Joel Klatt's post-spring top 25: Texas, Ohio State in top-three; who is No. 1?

Joel Klatt

Lead College Football Analyst

Spring football is in the books. The transfer portal has largely been settled. Programs officially said goodbye to some of their top players from last year, with the NFL Draft taking place and graduations happening all around the country.

So, with all of those things settled, it’s now time to look forward to the fall. I’ve got my second edition of my way-too-early top 25 ready to share as I dive into the rosters and schedules for the 2025 season.

As we head into the summer, I don’t believe we have a real dominant team, which I’m excited about. There are a few teams we know are going to be good and contend for a title, but the margins are continuing to reduce between all of these teams. That’s a massive difference compared to where things were at the end of the 2010s, when we could narrow down the national championship field to three teams in May.

Now, I think we’ve got 12 or so teams that can win a national championship and 20 teams that could feasibly reach the College Football Playoff. Which teams are among that group? Let’s look at my top 25.

Oklahoma’s offense was a disaster last year, so Brent Venables brought in one of the better offensive coordinators in the country. Former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle brought his quarterback with him to Norman as well, with John Mateer joining the Sooners. That should help them. Venables is also calling the defense, which is what he’s best at.

The schedule is still absolutely rigid for Oklahoma, with its last seven games consisting of matchups against Texas, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU. That’s after it takes on Michigan in non-conference play, too.

A lot of people are overlooking Baylor, which won its last six regular-season games last year. I’m a big fan of Dave Aranda, who has gone back to his roots as a defensive playcaller. That helped the Bears last year, as did quarterback Sawyer Robertson. He returns after throwing for over 3,000 yards last year. I don’t think there’s a great team in the Big 12, but there are a handful of very good teams. Baylor should be one of them.

Iowa proved last season that it can improve offensively, finishing the year 72nd in scoring. That might not be the greatest number, but that’s incredible for Iowa. I think incoming South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski could be this year’s Kurtis Rourke, as he won two FCS titles and the 2023 Walter Payton Award for the most outstanding player in the FCS. Three of Iowa’s five losses were by three points or less. I wouldn’t be surprised if Iowa threatened to win 10 games.

The talent level has been rising at Auburn over the last couple of years. We know Hugh Freeze can draw talent, bringing in a top-10 recruiting class in the last two offseasons. Auburn has also been active in the transfer portal, landing quarterback Jackson Arnold from Oklahoma. I think wide receiver Cam Coleman’s a really good player, and the Tigers also got the No. 1 receiver in the portal, Georgia Tech’s Eric Singleton. I think he can have a big year as well.

I don’t think Indiana’s going anywhere, much to the chagrin of some. Indiana was totally a Cinderella last year, but it returns many key contributors from that team, such as defensive end Mikail Kamara, linebacker Aiden Fisher and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds. Offensively, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and four starters along the line return. On top of all that, Indiana got former Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No. 4 quarterback in the portal. I think Mendoza’s going to have a really good year.

Obviously, Ole Miss has to replace a lot of talent from last year’s team. Austin Simmons will replace Jaxson Dart at quarterback after sitting behind him last year. Lane Kiffin’s always active in the portal, so that team is going to be talented. As I’m listing teams and systems I trust, it can be easy to leave Ole Miss out. But I trust Kiffin a lot and he’s going to have a good football team.

I’ve been accused of “hating” Texas A&M for quite some time, but I’ve got the Aggies ranked when some others don’t. Mike Elko’s getting this program back on track and I think he really fits the program, which is important because it’s such a unique culture. Things got rough last year after the 7-1 start, although Texas A&M returns some talent. Quarterback Marcel Reed showed some talent and I think he can be a dynamic player. The Aggies also bring back their entire offensive line to go with two really good running backs (Le’Veon Moss, Rueben Owens) and add some talent at wide receiver. Texas A&M has a few tough road games (Notre Dame, LSU, Texas), so we’ll see what it’s made of.

