College Football 2025 – Season Preview

2025 College Football Season Preview: Big Storylines, Top Teams & Players to Watch

Welcome to another glorious season of college football! The 2025 season is shaping up to be bonkers in all the best ways—historic matchups, star power galore, and enough drama to make an SEC message board combust. So grab your gameday beverage of choice, because we’re diving into the storylines, projecting the top teams, and the players that could make—or break—this season.

 

The Most Loaded Week 1 Ever?

The word “historic” gets tossed around a lot in sports lexicon, but this year’s Week 1 might actually deserve it. That’s because we have 3 (three!) matchups of Top 10 teams in the AP/Coaches Polls. And as you probably guessed, that has never happened before. The headliner of course is #1 Texas paying a visit to the Horseshoe for a matchup against #2 Ohio State (Coaches poll, #3 in the AP).

Trivia Break: When’s the last time we saw #1 vs #2 right out of the gate? Hint: Never. This has not happened in Week 1 in the AP Poll era (1943). Although back in 2006 we did get #1 vs #2 in Week 2. The matchup? Yep….Texas and Ohio State. That one was played in Austin.

The other two heavyweight bouts feature #5/6 Notre Dame at #10 Miami—a renewal of what was one of the great rivalries of the ‘80s—and the Battle of the Tigers when #4/6 Clemson and #9 LSU square off from Death Valley (the one in South Carolina). So Merry Christmas, college football fans, it doesn’t get any better than this!

 

Arch Manning Finally Gets the Keys

We’ve been talking about Arch Manning since, what, the Carter administration? Oh, never mind, that was his grandfather. Nonetheless, the former No. 1 recruit and nephew of Peyton and Eli is now QB1 at Texas. And as mentioned above, his first start is at The Horseshoe. No pressure, kid.

Arch isn’t just a storyline—he’s the storyline. If he’s as good as advertised, Texas isn’t just “back.” They’re title favorites. And if he struggles? Well, the internet is undefeated when it comes to Manning memes.

Another Trivia Break: The last UT quarterback to go to Columbus and emerge victorious was Vince Young in 2005. That season ended with some hardware and confetti for the ‘Horns.

 

Bill Belichick stars in “Back to School”

Apologies to the late, great Rodney Dangerfield, but you read that right. After decades in the NFL, the Hoodie is now roaming the sidelines and chasing coeds in Chapel Hill. How will Belichick’s Machiavellian leadership and magnetic personality translate to the college game, you ask? The memes write themselves: Will the Tar Heels come out wearing sleeveless hoodies for alternate uniform week? Does he secretly hate recruiting? And what happens when a five-star QB tries to negotiate an NIL deal with him? (My guess: he responds with “We’re on to Duke.”)

Fun or failure, this will be one of the more fascinating experiments in recent memory.

One More Trivia Break: The liftoff of Belichick Era at UNC will come against a coach who is no stranger to NFL legends making their FBS coaching debut: TCU’s Sonny Dykes. Dykes and the Horned Frogs, if you’ll recall, were the opponent in Week 1 of 2023 for Colorado and Deion Sanders, a game the Buffs won 45-42.

 

Playoff Format Shake-Up

We’re in the second, and maybe the final year of the 12-team College Football Playoff era. This season seeds 1-4, and the accompanying first-round byes, will be awarded to the top four ranked teams—regardless of whether they’re conference champs. That raises the stakes a bit for each week’s results. Of course those byes didn’t much help last season, but if you can get a free pass to the next round, you take it without hesitation.

As for what comes in 2026….who knows? December 1 is the deadline for a decision, and it might go right up to the stroke of midnight.

 

My Preseason Top 12

 

1. Texas Longhorns

Why they’re dangerous: Arch Manning + a loaded roster. This team looks like a throwback to the Mack Brown glory days—only with better NIL deals and fewer flip phones.

Player to watch: Arch Manning, QB. No surprise here. If Arch plays like a top-five draft pick, Texas is your title favorite. If not? Head Coach Steve Sarkisian will have some explaining to do.

Game to Watch: Ok, enough about the Week 1 game at Ohio State. How about Nov. 15 at Georgia? Texas will be seeking revenge against the team that twice dealt them a loss last year.

Fun Fact: Texas hasn’t started a season ranked #1 in the AP Poll since 1946.

 

2. Penn State Nittany Lions

What’s up: Drew Allar is back for one more year, and he’s got the best RB duo in the country—Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Oh, and that defense? Still filthy despite a couple high profile departures.

Why it matters: James Franklin has been knocking on the door for years. This is probably his best shot yet.

Game to Watch: Oct. 25 at Ohio State. If Franklin is to walk through that door, it starts with finally beating the Buckeyes.

Fun Fact: Penn State’s last national title was 1986. That was also the year “Top Gun” hit the theaters. So Maverick got his sequel before the Nittany Lions did. Yikes.

 

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

The deal: Lost some NFL talent, sure—but still stacked. WR Jeremiah Smith might be the next Marvin Harrison Jr., and safety Caleb Downs is the anchor on defense.

The question mark: No question about it…it’s QB Julian Sayin, the redshirt freshman with just 4 game appearances, no starts, and 12 pass attempts on his resume.

