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President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that may change the future of name, image and likeness in collegiate athletics. The order, titled “Saving College Sports,” notably discusses some current unknowns inside the NIL process. It also aims to introduce more policy and structure to existing NIL deals. Ever since a draft of the order was released a few weeks ago, it has sparked debate amongst many about the consequences for college sports.

This order has been drafted in sequence to the recent House v. NCAA settlement, which allows schools to share up to $20.5 million in revenue with athletes in exchange for their NIL rights. The decision has marked a significant change in college athletics, where student-athletes can benefit from more financial opportunities from the school. However, the executive order creates more uncertainty about what a student-athlete is and what they represent. For example, are they now an employee of the school? And, how is this fair from school to school?

Order details

The first key topic in the order relates to an increase in antitrust protection for colleges. This is important to prevent monopolies from being created in the realm of collegiate sports. The compensation limits in the House settlement may result in more lawsuits if Congress does not grant universities an antitrust exemption. There is currently an exemption being considered. However, the president does not have the right to grant antitrust exemptions. The order does ask, however, in a section titled “Legal Protections For College Athletics from Lawsuits,” that the Federal Trade Commission and Attorney General “review and, as necessary, revise” their policy and prepare litigation processes for future antitrust lawsuits.

Another key point in the order is the instruction to the National Labor Relations Board to officially decide student-employee status. If the NLRB were to keep college athletes as non-employees of the school and views them as amateur student-athletes, that would mean schools do not need to provide benefits, salaries and union rights, like the professional leagues do. It also would suggest universities would then be further protected against lawsuits involving athlete compensation and labor enforcement.

Debate

NIL has undoubtedly changed the game, as well as the consequences of House v NCAA. Athletes now have more control and say in their future, financially and in what team they can represent. However, NIL has many consequences and things that must be debated in the future. Players can now switch teams each year with no penalty, as well as being able to continuously look for the best deal, and sometimes not the best fit. Many argue that this has changed the culture of college sports, and maybe not for the better.

Last year, former legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban testified for a hearing on NIL rules with the Senate. He stated that players now show “less resiliency to overcome adversity” as well as claiming NFL coaches told him today’s players are too entitled, caring too much about college NIL money. But others argue that the players deserve payment since it’s their choice and their body they put on the line.

The NCAA is also having a debate on how to maintain and enforce recruitment and funding for the NIL boosters and agencies. A good example of an NIL booster is the Crimson Fund, in which Utah alumni and local companies can donate to help fund student-athletes. Currently, as there is no national standard for NIL boosters, many questions arise about who such boosters truly benefit. If we see a push for NIL rule uniformity, a potential result is an increased balance in teams that are not currently receiving these funds. This would allow players to go where their value is represented.

MSNBC writer Julie Hunyh gave her opinion on the matter, stating, “The world of college sports is already unrecognizable from what it was a few years ago, new conflicts are arising that haven’t existed before, and the NCAA’s inconsistencies against the shifting political landscape have left many athletes uncertain about their futures.”

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This isn’t your average college football ranking.

My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it’s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:

• Who do I think is good?
• Why do I think they’re good?
• What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?

Here is a look at where LSU lands in my Ultimate 136.

LSU Tigers ranking: 8
Last year’s ranking: 7
Top player: QB Garrett Nussmeier: Finished fifth in FBS in passing yards last season with 4,052; finished tied for eighth in pass TDs with 29.

[LSU’s 2025 schedule]

RJ’s take: LSU was active in the transfer portal and in retention of its roster. Not only does Tigers coach Brian Kelly get Nussmeier and LB Harold Perkins back for 2025, RB Caden Durham emerged as the bell cow back with 753 yards and ought to be a 1,000-yard back. He also added nine top 100 transfers, including former Florida State EDGE Patrick Payton, Kentucky WR Barion Brown and Oklahoma WR Nic Anderson.

Nussmeier ought to feel good with a 4,00-yard passing season behind him and reinforcements on the perimeter.

But 9-4 ain’t gonna cut it for Kelly in 2025. The roster was bought and paid for to go CFP hunting, and no one will feel that more than him. Apart from their opener against Clemson, LSU ought to be favored in every game it plays.

[Check out RJ Young’s Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]

LSU Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (-142) Under 8.5 (+116)

Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school’s rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I’ll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.

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This isn’t your average college football ranking. This is the full scope.

My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it’s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:

• Who do I think is good?
• Why do I think they’re good?
• What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?

Getting those answers required excessive reading and studying of rosters, transfer portal additions and attrition, 2025 recruiting classes, changes in coaches, changes in philosophy, changes in athletic department administration and grasping what the addition of two new FBS-level teams — Delaware and Missouri State — means to the landscape of the sport and where they fit in. 

In this ranking, you’ll find that I accounted for all of those details. You’ll find that I accounted for variables like strength of schedule, coaching continuity, star players and players I expect will become household names by season’s end.

None of that was as difficult as shaping this set of rankings into a piece that reflects my sensibilities within my traditional top 25, which often reflects who I think is most likely to win the national championship.

So where does your team land? Let’s rank ‘em — all 136 of ‘em.

Have an issue with my rankings? Get at me on X, Instagram or Threads — or by launching a full-blown diatribe at an unsuspecting bartender who happens to be in the line of fire when this reaches you. All I ask is that whatever you say, say it with your whole chest.

If Texas wins a national title for the first time in two decades, it’s because Quinn Ewers — a three-year starter for the Longhorns who went on to become a seventh-round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins — helped set the table to enjoy the meal. That’s Ewers’ legacy.

Make no mistake about it, though, this is now Arch Manning’s team, and he’s the best quarterback that the Longhorns have had since Vince Young. Manning was limited last year, but that didn’t stop him from throwing for 939 yards — including a 300-plus-yard game against Mississippi State — and rushing for 108 yards in relief of Ewers. He hasn’t beat anybody yet, but he has got a scarlet and gray opportunity coming his way in Week 1. We’ll draw a lot of conclusions from how he plays against defending national champion Ohio State on the road.

The running back room will be stout with CJ Baxter returning from injury and Quintrevion Wisner rushing for over 1,000 yards last year. Wideout Ryan Wingo figures to blossom alongside DeAndre Moore Jr., and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. ought to be an absolute terror on defense. There’s no more Kelvin Banks to hold down the left side of the offensive line, but at 6-foot-7 and 314 pounds with two starts under his belt, Trevor Goosby ought to have it handled.

The schedule isn’t doing Texas any favors with just three SEC games at Darrell K Royal, and the Longhorns have to face Georgia on the road this year. Still, it’s the most talented team Steve Sarkisian has had at Texas, and it’s the one that is supposed to win the national title right here, right now.

Texas Win Total Odds: Over 9.5 (-194) Under 9.5 (+156)

The Buckeyes don’t rebuild. They reload.

Losing 14 NFL Draft picks isn’t nothing, nor is an 0-4 record against Michigan since 2021. Not only is this year’s game against the Wolverines on the road in Ann Arbor, but Jeremiah Smith is guaranteeing a win(s) against the Wolverines.

“I just hate them,” Smith told The Athletic. “Just something about them. For the next two years, I promise you, I will not lose to them. I can’t lose to them in the next two years.”

Here’s the bottom line: Ohio State has Smith and safety Caleb Downs — arguably the top two players in the country on either side of the ball — on its roster. At the helm is Ryan Day, who elevated the best wide receiver coach in the country, Brian Hartline, to full-time offensive coordinator and playcaller and replaced his former defensive coordinator with an actual rocket scientist and three-time Super Bowl champ in Matt Patricia. Oh, and Day also replaced his 2024 starting quarterback with Julian Sayin, a former five-star and top-ranked recruit in the 2024 class.

Every unit on this team, outside perhaps the offensive line, is among the best in the country this year. Remember, last year’s offensive line had to fill holes at left tackle, left guard and center by midseason. Still, Ohio State managed to win a national title with four offensive guards on the line of scrimmage. This team has the chance to do what only Georgia has done in the College Football Playoff era: win back-to-back national titles. The talent is there.

Ohio State Win Total Odds: Over 10.5 (+104) Under 10.5 (-128)

Combine a sweetheart schedule with a program that has won 10 or more games across the last five full seasons, and you’re likely to get more of the same. Oregon is 25-3 over the past two years.

The most challenging game on Oregon’s schedule is at Penn State, a team it knows it can beat. The following week, the Ducks will play an Indiana team that has to cross two time zones in Eugene. Yes, they’ve got a cross-country flight from Eugene to Piscataway to play Rutgers, but you’re not going to pick against the Ducks there. No one will.

With Dante Moore viewed as the presumptive favorite to win the starting quarterback job and the addition of five-star wideout Dakorien Moore and defensive transfers Dillon Thieneman and Bear Alexander, the Ducks have a chance to win back-to-back Big Ten titles.

Oregon Win Total Odds: Over 10.5 (+120) Under 10.5 (-148)

The CJ Carr era begins in earnest with a group of playmakers led by running back Jeremiyah Love and wideouts Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison, who get to drop the “young and hungry” tag for the “experienced and hunting” one.

Carr, who is the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, will dictate who this team becomes this season. The Fighting Irish are set to return 11 starters from their national title runner-up team, a group that outscored their 2024 opponents 149-45 in the third quarter and converted nearly 73% of their fourth-down attempts. 

Marcus Freeman’s group should be more talented than any team they face this season, but remember, that didn’t stop Northern Illinois from taking down Notre Dame last year and making the Fighting Irish put the money in the bag.

Notre Dame Win Total Odds: Over 10.5 (+136) Under 10.5 (-168)

Georgia enters 2025 knowing who the starter at quarterback is and feeling good about the future of Gunner Stockton. Adding All-American Zachariah Branch to the receiving corps will be a real boon as he could impact the Bulldogs’ prowess down field and in the return game. Stockton and Branch could form a special duo, but Georgia has something against 1,000-yard receivers. There has only been one 1,000-yard receiver in a single season at Georgia since 2002, and it wasn’t Brock Bowers, George Pickens or A.J. Green. Terrence Edwards recorded 1,004 yards receiving 23 years ago while wearing a Georgia uniform, but Kirby Smart has proven he doesn’t need those big-number wideouts. He won back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022 without them. 

The Dawgs were given a medieval gauntlet last season with games at Texas, Ole Miss and Alabama. This year, Texas comes to Sanford Stadium. We’ve seen two different presidential administrations and a global pandemic since Georgia last lost at home (2019). 

Keep this in mind: 30 Georgia players, including 11 in the first round — an entire side of the ball — have been drafted since 2021. Smart is 105-19 in nine seasons at Georgia. The Dawgs will be there at the end — again.

Georgia Win Total Odds: Over 9.5 (-170) Under 9.5 (+138)

Dabo Swinney not only returns quarterback Cade Klubnik and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, but he added former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen to his program. Perhaps no team has proven more resilient in the CFP era than Swinney’s defending ACC champion Tigers, who have made the CFP seven out of the past 10 years.

Clemson gets an opportunity to throw down an early marker with LSU headed to (the real) Death Valley for a Week 1 top-10 showdown. Klubnik should be surrounded by plenty of talent at wide receiver, including Antonio Williams, T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr. The loss of wideout Troy Stellato to Kentucky could be made up by the return of Tyler Brown from injury. Count on Klubnik to improve on his 3,600-yard, 36-touchdown performance last year.

On the other side of the ball, Allen has some absolute studs on his defense. EDGE T.J. Parker notched 11 sacks last year, while linebacker Sammy Brown picked up 11.5 tackles for loss. Then there’s all 315 pounds of Peter Woods, who is the best defensive tackle Clemson has seen since Christian Wilkins.

