RADIO
Brant's college football playoff sleepers and sneaky CFP contenders for 2025 college football. His top outside picks for the CFP, including Florida, Iowa State, and more.
Football is in the air. Week 1 of the college football season is finally here, and we have a loaded slate spanning from Thursday through Monday this week.
As fans across the nation gear up to watch their favorite teams take the field, everybody has the same hope: make the College Football Playoff. At this point, no team’s CFP hopes are gone, not even Kansas State’s after a Week 0 conference loss.
These 10 teams are ones you won’t often find in playoff discussions before Week 1, but they could make a case for the field if their talent and coaching gel properly this season.
No. 10: Auburn Tigers
I’ve beat the drum on this year’s Auburn team all offseason long. The Tigers are due for a winning season after failing to eclipse six wins every season since 2019.
Hugh Freeze has been a disappointment thus far, but he has never had nearly as much talent as he has at his fingertips this season. Former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, who struggled with consistency last season, will be the Week 1 starter. The former five-star has talent and has flashed at times, and while surrounded by the talent he now is at Auburn, this is his chance to put it all together.
If he falters, freshman Deuce Knight is waiting in the wings.
The receiving room in Auburn is one of the top three in the nation. Sophomore Cam Coleman deserves to be right up there with Jeremiah Smith in the top receiver discussions. Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton Jr. and fellow sophomores Malcolm Simmons and Perry Thompson round out a young but highly talented group of receivers.
Keldric Faulk very well could be the best edge rusher in the nation and will be the heart of the Tigers’ defense.
#Auburn DL Keldric Faulk routinely has reps as a run defender that are teach tape. Can stack, shock and shed from all alignments.
• Enters this season at 19 years old
• Had 11.0 TFLs and 7.0 sacks in 2024 pic.twitter.com/G1xr5zod3f— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) July 31, 2025
The schedule is not easy, and a loss on the road at Baylor this week would surely jeopardize any shot at the CFP. The Tigers also have to play at Oklahoma, at Texas A&M, vs. Georgia, vs. Missouri, at Arkansas, at Vanderbilt, and vs. Alabama over the course of the SEC season. There is a reason they are on this list as a sleeper, not in the mainstream conversations.
But with Freeze having proven himself as a head coach in the past and with the talent at his fingertips, anything is possible.
No. 9: Indiana Hoosiers
They did it last season, but nobody has Indiana in the playoff conversation yet again in 2025. Their schedule sure is more challenging than it was a season ago, but this year’s Hoosiers team is even more talented than the one that took over the college football world last season.
Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza will be calling the shots under center, and he has a strong group of receivers led by Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. The offensive line was the problem in losses against Ohio State and Notre Dame last year, but it is revamped with Notre Dame transfer Pat Coogan and Ohio State transfer Zen Michalski.
On defense, Curt Cignetti returns stars in EDGE Mikail Kamara, linebacker Aiden Fisher, cornerback D'Angelo Ponds, and safety Louis Moore (who was at Ole Miss for a season last year). This group is loaded and should realistically only take a step forward rather than back in 2025.
The hard part is road games at both Oregon and Penn State, along with a road game at Iowa and a home matchup with Illinois. 10-2 would put them in the playoff conversation, but it will be a long road to get there.
No. 8: Nebraska Cornhuskers
Another team that I’ve been high on all offseason is Matt Rhule’s Nebraska Cornhuskers. Rhule incrementally improves every college football program he touches, and year three is always the big step. With Dylan Raiola having a year of experience under his belt and now surrounded by stronger pass catchers, led by Kentucky transfer Dane Key, the sky is the limit for the Cornhuskers’ offense.
On defense, Malcolm Hartzog Jr. should be a key contributor after notching four interceptions a season ago. DeShon Singleton, Marques Buford, Javin Wright, Cameron Lenhardt, and Willis McGahee IV are returning contributors for what should again be a stout defense.
The schedule is what leads me to believe that this team can make the playoffs. Nebraska opens the season on Thursday against Cincinnati in Arrowhead. Other key games include Michigan (home), Minnesota (away), USC (home), Penn State (away), and Iowa (home). There is a legitimate chance they'll enter the Penn State game 10-0, putting them squarely in the playoff hunt.
No. 7: Duke Blue Devils
Manny Diaz went 9-4 in his first season at the helm of the Duke Blue Devils. This season, after the departure of Maalik Murphy, they brought in the most expensive transfer quarterback in former Tulane signal caller Darian Mensah. Mensah will have a return game against Tulane on September 13, one of the key games of the season for the team.