People are all over the map with the Hurricanes. I think this is a cautiously optimistic ranking. The move to bring in Carson Beck was one I liked. However, he’s coming off elbow surgery and he didn’t throw in spring practice. That has to make you feel a little nervous. He’s got experience, but has no reps with this group. The offense should still be pretty good, although the pass catchers aren’t as good as they were last year. Miami’s defense held it back last season, so it brought in Minnesota defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman. They’ve hit the portal pretty well, too.

When I started this exercise, I knew there was going to be a grouping of Big 12 teams that really don’t separate themselves from the other top teams in the conference. So, I’m going to put the top four Big 12 teams in a row here. Iowa State is at the bottom of the group, largely because wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel are now in the NFL. Quarterback Rocco Becht is really solid. I want to put the Cyclones higher because of Becht’s experience and head coach Matt Campbell, but they were so reliant on Higgins and Noel last year.

A big reason for this ranking is that I think Chris Klieman is one of the best coaches in America. Avery Johnson had a bit of an up-and-down year in his first season starting at quarterback. Johnson has experience now, though, which should help. Remember, Johnson’s presence was a big reason why Will Howard wound up transferring to Ohio State.

The Sun Devils are going to be a heck of a football team. Obviously, they’ve got to replace Cam Skattebo. Initially, I was going to put them at the bottom of this Big 12 grouping just because Skattebo is such an irreplaceable player. Yet, they return 16 starters, including quarterback Sam Leavitt and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. Leavitt was good as a redshirt freshman and Tyson was an All-American, with his injury late in the year hurting them in the College Football Playoff. Army transfer Kanye Udoh will be part of the equation to try and replace Skattebo.

As of today, I think BYU is the best team in the Big 12. Jake Retzlaff is a gamer at quarterback for the Cougars, but watch out for their running backs, too. LJ Martin and wide receiver Chase Martin will make that offense dynamic and that defense should be one of the best in the conference again. BYU plays a physical brand of football at the line of scrimmage, and I really like what it’s doing.

I think we’ve entered the portion of the rankings where it wouldn’t surprise me if any of these teams wound up playing at the top of the sport next season. This ranking is a huge belief in quarterback DJ Lagway. He’s one of the most exciting players in the country and Florida was able to establish something good with him last year, going 6-1 in the games Lagway started. The only loss was when Lagway went down with an injury against Georgia. Billy Napier blocked out all that early-season noise and improved his team as the year went on. The defense also played really well down the stretch, holding each of its last four opponents to 17 points or fewer. The schedule is still tough for the Gators; this team is good, though.

Why do I believe in Michigan? This team defeated Ohio State and Alabama last season. Its offense did virtually nothing in each of those games, with all of those draft picks sitting out the game against Alabama. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale figured it out after going through some growing pains in his return to the college game, simplifying his defense and taking off later in the year. That should allow its offense to get its footing. Former North Carolina offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey was brought in to be the offensive coordinator. The quarterback situation is a bit of a wait-and-see, but this ranking has nothing to do with Bryce Underwood. This is all defense, Sherrone Moore and philosophy. If the offense is good, this is a top-10 team.

Shane Beamer has done a really nice job at South Carolina and I love quarterback LaNorris Sellers. He was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2024, nearly helping the Gamecocks reach the CFP. Edge rusher Dylan Stewart is one of the best players in the country. There are a few contributors they need to replace (RB Raheim Sanders, DT T.J. Sanders, edge Kyle Kennard) and I know their schedule is going to be brutal, but it’s backloaded. They’ve got LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Coastal Carolina (thank you, SEC schedule) and Clemson for their last seven games of the season, but I trust their head coach and quarterback.

I’ve got to do this after the Citrus Bowl, where Bret Bielema and Beamer had that spat in what ended up being a win for Illinois. The Illini are a sneaky, sneaky, sneaky good team. This No. 10 ranking should signify that. They’ve got the experience in the right places to be a really good football team and they’ve got the schedule that’s probably going to land them in the CFP. Bielema’s building a tough, hard-nosed team, which is what you’d expect from him. They return 16 starters, including quarterback Luke Altmyer. Experience matters, as evidenced by the last two national championship winners. On top of all of that, they avoid Penn State, Oregon and Michigan. Ohio State is the only team on my top 25 that they’ve got a game against.