Clemson Win Total Odds: Over 9.5 (-230) Under 9.5 (+184)

As I wrote last month, James Franklin will have the core of his 2024 team ready and willing in 2025. Quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and linebacker Dani Dennis-Sutton hope to lead the Nittany Lions back to the CFP after falling just seconds short of earning the chance to play for the national title. 

A total of 14 starters return this season, while the best defensive coordinator in the country, Jim Knowles, arrives after helping lead Ohio State to a national title last season. He joins offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who is entering a year when he’ll have talented wideouts on the perimeter. That’s fine, but I can’t really take this team seriously to win a national title. That’s on Franklin, who is 0-7 against Ohio State and Michigan over the past four years and 1-15 against AP top-five opponents. You’ll see Penn State ranked No. 1 almost everywhere else, but you won’t see an argument for why outside “they’re due.” So is the rent. One is getting paid this January come hell or high water. 

And unlike Penn State, my checks don’t bounce.

Penn State Win Total Odds: Over 10.5 (+104) Under 10.5 (-128)

Not only does Brian Kelly get quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, linebacker Harold Perkins and running back Caden Durham back in 2025, but he also adds nine top-100 transfers, including former Florida State EDGE Patrick Payton, Kentucky receiver Barion Brown and Oklahoma wideout Nic Anderson.

Nussmeier ought to feel good with a 4,00-yard passing season behind him and reinforcements on the perimeter, but 9-4 isn’t going to cut it for Kelly in 2025. The roster was bought and paid for to go CFP hunting, and no one will feel that more than him. Apart from the opener against Clemson, LSU should be favored in every game it plays.

LSU Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (-142) Under 8.5 (+116)

No program has more appearances (eight) or wins (nine) or national titles (three) in the CFP era than Alabama. The pressure is on Kalen DeBoer to continue that run of success. He must make the CFP in its 12-team format, or Alabama might just ask Nick Saban to return and replace the guy he handpicked.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe and running back Justice Haynes are gone, but freshman phenom Ryan Williams remains. Ty Simpson will be the one throwing the ball to Williams in Week 1, and just how ready will Jam Miller be to carry the load in the backfield? Defensively, Deontae Lawson will set the tone. He has been steady in the middle with at least 67 tackles and 2.0 sacks each of the past two years.

Alabama has non-conference games against Florida State and Wisconsin in the first three weeks and then a balanced breakfast from Week 5 to Week 13, which includes games at Georgia, vs. Vanderbilt, at Missouri, vs. Tennessee, at South Carolina, vs. LSU and vs. Oklahoma. By then, we’ll know who’s playing for what in the Iron Bowl.

Alabama Win Total Odds: Over 9.5 (-114) Under 9.5 (-106)

John Mateer and Jaydn Ott should form one of the two best QB-RB duos in the SEC behind Manning and Baxter at Texas. Mateer followed 29-year-old offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State with the hope of being the kind of change agent Baker Mayfield was at Oklahoma. Last year, Mateer passed for 3,139 and rushed for 826 yards. If he can do the same with the Sooners, he’ll stick 10 wins on the board. Ott will be joined by three-year letter winner Jovantae Barnes to help form a duo that is fast and powerful. Barnes rushed for 577 yards in just nine games last year. When he was last healthy, Ott was a 1,300-yard rusher at Cal. The backfield is talented.

Brent Venables has now had two losing seasons at Oklahoma, the first coach to hold that statistic since John Blake. But Venables is calling the defense again with at least two studs at every level: EDGE R Mason Thomas, linebacker Kip Lewis and safety Peyton Bowen among them. Michigan comes to Norman in Week 2, while Oklahoma goes on the road to South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama.

Oklahoma Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-184) Under 6.5 (+148)

Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers rewrote the school record book with the program’s first 10-win and 11-win season, an appearance in the CFP and just two losses — both to teams who played in the national title game (Ohio State and Notre Dame). He’s looking to run it back this year with former Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who led the Golden Bears to consecutive bowl game appearances and threw for over 3,000 yards last season. 

Indiana returns 16 starters from that 11-win team, and if Mendoza can be as good as Kurtis Rourke was, the Hoosiers might deliver another special season. This team went undefeated last season when rushing for 122 or more yards in a game, which means that former Maryland back Roman Hemby should enjoy playing in an offense that starts fast and feasts on its run-game. Indiana outscored opponents 108-20 in the first quarter last season.

Let’s not forget how good Cignetti has been at developing players, as well as acquiring them in the portal. Junior defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker began his career at James Madison and was responsible for 29 tackles with five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks as a freshman. Last year at Indiana, Tucker had 24 tackles, including five for loss and 2.5 sacks. Like Oregon, Indiana ought to fall forward and get to 10 wins. The only teams on the Hoosiers’ schedule ranked among my top 25 are Illinois, Penn State and Oregon.

Indiana Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+110) Under 8.5 (-134)

After signing prized recruit Bryce Underwood, the nation’s No. 1 quarterback in the 2025 class, and former Fresno State signal-caller Mikey Keene, Sherrone Moore has two options ready to lift the Wolverines’ most worrisome, underperforming position last season. It’s looking like Underwood is going to start as a true freshman, which is fine, but without a receiver on the roster who accounted for more than 260 yards receiving, it’s an open question as to who he is going to throw the ball to. It also means the running back duo of Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall are going to get a lot of work.

I can’t emphasize this stat enough: the Wolverines averaged just 5.4 yards per pass attempt in 2024 and still won eight games while defeating the national champions. That kind of number is usually a service academy statistic.

Michigan lost seven players to the 2025 NFL Draft, including Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, who formed the top defensive tackle duo in the country. Wink Martindale has enough talent to find a way to field a top-10 defense, but it probably won’t be from stopping folks running up the middle.

Michigan Win Total Odds: Over 9.5 (+142) Under 9.5 (-176)

Josh Heupel’s program made its first appearance in the CFP last season, but they lost quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the biggest offseason story of the year. Iamaleava’s move to hold out of spring practice and threaten to enter the portal if he wasn’t provided a raise in NIL pay led to Tennessee parting ways with him. Iamaleava landed at UCLA, while projected Bruins starter Joey Aguilar transferred to Tennessee in what looked like a trade but serves as a sign of the times for those who lived through it. Aguilar has thrown for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns over the past two seasons at Appalachian State, and he should have help with Notre Dame transfer Sam Pendleton and returning left tackle Lance Heard up front.

Over the past three years, the Volunteers are 23-0 when they run for at least 185 yards in a game. DeSean Bishop, Peyton Lewis and Star Thomas are among those who will be tasked with helping Tennessee reach that magical 185 mark in 2025. Jermod McCoy, Bryson Eason and Joshua Josephs might be the three best players on the team, and they all play defense. McCoy led the Vols with 13 passes defended and four interceptions last season, while Eason and Joseph combined for 16 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.

The Vols open SEC play against Georgia, a team it hasn’t beaten since 2016. Games against Oklahoma, Florida and Syracuse round out a tough schedule.

Tennessee Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+100) Under 8.5 (-122)

It’s Year 6 of the Lane Kiffin experience in Oxford, and the program has not been this consistently good since a run from 1954-62, when the Rebels won nine or more games in every one of those seasons.

Kiffin added former Penn State receiver Tre Wallace to give projected starting quarterback Austin Simmons yet another playmaker who can stretch the field. After building a roster capable of making the CFP for the first time last year, the Rebels will look to follow through on their promise in 2025.

Simmons bulldogged Georgia last season, leading a 75-yard, 10-play touchdown drive with starter Jaxson Dart sidelined for a series in their upset of the SEC champions. If Simmons and Wallace can form the kind of tandem Dart and former star wideout Tre Harris did, the Rebels might battle for that last spot in the CFP. And they might need to with back-to-back games on the road at Georgia and Oklahoma to finish October.

Ole Miss Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (-120) Under 8.5 (-102)

Missouri has been a force in the Eli Drinkwitz era. The program cemented back-to-back double-digit-win seasons for the first time since 2013-14, and that’s in large part due to how quickly and efficiently it adapted to the NIL era.

The addition of former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula adds an element we haven’t seen from Drinkwitz in some time — a playmaker in the pocket with a set of wheels. Pribula rushed for 242 yards on just 38 rushes with nine touchdowns at Penn State last year and will look to partner with wideout Kevin Coleman, who accounted for 932 receiving yards at Mississippi State in 2024. However, Mizzou’s success is likely to depend on Louisiana-Monroe transfer Ahmad Hardy, who rushed for 1,351 yards last year — tops among true freshmen. The defense looks sneakily good with nine returning starters from a group that allowed 20.4 points and 318 yards per game.

With a whopping eight home games on the schedule and road matchups at Auburn, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Arkansas, there’s reason to believe Mizzou can contend for a spot in the 12-team CFP.

Missouri Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-170) Under 6.5 (+138)

Bret Bielema coached the Fighting Illini to their first 10-win season since 2001 last year. His team is capable of contending for the Big Ten title in 2025, especially with the unprecedented Year 1 success of Indiana — for which all turnarounds will be measured.

Illinois avoids Michigan, Penn State and Oregon on the schedule, and Bielema returns 19 starters this season. If you didn’t know that, I wonder if he simply hasn’t tweeted about it yet?

Illinois Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+144) Under 8.5 (-178)

After falling just short of earning a spot in the CFP, Shane Beamer bolstered his roster with former Ohio State quarterback Air Noland to push fellow signal-caller LaNorris Sellers. The addition of former Utah State star Rahsul Faison — a tailback who rushed for 1,109 yards and eight touchdowns last season — is perhaps his best, though.

Sellers put up 3,208 total yards and 25 total touchdowns last season in an offense that I called “Getting It Done.” The Gamecocks turned most games into a fistfight and earned ranked wins against three opponents, finishing with nine total victories for the first time since 2017. Defensively, 6-foot-6, 245-pound edge rusher Dylan Stewart figures to ascend. He was one of the top true freshmen in the country with 6.5 sacks last season.

Beamer took over a 2-8 team in 2022 and turned it into a nine-win one by the end of 2024. If he can turn last year’s nine wins into 11 this year, the Gamecocks could play for the SEC title.

South Carolina Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+128) Under 7.5 (-158)

Mario Cristobal lost Cam Ward to the NFL, but he added the most accomplished quarterback in the 2025 transfer portal cycle in former Georgia signal-caller Carson Beck. The Hurricanes have not won a conference title in 22 years and fell one win short of competing for their first ACC title since 2017. Miami has steadily improved under Cristobal, going from 5-7 in 2022 to 10-3 in 2024. With Beck behind center, the Hurricanes have yet another chance to earn entry into the CFP if Cristobal and his game-management don’t get in the way like it has in the past. 

It might take an ACC title for Miami fans to let go of how Cristobal’s team collapsed in the final four minutes of their loss to Syracuse last year.

Miami (Fla.) Win Total Odds: Over 9.5 (+124) Under 9.5 (-152)

In his first season as a starter, quarterback Avery Johnson set the program record for passing touchdowns (25) while throwing for 2,712 yards, and adding 605 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. He was one of just four Power 4 quarterbacks to pass for 2,700 yards and rush for 600 yards last year. In Year 2, Johnson and running back Dylan Edwards will make up one of the fastest backfields in the sport. Along with Johnson and Edwards, nine starters return from last year’s team, including five on the defense.

