Josh’s College Football Rankings 2025–Preseason

Another fun year of my college football rankings! This year I decided to actually rank out to forty, and then have five honorable mentions. There are now 136 teams in FBS, ranking to 25 just seems like we are missing out on plenty of great teams. I will also keep track of quality and high quality wins throughout the season. I am still working on defining them. 

I did research on all 136 teams. I looked at last season, how many players returned, the portal and recruiting rankings, multiple other ranking systems, and who the QB and head coach are this season. I put it all together to come up with the best Top 40 possible.

It will go Team (Last Year’s Record)-Last Year’s Final Ranking

1. Texas (13-3)–#4–The Longhorns finally enter the Arch Manning Era. They have the weapons, a strong recruiting class, and some solid portal pickups.
2. Penn State (13-3)–#3–Same boat as Texas, except they have a proven quarterback. Plenty of talent returns, plus they filled in some holes from the portal.
3. Ohio State (14-2)–#1–The champs will reload like usual, they have some questions at the QB position, but Julian Sayin could be the next big name.
4. Clemson (10-4)–#16–I know, they are high compared to their finish last season, particularly Cade Klubnik. They have a great defense, and big receivers…they should dominate the ACC.
5. Notre Dame (14-2)–#2–Plenty of returning talent.
6. Georgia (11-3)–#6–They have no problem reloading. Gunner Stockton gets the chance to shine for the Bulldogs.
7. Alabama (9-4)–#18–Great defense, but the offense needs to step up in the second year of Kalen DeBoer’s tenure.
8. Oregon (13-1)–#5–The Ducks are a young team, but they always seem to be just fine.
9. LSU (9-4)–HM–Good QB and WRs, could this be their year?
10. Miami (10-3)–#20–Some huge gets in the portal, including Carson Beck at QB.
11. South Carolina (9-4)–#15–Can this team put it all together for a full season?
12. Michigan (8-5)–#25–This team was much better than their record, and they could not throw the ball at all. If Bryce Underwood is just half as good as people hope, then they will definitely be a force to be reckoned with.
13. Arizona State (11-3)–#7–No Cam Skattebo, but Sam Leavitt is one of the best QBs in college football. The Sun Devils will be just fine.
14. Illinois (10-3)–#11–Luke Altmeyer is one of the better QBs in the Big Ten, plus Bielema always seems to get the most out of his teams (minus that time in Arkansas).
15. SMU (11-3)–#17–Do not judge Kevin Jennings by that Penn State game, he was a good QB all year, and the Mustangs should be competitive again.
16. Florida (8-5)–HM–Do I rank the Gators every year, and get burned every year? Probably, but I think they turn the corner this year and compete for a playoff spot.
17. Indiana (11-2)–#10–No one will underestimate them this year. The Hoosiers brought in Francisco Mendoza, who I was very high on last year.
18. Ole Miss (10-3)–#9–They are rebuilding, but come on, Lane always finds talent.
19. Tennessee (10-3)–#8–I am not really sure about this team. They had plenty of off-season drama, now the question is, can they overcome it?
20. Kansas State (9-4)–HM–Avery Johnson at QB, he is sitting at +5000 to win the Heisman, might not be a bad bet.
21. Texas A&M (8-5)–HM–Typical TAMU off-season…hyped up recruiting class and transfers. Can they actually do it this season?
22. Oklahoma (6-7)–NR–They have a great defense, and much like the Aggies, they had a great off-season, but if they cannot put it together this season, they might be looking for a new coach.
23. Texas Tech (8-5)–NR–Great additions through the portal, probably improved the most.
24. Iowa State (11-3)–#13–Plenty of question marks for the Cyclones, but they always seem to be in the mix.
25. Boise State (12-2)–#14–They have 16 starters returning. Yes, they lost Jeanty, but they have a good team.
26. Auburn (5-7)–NR–Many of the professional ranking systems have them fairly high, I am not quite ready to buy the hype.
27. Georgia Tech (7-6)–NR–Haynes & Haynes are back, and they should be better than ever!
28. Missouri (10-3)–#22–BEAU PRIBULA!!!!
29. Arkansas (7-6)–NR–Time to improve from last season.
30. USC (7-6)–NR–Another team with tons of questions.
31. Nebraska (7-6)–NR–Dylan Raiola with Dana Holgorsen, should lead to a much better offense this year.
32. Baylor (8-5)–NR–They had a nice winning streak to finish the year, can they keep it going?
33. TCU (9-4)–NR–The Horned Frogs bring back nine starters.
34. Virginia Tech (6-7)–NR–A healthy QB this year should lead to more wins.
35. Washington (6-7)–NR–Rebuilding the defense quickly, the Huskies could make some noise.
36. Kansas (5-7)–NR–I was high on the Jayhawks last preseason, they still have Jalon Daniels at QB, I think they will be better this year.
37. Tulane (9-5)–NR–They lost plenty to the portal, but also managed to pull in plenty. They have a strong rush attack, plus a great defensive line.
38. Iowa (8-5)–NR–Typical Hawkeyes…
39. UNLV (11-3)–#24–Dan Mullen is the new Head Coach, should have a solid team again.
40. BYU (11-2)–#12–Lost their QB for…reasons…but they can still be dangerous.

Honorable Mentions
Louisville (9-4)–#23–Is Miller Moss the answer for the Cardinals?
Minnesota (8-5)–HM–Strong running back, but they need help elsewhere.
Wisconsin (5-7)–NR–Coach is on the hot seat, Fickell needs the Badgers to start off hot.
UNC (6-7)–NR–Bill Belichick!
Florida State (2-10)–NR–They made a bunch of big moves via the portal, recruiting, and coaching. They are the only 2-win team to keep an eye on this year.

So who do we have during the first week? Shockingly there are some big games. Heck, even during Week 0. We kick the year off on August 23rd with #24 Iowa State at #20 Kansas State. Then on Friday we should have some fun games: #27 Georgia Tech at Colorado and #26 Auburn at #32 Baylor. The next day we get Syracuse at #19 Tennessee, can Syracuse upset the Vols? #1 Texas at #3 Ohio State and #9 LSU at #4 Clemson are some huge early year matchups. But there are some other fun games, such as Missouri State at #30 USC (this is the Bears first game in FBS, they could make a huge splash by taking down the Trojans). There are some interesting local games as well, Duquesne at Pitt, Robert Morris at WVU, and a few days before we get St.Francis at ULM. It would be cool if one of those FCS teams could pull an upset.

The next day there are two big games: #34 Virginia Tech vs. #11 South Carolina, and #5 Notre Dame at #10 Miami. And finally, on Monday we have #33 TCU at UNC…I guess Bill Belichick starts the season on Monday Night Football.