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Real_TSwany Ballot for 2025 Preseason

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Aug. 18, 2025, 12:41 p.m.

Overall Rationale: It's preseason, so the general atmosphere, returning talent/starters, coaching changes, etc. My general analysis of the field.

Rank Team Reason
1 Texas Longhorns Do I even need to say it? Texas has the most complete team in the country, and there's no question they're the favorite entering the 2025 season. Arch Manning has a lot of hype to live up to in his first start, but even if the Longhorns fall to Ohio State in week one, barring a total beatdown, they'll remain a top three team in the country until proven otherwise.
2 Ohio State Buckeyes The reigning champs lost a lot to the NFL, but there is no team whose reloading ability I am more confident in than Ohio State. They're also still retaining key playmakers on defense in Downs, Matthews, Styles, etc. Their stacked WR corps will also give Julian Sayin plenty of weapons, and James Peoples as RB1A can and will carry on the lineage of stud running backs in Columbus.
3 Penn State Nittany Lions With the most returning talent of anyone, and Jim Knowles now at DC, why not #2? Several reasons. While the vast majority of last year's team is returning, the Nittany Lions will definitely still feel the losses of their two departed superstars, Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren, in those early weeks. Furthermore, I still don't have too much confidence in Drew Allar's ability. From both of his seasons so far, he's struck me as "Sean Clifford 2: Electric Boogaloo." He's not particularly impressive, and has a history of critical mistakes in the clutchmost of moments. That's one of the worst things you can say about any quarterback. Will they feel these weaknesses more than Ohio State will feel their defensive losses? Only time will say, but I'm far more confident in the Buckeyes' offense, and until James Franklin proves that he can win on the big stages, especially against Ohio State, I'm not going to buy them being better as long as they're roughly equal in the metrics I prioritize during the season.
4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame's actually got a tough schedule this season, and I'm confident that this year's team could even be better than last year's. Their offense is stacked with returning talent, including star RB Jeremiyah Love. I've put the Irish over Georgia and Oregon, as they have the fewest question marks out of the three.
5 Georgia Bulldogs Can Gunnar Stockton truly replace Carson Beck? A better question: were Carson Beck's shoes really that big anyway? Georgia's lineage of milquetoast white guy QBs has run from Fromm to Bennett to Beck, and now the crown is with Stockton. This team is loading in a lot of new starters, including two transfer portal WRs who will almost certainly be reliable bullets for Gunnar.
6 Oregon Ducks Can you *really* buy a natty? This is what many are asking about Oregon. They'll land all the recruits they want, all the transfers they need, but on the field, money doesn't talk. Execution does.
7 Clemson Tigers Seven is about as high as I'm willing to rank Clemson until I can figure out where the oversaturation of hype is coming from. While an abundance of seniority proved effective for teams like Michigan and Ohio State, it's not an end-all-be-all. I've never seen a Cade Klubnik highlight on SportsCenter or on Twitter. Dabo is one of the country's most proven head coaches, and I'm still confident he can get this team back to the playoffs, but nothing in particular about these Tigers stand out to me. Maybe I'm foolish, maybe I'm blind, but I'm only human after all.
8 Alabama Crimson Tide Coming off an embarrassing first year for DeBoer, at least by Bama standards. But that's still a Top 15 finish. Sure, if Saban were still around, this Crimson Tide team would be starting Julain Sayin. But this is Kalen's Alabama team now, and Ty Simpson isn't some pedestrian. KDB knows a stud QB when he sees one, and that's been proven by Michael Penix's stardom at both Indiana and Washington. Don't brush off the Tide just because the dynasty's over. A brand new one could very well begin.
9 LSU Tigers Can Brian Kelly actually do anything noteworthy with this LSU team? It's tough to say for certain. But Nussmeier is one of the best QBs in the country, and a star-studded defense looks to get him back on the field as many times as possible. If the real DBU shows up this season, and the loss of CJ Daniels isn't felt too much, this team could wind up playing for the SEC title. But this year's SEC boasts one of the conference's most level playing fields in years, so if the cards aren't played right, the Tigers could finish the season on the outside looking in with as many as 5 losses.
