Early CFB top 25: Ohio State looks for repeat from top spot

The 2024 college football season officially concluded Monday with Ohio State beating Notre Dame to win the national championship, meaning we can now flip the calendar and focus on the 2025 campaign.

Last year's early rankings saw six of the 12 playoff teams in our top-12 slots. We're looking to improve on that this time around.

Here's how our top 25 looks, with the defending champion Buckeyes leading the way.

1. Ohio State

There's a mass exodus from the national champions next year, but Ohio State returns arguably the country's best offensive and defensive players in Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs. The quarterback position may be unproven, but there's a reason five-star prospect Julian Sayin was the second-ranked passer in his recruiting class.

2. Oregon

It's Dante Moore's time to shine with Dillon Gabriel finally out of college eligibility. Given both Bo Nix and Gabriel's performances after joining Oregon, it's fair to assume Moore will succeed. Evan Stewart returns as the top weapon outside, and the bulk of the defense remains in tact from the 2024 season.

3. Texas

Arch Madness has officially arrived. It's finally Arch Manning time for Texas after the highly touted recruit served as a backup for two straight years. Manning offers more of a dual-threat option than Quinn Ewers and should thrive in Steve Sarkisian's offense. With Anthony Hill and Colin Simmons both back on defense, a third straight semifinal berth isn't out of the question for the Longhorns.

4. Georgia

Kirby Smart annually loses a number of top players to the NFL draft but keeps Georgia among the nation's best with elite recruiting. That's once again the case for the 2025 season. We saw that Gunner Stockton is a more-than-capable replacement for Carson Beck at quarterback, and the Bulldogs already added USC's Zachariah Branch and Texas A&M's Noah Thomas to give the offense a jolt.

5. Auburn

The top four is straightforward, but things get wacky at No. 5. Sure, Auburn suffered through a dismal 2024 campaign, but most of its issues came down to quarterback play. Hugh Freeze addressed that by bringing in not one, but two transfers in Oklahoma's Jackson Arnold and Stanford's Ashton Daniels.

6. Notre Dame

The national finalists return a ton of talent with one big question mark: Who will start at quarterback? Will it be former top recruit CJ Carr, current backup Steve Angeli, or a transfer for the third straight year? Whoever Marcus Freeman picks, they'll benefit from handing the ball off to Jeremiyah Love. That alone is enough to make them a top-10 team for 2025.

7. Florida

Florida was arguably the hottest non-playoff team at the end of the season. The Gators grabbed an unlikely bowl bid with their late-season push, and they kept Billy Napier in Gainesville for at least another season. Expect DJ Lagway to be among the top Heisman contenders if the Gators are actually a playoff team by the end of the season. If they're not, expect Napier to be looking for work.

8. Penn State

Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and Dani Dennis-Sutton all opted to come back for one last run at Penn State after the semifinal loss to Notre Dame. That should ensure the Nittany Lions are once again a playoff team in 2025. However, whether they can contend for a title likely revolves around James Franklin's ability to bring in receiving help for Allar.

9. Clemson

Clemson's offense finished the season on a strong note thanks to some standout play by Cade Klubnik. However, the defense dropped off significantly to rank 69th in the country in yards per play. Dabo Swinney's solution was to hire Tom Allen from Penn State as the new defensive coordinator. If Allen can fix that side of the ball and Klubnik continues his development, the Tigers should be the favorites to repeat as ACC champions.

10. Michigan

The majority of the 2024 season was a disaster for Michigan, but the end was close to a dream. The Wolverines followed up one of the most stunning defeats in the history of their rivalry with Ohio State with a dominant win over Alabama in the bowl game. Oh, and the nation's top quarterback recruit, Bryce Underwood, flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan. The losses on defense will be felt, but Sherrone Moore should have the Wolverines amongst the best teams in the Big Ten in 2025.

11. LSU

Garrett Nussmeier's return means the offense will once again be cooking for LSU, but the path to improvement is almost solely based on the defense. Brian Kelly hit the portal hard on that side of the ball to bring in Patrick Payton, Jack Pyburn, Jimari Butler, Mansoor Delane, and Ja'Keem Jackson. The Tigers could be a force again in the SEC if they work out as planned.

