Less than a week removed from the Ohio State Buckeyes defeating Notre Dame to claim their first national championship since the inaugural college football playoff season in 2014, we quickly turn the page too the much-anticipated 2025 college football season. In this article, I will discuss the teams I think will be the best, along with some potential surprises, my Heisman shortlist entering the season and a projected playoff bracket.
When looking ahead to the 2025 season, many storylines from the offseason stick out. Still, none compared to the hiring of future NFL Hall of Fame head coach Bill Belichick to North Carolina, who has been adamant about turning the Tar Heels into a “pipeline to the NFL”. The ACC has been a competitive conference over the last four seasons, so it isn’t out of this world to potentially see Chapel Bill in the ACC title race.
As far as national championship contending teams, one stands out amongst the rest. The Texas Longhorns are the team with the highest expectations going into the fall. The center of those expectations is former number one recruit and football royalty quarterback Arch Manning. The third-generation signal caller will have one of the best supporting casts in the country, with 1,000-yard rushing running back Quintrevion Wisner returning, along with a young athletic defense. The SEC could potentially be wide open, with Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss all having question marks at quarterback.
Some other teams you should keep an eye on are Penn State and Tennessee. The Nittany Lions of Penn State are in a great position to control the BIG 10, with both Oregon and Ohio State losing much of their talent to the NFL draft. Both squads feature athletic gunslinger quarterbacks Drew Allar (PSU) and Nico Iamaleava (TENN). I really see these two QBs taking a massive leap forward and propelling their teams to the championship.
This year’s Heisman race promises to be just as exciting as years past. In no particular order, here is my Heisman shortlist:
Jeremiah Smith WR Ohio State
Arch Manning QB Texas
Jeremiyah Love RB Notre Dame
Nico Iamaleava QB Tennessee
John Mateer QB Oklahoma
Lanoris Sellers QB South Carolina
Cade Klubnik QB Clemson
Of course, it’s never too early to look at the 12-team playoff bracket. This is hard to predict because the committee can value a certain parameter or criteria that they haven’t had in years past. It is important to remember that the 12th seed is used for the fifth highest rank champion, which was marketed as a way for a group of five teams to enter the layoff, but we all know what Ashton Jeanty and Boise State said to that.
Here's my way to early playoff bracket:
1. Penn State Nittany Lions (BIG 10 Champion)
2. Tennessee Volunteers (SEC Champion)
3. Clemson Tigers (ACC Champion)
4. Iowa State Cyclones (BIG 12 Champion)
First Round Matchups:
12. UNLV (MWC Champion) vs 5. Notre Dame
11. South Carolina vs 6. Texas
10. Miami vs 7. Ohio State
9. Texas A&M vs 8. Georgia
Have an opposing viewpoint to this opinion? Let us know. All views are welcome. Send your thoughts to our Editorial Staff – Editor Thomas Szot tszot@student.dean.edu or Dean Daily Faculty Advisor, Professor John Rooke jrooke@dean.edu
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