K-State has won nine or more games in each of the past three years. Chris Klieman has kept expectations high with this year looking like his best chance to earn the Wildcats’ first CFP invitation.

Kansas State Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (-110) Under 8.5 (-110)

Despite a 1-4 finish, Mike Elko’s program won eight games with two losses to programs who ended up in the semifinals of the 2024 CFP. Elko hit the portal this offseason and added playmakers at receiver in Micah Hudson, KC Concepcion and Mario Craver.

Marcel Reed leads a QB room that also features 6-foot-5, 185-pound true freshman Brady Hart, who walks onto campus at age 16. After throwing for more than 7,900 yards with 81 touchdowns — including 508 yards passing in a Florida 2A semifinal against Cardinal Mooney (Florida) — I would not be shocked to find him taking snaps in earnest if Reed doesn’t show he should keep the job come fall.

Texas A&M Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-172) Under 7.5 (+140)

It’s simple for the Gators. If they play the entire 2025 season like they played the last three games of 2024, then they can and should win 10 games for the first time in the Billy Napier era. Remember, there were two ranked wins at the end of their schedule, and the Gators damn near knocked off Georgia in “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.”

DJ Lagway, at 6-foot-3 and 239 pounds, should be ready to drive a fast car down the straights of Florida’s non-conference schedule and can be tossed into corners for the wheel-to-wheel combat that is the SEC slate. The Gators went 6-0 when Lagway started and finished the game. 

Early on the throttle, late on the brakes and steal their racing line, Florida. Let me see what you can do with this car, Napier. At 19-19 through three seasons, he needs to win big this season.

Florida Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+106) Under 7.5 (-130)

After watching Arizona State go from 3-9 to 11-3, Texas Tech is right to think: “Why not us?” 

Despite leading the Big 12 in points per game (37.8) and yards per game (462.8) last year, Texas Tech finished 8-5, and the Red Raiders have decided to go all in to win the league in 2025.

Joey McGuire & Co. spent $10 million in NIL money to acquire 17 players during the winter transfer window with an emphasis on front-loading contracts in anticipation of the House v. NCAA settlement that would cap earnings for players. The result was adding former USC running back Quinten Joyner and former Houston tackle Howard Sampson, among others, in a push to win the Big 12 title. The gambit isn’t new. Ole Miss tried it and failed, but with billionaires like Cody Campbell, it’s a bet worth placing for a program that wants to win championships.

Texas Tech Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (-154) Under 8.5 (+126)

The Sun Devils retired the Big 12’s preseason media poll all by themselves. Picked to finish last in a 16-team league last year, Arizona State proceeded to go from 3-9 to 11-3 with a Big 12 title and quarterfinal appearance in the CFP.

Kenny Dillingham’s team returns star quarterback Sam Leavitt, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and EDGE Clayton Smith to a team that expects to finish right where it ended last year. Leavitt passed for nearly 3,000 yards last season and created a dynamic partnership with Tyson, who caught 75 passes for 1,101 yards with 10 touchdowns.

Former Army standout Kanye Udoh figures to be RB1 after rushing for 1,117 yards at 6.0 yards per carry last year. Still, replacing Cam Skattebo might prove to be a group effort.

Arizona State Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+102) Under 8.5 (-124)

When Rhett Lashlee’s Mustangs suffer a loss in the regular season against ACC competition, it will be their first. It’s important to note that SMU made the CFP before the likes of USC, Wisconsin and Florida. The Mustangs got crushed by Penn State, but it was a loss that capped off the best season in Dallas since the Cowboys won the Super Bowl in 1995.

We know quarterback Kevin Jennings can play. He threw for 3,245 yards and 28 touchdowns, even after not being the Day 1 starter last year. We don’t know if he’s capable of winning in the big moments, and that’s what SMU is chasing.

SMU Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (-124) Under 8.5 (+102)

Deion Sanders has his quarterback of the present and future in former Liberty star Kaidon Salter and five-star freshman Julian Lewis, respectively. While the void left by Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter is sizable, few have pillaged the portal for players who can perform like Coach Prime.

With Salter as the penciled starter, the Buffaloes will run the ball better because his legs can fix a lot of broken plays in what has been a pass-happy offense. Salter rushed for over 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns at Liberty. If a running back or two — like Dallan Hayden or Micah Welch — breaks loose, Colorado could be balanced in its offensive attack. The Buffs were 8-0 when rushing for 50 yards or more last season.

But Hunter’s 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns and LaJohntay Wester’s 74 catches for 931 yards with 10 touchdowns will be a group effort to make up. Omarion Miller, Dre’lon Miller, Florida State transfer Hykeem Williams, Tulsa transfer Joseph Williams and FCS Campbell transfer Sincere Brown will have to try. Brown caught 61 passes for 1,028 yards for the Camels last year and might be an emerging star for Colorado.

Alabama transfer Jaheim Oatis figures to play an important role in replacing B.J. Green’s production on the defensive line. Linebacker Arden Walker stepped up last year with 4.5 sacks. Carter Stoutmire and DJ McKinney form a secondary that should give defensive coordinator Robert Livingston everything he needs to be competitive in 2025.

Colorado Win Total Odds: Over 5.5. (-120) Under (-102)

26. USC Trojans

Lincoln Riley returns Jayden Maiava, who threw for 1,201 yards, 11 TDs and six INTs in four games last season. He bombarded Notre Dame for 360 passing yards and led a comeback win against Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl.

USC’s 4-5 start last year could’ve easily been a 9-0 start if just half-a-dozen plays went the other way. The Trojans could’ve been the team we talked about like we did Indiana, who made the CFP before USC did.

This season, the Trojans won’t have to play against Ohio State, Penn State or the aforementioned Hoosiers. They travel to Purdue, Illinois, Nebraska and Oregon for Big Ten games, so the travel across two time zones might cost them one or two games. 

USC Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-158) Under 7.5 (+128)

27. Louisville Cardinals

Jeff Brohm returns a whopping 17 upperclassmen starters from a team that knocked off 2024 ACC champion Clemson by two scores on the road.

The Cardinals got to 10 wins and could get there again with QB Miller Moss, who should partner well with wideout Chris Bell. Running backs Duke Watson and Isaac Brown will be formidable if the offensive line comes together, but that might take some time with numerous additions out of the portal.

On defense, the Cardinals added Abilene Christian transfer Jerry Lawson, who had 14 tackles for loss vs. lower-level competition. He’s one of 30 new faces that came to Louisville through the portal — after 28 exited.

Louisville Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (-162) Under 8.5 (+132)

28. Iowa State Cyclones

While Indiana rightfully made itself known as the comeback story of 2024, all Matt Campbell and QB Rocco Becht did was lead the Cyclones to their best season in program history with 11 wins and their second appearance in the Big 12 title game in four years.

Becht, who threw for 3,823 yards with 33 TDs, will be on the short list of players who can make a play for the league’s best offensive player in 2025.

Iowa State Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+112) Under 7.5 (-138)

29. Iowa Hawkeyes

The addition of former South Dakota State All-American quarterback Mark Gronowski is the best recruit Kirk Ferentz has ever had at the position. Gronowski has passed for over 10,000 yards, won the Walter Payton Award — best offensive player in the FCS — and is 49-6 as a starter.

Hawkeye fans have ached for a functional passing offense for nearly a decade, and they got a taste of that last year before Cade McNamara went down with injury. This year, they’ll get a QB who is not just a capable passer, but a runner to pair with Phil Parker’s defense.

Iowa Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+136) Under 7.5 (-168)

30. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Just last season, Huskers fans celebrated their first trip to a bowl game in eight years. And, in that way, the Matt Rhule era is doing what it’s supposed to. Heading into Year 3 with a QB who enjoyed a brilliant true freshman season in Dylan Raiola, a coordinator who is as inventive as he is entertaining in Dana Holgorsen and a clear vision for how to win in the modern era, it’s time for Nebraska to compete for championships.

In Year 3 at Temple, Rhule won 10 games. In Year 3 at Baylor, he won 11. It’s not out of the question for the Huskers to win double-digit games this season with a schedule that features just two teams ranked among my preseason top 25 —Michigan and Penn State— and only one of those is on the road. In fact, the Huskers go on the road just four times this season.

Nebraska Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-140) Under 7.5 (+114)

31. Houston Cougars

Willie Fritz’s Cougars came on strong at the end of last season and that showed up in the numbers. Despite a 4-8 finish, 2-7 in conference, Houston finished fourth in total defense and second in scoring in the league.

Houston hit the portal and added QB Conner Weigman, who has completed 60% of his passes for 2,964 yards with 19 TDs and seven INTs in 15 games. He’s a former five-star and has the tools to be one of the best QBs in the country this year.

Houston Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (-192) Under (+152)

32. Syracuse Orange

Did Syracuse win 10 games? Yes. Did Syracuse take advantage of a weak schedule? Yes. Did Syracuse lose to a Pitt team that collapsed in the second half like a man with two suddenly broken legs? Yes. Did Syracuse lose to an awful Stanford team at home? You’re sensing a theme, aren’t you?

There’s no more Kyle McCord, who was the best QB Syracuse put on the field since Donovan McNabb. Steve Angeli and Rickie Collins are unproven, but whoever wins the job will have a chance to earn a resounding win against Tennessee in non-conference play. Worry about playing at Clemson, at Miami and at Notre Dame later.

What will we see from Johntay Cook this year? If Fran Brown has wrapped his arms around him and can keep him focused, there’s a 1,500-yard receiving talent wearing orange this year.

Syracuse Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+156) Under 5.5 (-194)

33. Kansas Jayhawks

Lance Leipold is breaking in a new offensive coordinator for the third year after the last two left him for the Big Ten (Jeff Grimes, Wisconsin; Andy Kotelnicki, Penn State). Quarterback Jalon Daniels is back, while Leipold searches for a tailback who can replace three-time 1,000-yard rusher Devin Neal. But that’s a good problem. 

While Kansas lost 39 seniors, there’s an opportunity for the Jayhawks to lean into their youth and inexperience while playing in a brand-new stadium. D.K. McDonald got promoted after helping put together a defense that allowed just 26 points per game in 2024 — fewest at KU since 2007. 

Kansas Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+142) Under (-176)

34. Florida State Seminoles

You can’t fall much farther than Florida State did last year. After a 13-1 season and an ACC title, they began the 2024 campaign ranked as a top-10 team, only to finish an utterly disastrous 2-10. Mike Norvell fired both his offensive and defensive coordinators and brought in his mentor and former boss, Gus Malzahn, to run the offense.

Thomas Castellanos, who is projected to start under center in 2025, has already poked the elephant. He wants Bama.

“They don’t have Nick Saban to save them,” he told On3. “I just don’t see them stopping me.”

Forget bulletin board material: I wouldn’t be surprised to see that quote on billboards all across the state of Alabama.

Florida State Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+160) Under 7.5 (-200)

35. North Carolina Tar Heels

Bill Belichick is one of the best NFL coaches who has ever lived, certainly the best ever in the salary cap era. However, at 72, he’s a relative novice in this sport.

There are those obvious figures like Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer and Pete Carroll, all of whom were head coaches in the NFL and at the Power 4 level. Each won at least one Super Bowl and a national title. But what Belichick is attempting to do is more like what Deion Sanders has done at Colorado. 

Belichick is a coach with a once-in-a-lifetime résumé, but he is set to take over a program that lacks an identity apart from some success with Mack Brown. He’s building an NFL-style coaching staff and hopes to hit the ground running with a roster culled from the transfer portal. It took Sanders one year at Colorado to get it right.