12. Miami

Cam Ward is gone, and Carson Beck has moved south from Georgia to try and keep the nation's top offense in 2024 humming. Beck's signing brings plenty of pedigree to the quarterback position, but he faces a tall task with the Hurricanes losing their top rusher and leading six receivers from last season. Mario Cristobal addressed the porous defense by hiring Minnesota's Corey Hetherman to fix the nation's 68th-ranked unit.

13. South Carolina

If Ohio State's combo of Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs represents the sport's best-returning duo, South Carolina's tandem of LaNorris Sellers and Dylan Stewart isn't far behind. Sellers' brilliant 2024 campaign sees the quarterback receiving plenty of Heisman hype for 2025, while Stewart is firmly in the conversation for best pass-rusher in the sport.

14. Arizona State

Arizona State was perhaps the biggest shock of the 2024 season, but the Sun Devils won't sneak up on anybody after their stunning run to the College Football Playoff. Cam Skattebo is gone, but quarterback Sam Leavitt and star receiver Jordyn Tyson return to keep the offense cooking in Tempe.

15. Texas A&M

Texas A&M dropped off significantly on the field toward the end of last year, but Mike Elko turned in a strong performance in the transfer portal the past few months. The Aggies coach added plenty of offensive talent to help talented passer Marcel Reed, including KC Concepcion, Mario Craver, and Micah Hudson.

16. SMU

While much of SMU's 2024 roster has now departed, electric quarterback Kevin Jennings returns to lead the high-octane offense. Jennings emerged as a star last season and will be called upon to do even more with his top five receivers and leading rusher Brashard Smith gone. The early schedule is rough with non-conference dates with Baylor and TCU, but a return to the ACC title game could be in the cards if Rhett Lashlee's outfit can navigate the first month.

17. Alabama

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The last time Alabama wasn't in the top 15 of the early rankings was likely in Nick Saban's first year in charge. Things didn't fall off a cliff in Tuscaloosa, but the pressure is on Kalen DeBoer after the Crimson Tide lost four of their last eight power conference contests. The biggest challenge for DeBoer is replacing Jalen Milroe at quarterback, with a competition between Ty Simpson and Austin Mack likely taking place in spring ball.

18. BYU

A ton of top talent from BYU's sparkling 2024 season is back, headlined by standout quarterback Jake Retzlaff. That should keep the offense moving in Provo, but Kalani Sitake will need to beef up a defense that's losing more than half its starters heading into the 2025 campaign.

19. Tennessee

The season ended with a whimper in Columbus in a blowout loss to Ohio State, but it was another successful season for Josh Heupel with Tennessee. While the defense was one of the nation's best, Heupel's offense took a step back in 2024. That'll need to change for the Volunteers to return to the playoff, with the pressure on Nico Iamaleava to take the next step at quarterback.

20. Ole Miss

Ole Miss was hit as hard as any team in the country with star departures, as Jaxson Dart, Jordan Watkins, Tre Harris, Walter Nolen, J.J. Pegues, and Jared Ivey among those leaving Oxford. However, Lane Kiffin deemed himself the "Portal King" for a reason, and he's already gone to work reloading the roster for 2025.

21. Kansas State

A promising season went south quickly for Kansas State as the Wildcats lost three of their last four games. However, Avery Johnson returns at quarterback, and Dylan Edwards is ready for more touches on offense after piling up 196 yards on the ground in the bowl win.

22. Illinois

The 2024 season was a dream for Illinois, with the Illini posting 10 wins for just the fifth time in school history. Luke Altmyer's return at quarterback will be a huge benefit as Bret Bielema looks to replace the star receiver duo of Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin.

23. Indiana

What will Curt Cignetti do for an encore after delivering the best season in Indiana history in his first campaign with the school? Cignetti loses a number of players from the 2024 roster, including star quarterback Kurtis Rourke, but he's been very active in the transfer portal. The biggest prize thus far is Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who should instantly slot in as the starter in Bloomington.

24. Iowa

Tim Lester drastically changed the offensive production in 2024 and took a big step to keep that momentum going by adding prolific South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski in the portal. Gronowski won the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the FCS and has topped the 10,000-yard mark passing in his career. That type of output will be needed to help soften the loss of standout running back Kaleb Johnson to the NFL.

25. Texas Tech

Texas Tech hit the portal as hard as any team in the country the past few months, bringing in a whopping 17 players to beef up the roster in Lubbock. That included the additions of Miami (Ohio) receiver Reggie Virgil and USC running back Quinten Joyner.