RADIO
No. 1 - Ohio State
Ohio State has to figure out the quarterback position this offseason, but Ohio State seems to bring in quality players at that position consistently. Who was the last bad Buckeyes quarterback? There are plenty of starting quarterback candidates on the roster, and the National Championship victory will propel the Buckeyes to even greater heights on the recruiting trail. As always, the Buckeyes will be loaded at wide receiver, and their elite coordinators are expected to remain in place.
No. 2 - Texas
A quarterback change in 2025 is going to propel the Texas Longhorns to the No. 2 overall seed in the College Football Playoff. Quinn Ewers had a successful tenure as the Longhorns’ quarterback, but Arch Manning is viewed as the guy who can take Texas to the next level. After two College Football Playoff semifinal appearances, 2025 could be the year Steve Sarkisian breaks through and reaches the title game.
No. 3 - Clemson
Cade Klubnik finally figured things out in 2024, leading Clemson to a strong season that ended in a playoff berth. That trip to the playoffs only happened because Clemson beat SMU in the ACC title game, but in 2025, Clemson’s going to be good enough to get in either way, as the Tigers will dominate the ACC.
No. 4 - BYU
BYU is set to bring back a huge portion of its roster next season and has a relatively easy schedule. In conference play, BYU doesn’t play Arizona State or Baylor, with the team’s toughest game being a road matchup against Iowa State. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff needs to cut down on the turnovers, but he has the makings of a very good college quarterback. His improvement plus the continuity of bringing back so many pieces makes the Cougars the Big 12 favorites.
No. 5 - Penn State
Simply put, we know with certainty now that Drew Allar will be back in 2025. He’ll open the year as one of the Heisman favorites and as the Big Ten’s best quarterback. In other news, the Nittany Lions get back running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, and despite the loss of some key defensive players and defensive coordinator Tom Allen, it would be a surprise if their stop unit takes a big step back.
No. 6 - Oregon
An easy 2025 schedule puts Oregon in a good spot to repeat as Big Ten champions, but we’re giving the Buckeyes the edge for now. The team has a road matchup with Penn State, but it doesn’t play Ohio State in the regular season. It sounds like Oregon will turn to Dante Moore at quarterback next season instead of looking into the portal. Moore, who transferred to the team in December 2023 from UCLA, struggled a bit in his 2023 action with the Bruins, completing 53.5 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He’ll almost certainly do much better in 2025 with the Ducks.
No. 7 - Notre Dame
The Irish will need to find a new starting quarterback next season, but the team’s relatively easy schedule sets it up for another one-loss season. Games against Miami, Texas A&M, Boise State, and USC could be tough, but unless the team completely whiffs at quarterback, it should go at least 3-1 against those four programs.
No. 8 - Georgia
Georgia lost starting quarterback Carson Beck to Miami, but you can’t count a Kirby Smart team out. Georgia is always loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. It’s hard to imagine a world where Georgia ever misses the 12-team playoff as long as Smart is there.
No. 9 - Tennessee
In his first season as the Vols starting quarterback, Nico Iamaleava threw 19 touchdown passes and rushed for three more, leading Tennessee to a playoff appearance. With another year of experience under his belt, he should have the Volunteers right back there next season. There are significant losses on the defensive side of the ball, but the Vols have one of the easier schedules in the SEC and have enough talent to post another 10-2 campaign.
No. 10 - LSU
LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is the early favorite to win the Heisman and the team doesn’t play Texas or Georgia during the regular season. It can afford to drop one or two games between its three big road contests: Clemson, Ole Miss, and Alabama. The Tigers are hitting the portal hard in hopes of avoiding another letdown season, and if Brian Kelly doesn’t make the CFP this year, it could mark the end of his tenure in Baton Rouge.
No. 11 - Miami
Miami slides into the final at-large spot. Transfer quarterback Carson Beck is no Cam Ward, but looking around the landscape of college football next season, I’m not sure Miami needs a Ward. It just feels like there are a lot of questions surrounding a lot of good teams. Having a steady presence like Beck under center might just be enough to get the Hurricanes where they couldn’t get this past season.
No. 12 - Boise State
Boise State won’t have Ashton Jeanty next year, but the team should still be the best Group of Five program in the nation. Quarterback Maddux Madsen will get a chance to prove next season that his strong 2024 campaign was because he’s a good quarterback, not just that he was the beneficiary of defenses that focused all their energy on stopping Jeanty.