Game to Watch: Nov. 29 at Michigan. How big is The Game? Despite winning a national championship Ryan Day may never truly silence his critics until he beats Michigan.

 

4. Clemson Tigers

What’s at stake: Dabo Swinney is on a mission to prove Clemson isn’t slipping. QB Cade Klubnik has all the tools, but can he put it together for 13 games? That’s the million-dollar question.

Prove it: Clemson made the 4-team playoff six straight times from 2015-20. Then they missed four straight times before sneaking in last year as the ACC champion (but with only the #16 CFP ranking) Tyler from Spartanburg won’t stay quiet if the Tigers don’t make it back with maybe Dabo’s best squad since the Trevor Lawrence era.

Game to Watch: Sept. 6 vs. LSU. Early CFP elimination vibes.

 

5. Georgia Bulldogs

Why they’re scary: Kirby Smart + friendly home schedule = nightmare for everyone else. They get Texas, Ole Miss, and Alabama all in Athens. Good luck, y’all.

X-Factor: Continuing a common theme among many of this year’s top teams, it’s new starting QB Gunner Stockton. Stockton took over QB1 when since-departed Carson Beck was injured in the SEC Championship game, with mixed results. They’ve got five-star talent everywhere else, so if Stockton can simply make good decisions, that might be enough.

Game to Watch: Sep. 17 vs. Alabama. It’s the Tide’s first visit to Athens since 2015, and the place will be rocking. Bring earplugs.

 

6. Alabama Crimson Tide

Plot twist: Alabama as an underdog? While I have them a little higher than many, that’s the talk. But they’ve got QB Ty Simpson, WR Ryan Williams, and two future NFL linemen in Kadyn Proctor and Parker Brailsford. Don’t bury the Tide just yet.

Game to Watch: Nov. 8 vs. LSU. Always a war, always playoff implications.

Remarkable Fact: Alabama’s 9-4 season last year was the first time they did not post double-digit wins since 2007, Nick Saban’s first season.

 

7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

What to know: The Irish have swagger again after last year’s playoff run. Like many on this list, they have to break in a new QB (redshirt freshman CJ Carr), but similar to last season the Irish will win games at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Player to watch: RB Jeremiyah Love emerged as Notre Dame’s most dynamic offensive weapon in 2024, rushing for 1,125 yards at 6.9 yards per carry with 17 touchdowns while adding 28 receptions for 237 yards. His 62 avoided tackles and 52.5% breakaway run rate highlight his explosive playmaking ability.

Game to Watch: Aug. 31 vs. Miami. Could be one of the most physical games of the year. Winner vaults into the top-5 playoff discussion instantly.

 

7. Oregon Ducks

Why they’re interesting: New starting QB, new challenges. They’ve got the defense to win the league, but can the offense led by 5-star UCLA transfer QB Dante Moore go toe-to-toe with the Big Ten powers?

Player to watch: True freshman WR Dakorian Moore (no relation to Dante). The Ducks will need the 5-star talent to immediately step up in place of Evan Stewart, who will miss at least part if not all of the season due to a spring injury.

Game to Watch: Nov. 15 vs. Michigan. Late-season clash with playoff seeding on the line.

 

9. LSU Tigers

Schedule of doom: Seriously, go look at it. Clemson, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Bama—all on the road. If they survive that gauntlet with one loss, give Brian Kelly the Coach of the Year trophy immediately.

Explosive offense:  QB Garrett Nussmeier returns and LSU reloads at skill positions better than almost anyone. Expect fireworks every Saturday.

Game to Watch: Sep. 27 at Ole Miss. It bears repeating, their schedule overall is brutal…but it feels like this is the game that could swing their season one way or the other.

 

10. Miami Hurricanes

Are we there yet?: Miami finally matters again…well, maybe. QB Carson Beck transferred in from Georgia, and he’ll need to get us to speed quickly with his new weapons. So will the defense….game-wrecking DEs Akheem Messidor and Reuben Bain Jr. return, but there are a lot of new faces elsewhere.

Game to Watch: Nov. 1 at SMU. With their toughest games at home, this could be a sneaky one on the road.

Fun throwback: Last time Miami made the national title game? 2002. They lost to Ohio State in double OT on that pass interference call. (Sorry, Canes fans.)

 

11. Illinois Fighting Illini

Who?: Yep, Illinois. You read that right. Bret Bielema’s crew won 10 games last year and brought most of that team back. This might be the best Illinois team since the Reagan era.

Big Ten bully ball: Massive O-line, physical defense, and a throwback style that fits the league perfectly. Bielema knows how to win in the Big Ten.

Playoff dark horse: They don’t have the brand name, but the talent is real.

Game to Watch: Sep. 20 at Indiana. Yeah, they host Ohio State in October, but win this one and they can lose that OSU game and still get in the playoff with an otherwise easy schedule.

 

12. Michigan Wolverines

Why so low?: New QB Bryce Underwood might be the real deal—but he’s a true freshman. Still, don’t sleep on that defense.

Game to Watch: Nov. 29 vs. Ohio State. This may decide Michigan’s playoff fate (again). But even if they don’t make it, continuing to torment TTDS is a fine consolation.

 

So there it is. Enjoy an epic Week 1!