Three More Big Stories Heading Into 2025 College Football Season
The biggest stories in college football in 2025 are national news. The amount of money tied up in college football means this is so. The stories of the burgeoning transfer market, the 2025 Ohio State-Michigan game, and which teams will be this year’s Cinderella in the College Football Playoff are fascinating. These are three of the 15 biggest stories in college football for the 2025 season. Almost everyone is thinking about these questions. Total Apex will present the full list of 15 across five articles. Are there any bigger stories in 2025 college football than these?
The Transfer Market is One of the Biggest Stories in College Football
The transfer portal is a fact of life in college football. There are so many players moving between teams that these players themselves are compelling stories. The biggest name on the transfer market was Quarterback Carson Beck, who transferred from Georgia to Miami. Oklahoma got a quarterback as well in John Mateer. Quarterback Darian Mensah went from Tulane to Duke. All three were paid $4 million in Name, Image, and Likeness money.
Group of 5 conference standouts Devon Dampier, Kaidon Salter, Jackson Arnold, and Conner Weigman transferred. Arnold and Weigman were five-star high school prospects. Miller Moss will look to revitalize his career at Louisville under quarterback guru Jeff Brohm. Miller was benched by USC last season. That is far from all the football players who transferred schools. Other standouts included former Tennessee Quarterback Nico Iamaleava transferring to UCLA.
Big Story #5: 2025 Ohio State vs. Michigan Will be Huge
The 2024 game between these two rivals was particularly acrimonious. Michigan was a three-touchdown underdog and came into Columbus and won 13-10. The two teams then proceeded to get into a fight after Michigan tried to plant its school flag at the 50-yard line of Ohio Stadium.
Both teams used the 2024 game as motivation. The Buckeyes won four straight games in the inaugural College Football Playoff and won a national championship. Michigan won its bowl game against Alabama and signed, maybe its best prospect ever, in high school five-star Quarterback recruit Bryce Underwood.
Fast forward to this year. Michigan avoided severe penalties from the NCAAÂ for cheating, and both teams are loaded. The 2025 game between these rivals will take place in Ann Arbor. Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day will seek to avoid a fifth straight loss to rival Michigan. He will attempt to do so with likely the best offensive and defensive players in the land, Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs. New quarterbacks Julian Sayin and Bryce Underwood should be far along in their development by the time of this November 29 matchup. There will be no shortage of stories for this game.
Big Story #6: Who Is Cinderella This Year?
Six teams made the 2024 College Football Playoff that made their first playoff appearance: Arizona State, SMU, Indiana, Boise State, Penn State, and Tennessee. Which teams will surprise and make the 2025 playoffs? Two SEC teams head the list in South Carolina and Florida. Missouri, Texas A&M, and Mississippi could break through and make the 2025 playoff as well. Nebraska and Illinois from the Big Ten are candidates, as are Baylor, Kansas State, Utah, Iowa State, and Texas Tech.
Conclusion
Three additional big stories are the transfer market, the Ohio State-Michigan game, and which teams are most likely to be Cinderellas in college football. The transfer market is an increasingly important part of college football. The game between Ohio State and Michigan is probably the best rivalry in all sports and should be great in 2025. There will be Cinderellas in college football in 2025; it is just a question of who.