10 Kansas State Wildcats Kansas State is, hands-down, the front runner in the Big 12, but more than that, one of the scariest teams in the country. Dylan Edwards has a case for "best running back in the nation," and QB Avery Johnson is set for a breakout season. Chris Klieman has won the conference before, and last year's conference leaders have lost key pieces to the NFL, the portal, or premarital sex (see BYU). It's easy to see why the Wildcats believe they'll be sitting pretty. But they certainly aren't alone at the top. Iowa State is close behind, and their week-zero Farmageddon matchup in Dublin should say a lot about the Big 12 picture early on.
11 Illinois Fighting Illini Illinois showed everyone they belonged in the conversation when they put down the Gamecocks in last year's Citrus Bowl. They look to keep that momentum against a tough Big Ten schedule this season. It's been a long time coming for the Illini.
12 South Carolina Gamecocks Beamer & co. are still reeling from a horribly officiated loss to LSU as the catalyst for their playoff snub, followed by a rather embarrassing bowl loss to Illinois, but this year's team has everything they need to put their foot down.
13 Iowa State Cyclones Matt Campbell is one of the best coaches in the entire country, and while Iowa State didn't win the conference last year, they'll come into this one with the clip reloaded and ready to fire. 11 wins is absolutely achievable once again for the Cyclones, but they'll have to fight tooth and nail for it in some games.
14 Arizona State Sun Devils The Sun Devils lost their Mr. Do-It-All in Skattebo, but most of the gang is still around in Tempe, and they'll look to blaze a trail back to the playoffs again this year. The Big 12 looks to be tougher this time around, however.
15 Miami Hurricanes Don't be fooled: Carson Beck may be a big pick-up, but much like Oregon, big money and big names don't pay all the bills. Results are produced on grass and turf, and I can't say I'm confident in Mario Cristobal to deliver them. Notre Dame, Florida, Louisville, and SMU are formidable foes in an otherwise run-of-the-mill schedule, but any single game could be fumbled quite easily. The Hurricanes get the benefit of the doubt over the latter three teams just by measured roster talent, but it won't be much of a shock to me if Miami falls out of these rankings entirely by midseason.
16 Florida Gators Stud quarterback DJ Lagway almost single-handedly puts the Gators back on the map coming into this season, but Billy Napier and company have got a lot to prove between a relatively tough SEC schedule draw and an early season clash with Miami.
17 Louisville Cardinals Maybe the boldest ranking on this list, Louisville is one of the most slept-on teams in the nation this season. They've got a legit shot at an ACC championship appearance in 2025, and that could play segway into a playoff berth under the right circumstances.
18 SMU Mustangs SMU breezed through the ACC last year, and this year they'll hope to do the same, but it'll likely be a tougher task this time around. Regardless, they've damn sure proven they belong in a power conference, and in these rankings.
19 Michigan Wolverines Is Underwood ready? My early answer is no, not yet. But Michigan showed that they've still got moxie with the way they finished last season. They're not exactly poised for a 10-win season, but wilder things have happened.
20 Ole Miss Rebels If there were a "prove it" year for Lane Kiffin, this would be it. The SEC is stacked, and they'll have a chip on their shoulders for sure after missing the playoff cut in 2024. It won't be easy, though.
21 BYU Cougars BYU was top-15 in my spring preseason rankings, but the loss of their starting quarterback for... *reasons* makes things a lot more uncertain. Losing your QB is a massive shake-up for any team. The Cougars will have to take from last year's UNLV team and prove that they'll be fine without him.
22 Indiana Hoosiers Cignetti talked the talk a *lot* last year. To a good extent, he walked the walk as well, and didn't go out without a fight against Notre Dame. This year's conference schedule will test Indiana far more than the last, hosting Illinois and meeting Oregon and Penn State on the road. That's three teams in (my) preseason top 11. Even a 9-3 finish will impress in Bloomington without a doubt, but Cig's got his eyes set on a Big Ten title.
23 Texas A&M Aggies Can the Aggies return to 2020 heights? It's not a "no," but they'll have to exceed every expectation in order to do so. That's a heavy ask, but like other teams that have continued to do less with more, any year could mark a turnaround.
24 Texas Tech Red Raiders Big money has put Tech on the map for the first time in over a decade. It's hard to say where it'll take them from here.
25 Oklahoma Sooners Venables' Sooners will look to rebound from a disappointing SEC debut this year, but the odds aren't in their favor. They get the 25th and final spot as they bring a talented defense to the table once again, but the recent news regarding their QB's *habits* at his former school won't make OU fans feel any less uneasy.

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