I struggled with trying to figure out where to put Alabama. It looks like Ty Simpson is the leader to be the starting quarterback. I like Kalen DeBoer, but I thought it was going to be better last year. Was it just not a fit between DeBoer and Jalen Milroe last year? Maybe. Simpson’s a former five-star and has been waiting three years for this chance. Ryan Grubb, who worked with DeBoer for years before becoming the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator last season, is on staff. He helped coach Michael Penix Jr. to a lot of success at Washington.

There are other reasons to be bullish on the Tide. LT Overton and Tim Keenan II are talented players along the defensive line. They’ve still got Ryan Williams at wide receiver and he’s one of the best players in the country. Offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor is one of my top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. There are a few other returnees who I like as well, so I’m in on the Tide.

This is another team I wasn’t really sure what to do with. I wanted to put Georgia higher just because it’s Georgia. Kirby Smart is becoming the standard bearer in the sport, with a quarterfinal loss in the CFP being viewed as a failure of a season, considering the success that program has had in recent years. The Bulldogs are set to start Gunner Stockton at quarterback. There are a lot of mixed opinions on Stockton and he could be a really quality player, but I haven’t seen that yet.

This team is going to have to win because its roster is better than other rosters. Georgia improved its wide receivers, which should help because its receiving corps was a hindrance last year, adding Zachariah Branch from USC and Noah Thomas from Texas A&M. You can bank on Georgia being dominant on defense, even if it’s losing players to the draft. There’s a trust level here, but I couldn’t rank Georgia higher than this because of its quarterback situation.

Continuing that quarterback point, I trust Garrett Nussmeier more than the quarterbacks of the other teams I’ve included in the top 10 so far. He’s going to be one of the top picks in the 2026 NFL Draft as he enters his fifth year with the program and second as its starting quarterback. The defense took a step forward under defensive coordinator Blake Baker. Linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. is among the returnees for LSU’s defense, coming back after tearing his ACL last year. The Tigers also have the top-ranked portal class, with 17 transfers coming in.

The only thing working against LSU is that I think Brian Kelly is going to have to take a team above what he’s ever taken a team and its schedule is tough. I don’t love that game against Clemson to start the year, and while LSU avoids Georgia and Texas, the Tigers have games against South Carolina, Florida, Texas A&M, Alabama, Ole Miss and Oklahoma.

The big question for Notre Dame is its quarterback. It looks like CJ Carr will start for the Fighting Irish following Steve Angeli’s decision to transfer. We know Notre Dame can pound the rock. Its offensive line is steady, returning five players who started at any point last season. Of course, Jeremiyah Love is running behind that group. He’s a phenomenal back and one of the best players in the country. Notre Dame also got some talent at wide receiver to go with Jaden Greathouse, landing slot receiver Will Pauling from Wisconsin and All-ACC receiver Malachi Fields from Virginia. Defensively, Notre Dame should be really good again, with Chris Ash replacing Al Golden at defensive coordinator. The former Ohio State defensive coordinator is one of the more underappreciated coordinators in the game.

Marcus Freeman is also a dynamic coach, lifting Notre Dame’s ceiling after Brian Kelly’s impressive run in South Bend. The schedule isn’t difficult, either. Notre Dame opens at Miami and if it wins that game, it’s going to the CFP. If Notre Dame beats Texas A&M, it could go undefeated in the regular season.

I really, really, really like Clemson, especially in a weaker ACC. Dabo Swinney has a team that’s capable of winning the national championship. This team is that good. Swinney has done it before and for all the criticism he’s gotten over the last couple of years, he’s stayed the course. He’s ridden the Clemson culture into creating a team that seems like a legitimate national title contender again. This team played really well against Texas in the CFP last year.