I dare Bill Belichick to do better.

North Carolina Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+136) Under 7.5 (-168)

36. Vanderbilt Commodores

Vanderbilt beat a No. 1-ranked team for the first time in school history last year. That it came against Alabama made it that much sweeter for a program that has been ranked a total of seven weeks in nearly 70 years. They were voted into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2013 last October, and Clark Lea has a better roster this year than last year.

Diego Pavia returns for one more year, his sixth of college football, and will do it as the only player to win Conference USA Player of the Year and SEC Newcomer of the Year. His partnership with tight end Eli Stowers will be crucial. If the tandem can be All-SEC again — Pavia was second team and Stowers was first team — there’s no reason Vandy can’t improve in 2025 and seven wins will become the new norm in Nashville.

Vanderbilt Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (-188) Under 4.5 (+152)

37. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Yellow Jackets felt so good about winning seven games last year that they made rings to commemorate it. While that might sound odd, consider Tech beat two top-10 teams and nearly beat Georgia in an eight-overtime thriller.

Quarterback Haynes King is back for Brent Key. The addition of a top 25 recruiting class, woefully underrated receivers Dean Patterson and Eric Rivers, and former Ole Miss EDGE Ronald Triplette serve to make the Yellow Jackets a team nobody will want to play.

Georgia Tech Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-164) Under 7.5 (+134)

38. Arizona Wildcats

After a remarkable 2023 run that saw the Wildcats finish 10-3 with a win against Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl, Arizona looked like it might be a trendy pick for the 12-team CFP. Instead, former head coach Jedd Fisch left for Washington, Brent Brennan took over, and the Wildcats finished 4-8 while squandering one of the best QB-WR duos in the sport in Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan.

Fifita put up similar passing yards in 2023 and 2024, but he threw twice as many INTs (12) and seven fewer TDs (18) as he did the previous year. But Fifita was still better offensively than Brennan’s defense, a unit that gave up 413 yards and 32 points per game — up from 21 points per game in 2023. 

Arizona Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (-106) Under 5.5 (-114)

39. Auburn Tigers

Hugh Freeze has stocked the cupboard with “Next Man Up” if QB Jackson Arnold gets off to the start he did at Oklahoma. That’s why Deuce Knight and Ashton Daniels are in Auburn. That’s the highest-ranked player in Auburn’s 2025 class and a two-year starter at Stanford, respectively.

Transfer Eric Singleton will join Cam Coleman to create a strong wide receiver pairing for Freeze, but the loss of all four starters in the secondary might show itself sooner rather than later with a Week 1 matchup at Baylor, as well as games at Oklahoma and Texas A&M all before Week 6.

Auburn Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-162) Under 7.5 (+132)

40. Boise State

Life without Ashton Jeanty gets real for Boise State when the Broncos visit Notre Dame in Week 6. Spencer Danielson’s team should have one of the best running back rooms in the Group of 6 with former Fresno State RB Malik Sherrod and Jambres Dubar. They also return a couple of solid pass-catchers to help Maddux Madden in tight end Matt Lauter (619 receiving yards, seven TDs in 2024) and wideout Latrell Caples (473 receiving yards, five TDs).

Madsen should throw for at least 3,000 yards once more and put the Broncos in contention to return to the CFP.

Boise State Win Total Odds: Over 10.5 (+126) Under 10.5 (-154)

41. TCU Horned Frogs

Sonny Dykes’ team has been trying to regain their form since playing in the 2022 national title game. But after the worst major bowl loss in history and dropping the season-opener at home to Colorado in 2023, the Horned Frogs have been simply OK — until the last third of the 2024 season.

The program finished 9-4 after a 3-3 start, fifth in the Big 12. Once they stopped turning the ball over, QB Josh Hoover put on his cape and carried a team that simply couldn’t run the ball well, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry. 

In a deep league, TCU can still catch fire and find a way to get back to the Big 12 title game.

TCU Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-178) Under 6.5 (+142)

42. Duke Blue Devils

Manny Diaz finished 9-4 in a year that would’ve been for rebuilding in the “Before Times.” But in the modern era, you can flip on the transfer portal and NIL switch and put together a winner. Diaz aims to do that again after bringing in former Tulane QB Darian Mensah, former Oklahoma wideout Andrel Anthony, and retaining four defenders in Chandler Rivers, Wesley Williams, Vincent Anthony and Aaron Hall, who combined for 34 tackles for loss in 2024.

Outside a Week 2 matchup with Illinois and a Week 3 game at Tulane, the schedule is manageable. If Duke walks into Death Valley on Nov. 1 as a one-loss team, the Blue Devils will be in the mix for the CFP.

Duke Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-200) Under 6.5 (+160)

43. Pittsburgh Panthers

After starting the season 7-0 and finishing with six consecutive losses, the word for the season in Pittsburgh is “finish.” The 2025 bones of this team look similar to the 2024 one, with Eli Holstein back from injury at QB, Desmond Reid back at running back, and four players on Pat Narduzzi’s defense who accounted for eight tackles for loss or more. None of them are better than Kyle Louis, who has notched 17.

The first half of Pitt’s schedule is difficult with games against Louisville, at Florida State and at Syracuse before Oct. 11. But the Panthers finish with games against Notre Dame, at Georgia Tech and against Miami. 

Pittsburgh Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+112) Under 6.5 (-138)

44. Baylor Bears

Dave Aranda’s team won six of their last seven games last season, with their loss coming to LSU. In Year 6, Aranda believes he has the most talented team he’s ever had in Waco, Texas. And remember, his team finished 12-2 in 2021.

Pairing offensive coordinator Jake Spavital with QB Sawyer Robertson could prove lethal for the Big 12. Robertson didn’t win the job in preseason camp last year, and he still finished with 3,071 passing yards, 32 total TDs and eight INTs.

The Bears get a chance to lay down a marker against Auburn in Week 1 and SMU in Week 2. And those are the toughest opponents they play before Arizona State. Ten wins is possible, if Aranda is right about his team’s talent.

Baylor Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-105) Under 7.5 (-115)

45. Memphis Tigers

There’s a lot riding on transfer QB Brendon Lewis, who threw for 2,290 yards with 16 TDs and seven INTs in 2024. However, this is his sixth year of college football and teams like Oregon and Louisville saw the benefit of that experience on the field last season. He’ll have a veteran in Greg Desrosiers Jr. in the backfield with him. Desrosiers has averaged 7.5 yards per carry over the last two years with a small sample size.

Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield loaded up in the portal, adding six new linebackers and 10 new defensive backs. Former Florida State safety Omarion Cooper could be the gem in this portal class. Silverfield has won twice as many games as he’s lost, going 42-21 in five years. Winning the American title this season is within reach.

Memphis Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+108) Under 8.5 (-130)

46. Tulane Green Wave

This program has won 32 games in the last three years, including going 9-5 under Jon Sumrall last season. However, QB Darian Mensah signed an $8 million NIL deal to play at Duke. Makhi Hughes left for Oregon. Alex Bauman left for Miami. Rayshawn Pleasant left for Auburn, and Parker Petersen left for Wisconsin. Eight players left Tulane to join Power 4 programs in 2025.

Former Iowa QB Brendan Sullivan and Ball State QB Kadin Semonza were projected to be on top of the depth chart, but Jake Retzlaff recently enrolled at Tulane after electing to withdraw from BYU. Last year, Retzlaff threw for 2,947 yards and 20 TDs on an 11-win team.

Still, of the 20 transfers Sumrall brought in this offseason, all have played at least one game at the FBS level. 

Tulane Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+106) Under 8.5 (-130)

47. Boston College Eagles

If Grayson James is Boston College’s starter at QB, Bill O’Brien will be fine with that. If it turns out to be former Alabama QB Dylan Lonergan, he’ll probably feel like he did when he sat Thomas Castellanos in favor of James late last year.

Castellanos hit the portal not long after James brought BC back to upset Syracuse and then led the team to two more wins. The Eagles came apart after a 4-1 start, losing five of their final eight games to finish 7-6 on the year. However, both Lewis Bond and Reed Harris emerged as potential stars at receiver during that span.

If Turbo Richard finds the boost, expect BC’s offense to sustain its top speed. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry on just 55 rushes last year.

Boston College Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+108) Under 5.5 (-132)

48. UCLA Bruins

As QB Nico Iamaleava’s relationship with Tennessee grew more acrimonious, it became clear that a divorce was in the making. DeShaun Foster saw an opportunity, and he took it.

In what looked like a straight swap, projected Bruins starter Joey Aguilar transferred to Tennessee after Iamaleava transferred to UCLA. With Iamaleava at QB, the team feels like it should have a better passing attack, another capable rusher on the field at all times and a playmaker when plays break down. But that won’t matter much if UCLA doesn’t improve its rushing attack after ranking 132nd among 134 FBS teams last season.

The slate isn’t kind either. UCLA will take on Utah and UNLV in its non-conference schedule, while also playing Penn State, at Indiana, Nebraska, at Ohio State and at USC.

UCLA Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+126) Under 5.5 (-154)

49. Washington Huskies 

The Huskies need to win their first three games, including their always-entertaining Apple Cup matchup with Washington State, if they expect to be taken seriously by the CFP selection committee. The schedule includes Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, Illinois and Michigan.

But a generational quarterback might be able to help the Huskies win some of those games, as Demond Williams has that kind of talent. With Denzel Boston returning and Penn State receiver Omari Evans joining the team, he’ll have weapons on the outside. If Jonah Coleman can rush for 1,000 yards and 10 scores again, yes, the Huskies might be pretty good.

Washington Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+104) Under 7.5 (-128)

50. James Madison Dukes

Alonza Barnett II threw for nearly 2,600 yards with 26 TDs and just four INTs before suffering a leg injury against Marshall last year. Along with a healthy Ayo Adeyi, a 1,000-yard rusher at North Texas in 2023, Bob Chesney has the tools to put up points in the Sun Belt.

Chesney added 13 defensive transfers, including five out of the FCS and former Notre Dame defensive Aiden Gobaira. If EDGE Xavier Holmes and LB JT Kouame-Yao can notch double-digit tackles for loss like they did at Maine and Shepherd, respectively, expect this defense to be tough.

James Madison Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+108) Under 8.5 (-132)

51. Wisconsin Badgers

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Wisconsin is best when it runs the ball. Since the final game of the 2022 season, the Badgers are 12-0 when they rush for 150-plus yards. So, after the Badgers rushed for their fewest yards in a full season since the turn of the 20th century, it’s easy to see why Phil Longo was no longer fit to call the offense.

Making matters worse in 2024 was the 20.8 points per game the team averaged, which was its lowest in a full season since 2004. Now, Jeff Grimes takes over as offensive coordinator after overseeing a Kansas offense that ranked in the top 15 in rushing and produced a 1,000-yard rusher in Devin Neal. He had better get it sorted out fast with games at Alabama, vs. Iowa, at Michigan, at Oregon, vs. Ohio State and at Indiana this season.

Wisconsin Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+138) Under 5.5 (-170)

52. Kentucky Wildcats

It’s hard to find another SEC coach who likes SEC transfers more than Mark Stoops. This year, Stoops brings in former Texas A&M QB Zach Calzada (by way of Incarnate Word), Oklahoma RB Seth McGowan (by way of New Mexico State), Alabama WR Kendrick Law and Oklahoma WR J.J. Hester.

Calzada and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia are the only QBs playing this year who have beaten No. 1-ranked Alabama, and Calzada did it with Nick Saban on the sideline. Stoops will need that kind of mojo after a 4-8 season that left many Kentucky fans wondering just how it got that bad this fast? 

