Though the 2025 college football season is just a few days away, hope still springs eternal among most fanbases. That veneer of offseason optimism has yet to wear off. All of the positive training camp reports and preseason rankings have bolstered that positive outlook.
It is true that most teams that landed in the preseason AP Top 25 have plenty of reason for optimism. They were good enough to get ranked after all and, in the 12-team era, that puts a program squarely in the race for the College Football Playoff.
Not to rain on anybody’s parade, but there are two sides to the offseason outlook coin. No team is perfect, after all — as evidenced by the increased parity of first-place votes in the AP poll — and there’s always at least one thing to be worried about.
AP Top 25 preseason poll provides early look at 15 must-see matchups involving ranked teams
Brad Crawford
So, with fall camp wrapping up and actual football right around the corner, it felt appropriate to analyze one reason for optimism, and one for concern, for each preseason top 25 team.
Optimism: The defense is elite. Sure, Arch Manning could go here as well, but the defense is a completely known commodity stacked with all-conference caliber players at every level. Edge rusher Colin Simmons is poised to become a household name, Anthony Hill Jr. is arguably the best linebacker in America and the secondary is well-stocked with veterans like Michael Taaffe and Jaylon Guilbeau. The defense should be able to cover for any early growing pains and an offense with a lot of moving pieces, and it should keep every game on Texas’ schedule within reach.
Concern: The offensive line. There’s talent there, but the Longhorns also have to replace four starters from 2024’s standout unit, including 2025 NFL Draft first-round pick Kelvin Banks Jr. Further compounding matters, potential starting right tackle Andre Cojoe suffered a knee injury in training camp that could cause him to miss the entire 2025 season. Former top-50 prospect Brandon Baker will have to up his game at right tackle, and Trevor Goosby and DJ Campbell bring some much-needed experience. Texas is dangerously thin on depth at this point, though.
Optimism: The stars are in place. Drew Allar’s back at quarterback. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen return as college football’s top running back duo. Olaivavega Ioane leads a stout offensive line, while the defense has headliners like defensive lineman Zane Durant and linebacker Tony Rojas leading the charge. Penn State has the big names befitting a national competitor.
Concern: Can a wide receiver step up? Penn State has been victim to solid, but entirely unspectacular, wide receiver play since Jahan Dotson left campus following the 2021 season. That obviously limits the offense’s upside, no matter how talented Allar is or how deep the backfield is. So the staff went out and added three wide receiver transfers: Trebor Pena (Syracuse), Devonte Ross (Troy) and Kyron Hudson (USC). One of those guys needs to break out to really take Penn State’s offense to the next level.
Optimism: The passing game won’t lose a beat. New starting quarterback Julian Sayin is a bit of an unknown, but he enters his first year leading Ohio State’s offense with a blue-chip pedigree and one of the best situations a signal caller could ask for. He’ll be able to throw the ball to a Heisman Trophy contender in Jeremiah Smith and a future early NFL Draft pick in Carnell Tate. He’ll have plenty of time to make decisions and acclimate to game speed behind an offensive line that returns three players with at least 800 career snaps.
Concern: The defensive line. It’s probably going to be fine, given how well Ohio State recruits, but it also is the position group with the most question marks after the Buckeyes lost all four defensive line starters to the 2025 NFL Draft. Defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and defensive lineman Kayden McDonald both provided valuable snaps in the College Football Playoff, but they’ll have to take on a bigger workload to fill the void left by such significant departures.
Optimism: Wide Receiver U is back. There’s plenty of reasons to be bullish on Clemson this year, from the return of starting quarterback Cade Klubnik to a defense that should be among the nation’s best, but it’s been a long time since the Tigers have fielded a starting wide receiver trio this good. Veteran Antonio Williams is flying up draft boards after tying for the ACC lead with 11 touchdown receptions last year. Bryant Wesco, who had 708 yards receiving as a true freshman, has a higher ceiling, while T.J. Moore is poised to improve upon his 651 yards as a true freshman.
