the rest of this 2025 schedule looks fairly manageable, but the Clemson team we saw in weeks 1-3 is not one that will threaten for a spot in the College Football Playoff, and that was certainly the expectation for Dabo Swinney’s team to start.

Kansas State: Sell

Kansas State was a popular pick to win the Big 12 Conference this season, but four games in and the Wildcats have still not beaten an FBS program. Chris Klieman has had five winning seasons in six years at Kansas State and has not won fewer than nine games in each of the last three seasons, but something is amiss in 2025. Quarterback Avery Johnson was a sleeper pick over the summer to contend for the Heisman Trophy, but in the Wildcats' loss to Arizona on Saturday he completed just 45% of his passes for only 88 yards. It is hard to find something for Kansas State fans to pin their optimism on.

Texas: Buy

It took just three games for Texas fans to start calling for Arch Manning’s replacement at quarterback. The sophomore has not lived up to expectations thus far in his first year as a full starter, and even Manning recognizes that. The chore for head coach Steve Sarkisian is to rebuild the confidence of his young quarterback. This weekend, Sam Houston State comes to town, then the Longhorns go on a bye before traveling to meet a struggling Florida squad in Gainesville. That is a recipe for Manning to get right before Texas’ Red River Rivalry showdown with Oklahoma on Oct. 11. The Texas defense is legit, and there are playmakers around Manning on the offense, but this team’s future does feel closely aligned with the ability of their quarterback to rebound.

How Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian manages his young quarterback over the next three weeks will determine how far the Longhorns can go this season. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images