Perhaps this is the time to remind Kentucky fans that Texas, Florida, Tennessee and Ole Miss all come to Lexington in 2025.

Kentucky Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (-105) Under 4.5 (-115)

53. North Carolina State Wolfpack

If last season felt like an anomaly for the Wolfpack, that’s because it was. NC State has been bankable for at least seven wins in 12 of the last 15 years and suffered just three losing seasons during that time. The Wolfpack could reach bowl eligibility by Week 6 this season, with Duke being the toughest opponent they face before playing Notre Dame on Oct. 11.

They’ll be helped by returning the same starter at quarterback for the first time in seven years. CJ Bailey entered midseason after Grayson McCall went down with injury and played admirably as a freshman, completing 64.9% of his passes for 2,413 yards with 17 TDs and 10 INTs. With the better part of a season of experience, he ought to be good enough to return the Wolfpack to the nine-win total they’re used to seeing.

North Carolina State Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+110) Under 6.5 (-134)

54. California Golden Bears

Devin Brown might give Justin Wilcox a bit of what he lost when Fernando Mendoza left to Indiana. But the Brown we saw at Ohio State did not look like the highly-touted recruit we saw out of Corner Canyon High School. And that’s why four-freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele might end up taking over at some point for the Golden Bears at QB.

This team will be defined by what it lost in the transfer portal rather than what it gained: Running back Jaydn Ott is at Oklahoma. Tight end Jack Endries is at Texas. Wide receiver Nyziah Hunter is at Nebraska. Still, that’s not as bad as it could be, as Cal does not play a single team ranked among my preseason top 25 teams.

California Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+116) Under 5.5 (-142)

55. Northwestern Wildcats

Former South Dakota State offensive coordinator Zach Lujan will partner with former SMU QB Preston Stone and look to improve an offense that was among the worst in the Big Ten last year. Stone will be throwing the ball to former South Dakota State WR Griffin Wilde this year, but can they produce points for a team that opens the season with two of their first three games coming against Tulane and Oregon? 

Northwestern Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (-192) Under 3.5 (+154)

56. Utah Utes

Utah does not return a single running back who played a snap for the team last year, but head coach Kyle Whittingham said he believes he has the best offensive line he’s ever had. So, one should balance the other.

Devon Dampier will give Utah the kind of athlete at QB the program hasn’t had since Alex Smith. Dampier arrived with former New Mexico offensive coordinator Jason Beck after the Lobos averaged 484.3 yards and 33.5 points per game last year. Dampier threw for more than 2,700 yards and rushed for more than 1,100 yards while adding 27 total TDs and 12 INTs last year.

If Utah improves offensively, it has every chance of competing for the Big 12 crown.

Utah Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-164) Under 7.5 (+132)

57. Virginia Tech Hokies

It’s been simple to write off the Hokies in the Brent Pry era because they haven’t beaten any of their non-conference Power-4 foes — 0-6. The program is just 10-13 in the ACC since 2022, but many of those have been close loses. In fact, five of their losses came by one score in 2024. Pry needs a winning season in 2025.

Virginia Tech Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+130) Under 6.5 (-160)

58. Mississippi State Bulldogs

It’s difficult to believe, but Mississippi State had gone bowling 13 years in a row before Zach Arnett took over the program in 2023, which turned out to be his only year as head coach in Starkville. Jeff Lebby is receiving a bit more patience after a 2-10 season that included a loss to Toledo at home.

Adding insult to injury, the Bulldogs’ top two offensive players in 2024, QB Michael Van Buren (LSU) and WR Kevin Coleman (Missouri), transferred within the conference to better teams. Now, Lebby will attempt to make Year 2 for himself and QB Blake Shapen into a successful one where the program can go bowling. Six wins when half of your opponents figure to be top 25 teams at some point — Georgia, Texas, Florida, Missouri, Ole Miss, Arizona State — might be asking a lot.

Mississippi State Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (-142) Under 3.5 (+116)

59. Oklahoma State Cowboys

It’s Year 25 of the Mike Gundy era at Oklahoma State and Year 20 of his career as head coach. And while the sport has changed, Gundy has not. He still wants to run the football 45 times per game, and his team is still as unpredictable year-to-year as he is at any media availability. You just never know how the Pokes are going to play or what Gundy is going to say: That’s Oklahoma State.

After a 3-0 start last season, Oklahoma State finished 0-9 in conference play, dead last in the Big 12, and hope to come back from the program’s fewest wins since 2000. Doug Meacham and Todd Grantham have been brought in to coordinate the offense and defense, respectively. Of the 65 new faces on the roster, 18 are transfers that did not arrive until the summer, and Gundy is going to expect all 18 to play significant snaps from Week 1.

Oklahoma State Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+144) Under 5.5 (-178)

60. BYU Cougars

This year was supposed to be The Jake Retzlaff Show in Provo. He led the Cougars to their first 11-win season since 2009 and the program peaked at No. 6 in the CFP rankings with wins against SMU and Colorado after throwing for 2,947 yards with 26 total TDs and 12 INTs.

However, Retzlaff withdrew from BYU in the wake of the school’s planned seven-game suspension of him for violating the school’s honor code. The suspension arose after Retzlaff was accused in a lawsuit in May of raping a woman in 2023. The lawsuit was later dismissed and Retzlaff chose to commit to Tulane after leaving BYU. Now, Kalani Sitake has to remind his team and the country that the loss of a star player doesn’t mean the team will suffer.

Tulane’s defense finished first in the Big 12 in scoring (19.6 points per game), forced turnovers (29) and yards allowed per game (308) last season. That’s the strength of this team this season.

BYU Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-118) Under 6.5 (-104)

61. Army Black Knights

With Dewayne Coleman at QB, Army has a wagon driver with enough artillery to make the offense shine. Noah Short and Hayden Reed are dependable backs, who combined for 157 touches and 1,157 yards last season. Andon Thomas and Casey Larkin will anchor the defense after combining for 10 tackles for loss and six interceptions in 2024.

Mark eight wins down for Jeff Monken this year and every year. But if they run through Kansas State in Manhattan in Week 3, you best mark them for the CFP selection committee too.

Army Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-102) Under 7.5 (-120)

62. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Greg Schiano returns 22 players from his two-deep last year, 10 of whom were starters. He’s going to need that depth come October. 

While the loss of Kyle Monangai will be felt, Florida Atlantic transfer CJ Campbell rushed for 844 yards and 11 TDs last year, while Antwan Raymond added over 450 yards on the ground for the Scarlet Knights. Athan Kaliakmanis has two years of starting experience, and while he’s not likely to throw for 4,000 yards, he is an experienced field general capable of throwing for 3,000 and 25 TDs.

The backend of Rutgers’ schedule features games against Oregon, at Illinois, at Ohio State and at Penn State. Assuming the Scarlet Knights begin 3-0 with wins against Ohio, Miami of Ohio and Norfolk State, they’ll need to find ways to claw three wins from some combination of Iowa, at Minnesota, at Purdue, at Washington and Maryland.

63. Navy Midshipmen

Navy coach Brian Newberry has QB Blake Horvath back, and that could mean bad news once again for the AAC. 

The question for Midshipmen to answer is simple: Was last year a fluke or a sign of dominance to come from an academy in the age of revenue-sharing, NIL-moneymaking and rampant transfer portal movement? Let’s find out.

Navy Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (-134) Under 8.5 (+110)

64. Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas has struggled to return to its high watermark of 9-4 in 2021 under Sam Pittman, but the Razorbacks have shown signs of being a breakthrough program. Last season, they knocked off No. 4-ranked Tennessee in a thriller for the program’s first win against a top-five opponent since 1999. 

For the Razorbacks, finishing with a positive turnover margin will be a good start. They finished minus-8 in that metric last year. QB Taylen Green completed just 49% of his passes through the first five games of the season, but he still threw for more than 3,100 yards, while adding 602 on the ground. There’s still room for Green to grow and lead Arkansas to a nine-win season for the first time in five years.

Arkansas Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+108) Under 5.5 (-132)

65. Oregon State Beavers

Last year, the Beavers were 1-7 when they didn’t rush for at least 230 yards. That’s a tough mark to match every week unless your last name is “Academy.” 

Enter Duke transfer Maalik Murphy, who threw for 2,993 yards and 26 TDs last year. He’s going to try and help Oklahoma State air it out without throwing it to players wearing a different jersey color. He threw 12 picks last year.

The Beavers have to start fast and keep the loud pedal on the floor with a schedule that includes Cal, Fresno State, Oregon, and Houston. And that’s just the first five weeks.

Oregon State Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-178) Under 6.5 (+144)

66. UTSA Roadrunners

Bet on the Roadrunners to make a push toward the CFP if they can pull off the upset against Texas A&M. Jeff Traylor has won 46 games in his first five years as the head coach at UTSA.

What started ugly last year came to a strong finish with UTSA going 7-6. This year, the Roadrunners return 3,200-yard, 25-TD passer Owen McCown along with nine starters. The issue for Traylor will be fielding a defense that can stop people with just six veterans who played more than 200 snaps last season.

UTSA Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-144) Under 7.5 (+118)

67. Cincinnati Bearcats

Entering Year 3 of the Scott Satterfield experience, Bearcat fans must long for the days when their program became the first and only G5 team to receive an invitation to the four-team CFP.

Since becoming a Power-4 program, the Bearcats have struggled. Both seasons in the Big 12 have been losing ones, but with a $135 million football facility opened just this summer, there’s hope on the horizon. Had the Bearcats won all of their one-score games in 2024, they’d be entering this year as a team who had won nine games instead of five. This is also the first time that the program has retained the previous year’s defensive coordinator in Tyson Veidt.

Brendon Sorsby has the arm, throwing for 426 yards against Texas Tech, and the legs, with nine rushing TDs in 2024. Running back Evan Pryor will give Cincy a chance to have a 14th consecutive year with a 1,000-yard rusher.

Cincinnati Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+104) Under 6.5 (-128)

68. West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia is going back in time, hoping that a man who coached the Mountaineers to national prominence in the “Before Times” can do it again. Rich Rodriguez takes over a program that finished 6-7 and finished second-to-last in total defense and 10th in total offense in the Big 12 in 2024. Rodriguez is back in Morgantown, 17 years after leaving for Michigan, with a team of 70 new faces to the program, with just half of those being around in the spring.

If Rodriguez can nail the QB competition to come and nail the hallmarks of his system (tempo, QB-run, tougher than pressurized coal), WVU can win.

West Virginia Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+115) 5.5 Under 5.5 (-140)

69. Minnesota Golden Gophers

P.J. Fleck has won eight or more games in three out of the last four years, so it’s within reason to believe the Gophers can reach that mark again in 2025. But no one in Minneapolis should be under the impression that Minnesota will find its way into the CFP’s top 25 for the first time in six years unless Fleck catches lightning in a bottle.

A lot will be riding on Drake Lindsey, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound redshirt freshman QB who hasn’t lost a game he’s started since 2023 — when he was a junior in high school.

Minnesota Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+130) Under 7.5 (-155)

70. Liberty Flames

Jamey Chadwell has done a lot of winning. At Coastal Carolina and Liberty, he has gone 50-12 and has had his teams in contention for the G6 spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game at both programs. He’s a winner. And that’s something Liberty fans are going to need to trust going into 2025 with unproven players at QB and RB.