Concern: Running back. Gone is Phil Mafah, who handled a lion’s share of the rushing responsibilities — outside of Klubnik — in Clemson’s offense last season. His departure leaves a gaping hole. Converted wide receiver Adam Randall, who moved to running back ahead of Clemson’s College Football Playoff game against Texas, could start Week 1, but he has just 44 yards rushing in his career. Four-star freshman Gideon Davidson will have every opportunity to carve out a significant role.
Optimism: The wide receivers should be much improved. Georgia led the nation with 31 drops last season and it had three receivers finish in the top 11 nationally in individual passes dropped. The Bulldogs hit the portal hard for reinforcements and, specifically, targeted the sure-handed Noah Thomas, who comes to Athens via Texas A&M with a 6-foot-5 frame and an immense catch radius. Former gadget player Zachariah Branch has yet to really arrive at the collegiate level, but he’s filled with breakout potential thanks to his blazing-fast speed.
Concern: Will Georgia get enough from its edge rushers? Georgia has become a pass-rush factory in recent years, but the Bulldogs have to replace all three of their top sack artists from the 2024 season. They added Elo Modozie, a rare service academy transfer from Army, to try and improve their odds of getting after the quarterback. Roster veterans like Gabe Harris Jr. and Joseph Jonah-Ajonye need to continue progressing to offset some of the lost production.
Optimism: Jeremiyah Love can carry the offense. Notre Dame is going to be breaking in a new quarterback (more on that below), so Love should get all the work he can handle early in the season. He’s built for it. He actually had more than 15 carries in a game just once last season, and he was largely limited by injury during Notre Dame’s run to the College Football Playoff, but he still averaged 70.3 yards per contest and a brisk 6.9 yards per carry. Those numbers will balloon in 2025.
Concern: The youth at quarterback. Notre Dame is handing the offense over to redshirt freshman CJ Carr, who beat Kenny Minchey in a heated training camp battle. Carr has never attempted a pass at the collegiate level and he made just a brief appearance against Purdue last season. He’s going to have to grow up quick, as Notre Dame’s first two games are against Miami and Texas A&M.
Optimism: The front seven. Oregon does have to replace a few NFL Draft picks along its defensive front, including first-round lineman Derrick Harmon, but the Ducks are still in good hands. Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti represent one of the Big Ten’s top pass-rushing duos, while Bryce Boettcher is a former walk-on turned star linebacker. There’s plenty of talent there to offset the attrition, and enough experience that it’s still a team strength.
Concern: Wide receiver depth is thinning. Top returner Evan Stewart could miss significant time while recovering from an offseason knee injury and former five-star prospect Jurrion Dickey was recently suspended indefinitely. That means Oregon’s top returning available wideout is Jeremiah McClellan, who had three catches for 24 yards last year. Florida State transfer Malik Benson and blue-chip freshman Dakorien Moore are going to need to be ready early.
Optimism: The offensive line. Alabama has future NFL talent all over its offensive line. Tackle Kadyn Proctor has the measurables and the tape of a first-round prospect. Center Parker Brailsford has consistently graded out as one of the top interior offensive linemen, and he has a wealth of options at the guard spots next to him. Jaeden Roberts is an incumbent starter, but he had his spot pushed by Kam Dewberry and Geno VanDeMark during fall camp. This could be a situation where the cream rises to the top.
Concern: Tight end. The tight end position is very important in coach Kalen DeBoer’s offense. The Crimson Tide used CJ Dippre and Robbie Ouzts all over the field last year, and that kind of versatility is hard to replace. While Josh Cuevas and his 218 yards receiving return, there’s not a lot of proven depth behind him. Freshman Marshall Pritchett could be worth keeping an eye on.
