College Football Top 2025 (1-5)
The college football rankings for 2025, from number 1 to number 5, contain the best teams in the nation. These teams are certainly good enough to win the National Championship. Each of the five teams has a stacked roster and attracts the top talent, either through recruiting or through the transfer portal. Luck is needed by a team to win a championship in college football. Do you think one of these teams will win the college football championship?
#5 Rank In College Football: Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs lost in the CFP Quarterfinals last season. Gunner Stockton will look to fill the lofty shoes left by Carson Beck. UGA’s season will begin on August 30 against Marshall.Â
#4 Clemson
Clemson could be very good this season. Head Coach Dabo Swinney may win yet another national championship, and his Tigers will almost certainly win the Atlantic Coast Conference title. Clemson is back! Cade Klubnik is one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. He has weapons in Bryant Wesco Jr. and Antonio Williams.
The defense has taken a step back since Brent Venables left to be the Head Coach at the University of Oklahoma. Fourteen starters return on a defense that should improve under new coordinator Tom Allen. Clemson is ranked fourth here, but they could easily win the national championship.
#3 Ohio State
Ohio State is the defending national champion, probably saving Head Coach Ray Day’s job, after losing to arch-rival Michigan for a fourth consecutive year. The Buckeyes had 14Â players drafted by the National Football League. They also have new offensive and defensive coordinators in Brian Hartline and former Detroit Lions Head Coach Matt Patricia.
Former five-star high school recruit and transfer from the University of Alabama, Julian Sayin, is likely to take over as quarterback. He has a bevvy of offensive weapons. The Buckeyes may have the best player in the nation on offense in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Safety Caleb Downs.
West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson takes over for departed thousand-yard rushers Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. Only three starters are back on defense, and there are questions about depth at defensive tackle. Important games against Texas and Penn State are at home, but the annual tilt against Michigan is in Ann Arbor.
#2 Texas
Texas is looking strong and is ranked first in many college football preseason polls. Is new quarterback Arch Manning going to be good enough to run Head Coach Steve Sarkisian’s offense? He takes the helm after waiting two years behind Quinn Ewers. No player has more hype than he does. There is elite talent on the roster to support the new quarterback. A week one showdown with Ohio State looms for a retooling offensive line. Returner Ryan Wingo is the lone returning receiver, though there are a couple of interesting transfers there. There is a deep and talented stable of running backs.
There are relatively few questions on defense. Coordinator Pete Kwaitkowski got some important transfers in via the transfer total. The secondary must replace Jahde Barron, but Malik Muhammad is the next star back there. If Manning lives up to the hype, the Forty Acres may have its first national title since 2005.
#1 Penn State
Will James Franklin get over the hump and win a national championship? To do so, “Big Game James” will rely on Quarterback Drew Allar. He spurned the National Football League to come back to school. The wide receiver corps will benefit from three high-powered transfers. They should make up for the departure of do-it-all tight end Tyler Warren.
The really good news for Penn State is that the running backs and offensive line all return intact. The defensive side of the ball could be even better this year than last year, when they allowed only 16.7 points per game. There is a bevy of talent, and the new defensive coordinator was the mastermind of the Ohio State defense last year, which was the stingiest in college football.
Conclusion
These are the best teams in college football, but each has enough questions associated with its roster that a Cinderella could sneak in and win the national championship. That said, these teams have the best coaching, the most money, and the best players. Having the most money is important because college football is all about money.