Liberty Win Total Odds: Over 9.5 (-128) Under 9.5 (+104)

71. Ohio Bobcats

Brian Smith follows one of the toughest acts in the sport. His predecessor, Tim Albin, won at least 10 games in Athens, Ohio, in each of the last three years. But he’s got speed and experience in the backfield in the form of QB Parker Navarro and RB Sieh Bangura. They’ll play behind a new offensive line, with just 20 combined starts returning to their front five.

Ohio Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+112) Under 7.5 (-138)

72. UNLV Rebels

Don’t look now, but Dan Mullen made his return to coaching in Las Vegas with one of the best transfer classes in the country on paper.  Mullen added former Michigan QB Alex Orji, Penn State RB Keyvone Lee, Texas WR Troy Omeire, Alabama WR JoJo Earle, LSU WR Koy Moore, Texas State DE Tunmise Adeleye, Texas A&M DB Denver Harris and Georgia DB Jake Pope, among others.

With 16 former four-star and five-star players, and with former Urban Meyer and Ryan Day assistant Corey Dennis calling plays, UNLV is the team to watch early in the G6.

UNLV Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+110) Under 8.5 (-134)

73. UConn Huskies

UConn won nine games last year. The Huskies scored more points last season (415, 31.4 points per game) than they have since 2002. Jim Mora found something that worked with QB Joe Fagano throwing 20 TDs and a rushing attack that yielded three RBs with 600 rushing yards or more with 23 TDs and a 5.2 yards per carry average.

The secret sauce? Scoring in the red zone. In 44 trips inside their opponents’ 20-yard line, they scored 41 times. The question is, can Mora repeat that success for what is just one of two independents in the sport?

UConn Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-105) Under 7.5 (-115)

74. UCF Knights

The last time Scott Frost was head coach at UCF, he led the Golden Knights to an undefeated season and a claim to the 2017 national championship. It took him just two years to create a 13-0 team. After five tough years at Nebraska and a short stint with Los Angeles Rams, Frost his work cut out for him in a return to UCF, as the entire sport has changed since he last coached it.

The team Frost takes over won just two games in conference play last season. The four wins the Knights had, were their fewest since 2013. If UCF can win its first three games — including a Sept. 20 showdown with Belichick’s UNC Tar Heels — that will put the program in position to finish the season with a bowl invitation.

UCF Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (-115) Under 5.5 (-105)

75. Toledo Rockets

Jason Candle has shown himself to be a model of consistency in character and adaptability in a sport that has seen more changes than any other juncture. The Rockets have won 73 games and lost just 40 in the Candle era. With another win, he’ll become the winningest coach in school history (Gary Pinkel).

In order to earn a third MAC title, expect the Rockets to feature former Ohio State and Kentucky tailback Chip Trayanum, invite defenses to load the box, and then let QB Tucker Gleason cook.

Toledo Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (-152) Under 8.5 (+124)

76. Maryland Terrapins

After watching QB Billy Edwards transfer to Wisconsin, Mike Locksley hopes former UCLA QB Justyn Martin can help him get his offense back on track and put last year’s 4-8 season in the rearview mirror.

The Terrapins ranked 101st among 134 FBS teams in scoring (23.7 PPG), while allowing the 105th most points on the defensive side of the ball (30.4 PPG). Locksley knows he can’t afford to endure another season like that. Adding insult to injury, star running back Roman Hemby transfered to Indiana.

Maryland Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (+104) Under 4.5 (-128)

77. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Not even Dave Clawson can finish 4-8 in back-to-back seasons and feel good about his future in the sport, especially when his success was predicated on slowly developing redshirt upperclassmen into good ball players. With the portal, NIL funding necessities and immediate eligibility, his system for success became as obsolete as the floppy disk. 

I’m not sure what kind of juice journeyman QB Robby Ashford has left, but Karate Brendon and Reginald Vick are a couple of HBCU gems that will get open for him. Get to six wins someway, somehow, and call that a winning season.

Wake Forest Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (+118) Under 4.5 (-144)

78. South Alabama Jaguars

The portal was not kind to Major Applewhite. He lost QB Gio Lopez to UNC, RB Fluff Bothwell to Mississippi State, DB Jordan Scruggs to West Virginia and kicker Laura Marjan to Kansas.

But Applewhite kept Kentrel Bullock, who rushed for 984 yards last season, and defensive tackle Ed Smith IV, who had seven tackles for loss. That’s not nothing. He added a whopping six offensive linemen from the transfer portal and is going to count on a number of players who saw their name second on the depth chart last season to become starters.

South Alabama Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-122) Under 6.5 (+100)

79. Fresno State Bulldogs

The Bulldogs are going the small-school, dominant head coach route in making Matt Entz their man. After winning championships as an assistant for Chris Klieman at North Dakota State, he led the Bison to two more titles as a head coach before spending a year coaching linebackers at USC.

Given Entz’s ability to scout ‘em, recruit ‘em and coach ’em up, Bulldogs fans are right to feel bullish about a team that includes former No. 1 overall recruit Korey Foreman, former Rice QB EJ Warner, and FCS standout Finn Claypool, who notched 17.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks at Drake last season.

Fresno State Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-124) Under 6.5 (+102)

80. San Jose State Spartans

The Spartans managed to finish 7-6 in large part due to an air raid philosophy of feeding your best playmaker the ball as often as possible. That led to Nick Nash catching 104 passes for 1,382 yards with an FBS-leading 16 TDs in 2024.

Now, Ken Niumatalolo has to try and replace that production with returning WR Matthew Coleman, former Washington WR Caleb Presley and former USC WR Malik Crawford. Returning QB Walker Eget is going to have to do better than 2,504 passing yards with a 57.3 completion percentage and a 13:10 TD:INT ratio if SJSU is going to contend in the Mountain West.

Fresno State Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+114) Under 7.5 (-140)

81. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns

Michael Desormeaux raised my eyebrows when he landed former Ole Miss QB Walker Howard and former LSU WR Shelton Sampson, Jr. out of the portal. It makes me think they might have something worth shouting about in November.

There’s continuity in the running back room with Bill Davis and Zylan Perry, who combined to rush for 1,491 yards and 13 TDs in 2024. And Desormeaux has a budding star at EDGE in Cameron Whitfield, who notched 11.5 tackles for loss last season.

Louisiana Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-112) Under 7.5 (-108)

82. Georgia Southern Eagles

Clay Helton’s group has been punchy since he arrived at Georgia Southern. The Eagles have been good enough to go bowling every year since 2022, upset Nebraskam and put together a winning season last year. The Eagles have yet to win a bowl game in the Helton era, and yet they remain a tough game on most G5 folks’ schedule.

If JC French can double his TD passes (17) and cut his INTs (11) in half, an 8-5 season in 2024 could become a 10-win season in 2025. All defensive coordinator Brandon Bailey has to do is continue to improve on what was a so-so defense in 2024, giving up 27.62 points and 359 yards per game.

Georgia Southern Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+122) Under 7.5 (-150)

83. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Tyson Helton continues to pick the best of the rest at offensive coordinator and quarterback and in return, puts an offense on the field that’s built on a gunslinging attitude.

This year, that means former Abilene Christian OC Rick Bowie and QB Maverick McIvor will lead the Hilltoppers. McIvor threw for 506 yards last year against Texas Tech and turns 25 during Week 0 when WKU kicks off the season against Sam Houston.

Western Kentucky Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-110) Under 7.5 (-110)

84. Virginia Cavaliers

Tony Elliot is 11-23 since being hired in Charlottsville. The Cavaliers need help, and it might have arrived in Tennessee Tech transfer Daniel Rickert, who posted an eyebrow-raising 38.5 tackles for loss, including 20.5 sacks in 2024. 

Offensively, let Chandler Morris rip it. Trust wideouts Trell Harris and Jahnal Erdine to beat coverage. Trust your older offensive line to keep Morris clean.

Virginia Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+118) Under 6.5 (-144)

85. Texas State Bobcats

Fresh off a decision to leave the Sun Belt and join the Pac-12, GJ Kinne’s Bobcats are looking to improve on their back-to-back 8-5 seasons. They’ll have three QBs to choose from in former Pitt QB Nate Yarnell, SMU QB Keldric Luster and former four-star and Auburn QB Holden Geriner.

Defensive coordinator Dexter McCoil will hope to get a double-digit sack season out of EDGE Kalil Alexander while breaking in 19 transfers on defense.

Texas State Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+134) Under 7.5 (-164)

86. Washington State Cougars

Out is QB John Mateer, who transferred to Oklahoma in the offseason. In is 2023 FCS national championship coach Jimmy Rogers, who got the call-up to the majors after posting an 11-3 record last season as South Dakota State’s head coach.

Look to SDSU transfer running backs Angel Johnson and Kirby Voorhees to see how good the Cougars can be. Johnson rushed for 646 yards and averaged more than 7 YPC last season. Voorhees went for 581 yards on 75 rushes. There’s 1,500 yards in that tandem and at least one 1,000-yard back, even with them making the move up to The Show. 

But the unit anchoring the program will be Jesse Bobbit’s defense, which gave up less than 12.5 points per game at South Dakota State last season. He brought a wrecking ball with him from South Dakota in Caleb Francl, who collected 64 tackles and seven tackles for loss last year.

Washington State Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+140) Under 5.5 (-172)

 87. South Florida Bulls

If Byrum Brown earns the starting job after suffering a season-ending injury last season, it’s not hard to see Alex Golesh’s Bulls increasing their 2024 season win total from seven. With the addition of former Charlotte RB Cartevious Norton and Oklahoma RB Sam Franklin, the run-game could be the most explosive yet in Tampa.

Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando is gonna send ‘em, and he’s gonna have his unit hunting for fumbles and balls in the air. The defense has 13 players who’ve played more than 200 snaps and after adding 10 upperclassmen out of the portal, you can see the vision for a dictating-terms defense.

South Florida Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-128) Under 6.5 (+104)

88. Stanford Cardinal

It’s not often you hear about a head coach being hired as a one-year rental, but that is what general manager Andrew Luck did when he brought in Frank Reich while he searches for a successor to help him rebuild Stanford into a team capable of winning at a high level.

If Reich can get Stanford to four wins and keep the program from sliding any farther toward downright bad, he’ll have earned his paycheck.

Stanford Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (+134) Under 3.5 (-164)

89. Troy Trojans

Troy QB Goose Crowder has at least one wideout I trust to make plays in former Georgia WR Rara Thomas. But after winning back-to-back Sun Belt titles in 2022 and 2023, Troy might be entering a lull after a portal raid that has left Gerad Parker with a bunch of talented but unproven transfers of his own. Here’s hoping a tandem of former SEC safeties in Steven Sannieniola (Vanderbilt) and David Daniel-Sisavanh (UGA) can help keep a lid on the end zone.

Troy Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (-118) Under 5.5 (-104)

90. Buffalo Bulls

Pete Lembo’s Bulls ought to be as lethal as a Gallardo galloping at a defenseless matador in a wet bull ring. Defenders Kobe Stewart, Dion Crawford and Red Murdock notched a total of 42.5 tackles for loss, including 20 sacks, last season. 

Former Penn State, UConn and K-State QB Ta’Quan Roberson has a lot to prove. It’s not that he only threw for 2,075 yards with 12 TDs and six picks in his only year as a full-time starter (UConn). It’s that the Huskies went 3-9 with him as their starter and 9-4 the next year without him. And, for me, wins is a QB stat.

Buffalo Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-122) Under 7.5 (+100)

91. Air Force Falcons

From 2019-2023, Troy Calhoun’s Falcons won 40 games. In 2024, they finished 5-7. Perhaps it’s a blip. Perhaps it’s a turn for the worst in the new era of college football.