Optimism: Garrett Nussmeier. It may be cheap to go with the quarterback, but Nussmeier is the nation’s top returning passer after he finished fifth in the FBS with 4,052 yards passing last season. He needs to cut down on the turnovers, but he’s as battle-tested as quarterbacks come, and his experience will be invaluable as LSU navigates a tough SEC schedule.
Concern: Will the secondary take a necessary step? Brian Kelly’s tenure has been mired by poor pass defense, which has seriously limited the Tigers’ upside on the national stage. Defensive back was a point of emphasis in the offseason. LSU took two cornerback transfers (Florida’s Ja’Keem Jackson and Virginia Tech’s Mansoor Delane) and two safety transfers (Houston’s AJ Haulcy and NC State’s Tamarcus Cooley) in the hopes that they’d help patch things on the backend. Their ability to do so could determine LSU’s season.
10. Miami Hurricanes
Optimism: The trenches. Miami should be fairly dominant along the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Francis Mauigoa is considered one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft and EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. is right near the top of the defensive rankings among draft-eligible players. There’s plenty of talent beyond those two — especially along the defensive line — so the Hurricanes should be very confident on the ball.
Concern: What version of Carson Beck does Miami get? Beck entered the 2024 season as a top draft prospect after a successful first year as Georgia’s starter. Then he regressed in almost every major passing category and tied for the SEC lead with 12 interceptions. As mentioned above, Georgia’s wide receiver issues certainly didn’t help, but Beck had his own struggles. He has some big shoes to fill at Miami, where he’s stepping in for No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Cameron Ward.
Optimism: The overall returning production. Arizona State has 17 starters back — which leads the FBS — from a 2024 team that won the Big 12 championship and earned a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. That includes 10 on the defensive side of the ball and star quarterback Sam Leavitt, a legitimate dual-threat option with a “dawg” mentality.
Concern: Replacing Cam Skattebo. One major loss was do-it-all unicorn Skattebo, who took snaps at running back, quarterback and wide receiver for the Sun Devils. It will likely take more than one player to pick up the production left by Skattebo, who impacted the game in so many ways. Army transfer Kanye Udoh will get his chance at running back, while wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is the best remaining playmaker.
Optimism: Luke Altmyer is set up for success, even with the losses at wide receiver. Retaining Altmyer was a huge win for Illinois. He should flourish again, even if the Illini are breaking in an almost entirely new receiving core. Illinois also gets all five of its starting offensive linemen back, which is a rare level of continuity at any level of football.
Concern: Preseason expectations. This is the most hype that Illinois has received since the early 2000s. While that’s outside of the program’s control, there’s a certain stigma that comes with being an Illinois team people are actually excited about. There’s going to be pressure to perform and Illinois will have to reckon with that all year long.
Optimism: LaNorris Sellers can do it all. Sellers is a huge reason why South Carolina ranks so highly entering the 2025 season. He’s a multi-dimensional threat at quarterback, thanks to his big arm, ideal frame and plus athleticism. He quite literally put the team on his back multiple times last season, like when he threw for 164 yards, rushed for 166 yards and scored both of his team’s touchdowns in a 17-14 win against Clemson. A player of his caliber is good enough to swing at least a few wins per season.
Concern: But he is going to need some help. Though it may be tempting, you cannot build the entire plane out of LaNorris Sellers. Some other players along the offense are going to have to carry weight. The roster currently lacks a standout wide receiver, though the staff is high on sophomore Mazeo Bennett. Maybe uber-athlete Nyck Harbor can finally put it together, too. Running back transfer Rahsul Faison’s eligibility is still in limbo, which further clouds South Carolina’s skill position outlook.
Optimism: The defense still has the pieces to control games. Yes, it will be hard to replace longtime stalwarts like Mason Graham and Will Johnson, but Michigan has done a good job building defensive depth in recent years. Linebackers Jaishawn Barham and Ernest Hausmann are a particular strength, while transfer additions like defensive linemen Tre Williams (Clemson) will help salve some of the aforementioned losses.
