Yes, the “Way-Too-Early Top 25” rankings for an upcoming football season are virtually pointless. There’s not a lot of weight to them, and oftentimes, they’re a better reflection of the past season than the one to come.
For example, ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2024 season had Arizona at No. 9, Utah at No. 13, Oklahoma at No. 15, Florida State at No. 16, and Oklahoma State at No. 19—Only one of those teams went bowling, and none of them finished above .500.
Still, it is interesting to see what the perception of an upcoming season is among the media contingent, and it’s impossible not to wonder what transfers and the coaching carousel will cause next season to look like. After all, that’s why it’s so difficult to refrain from checking to see if there are any surprises on those graphics when you scroll past one.
Biggest Surprises from the Cumulative Way-Too-Early CFB Top 25 for 2025
As the offseason rolls in and the 2024 season is officially in the books, it’s time for the ever-popular Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings for the 2025 College Football season. These rankings, although largely speculative and influenced by past performances, offer an intriguing glimpse into the media’s predictions for the upcoming year. After compiling data from ten of the biggest college football media entities, we’ve sifted through the rankings to highlight some of the most surprising results.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the 2025 Way-Too-Early CFB Top 25:
- Texas Earns the No. 1 Spot
Texas, a program that has been battling inconsistency over the past decade, has earned the No. 1 ranking in six of the ten polls. While it may seem early for the Longhorns to be in this position, the talent on their roster is undeniable. With Arch Manning taking over as the starting quarterback, Texas is poised to make a splash. The Longhorns will need to replace a lot of key players, including their offensive line and pass catchers, but they’ve got the depth to weather those losses. The question remains: Can they live up to the hype and prove they truly deserve to be the top team in the country?
- Oklahoma Doesn’t Make the Cut
Once a perennial powerhouse in college football, Oklahoma is struggling to regain its footing under head coach Brent Venables. For the first time in years, the Sooners are not ranked among the top 25 in the majority of the polls. Oklahoma’s high expectations following the offseason additions haven’t translated into enough confidence from the media. With a tough road ahead and continuing issues on both sides of the ball, it seems the Sooners have a lot of work to do if they want to reclaim their place as a college football elite team. They did make the cut in two polls (ranking as high as No. 18), but the fact that they were excluded from seven is a major shock.
- Arizona State Is the ‘Team to Beat’ in the Big 12
The biggest surprise of the rankings? Arizona State. After a strong showing in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Sun Devils have caught the eye of the media and find themselves at No. 12 in the cumulative rankings. Arizona State was ranked as high as No. 9 in some polls, signaling their rise as a true contender in the Big 12. This might be a bit of an overreaction to one game, but with head coach Kenny Dillingham at the helm, the Sun Devils are expected to challenge the big dogs in the conference next season. This is a team to watch closely as they prepare for a new era of dominance.
- Illinois Makes a Statement at No. 14
Illinois is not typically a name that jumps out when you think of top football programs, but the Illini’s impressive 10-win season has certainly put them on the map. Ranked as high as No. 7 in some polls, Illinois has garnered significant attention in the Way-Too-Early rankings. Under head coach Bret Bielema, Illinois has become a sleeper in the Big Ten, and they look to continue building off their success. If they can keep their momentum going, Illinois could be a dark horse in the conference next year.
- Florida’s Resurgence at No. 15
Florida’s season started off rocky, and many thought head coach Billy Napier was on the hot seat. However, after a midseason turnaround, the Gators finished with a respectable 8-5 record, including four straight wins over top teams like LSU, Ole Miss, Florida State, and Tulane. This late-season resurgence has the media buying into Florida’s potential for the 2025 season. Ranked as high as No. 9 in some polls, the Gators will have to build on their success and prove they can compete with the SEC’s elite. With DJ Lagway taking over the offense, there’s plenty of optimism surrounding this team heading into the next season.
Final Thoughts:
As always, the Way-Too-Early rankings are filled with surprises and predictions that will surely change by the time the season actually begins. However, the surprises listed above offer insight into the expectations for teams like Texas, Arizona State, Illinois, and Florida. While some programs are seeing a resurgence, others, like Oklahoma, have a lot of work ahead of them to restore their former glory. With the transfer portal, coaching changes, and the ever-evolving landscape of college football, it’s safe to say that the 2025 season will be full of surprises.
