College football rankings: Texas, Georgia, Miami lead way-too-early top 25 ahead of 2025 season

1 The Arch Manning Era begins with all the expected hype. Thanks for the memories, Quinn Ewers, but the ‘Horns will be more dangerous at quarterback because of Manning’s overall athleticism and smarts. Steve Sarkisian gets back national freshman of the year Colin Simmons at defensive end as well as star linebacker Anthony Hill. Injured running back C.J. Baxter should make the backfield more productive. 2 The Dawgs slumped badly last season with three losses. The issues were sub-standard quarterback play, lack of play-making receivers (again) and the worst defense at Georgia in at least a decade. Wide receiver/kick returner Zachariah Branch should add some zest to coordinator Mike Bobo’s offense. Can rising sophomore running back Nate Frazier be the figurehead of a running back rotation that allows Georgia to pound the rock like it once did?  3 Carson Beck has morphed into more soap opera than prospect. A jump to the NFL followed a below-average 2024 marred by an elbow injury. Then Beck decided to transfer to Miami. It’s weird, but South Florida seems to fit him right now. It’s hard to imagine Beck as productive as Cam Ward, but the offensive line led by junior left tackle Francis Mauigoa should be dominant, and if the defense improves just a little bit, the Hurricanes will be playoff worthy. 4 There will be a battle, but in all likelihood former five-star Julian Sayin takes over at quarterback in place of the departing Will Howard. He’ll have an NFL-ready Jeremiah Smith to throw to. If you want a referendum on the season, pay attention to the opener — Texas comes to Ohio State in Week 1 for a CFP semifinal rematch as the Buckeyes look to begin a quest for consecutive national titles.  5 Maybe this is the year. You know, the year James Franklin finally beats a top-five team again. His Nittany Lions were ushered out of the Orange Bowl semifinal by Notre Dame, making Franklin 1-15 at Penn State against top-five teams. Drew Allar will have to get over the stunning interception that ended the season against the Irish. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen is the best set of running backs in the country. 6 Marcus Freeman is obviously just getting started. After the best Irish season since 1988, Notre Dame should keep pounding. The offensive line will be big and angry. Running back Jeremiyah Love returns. I personally can’t wait to see the development of slot receiver Jordan Faison, who was a revelation in the postseason and reminds me of Clemson’s Hunter Renfrow. The season-opener at Miami will be a blast.  7 Dillion Gabriel is done (finally, after six years). Let the competition begin to replace the second-leading passer of all-time. UCLA transfer Dante Moore arrived in Westwood with flair and promise, but now he must prove himself under Dan Lanning. The defense will take a hit with the loss of Jordan Burch. The Ducks should be 4-0 when they go to Penn State, and there’s no Ohio State on the schedule this season.  8 The culture is in Dabo Swinney’s locker room! Remember that old my-way-or-transfer-highway assertion? Dabo finally broke down and imported three players from the portal. It should be fun watching Miami and Clemson battle for the ACC. Cade Klubnik will be a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate as he returns after throwing for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns in an ACC title-winning season. The wide receivers room is loaded. However, the rush defense was near the bottom of the conference. Nevertheless, pencil in Clemson for a playoff berth. 9 Nico Iamaleava was exposed a bit playing in the cold against an elite defense at Ohio State in the CFP. No matter how much progress the Vols have made, Iamaleava and Tennessee likely have to win a game like that to take the next step. Losing SEC leading rusher Dylan Sampson will hurt, and the offensive line needs to be retooled. Defensive coordinator Tim Banks is a star, so don’t expect a big drop off on that side of the ball.  10 LSU always has talent. Does it have enough for an SEC/CFP run by Brian Kelly in 2025? Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s return is huge. Second-year defensive coordinator Blake Baker must improve his unit. The 5.88 yards allowed per play was an improvement … but not by much. Wide receiver and offensive line were upgraded in the portal. There are road games at Oklahoma, Alabama, Ole Miss and Clemson. 11 The Gamecocks were in the CFP discussion at the end of the season thanks to the progress of quarterback LaNorris Sellers. The schedule is brutal with games at Missouri, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Alabama and Clemson come to Columbia. With a high enough preseason ranking, a three-loss season might be enough to get the Gamecocks in this time. 12 The Mustangs made one of the best conference debuts in history, earning an ACC championship berth and going to the playoff. Quarterback Kevin Jennings over a full season will be fun to watch. Rhett Lashlee is on the cusp of turning SMU into a national contender each year. 13 The Cougars should emerge as the Big 12 favorite after an 11-win season. The league’s best defense remains largely intact. Jake Retzlaff returns after tying for most interceptions thrown in the Big 12 (12). 