2025 College Football Rankings 11–25: A Preliminary Look at Oregon, Florida, and Other States

It’s early – and we’ll do it again once our team-by-team previews for Preview 2025 are complete – but we need a starting point.

How good are all 136 college football teams currently? Before spring football concludes, here are the teams who should all have College Football Playoff hopes, and several of them will be good enough to crack the top ten at one time.

With a quick look at each team, here are the college football teams who complete the offseason top 25.

College Football Rankings 11-25: 2025 Offseason

25 Michigan State

2024 Record 5-7
2024 Spring Rank 46
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 37
2024 CFN Final Rank 60

In a Big Ten full of programs in the Teams About To Crank It Up category, Michigan State should be included. Jonathan Smith raised the talent level significantly surrounding quarterback Aidan Chiles.

24 Indiana

2024 Record 11-2
2024 Spring Rank 60
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 57
2024 CFN Final Rank 7

Curt Cignetti is just that good, his defense will now start to be even stronger, don’t be shocked when 2024 really wasn’t a mirage.

23 USC

2024 Record 7-6
2024 Spring Rank 16
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 16
2024 CFN Final Rank 20

This is being kind. It’s USC, so there are nice players in place, but … where’s the star power? It might show up fast, but it needs to emerge.

22 Missouri

2024 Record 10-3
2024 Spring Rank 17
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 19
2024 CFN Final Rank 15

The record will be better than the team, but who cares? Mizzou will win a ton with a defense that should suffocate the SEC.

21 Oklahoma

2024 Record 6-7
2024 Spring Rank 13
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 22
2024 CFN Final Rank 41

No excuses. Too much talent, too much experience, too much coaching experience, and Wazzu QB John Mateer is too good. You’re Oklahoma. Play like it.

20 Ole Miss

2024 Record 10-3
2024 Spring Rank 6
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 8
2024 CFN Final Rank 9

You want to talk about pure respect for how great a head coach Lane Kiffin is, it’s this ranking. At the moment, this is nowhere near the 2024 squad.

19 South Carolina

2024 Record 9-4
2024 Spring Rank 40
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 45
2024 CFN Final Rank 17

There might not be the superstar transfers other places landed, but wow did the Gamecocks get some dudes. 2024 was just the beginning.

18 Utah

2024 Record 5-7
2024 Spring Rank 14
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 9
2024 CFN Final Rank 63

Ha ha, very funny. This will be the Utah team we all paid to see last year, and why? QUARTERBACK. Utah has one in New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier.

17 Florida State

2024 Record 2-10
2024 Spring Rank 10
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 10
2024 CFN Final Rank 86

We’ll buy into the “bad vibes only” thing happening to FSU last season. This should turn back around fast, even with Alabama to start the season.

16 Arizona State

2024 Record 11-3
2024 Spring Rank 55
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 63
2024 CFN Final Rank 10

Normally this would be the ultimate market correction team. There’s one problem with that. Other than star RB Cam Skattebo, everyone else is back.

15 Tennessee

2024 Record 10-3
2024 Spring Rank 12
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 18
2024 CFN Final Rank 8

Can Tennessee really be known for its defense? It’s Josh Heupel – it’ll be okay on offense. But that D? It’s going to be a thing.

14 Florida

2024 Record 8-5
2024 Spring Rank 36
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 31
2024 CFN Final Rank 29

Two back-to-back wins – LSU and Ole Miss – changed the franchise. It’ll take a lot more than that this year against a brutal schedule. Billy Napier kept almost everyone around. The Ws have to keep coming no matter what.

13 Illinois

2024 Record 10-3
2024 Spring Rank 45
2024 CFN Preseason Rank 55
2024 CFN Final Rank 13

Buy all in on the Illini – at the very least, put massive expectations on this bunch. Everyone returns, the transfers are great, and now the program has to handle the hype.