The preseason Coaches Poll top 25 dropped Monday, giving college football fans their first look at an official set of rankings entering the 2025 season. The top was loaded with plenty of familiar programs, though Texas did make history by earning its first preseason No. 1 ranking ever.
The Longhorns just edged out reigning national champion Ohio State for the top spot. Behind Texas and the Buckeyes, there’s a fairly chalky list of perennial contenders such as Georgia, Notre Dame and Oregon.
In fact, all of the top seven teams, and eight of the top 11, made the College Football Playoff a year ago. But closer analysis does reveal some interesting ranking choices.
Making a preseason top 25 is not easy, and different voters have different motivations when it comes to making their choices — which is especially true for college football coaches (or whomever they appoint to cast their votes for them). So, from an outside perspective, here are a few teams in the initial Coaches Poll that seem either overrated or underrated.
Texas is No. 1 in college football rankings, tops preseason Coaches Poll for first time in storied history
Shehan Jeyarajah
The offseason South Carolina hype is getting a bit out of hand. Yes, the Gamecocks have one of the nation’s premier playmakers and a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender in quarterback LaNorris Sellers. They also have one of the nation’s best defenders in edge rusher Dylan Stewart, who is primed for a breakout after playing alongside Kyle Kennard a year ago.
But South Carolina, which went a respectable 9-3 in the regular season before dropping the Citrus Bowl to Illinois, is ranked ahead of three 2024 College Football Playoff teams, one conference champion (Boise State) and one team that made its conference’s championship game (Iowa State). While South Carolina has the stars to justify its ranking, there’s also some serious question marks. Wide receiver, outside of Mazeo Bennett Jr., remains a gaping hole on the roster; there’s no telling if running back Rahsul Faison will be eligible in time for the season; and Stewart is going to have a lot of weight on his shoulders given that South Carolina has to replace three NFL Draft picks along the defensive line. The Gamecocks have upside, but this preseason ranking is a bit too bullish.
Underrated: No. 6 Clemson
Clemson did receive two first-place votes, but it still landed behind Georgia and Notre Dame outside of the top five. While there’s no doubt that the Bulldogs and the Fighting Irish are legitimate College Football Playoff contenders at this point, there’s plenty of reason to be much higher on the Tigers, in spite of some recent proclamations (that really should be put to bed at this point) that the Dabo Swinney dynasty is over.
For starters, Clemson is much better off at quarterback. Cade Klubnik is a first-round NFL Draft prospect with Heisman potential. The Tigers also return one of the best wide receiver units in the nation, an experienced offensive line and a defense loaded with future professional talent, like edge rusher TJ Parker and defensive lineman Peter Woods. They rank first nationally in terms of returning production, per ESPN’s SP+ metric, and this from a team that won the ACC and 10 games last season.
Overrated: No. 14 Michigan
After a rough first season leading the Wolverines, Sherrone Moore closed his full-time coaching debut out on a high note by beating Ohio State, which went on to win a national title, and Alabama, a sterling pair of wins that gave the Wolverines significant momentum exiting 2024. They parlayed that momentum into one of the biggest wins of the offseason by flipping quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2025, from LSU.
Underwood provides a much-needed injection of talent at quarterback for Michigan, but it’s a lot to ask of a freshman to hit the ground running in a conference like the Big Ten. There’s also concern about the supporting cast around him. Michigan’s wideouts are lackluster, the Wolverines lost key running backs Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards — though Justice Haynes was a nice transfer get — and top pass-catcher Colston Loveland. Plus, Michigan has to replace some iconic players on defense, such as linemen Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant and cornerback Will Johnson. There’s reason to believe Michigan will be a lot better this season, though a top-15 ranking seems a bit high at this point.
Underrated: No. 21 Iowa State
Maybe people are fatigued with Matt Campbell and Iowa State given that the Cyclones still have yet to break a 113-year conference title drought and they haven’t made the College Football Playoff yet. But they did log their seventh winning season in eight years and set a program record with 11 wins in 2024 while reaching the Big 12 Championship Game. They also return a ton of important players off of that historic squad.
In fact, Iowa State has 14 starters back in 2025, tied for the fifth most among FBS programs. That includes star quarterback Rocco Becht, running backs Carson Hansen and Abu Sama and important defenders like Jeremiah Cooper. ISU did take a hit by losing wideouts Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, but if it hits on transfer receiver Chase Sowell (ECU), the offense should be able to maintain some of its explosiveness.
Overrated: No. 18 Tennessee
There’s no doubt that Tennessee is a top 25 team. It being ahead of the likes of Indiana and Iowa State is a bit of a stretch at this point. The Vols have regressed offensively since 2022, when quarterback Hendon Hooker just missed out on being a Heisman finalist, and losing starter Nico Iamaleava after spring practice was over certainly doesn’t help. Tennessee did well to replace Iamaleava with Joey Aguilar in an unprecedented quarterback trade, but Aguilar’s ceiling is significantly lower and there’s some turnover concern baked into his game.
There’s no guarantee he’ll win the starting job over Jake Merklinger, either, though Merklinger has yet to start a collegiate football game. The wide receiver room is also a mess — there’s just seven scholarship players, six of which have yet to catch more than seven passes in their career — and Tennessee has to replace the 2024 SEC Offensive Player of the Year in running back Dylan Sampson. UT may have a playoff-caliber defense again. That unit isn’t without concerns. Potential All-American cornerback Jermod McCoy is working his way back from an ACL tear, versatile defensive back Boo Carter’s status is up in the air after some offseason drama and Tennessee is lacking depth, and one identified starter, at safety after a transfer exodus in the spring.
Jeff Brohm has won 19 games in his two years with the Cardinals, and this may be the best team he has had yet. He replaced quarterback Tyler Shough, a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, with USC transfer Miller Moss. Though Moss flamed out with the Trojans, he looks like an ideal fit in a Brohm-coached offense, and Brohm has shown he can always get the best out of his signal callers.
Running back Isaac Brown is poised to become a household name, while wide receivers Caullin Lacy and Chris Bell give Moss some reliable targets. Defensively, replacing Ashton Gillotte won’t be easy, but the Cardinals have a standout linebacker tandem in TJ Quinn and Stanquan Clark. Don’t be surprised if this Louisville team is in the playoff conversation by the time November rolls around.
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