5 team rankings EA Sports got wrong in College Football 25

EA Sports stole headlines Friday after announcing the top 25 teams for the upcoming College Football 25 video game. As expected, the list generated heated debates and reactions from players and fans.

Here are five team ratings EA Sports got wrong:

Too high: Colorado

• 87 overall (16th)
• Offense: 89 OVR (8th)
• Defense: 84 OVR (20th)

Colorado went 4-8 in 2023 while ranking 124th (out of 133) in points allowed per game and 60th in points scored per contest. The Buffaloes had a 1-8 record in conference play. But none of that seemed to matter for EA Sports, as Deion Sanders and Co. ranked as a top-20 team. Granted, Shedeur Sanders is a top quarterback, while two-way star Travis Hunter is one of the sport's most exciting players. But they're not a top-25 team right now. It's hard to justify ranking Sanders' outfit this high on either side of the ball.

Too low: Ole Miss

• 88 overall (15th)
• Offense: 87 OVR (13th)
• Defense: N/A

Let's start with one of EA Sports' biggest mistakes: are there really 12 offensive units better than the Rebels? Colorado and Clemson - whom EA Sports rank eighth and 10th, respectively - certainly aren't. Ole Miss rosters a potential Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Jaxson Dart and added starters in the transfer portal, including receiver Antwane "Juice" Wells. With Wells, potential first-round pick Tre Harris, returning wideout Jordan Watkins, and second-team All-SEC tight end Caden Prieskorn, the Rebels boast one of the nation's top receiving corps. Ole Miss isn't as talented defensively, but College Football 25 left its defense out of the top 25 completely. That, combined with a lower-than-expected offensive rating, mistakenly leaves Lane Kiffin's outfit at 15th overall.

Too high: USC

• 87 overall (19th)
• Offense: 83 OVR (25th)
• Defense: 86 OVR (16th)

The Trojans were one of last season's most disappointing teams and finished the campaign with an 8-5 record. They had a terrible defense and lost star quarterback Caleb Williams to the 2024 NFL Draft. Why are they in the top 20 here, then? USC did add defensive starters, but the jury is still out on whether new defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn and his crew will be able to fix things right away. With a questionable defense and a downgraded offense, it's hard to see Lincoln Riley's outfit as the 19th-best school in college football at the moment.

Too low: Missouri

• N/A
• Offense: 89 OVR (9th)
• N/A

It's impossible to understand how the Tigers were left out of the 25 by EA Sports. *Checks again to make sure Missouri didn't make the cut.* You can argue that the Tigers enter the 2024 season as a top-10 team in the country after posting an 11-2 record in 2023. Mizzou hung with Georgia last season and beat Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Eliah Drinkwitz's squad still features a stud quarterback in Brady Cook and an elite playmaker in wide receiver Luther Burden III. The Tigers have more questions on defense after losing coordinator Blake Baker to LSU, but certainly not enough to drop them out of the rankings. Huge mistake.

Too low: Tennessee

• N/A
• Offense: N/A
• Defense: N/A

Just like Missouri, Tennessee is nowhere to be found. The Volunteers actually didn't even make the top 25 on offense or defense. It's true that Tennessee's offense last year was worse than it was in 2022, but it still averaged over 30 points per game. Coach Josh Heupel and Co. are now turning to highly touted passer Nico Iamaleava as QB1. He accounted for four touchdowns in the Citrus Bowl in January, showing plenty of signs that the Vols should be back to being dominant offensively in 2024. If Iamaleava is as good as advertised, these rankings will look really bad on EA Sports soon.