14 The Crimson Tide are one of the biggest question marks on the board. Four losses simply won’t abide again. Kalen DeBoer needs to win now! How much of a step back do the Tide take at quarterback with Jalen Milroe turning pro, if any? Bama fans are going to be locked in on the Ty Simpson-Austin Mack-Keelon Russell QB battle. There are several good pieces elsewhere on the roster, but are there enough? The CFP Selection Committee didn’t go for the brand name last month. We won’t either going into 2025. For now, ‘Bama is a borderline top-15 team. 15 Bret Bielema likes to antagonize folks (see: Shane Beamer and the Citrus Bowl). He also likes to pound the rock. The Illinois coach is building his program into a legitimate Big Ten player. Quarterback Luke Altmyer (2,700 yards) returns to a team that won 10 games for the first time in 23 years. A manageable schedule means the Illini should be in playoff contention. 16 Big 12 Coach of the Year Kenny Dillingham is the toast of the league after taking the Sun Devils from worst (picked last before the season) to first. Quarterback Sam Leavitt gets his favorite target back from injury — Jordan Tyson (1,100 receiving yards). Army transfer running back Kanye Udoh (1,641 career years) will try to replace Cam Scattebo. 17 If Lane Kiffin can step away from the keyboard for a second, the attention should be focused back on his team. Jaxson Dart is gone, but left-handed backup Austin Simmons seems promising. The lefty threw 32 passes last season while also starring for the baseball team. Top receiver Tre Harris is also gone. Kiffin landed 21 transfers, good for  the No. 2 transfer class this cycle, according to 247Sports. 18 I said last year if Billy Napier won eight games, he should be in line for a raise. Well? After a surprising eight-win season, Napier seemingly has things squared away with star QB DJ Lagway (in a full season) ready to take over. What amounts to the game’s toughest schedule switches venues from ’24 with games at LSU, Miami, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Ole Miss. 19 The Cyclones are coming off the most wins in program history (11). Inspirational quarterback Rocco Becht is back. So is the backfield of Carl Hansen and Abu Sama II, who combined for 1,300 yards and 15 touchdowns. 20 Intriguing addition at quarterback as Penn State backup Beau Pribula replaces Brady Cook. You almost have to put Missouri in the top 25. Only a handful of teams have won at least 21 games the past two seasons. There really aren’t many excuses to win at least nine this season. The transfer class is ranked near the top in the SEC. The Tigers play their first six games at home, while South Carolina, Alabama and Texas A&M come to Columbia. 21 The Yellow Jackets lost four of their last five. They should have beaten Georgia and finished 4-3 in games decided by eight points or less. If quarterback Haynes King stays healthy, watch out. Losing dynamic Eric Singleton in the portal to Auburn was a blow, but the circle of life works as such: FIU’s top two receivers arrive to Georgia Tech in the portal. Eric Rivers (1,172 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Dean Patterson (685 yards, 7 touchdowns) should give King some valuable options. 22 Remember when the Aggies controlled their SEC destiny late in the season? A belly flop that included losses in four of the last five games popped that balloon. Quarterback Marcel Reed will have talented targets in portal arrivals Mario Craver (Mississippi State) and Kevin Concepcion (NC State). Watch out for another belly flop. The Aggies go to LSU, Missouri and Texas. 23 Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers won’t fall very far from a playoff debut in Year 1. Google him. Yep, Cignetti is actually a combined 25-8 in his previous jobs in the second season. The addition of Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza was one of the biggest pickups in the portal. He’ll be able to throw to Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper, who combined for 15 touchdowns last season. 24 The Red Raiders are ready to bust out in Year 4 under Joey McGuire. It’s a remake as McGuire brought in 17 transfers, including seven four-stars (No. 3 class nationally.) Tech won eight for the second time in three years including wins over the Big 12 championship finalists Arizona State and Iowa State. Quarterback Behren Morton returns from shoulder surgery. 25 UNLV football has never been better. Dan Mullen adds instant credibility after the loss of Barry Odom, who had the Rebels within a game of a playoff berth. The difference in CFP contention is the new iteration of the reorganized Mountain West won’t be as strong as in the past. The Rebels should remain on a roll with a school-record 20 wins the last two seasons.