If the Falcons contend in the MWC this year, it will be because Josh Johnson ran the heck out of that option. Don’t expect pretty passes from a QB who threw the ball 14 times for 25 yards — all season. If the run-game can put up 300 yards a game, it’s easy to find nine wins for Air Force. But let’s see the rushing yardage first.

Air Force Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (-200) Under 5.5 (+160)

92. Miami (OH) Redhawks

Chuck Martin knows ball. The RedHawks won just five games in his first two season. In the last two, Miami of Ohio has gone 20-8, even with an abysmal record in one-score games (22-31). And it’s in that last measure where a burgeoning bracket buster can form.

The RedHawks added former Baylor and Toledo starter Dequan Finn and former Notre Dame wideout Deion Colzie. Defensively, there’s work to do. Perhaps the program’s best defender eligible for return last year was Raion Strader, and he transferred to Auburn.

Miami Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+114) Under 6.5 (-140)

93. Colorado State Rams

Colorado State went bowling for the first time in eight years in 2024. That’s a banner year for Jay Norvell, who needed to have one. Without Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi at QB, the Rams will enter a season with not just a new starter, but with an expectation to make bowling a habit.

Colorado State Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+114) Under 6.5 (-140)

94. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

Tim Beck’s Chanticleers yearn for consistency. Only four players started every game for his team last season — and they still went bowling.

With QB Ethan Vasko and running back Braydon Bennett transferring, Beck is looking to former Maryland QB MJ Morris and former San Jose State QB Emmett Brown to plug and play alongside three returners at wideout in Bryson Graves, Jameson Tucker and Cameron Wright. On defense, the addition of SEC and ACC talent in Ja’Marion Wayne (Missouri) and Robby Washington (Miami) should help keep the Chants in position to defend the farm at Myrtle Beach.

Coastal Carolina Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+106) Under 5.5 (-130)

95. Marshall Thundering Herd

When Charles Huff left Marshall for Southern Miss, he took everything that wasn’t nailed down and others took the stuff that was: Not a single QB on the Thundering Herd depth chart threw for a single yard, only two players on the roster caught a pass, and no linebacker played more than three snaps in Kelly green and white in 2024.

Marshall coach Tony Gibson has himself a dynasty-mode build on his hands, and it isn’t likely to be quick unless Zion Turner or Carlos Del Rio-Wilson commence to ballin’ at the QB position. Tony Mathis, Jr. can be a 1,000-yard back and former Cal-PA defensive tackle Naquan Crowder can be a disrupter up front.

Marshall Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (-144) Under 4.5 (+118)

96. Appalachian State Mountaineers 

Appalachian State head coach Dowell Loggains in a spot to shock some folks. After 21 years in the NFL, it took him no time to get South Carolina going. He turned LaNorris Sellers into a bonafide NFL Draft darling and now looks to do the same with QBs AJ Swann (LSU) and JJ Kohl (Iowa State). If wideout Jaden Barnes can be the 1,000-yard receiver at App State that he was at Austin Peay, Loggains could turn some heads in the Sun Belt.

Appalachian State Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (-160) Under 5.5 (+130)

97. Michigan State Spartans

If QB Aidan Chiles and WR Nick Marsh can play the two-man game where Chiles throws for an average of 250 yards per game, but 150 are to Marsh, 4-0 is there for Jonathan Smith’s Spartans. The toughest games on their schedule this season is when Penn State and Michigan come to East Lansing — no Ohio State, no Oregon.

The Spartans receive an early opportunity to throw down a marker at USC on Sept. 20, a program they beat the last time the Greeks clashed in 1990. Sure, there’s Boston College in the non-conference before USC, but that’s it. 

The margins are thin and the Michigan State racecar isn’t that fast. But there’s lap time left, and who knows who they could make flinch in wheel-to-wheel combat? Send it, Spartans.

Michigan State Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (-138) Under 5.5 (+112)

98. North Texas Mean Green

Eric Morris might be the closest coach we have at the FBS level to Mike Leach in terms of philosophy. He’s going to go for it on fourth down — 44 times last season, tops in the country. He’s going to air it out. And the Mean Green are going to score. In 25 games under Morris, North Texas scored 35 points or more 14 times.

North Texas Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+100) Under 6.5 (-122)

99. Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue will be better, but that’s not saying a lot for a team that didn’t beat a single FBS team last year. And after a year like that, you need to bust the program down to the studs and build something totally new.  So Purdue hired a program builder in Barry Odom.

Odom flipped UNLV from a program that was looking like a longtime loser — eight straight losing seasons before he arrived — into a CFP contender in 2024 with its first double-digit winning season since 1984. The bet here is that Odom might be able to do what Curt Cignetti did at Indiana last year, but that will not be easy.

Purdue plays Notre Dame, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan and archnemesis Indiana in Odom’s first season.

Purdue Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (+194) Under 3.5 (-245)

100. East Carolina Pirates

It’s not that Blake Harrell won four games in a row as interim head coach at ECU last season. It’s that he won them all by three touchdowns. That yielded an 8-5 record, and that’s getting it done in Greenville.

Now, bump Katin Houser from 2,000 yards passing to 3,000, get those TDs up from 18 closer to 25 and cut those interceptions from 11 down to five, and I bet you get damn close to eight again. Though games against NC State, BYU and at Tulane are going to test you.

East Carolina Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+118) Under 6.5 (-144)

101. San Diego State Aztecs

San Diego State coach Sean Lewis has demonstrated he can be dangerous with a QB who can spin it, and he might have one in Michigan transfer Jayden Denegal. He also has a star on defense in Trey White, who produced an eyebrow-raising 21.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks in 2024. But we didn’t talk much about White because his team finished 3-9.

In Year 2, Lewis will hear about what SDSU was before he arrived: 10 wins a season in six seasons from 2015-2021. It’s time to show folks you can win.

San Diego State Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+124) Under 5.5 (-152)

102. Old Dominion Monarchs

Ricky Rahne has gone 20-30 as head coach of the Monarchs. He’s lost at least seven games in three of the last four years in Norfolk. But water ain’t wet if he can’t find a tackler at linebacker. In 2022, Shaun Dolan had 140 tackles, Cedric Gray had 153 and Jason Henderson had 167. In 2023, three ODU LBs had 140 or more tackles, including former Iowa star Jay Higgins, who had 166. In 2024, Red Murdock and Dolan each racked up more than 158.

If Rahne can find a way to keep the score down though — giving up 30 or more in six games isn’t going to cut it — ODU might be due for an eight-win season.

Old Dominion Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (-170) Under 5.5 (+138)

103. Arkansas State Red Wolves

The bones are good for Butch Jones’ Red Wolves. He returns a 2,700-yard passer in Jaylen Raynor, a 1,000-yard receiver in Corey Rucker and running back Ja’Quez Cross, who averaged 5.5 yards per carry on 115 rushes. From that vantage, their eight-win season last year makes sense.

Defensively, Jones has to nail evaluations on former Texas A&M-Kingsville EDGE Demarcus Hendricks and former West Alabama DT Cody Stigler, who combined for double-digit tackles for loss at the lower levels.

Arkansas State Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+118) Under 5.5 (-144)

104. Wyoming Cowboys

The Cowboys had a rough ride in 2024. They finished 3-9 in Jay Sawvel’s first season and didn’t have a good enough defense to win most games. That’s concerning because when Sawvel was defensive coordinator at Wyoming in 2023, the team finished 9-4 and was more than credible.

With eight of 13 portal pickups coming from the FCS or lower divisions, the Cowboys might be in for another rough campaign.

Wyoming Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+124) Under 5.5 (-150)

105. Sam Houston Bearkats

The Bearkats’ Week 0 matchup with Western Kentucky will not only tell us just how good we can expect Sam Houston to be, but it will give us an answer about who is likely to contend with Liberty for the C-USA title.

Phil Longo has a rebuild on his hands, but his offense should produce with Hunter Watson returning at QB and the additions of former North Texas RB Shane Porter and former Indiana RB Elijah Green to the backfield. Those two backs combined to average 6.7 yards per rush last season. Longo also added a big play threat in former Long Island WR Aviyon Smith-Mack, who averaged 18 yards per catch in 2024. Scoring shouldn’t be the issue.

Sam Houston Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (-124) Under 4.5 (+102)

106. Northern Illinois Huskies

Thomas Hammock’s Huskies went into Notre Dame Stadium and did what no one else could in 2024: win. After putting the money in the bag, the Huskies finished 8-5 and watched the team it beat play for the national title.

That’s how slim the margins are when you can hit the create-a-team button in modern college football. Hammock hit it hard in this cycle with 13 new players. Last year’s starter at QB, two best tailbacks, four best receivers and four best defensive tackles all heard the siren call of the portal — just like former defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto, who made a lateral move to Fresno State.

Hammock also made a rather inspiring hire in former Charleston coach Quinn Sanders to call his offense with a scheme that saw the Golden Eagles rank No. 7 in total offense last year at the Division II level.

Northern Illinois Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+132) Under 6.5 (-162)

107. Jacksonville State Gamecocks

Charles Kelly is the rare coach who has called plays on offense, defense, and now acts as head coach. He has coached for Nick Saban, Hugh Freeze, Jimbo Fisher and Deion Sanders. Now he’ll try to keep the Gamecocks charging toward championships with Clint Trickett calling plays for QB Gavin Wimsatt and RB Cam Cook.

Jacksonville State Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+164) Under 6.5 (-205)

108. UAB Blazers

When UAB hired Trent Dilfer in 2023, seven wins in two years was not an option the Blazers considered. But that’s what it’s been. That’s who they are. Maybe Dilfer strikes gold with Jalen Kitna at QB, and maybe Jamichael Rogers goes for 18.5 tackles for loss this season like he did at Miles College (Division II) in Birmingham. But with just three returning starters on either side of the ball, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

UAB Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (+110) Under 4.5 (-134)

109 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

Timmy Chang might have found himself a gem in QB Micah Alejado. At Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, Alejado threw 125 touchdowns, just four interceptions, and was MaxPreps’ National Junior of the Year. He has a three-star rating because he’s 5-foot-10. But Alejado’s height didn’t stop him from torching New Mexico for 469 yards and five TDs last season. The Rainbow Warriors will be fun.

Hawaii Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (-144) Under 5.5 (+118)

110. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Entering Year 4 with an 11-26 record, Sonny Cumbie needs to find a catalyst. Perhaps he’s done just that in hiring offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, 67, who last called plays for the Army Black Knights. Expect Franklin to run an old-school air raid, locate his best playmaker and find as many ways to funnel him the ball as possible.

Louisiana Tech Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+134) Under 6.5 (-164)

111. Florida Atlantic Owls

The “It” kid offensive coordinator has a team of his own, as Zach Kittley, 33, takes over a program that has gone 22-35 under its last two head coaches. It’s a reminder just how good Lane Kiffin was at FAU and the hope is Kittley can be the same.

Former WKU QB Caden Veltkamp is going to fold into Kittley’s scheme just fine with 3,108 yards, 25 TDs and 10 INTs last year. And the schedule is tempered with non-conference games against North Alabama, Toledo, and LSU.

Florida Atlantic Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (+122) Under 4.5 (-150)

112. Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Charles Huff doesn’t believe in pure restorations. If you can put something new in the place of a piece that’s rusty, why not just modernize it? That’s what Huff did with 50 transfers, including nearly a quarter of his Thundering Herd team coming to Hattiesburg. He has given the offense to former Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson. Let’s see what a 1-11 team in 2024 looks like with a new chief mechanic at the pit wall.