Stay tuned as the offseason progresses and more moves shake up the college football landscape! For more exciting insights into sports, trends, and the outdoors, be sure to check out Big12sportz.
This week, I decided to approach things in a different way, though. Instead of scrolling aimlessly past every Way-Too-Early list that graced itself upon my screen, I logged the rankings in a spreadsheet and started to take a poll of my own.
After compiling 10 Way-Too-Early Top 25 lists from the biggest college football media entities, I aggregated the data to create a comprehensive poll comprised of the data from:
- ESPN
- FOX
- NCAA
- Pro Football Focus
- On3
- The Athletic
- 247Sports
- Sports Illustrated
- Yahoo Sports
- CBS Sports
My hope was to capture the overarching feeling of what next season should look like, according to the experts.
Here’s what it ended up looking like:
Let’s talk about some of the things that stood out.
Texas Earns No. 1 Spot
Texas earned the top ranking in six of the 10 polls we used in this measure while placing second in three others, and were fifth (Yahoo Sports) at the lowest of any poll. The Longhorns will have to replace three-year starter Quinn Ewers, their entire offensive line, the majority of their pass catchers, and a few key pieces on defense.
However, in place of what they’ll lose, UT gets to finally give the reins to Arch Manning and has the most talented roster in football behind him.
The 2024 Playoff Field is Well-Represented
Each of the top seven teams in this cumulative list was a part of the 2024-25 College Football Playoff Field, and 11 of the 12 teams who made the field are included in the Top 25: Texas (1), Ohio State (2) Penn State (3), Notre Dame (4), Oregon (5), Georgia (6), Clemson (7), Tennessee (T-10), and Arizona State (12).
Indiana (17) and SMU (18) are outside the Top 12, and only Boise State (RV) is missing from the poll, but the other nine teams find themselves close to where they finished the 2024 season.
Oklahoma Doesn’t Make the Cut
To say that Oklahoma football has fallen on hard times is an understatement. Oklahoma has finished the season unranked just four times since 2000, but two of those occasions have come in the last three seasons under Brent Venables. Now, the Sooners are on the verge of reaching a new low, as it appears they’ve lost the national media, even after making some major offseason additions.
OU was not listed among the Top 25 in seven of the 10 lists used and just barely made the cut at No. 25 in two of their three appearances. Their highest ranking was No. 18 (On3), but even that is well below what used to be the standard in Norman.
Arizona State is the ‘Team to Beat’ in the Big 12
Kenny Dillingham’s Sun Devils appear to be the media darling of the Big 12 after their showing in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. ASU checked in at No. 12 in the cumulative poll and was ranked as high as 9th (The Athletic) among our test group.
This puts the Sun Devils quite a bit ahead of the other teams in the Big 12, with BYU coming in as the second-highest-ranked team at No. 16, followed by Kansas State and Iowa State at No. 22 and No. 23, respectively. Additionally, teams like Texas Tech, Baylor, and Colorado are all receiving votes and were all included by at least one of the polls, so the Big 12 appears to have tons of potential for parity once again.
Some Major Surprises Inside Top 15?
The final two teams inside the top 15 of our cumulative poll might jump off the graphic at people, and likely for different reasons. Illinois being at No. 14 and as high as No. 7 in one poll probably surprises a lot of folks, but the Illini are coming off a 10-win season and will return a ton of production for Brent Bielema next season. They’ll be a sneaky darkhorse team to follow in the Big Ten race next year.
Florida at No. 15 is surprising, considering how tough the 2024 season started for the Gators. At one point, it felt like Billy Napier’s time in Gainesville was all but over, but then his decision to infuse DJ Lagway into the offense changed everything. UF finished 2024 with an 8-5 record and four-straight wins over LSU, Ole Miss, Florida State, and Tulane. The Gators rank as high as No. 9 in these polls and are an intriguing team to follow over the coming months.