Concern: What’s the plan at quarterback? Michigan has yet to decide between veteran Mikey Keene and freshman phenom Bryce Underwood. It’s essentially a choice between floor (Keene) and ceiling (Underwood). While he’s not flashy, Keene is more experienced from starting stints at UCF and Fresno State. There’s no doubt that Underwood has much higher potential, though throwing a true freshman against the Big Ten could result in trouble.
15. Florida Gators
Optimism: The buy-in. Florida could have phoned it in amid a tough start to the 2024 season that had coach Billy Napier on the precipice of being fired. Then the administration reaffirmed their commitment to Napier, and things turned around. Instead of the roster falling apart, top players like center Jake Slaughter and defensive lineman Caleb Banks spurned the NFL Draft for another year in Gainesville, while quarterback DJ Lagway stuck around for what will be his first full season as a starter. It’s clear the players care about, and believe in, Napier.
Concern: The schedule. Florida may take significant strides in 2025, but that schedule is still an absolute bear. The Gators have to play seven preseason top 25 teams, including road trips to Miami, LSU and Ole Miss. Getting at least nine wins would be impressive and likely would justify a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Optimism: Kevin Jennings. Jennings remains an underrated signal caller, though he led SMU to the ACC Championship Game last season while throwing for 3,245 yards and 23 touchdowns. He produced multiple touchdowns in eight of his 11 starts and also threw for at least 250 yards in seven out of SMU’s last nine games.
Concern: Kevin Jennings. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Few quarterbacks provide a bigger variance in results than Jennings. When he’s at his worst, he’s throwing three interceptions in a 38-10 College Football Playoff loss to Penn State — one of two three-interception games last season.
Optimism: The offensive backfield. It’s hard to find a better playmaking duo than quarterback Avery Johnson and Dylan Edwards. Johnson, who is a great rushing option, continues to improve as a passer, while Edwards has speed to burn and nice balance as a runner.
Concern: The secondary. Kansas State’s secondary was fairly average last season, as the Wildcats allowed 224.7 yards per game. The Wildcats lost three starters to the NFL, including both cornerbacks, and promising young corner Noah King to the transfer portal.
Optimism: A new offensive coordinator. Oklahoma was wise to scoop up the 29-year-old Ben Arbuckle, who engineered some of the FBS’ top passing attacks while leading offenses at Western Kentucky and Washington State. Pairing him with John Mateer, his most recent quarterback at Wazzu, should revamp a Sooners offense that has stagnated under Brent Venables.
Concern: That is, if the offensive line can figure things out. The good news for Oklahoma’s offensive line is that it returns four players that started games last season. The bad news is that 2024 offensive line allowed 50 sacks, which tied with California as the worst mark in the nation. Arbuckle’s going to have trouble getting his offense going if the line doesn’t make a significant jump.
19. Texas A&M Aggies
Optimism: Consistency at quarterback. Texas A&M hasn’t had a quarterback open and close its season as a starter since Kellen Mond in 2020. Injuries have certainly played their part in that, but the Aggies also suffered lackluster production from some promising names like Haynes King and Conner Weigman. Marcel Reed should provide some much-needed stability in 2025. He emerged as A&M’s top option in October and impressed with 1,846 yards and 15 touchdowns passing in relatively limited playing time.
Concern: Texas A&M has to do a better job of getting after the quarterback. The Aggies had 25 sacks as a team last season, which tied for 69th nationally and ranked in the bottom half of SEC teams. Nic Scourton, the team’s leader with five sacks, Shemar Stewart and Shemar Turner were all taken in the first two rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. Cashius Howell needs to improve on his four-sack total from 2024, while Texas A&M needs to hit on transfer addition T.J. Searcy, a high-potential player who hasn’t had the production to match yet.
Optimism: Curt Cignetti. The last time Cignetti faced significant regression from one year to the next was from 2021 to 2022, when James Madison dropped from 12-2 to 8-3 — and that coincided with the program’s transition from the FCS to the FBS level, so JMU still won eight games in its first year as an FBS school. Cignetti hasn’t won fewer than eight games since 2018, when he was at Elon. Google him. He wins.