Tulane transfer QB Darian Mensah hits Utah transfer TE Landen King as he makes a one-handed grab😳
(via @DukeFOOTBALL)https://t.co/2iZYbj3ytA pic.twitter.com/3hxE5VcmAz
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) August 11, 2025
The ACC schedule is not easy, as they have to go on the road to face Clemson and also have Georgia Tech on the schedule. Illinois in the non-conference slate is also a tough matchup. However, Diaz has coached in big-time games before. The ACC is still down overall, and it is not wild to think that Mensah could lead this team to wins over Illinois, Duke, and Georgia Tech. Going 11-1 would put Duke in the playoff picture.
No. 6: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The aforementioned Yellow Jackets are the next team up here. Brent Key’s young team returns a lot after finishing out the 2024 season strong. Quarterback Haynes King is joined by running back Jamal Haynes and receiver Malik Rutherford to create a strong offensive core.
Many outlets project Georgia Tech to have a good season with a lot of its team returning from last year. Still, for them to be in playoff conversations, they likely need to win two of three against Colorado, Clemson, and Georgia, while also not slipping up in potential trap games against Duke, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, or Boston College. Regardless, this team is going to be a tough out in 2025.
No. 5: Florida Gators
One season after facing one of college football’s most demanding schedules, it does not get any easier for Florida in 2025. However, this team is full of talent. Sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway is considered one of the top prospects for the 2027 NFL Draft, and he will be lining up behind the best center in college football, Jake Slaughter.
There is a lot of continuity on both sides of the ball for the Gators, and the defensive line will be a problem with Tyreak Sapp and Caleb Banks back.
The Gators will get to ease into the season with the first two games against LIU and USF, but the intensity picks up in Week 3 when they travel to LSU at night. After that, they play at Miami, vs. Texas, at Texas A&M, vs. Georgia, at Ole Miss, vs. Tennessee, and vs. Florida State. That is three games against top 10 teams, and seven games against preseason-ranked opponents.
Making the playoffs would mean the season was nearly perfect for Billy Napier and the crew, which is a possibility with the talent on board this year.
DJ Lagway throwing a football will put a smile on your face
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) August 2, 2025
No. 4: Utah Utes
Kyle Whittingham has stated that he is only back at Utah because of how poorly last season went. Knowing Whittingham’s history of success, it would be a shock for the Utes to remain down. This may be the best offensive line in the nation, anchored by Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, and quarterback Devon Dampier and running back Wayshawn Parker are set to keep the ball heavily on the ground.
Morgan Scalley’s defense was a strong suit a season ago, and they return a lot from last year’s team. With the offense set to leap, the Utes should be right back in the Big 12 race.
They kick the season off at UCLA in a Pac-12 after-dark-feel type of game on Saturday. Games against Texas Tech, Arizona State, BYU, Baylor, and Kansas State look to be the toughest on this year’s schedule.
No. 3: Louisville Cardinals
This year’s SMU could very well be the Louisville Cardinals. With Tyler Shough off to the NFL, former USC quarterback Miller Moss will be under center this season. The running back tandem of Isaac Brown and Duke Watson will be one of college football’s best and will take a lot of pressure off Moss with stacked boxes.
45-YARD TD!!! ISAAC BROWN!!
📺 ESPN#GoCards pic.twitter.com/h9bZCFGa0b
— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) November 3, 2024
Louisville has been consistently good under Jeff Brohm, winning 10 games in 2023 and nine games last season. To make the playoffs, they will need to take a step forward, and that is very possible in a weak ACC. The toughest matchups look to be at Miami, vs. Clemson, and at SMU. Winning two of those three and not slipping up in a lesser matchup puts them right in the conversation.
No. 2: BYU Cougars
The Utes aren’t the only Big 12 team from Utah with playoff aspirations. BYU fell just short last season, but will have a shot to do it again in 2025. Currently, the schedule only has two top 25 opponents (Iowa State and Texas Tech).
Freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier impressed enough to win the starting job, and he is surrounded by experience in running back LJ Martin and wide receiver Chase Roberts. Do not sleep on Kalani Sitake’s ability to create a winning environment for an inexperienced quarterback - he’s done it since assuming the job in 2016. BYU should again be in the playoff hunt.
No. 1: Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State is coming off the best season in program history, and they may be able to do one better in 2025. It wasn’t beautiful, but they already have a leg up in the Big 12 after taking down Kansas State in Ireland. The two games that Matt Campbell surely has circled are September 6 against rival Iowa and November 1 against Arizona State after last season’s dud in the conference title game.
Rocco Becht is back under center, and even though he lost his top two targets in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, he will be among the best quarterbacks in the conference this year. Campbell’s defense played gritty in Week 0 and will continue to do so all season. They just missed last season after struggling against Arizona State, but Iowa State has a chance to get to the dance in 2025.