Southern Miss Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (-108) Under 5.5 (-112)

113. Utah State Aggies

In his first season back as head coach, Bronco Mendenhall put together a 5-7 campaign at New Mexico, the program’s best season since 2016. Now, Mendenhall is in Year 1 at Utah State, where they’ve seen three-straight losing seasons. That says the foundation is solid, even if the house needs some work. Let’s see what Mendenhall can build with it.

Utah State Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (+142) Under 4.5 (-176)

114. Delaware Blue Hens

If you’re looking for a 2023 James Madison — the kind of program that can show up in Year 1 of FBS play and be one of the nation’s best — you’ve found it in Delaware. Last year, the Blue Hens finished 9-2 and made the FCS playoffs. Perhaps Ryan Carty’s team will take a moment to settle in, but winners tend to make winning a habit. Returning 17 of 22 starters from last year’s team ought to help that cause.

Delaware Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (-140) Under 4.5 (+112)

115. Rice Owls

Scott Abell was 47-28 at Davidson, runs a shotgun spread that feels like the one Mack Brown ran with Vince Young at Texas, averaged more than 315 rushing yards per game in 2024, and has a pair of tailbacks who averaged 6.0 yards per carry last season in Quinton Jackson and Taji Atkins.

Rice Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (-154) Under 3.5 (+126)

116. New Mexico Lobos

Jason Eck turned heads in the FBS when his Idaho Vandals walked into Oregon and damn near walked out with a win. Now, after turning Idaho into a team that won 26 games and made three FCS playoff appearances, two times reaching the quarterfinals, Eck is taking over one of the toughest jobs in the sport. 

Eck is going to do it with some known quantities in the tough-as-it-gets FCS Big Sky Conference. His Idaho QB, Jack Layne, and three tailbacks all come from that conference. In fact, Deshaun Buchanan, Scottre Humphrey and Damon Bankston combined to rush for more than 2,700 yards at 6.8 yards per clip.

New Mexico Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (+130) Under 3.5 (-160)

117. Bowling Green Falcons

If Eddie George can flip the Falcons into a MAC title contender, he’ll get to add another title to his Hall of Fame trophy cabinet: program builder. After two seasons at Tennessee State, where he finished just 15-18, his TSU Tigers put together a 9-4 record, a share of the Ohio Valley Conference title and their first invitation to the FCS playoffs in 2024.

George brought many of the stars of that Tennessee State team with him, including his son Eriq (12.5 tackles for loss) and cornerback Jalen McClendon (four INTs). Gideon Lampron, who had 26.5 tackles for loss at Dayton, figures to put produce too.

But all eyes will be on former Notre Dame, Arizona State and Mizzou QB Drew Payne, who will have the most to say about how good BGSU can be in George’s first season.

Bowling Green Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+198) Under 6.5 (-250)

118. Eastern Michigan Eagles

Finish. That’s the message for the Eagles in 2025. After beginning 5-2 last season, they collapsed to 5-7. With Maxx Crosby throwing real money and real expertise at his alma mater, the time for losing is over. And that won’t be easy for Chris Creighton’s team. Still, Creighton has taken EMU bowling in six of the last nine years. An upswing is warranted.

Eastern Michigan Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (-105) Under 4.5 (-115)

119. Central Michigan Chippewas

Matt Drinkall will earn a cold one if he can flip the Chippewas into a winner like he did at his previous stop. At NAIA Kansas Wesleyan, Drinkall flipped a 2-9 program into a 13-1 world-beater. After helping Army put together its best season in 30 years, he earned a chance to lead a program at the FBS level.

Central Michigan Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+122) Under 5.5 (-150)

120. Western Michigan Broncos

The Broncos have finished with a losing record in each of the last two seasons and don’t look like a contender for the MAC title. If there’s hope, it’s in running back Jalen Buckley, who rushed for 683 yards with nine TDs, and former Alabama and Georgia Tech WR Christian Leary, who has enough talent to be one of the best slot receivers in the sport.

Western Michigan Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (-158) Under 4.5 (+128)

121. Nevada Wolf Pack

It’s hard to go 3-10 and feel good about it. But that’s what the Wolfpack did in 2024. They nearly upset SMU and Boise State. They did beat Oregon State and Troy. They just lost their last six in a row. So, that’s the job for Jeff Choate’s team in 2025. Play the last six like you did the first four.

Nevada Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (-130) Under 3.5 (+106)

122. New Mexico State Aggies

Tony Sanchez’s Aggies couldn’t score with any consistency in 2024. In fact, New Mexico State scored 28 or more points just five times and won just three games last year. They could at least run the ball last season, but now with six of the seven offensive linemen who played the most snaps gone, that’s not necessarily going to be their strength in 2025.

New Mexico State Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (-144) Under 4.5 (+118)

123. Missouri State Bears

Like Delaware, the Bears have reclassified to Big Boy football in C-USA. They aren’t as put together as the Blue Hens are — or were in 2024 — but they’ve got a QB who could make them a credible opponent in Year 1. Jacob Clark threw for 3,604 yards and 26 TDs in 2024, and he’s got a couple of wideouts who look like they could do some damage in James BlackStrain and Jmariyae Robinson. The duo combined for 62 catches and 953 yards last season.

Missouri State Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (-110) Under 4.5 (-110)

124. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Derek Mason needs to go bowling this season because Middle Tennessee was just that bad last year. They lost nine games by an average of 24 points and all three of the Blue Raiders’ wins were one-score games. Despite that, Mason kept offensive and defensive coordinators Bodie Reeder and Brian Stewart, respectively, on staff. Rickey Hunt, Jr. might give them a dose of offensive production they sorely need after averaging better than 5.2 yards per carry in each of his last two seasons at Ohio and Tulsa.

Middle Tennessee Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (-150) Under 4.5 (+122)

125. UTEP Miners

Scotty Walden brought in former USC and Boise State QB Malachi Nelson and returns 21 players who got at least one start in 2024. If Charlotte running back transfer Hahsaun Wilson can reach his 2024 average of 6.1 yards per carry and Nelson blossoms into the gunslinger that Lincoln Riley thought he recruited years ago, UTEP could climb up from three wins to four.

UTEP Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+126) Under 5.5 (-154)

126. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks

Bryan Vincent’s team wasn’t supposed to be any good last year. Then they rattled off five wins in the first half of the year. That the WarHawks finished 0-6 to end the year — one win short of bowling — shouldn’t matter, but it does. 

Vincent stepped up from being the Warhawks’ head coach to athletic director. With his knowledge of the most important program on campus and how to build a successful team, he might just have what is required of an AD in this new era of college athletics. But his promotion won’t bring Ahmad Hardy and his 1,300 rushing yards back. The defense is mostly intact with 11 players who started games last year returning in 2025.

Louisiana-Monroe Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (+122) Under 4.5 (-150)

127. Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Tre Lamb, 35, takes over as head coach at Tulsa after flipping East Tennessee State from 3-8 to 7-5. Before that, he led Gardner-Webb to FCS playoff bids in 2022 and 2023. He inherits QB Kirk Francis, who has yet to complete more than 59% of his passes in a season. Maybe pairing him with running backs Sevion Morrison and Dominic Richardson will allow the offense to function with something like a pulse.

Four straight years of being flat out bad at a school that produced four Pro Football Hall of Famers and two first-round picks in the last five years is quite enough.

Tulsa Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (-115) Under 3.5 (-105)

128. Temple Owls

K.C. Keeler won national titles at Delaware and Sam Houston — nearly 20 years apart — and led the former to a 9-3 record in its first year of FBS play. Now, he’s at a place where winning five games will feel like a winning season. He’s got running back Jay Ducker, who had a 1,100-yard season back in 2021, but it’s going be a tough year with games against Oklahoma and Georgia Tech in non-conference play.

Temple Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (+106) Under 3.5 (-130)

129. Charlotte 49ers

After hiring a Jim Harbaugh hand who finished 6-16 in two years, the Niners opted for a coach who had won at their level in Tim Albin.

Albin has won 10 games in each of the last three years. He was aggressive in the portal, but the infrastructure needs to show it can hold his genius before we can tell if Charlotte is going to be good. The 49ers have a former Duke QB in Grayson Loftis, a former LSU WR in Javen Nicholas, and a linebacker unit with two former Ohio Bobcats in Shay Taylor and Kadin Schmitz.

Charlotte Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (+128) Under 3.5 (-158)

130. Kennesaw State Owls

Brian Bohannon was fired after a poor Year 1 in FBS play. In walks former NC Central coach Jerry Mack, who has the task of turning the Owls into a program that can finish in the middle of one of the worst conferences in the sport (C-USA). The job is tough, and the schedule is mean. Good luck.

Kennesaw State Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (-140) Under 3.5 (+114)

131. Florida International Panthers

FIU has been one of the toughest places to win since it began playing FBS ball more than 20 years ago. In that span, the Panthers have finished the season with a winning record just four times. In the last five years, they’ve finished 13-40. If a leap is to happen this year, QB Keyone Jenkins will likely be at the center of it after passing for 2,557 yards and 22 TDs in 2024.

Florida International Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+106) Under 5.5 (-130)

132. Georgia State Panthers

This team beat the same team (Vanderbilt) that beat No. 1-ranked Alabama last season. Hang the banner. Never mind their only other wins were against FCS Chattanooga and Texas State. It’s a start for Dell McGee, who brought in Georgia RB Branson Robinson to team up with Jordan Simmons and his 6.0 yards per rush last season. QB Christian Veilleux and WR Ted Hurst are back to lead the passing game, and D-Icey Hopkins is gonna try to help turn that secondary into a unit so cold.

Georgia State Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (-128) Under 3.5 (+104)

133. Akron Zips

Joe Moorhead’s program demands nuance. It’s easy to say the Zips finished 4-8 and weren’t very good in 2024. But that ignores the 7-47 record the Zips held prior to Moorhead’s arrival from 2019 to 2023. It also ignores seven players on last year’s Akron team who are playing Power Conference football this year. Ben Finley makes the Zips a team with a chance to show growth, but growth here is getting to six wins and then celebrating like you won the national title.

Akron Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (+136) Under 4.5 (-168)

134. Ball State Cardinals

First-year coach Mike Uremovich has one of the toughest gigs in the FBS. He has players who can play in QB Kiael Kelly, a brilliant athlete, RB Qua Ashley, who could catch 30 balls out of the backfield, and 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-10 tackles Adam Dolan and Chris Hood, respectively. They still might not be very good, but it won’t be because the potential to win six games isn’t on the roster.

Ball State Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (-112) Under 3.5 (-108)

135. UMass Minutemen

Perhaps no program is more out of its depth in the FBS than the Minutemen, who have been a doormat in this sport for nearly two decades. And after wandering the independent wilderness for nine years with 18 wins to show for it, they return to the MAC.

First-year coach Joe Harasmyiak brought in 34 transfers, including a QB from Yale (Grant Jordan), a QB from Utah (Brandon Rose) an offensive lineman from Harvard (Mike Entwistle) a defensive end from Jackson State (Josh Nobles) and a safety from Concord (Kendall Bournes). If nothing else, it will be an eclectic bunch.

UMass Win Total Odds: Over 3.5 (-128) Under 3.5 (+104)

136. Kent State Golden Flashes

Rock bottom. That’s where the Golden Flashes were to end the season, and they’re starting over with interim coach Mark Carney after former head coach Kenni Burns was dismissed last April. The goal for this group is simple: Climb to No. 135 in the ranking.

Kent State Win Total Odds: Over 1.5 (-172) Under 1.5 (+140)

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.

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