Concern: There are plenty of new faces. This year’s iteration of Indiana will look a whole lot different from the 2024 squad that made the College Football Playoff. The Hoosiers return just eight starters — four on each side of the ball — and offset their tremendous losses by taking 23 new players in the transfer portal. While that could work out, it’s a lot of movement for one offseason.
21. Ole Miss Rebels
Optimism: The transfer portal reliance keeps paying off. Lane Kiffin has offset some of Ole Miss’ natural recruiting disadvantages by dominating the transfer portal. He’s done a great job of maintaining success with a heavy transfer approach, and there’s plenty of portal additions that will make an impact for the Rebels this season. They rebuilt their wide receiver corps and the defensive secondary with six new faces apiece.
Concern: It’s not easy to move on from a quarterback like Jaxson Dart. There’s a ton of internal optimism about new starter Austin Simmons, and he’s shown some flashes in his limited playing time. That’s just the issue — his playing time has been very limited. It’s a pretty steep dropoff from having someone like Dart in the program.
Optimism: Continuity on offense. Iowa State has plenty of standout players returning on offense. Quarterback Rocco Becht will lead the way again, and he’ll have the help of running backs Abu Sama and Carson Hansen. They’ll get plenty of space from an offensive line that returns five players with starting experience, and tight end Gabe Burkle can help in that regard as well. Wide receiver is a bit of a question mark after the Cyclones lost a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. East Carolina transfer Chase Sowell will have to pick up a lot of slack.
Concern: The defense has to replace some big names, particularly in the secondary. Gone are longtime safety starters Beau Freyler and Malik Verdon. Those are two massive gaps to fill. Cornerback Darien Porter was also selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Optimism: That transfer portal haul. Most college football fans are already aware of Texas Tech’s willingness to take full advantage of the NIL era. The Red Raiders bolstered their roster with a top transfer haul. Thirteen of Tech’s 21 transfer additions received at least a four-star ranking from 247Sports and it added a pair of top-15 prospects in edge rusher David Bailey (Stanford) and offensive lineman Howard Sampson (North Carolina).
Concern: The running back situation. One of Texas Tech’s top transfer additions, running back Quinten Joyner, will miss the entire 2025 season after suffering a knee injury during training camp. He was expected to help replace Tahj Brooks, who rushed for 3,046 yards over the past two seasons. The Red Raiders are going to have to work fast to get J’Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey ready for a bigger workload.
Optimism: The defense should be just as good as last season, even with some top players in limbo. Cornerback Jermod McCoy is still working his way back from an ACL tear. He may miss a couple of weeks. Versatile defensive back Boo Carter is also working his way back into the coaching staff’s good graces after an odd bout of offseason drama. The Vols have solid options to replace McCoy and Carter until they’re back, and it’s hard to find holes anywhere else.
Concern: The wide receivers. There’s talent there, to be sure, but Tennessee has just one wide receiver with more than seven catches at the collegiate level. That’s Chris Brazzell II, who didn’t necessarily impress in his first season with Tennessee while dropping six passes. Tennessee’s three expected starters — Brazzell, Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley — all dealt with injuries during training camp, and it’s likely the Vols didn’t have all three of them available at the same time. They’re all expected back by the start of the season, but they missed valuable opportunities to establish chemistry with new quarterback Joey Aguilar.
Optimism: The path back to the College Football Playoff is wide open. Boise State already has an edge over every other Group of Six program by starting the season ranked. The Broncos were picked to win the Mountain West Conference again. Achieving that goal will put them right back in the race for a national title.
Concern: Ashton Jeanty is gone. Jeanty won the Maxwell Award, the Doak Walker Award and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy after leading the nation with 374 carries for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. He averaged seven yards per carry, even though other teams knew what to expect.
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