Cade Klubnik is back for his third season as Clemson’s starting quarterback. He took a big step forward with Garrett Riley as his offensive coordinator last year. The Tigers’ top-three receivers from last year are all back as well. I’m a huge fan of Tom Allen, who was brought in from Penn State to be their defensive coordinator. He gets to coach a defensive line that has studs, with two potential first-round picks in Peter Woods and T.J. Parker. Remember, Clemson’s best teams under Swinney have had great talent along the defensive line.

Clemson bookends its schedule with games against LSU and South Carolina. It avoids Miami in conference play.

Texas & Ohio State in Joel Klatt’s Post-Spring top 5 teams

We forgot about Dante Moore, who was a highly recruited quarterback who played for Chip Kelly as a freshman in 2023. He played behind a bad offensive line that year, and he had a rough game against Utah that year that caused his season to go south. Now, he’ll get another chance at starting after sitting behind Dillon Gabriel. He’s a good fit for offensive coordinator Will Stein’s system and a dark-horse Heisman candidate.

Moore will get to throw to Evan Stewart as the five-star wide receiver opted to return to Eugene. Incoming freshman Dakorien Moore could be this year’s Jeremiah Smith or Ryan Williams. Dan Lanning just continues to gather a pipeline of talent, landing the No. 1 transfer portal class based on average player ranking. I really love safety Dillon Thieneman out of Purdue, running back Makhi Hughes from Tulane and offensive tackle Isaiah World from Nevada.

Obviously, there are questions at quarterback for the Buckeyes, but there are a great number of NFL players they’ve got to replace, too. They had 14 players get drafted, nearly tying the record. Luckily for Ohio State, it has the two best players in the country. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs are back in Columbus. Whoever wins the quarterback battle will not only get to throw to Smith, but they’ll also have Carnell Tate and Brandon Innis to go along with some talented backs.

There are questions with the coaching staff as well, with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly going to the NFL and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles departing for Penn State. But Ryan Day opted to promote Brian Hartline to be the offensive coordinator as he’s been in-line for that job for a bit. He’s been the best position coach in America for the last five years and will be a head coach someday. It’s a bit of a wait-and-see with Matt Patricia at defensive coordinator, but we can’t wait too long as Ohio State opens the year against Texas.

It’s officially the Arch Manning Era in Austin. I believe he’ll be my Heisman front-runner entering the year. There are some questions surrounding the roster around Manning, particularly along the offensive line. However, Steve Sarkisian has continued to reload at Texas. It had the No. 1 recruiting class in the country to go with C.J. Baxter returning at running back and a really good wide receivers room.

The defense should be excellent and give that offensive line some time to get its feet wet. Colin Simmons is a star at defensive end. Anthony Hill Jr. should play at an All-American level again at linebacker. Michael Taaffe is a tremendous leader at safety.

Texas is absolutely back, and this might just be the year it gets over the final hump.

Penn State is following the blueprint of the teams that have recently won the national championship, which is why it’s in this spot. You look at what Michigan did in 2023 and Ohio State in 2024, both teams had a core group of veteran players stay. They each had veteran quarterbacks and were excellent at the line of scrimmage. They also had chips on their shoulders due to how their seasons ended in years prior.

All of that is true about Penn State. Drew Allar is back at quarterback. So are both running backs, Nicholas Singleton and Kayton Allen. Four starters are back on the offensive line. I like both of their coordinators, with Jim Knowles coming in to run the defense while Andy Kotelnicki is in Year 2 as the offensive coordinator.

The only question I have is at wide receiver. We saw how bad it was in the loss to Notre Dame, with Penn State’s receivers failing to get a catch in the Orange Bowl. The Nittany Lions added a few in the transfer portal, bringing in USC’s Kyron Hudson, Syracuse’s Trevor Pena (All-ACC slot receiver) and Troy’s Devonte Ross (All-Sun Belt). Can they help replace Tyler Warren? That remains to be seen.

I like this team a lot. It’s proven that it can beat the teams that it should beat. We haven’t seen Penn State win the game where it needs to step up and get the victory in what I call a matchup game, where the talent is equal. I believe Penn State can win those games as it got real close to doing so in 2024.

Just missed: Tennessee, SMU, Texas Tech, Missouri, Utah, Nebraska

Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.

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