NCAAF Preseason Top 25

Owen Pannell
Aug 3
7 min read

Updated: Aug 12

By Owen Pannell and KZA Voters | KZA Sports

With the 2025 college football season bearing down upon us, we hear at KZA Sports have come together to provide you with a complete preseason Top 25 poll. The rankings of each team is an accumulation of the thoughts of all our voters, while the analysis is provided by one of our writers, Owen Pannell. Pannell goes over his record predictions in depth for each Power 4 school through 4 separate articles which will be listed at the end of this poll.

That said, enjoy our first ever KZA CFB Top 25 Poll.

Ohio State - Coming off a national title, the confidence in Columbus is very high. They have one of the most talented rosters in the country. If they can get good QB play, they could be in perfect position for a 2-peat. They have 3 losable games — vs. Texas, vs. Penn State, and at Michigan. I’ve got them winning all 3 though. This is gonna be a scary team once again.

Owen's prediction? 12-0
Penn State - This is the best Penn State team we’ve seen in years. Drew Allar is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and the RB duo of Singleton and Allen will be lethal. I think they lose in Columbus to the Buckeyes, but other than that go undefeated with a CFP berth.

Owen's prediction? 11-1
Texas Longhorns - The Longhorns lost a lot of talent to the draft, they still have a great team, but with an unproven QB and a very hard schedule this could be a bit of a down year for Texas. Their defense will be elite, led by arguably the top LB in the country Anthony Hill Jr, but I have a lot of questions with Arch Manning, and their offense will surely take a step back. I have them getting upset by Vandy in a look ahead spot to the Georgia game (in which I have the Horns getting the W), and finishing with a 9-3 record, which may still be good enough to land a playoff spot.

Owen's prediction? 9-3
Georgia Bulldogs - Georgia is due for a big year. They haven’t won a Championship since 2022 (I know, so long) and they feel like they are due for one. They have a great team, elite coach, and a relatively easy schedule. An 11-1 season for them seems likely, and the Texas game is a tossup. I would give them an absolute floor of 9-3, and definitely a possibility for 12-0. This isn’t the most talented Georgia team we’ve ever seen, but the stars could align for another UGA national title.

Owen's prediction? 11-1
Notre Dame Fighting Irish - The Irish have an easy schedule, so they are definitely expecting to make it back to the CFP. They also have a pretty good team, RB Jeremiyah Love is one of the best players in the country, so they should be able to make some noise again.

Owen's prediction? 12-0
Clemson Tigers - This Clemson team has everything you could ask for. A great offense led by a top QB, an elite defense, and a phenomenal Head Coach. They’ve got some difficult games on here, particularly the 1st and last games of the season, but I’ve got Clemson going undefeated, with National Title hopes.

Owen's prediction? 12-0
Oregon Ducks - Oregon lost a lot of talent from last season, but they also gained a bunch. RB Makhi Hughes was one of the top in the portal, and true freshman wide receiver Dakorian Moore was the top WR in the class. QB Dante Moore seems primed for a breakout season, and the Ducks should once again be able to make a playoff appearance.

Owen's prediction? 11-1
Arizona State Sun Devils - Arizona State returns the best QB and WR in the Big 12. After nearly beating Texas in the CFP last season, the folks in Tempe believe they have something special. HC Kenny Dillingham is one of the best up and coming coaches in the sport, and I expect big things from the Sun Devils in 2025.

Owen's prediction? 11-1
Alabama Crimson Tide - After a disappointing, playoff-less season, for the Tide, they have big expectations in year 2 of the Deboer era. Their roster isn’t as talented as other SEC teams, and they have a pretty hard schedule. 9-3 likely isn’t a playoff team with this schedule, so I predict another year to end in disappointment in Tuscaloosa.

Owen's prediction? 9-3
LSU Tigers - LSU has a very, very good team. A top 3 QB in Garrett Nussmeier, and the additions of talented transfer receivers Nic Anderson (Oklahoma) and Barion Brown (Kentucky). Their defense should be good, and they have a good coach in Brian Kelly. I believe this will be the year they get back to the CFP, and I have them going 10-2 with losses to Clemson and OU.

Owen's prediction? 10-2
South Carolina Gamecocks - LaNorris Sellers is one of the top QBs in college football, and the Cocks have a great team around him. Head Coach Shane Beimer is one of the top young coaches in the sport. With a tough SEC schedule, and a non-con game vs the top team in the country (in my opinion), a playoff appearance will be difficult, but not impossible. I have them going 9-3 which probably won’t land them a spot in the CFP, but you never know with the love the SEC gets.

Owen's prediction? 9-3
Oklahoma Sooners - After a terrible 6-6 season for the Sooners, they totally revamped their offense, bringing in Washington State OC Ben Arbuckle, who brought along top 3 QB in the country John Mateer. They also added top portal RB Jaydn Ott, along with good receivers to rebuild that WR core. Their defense projects to be one of the best in the nation, with defensive specialist Brent Venables now calling the defensive plays, I predict the Sooners to have an outstanding year, finishing 11-1, with huge wins over Texas, Michigan, Alabama, and LSU.

Owen's prediction? 11-1
Miami Hurricanes - After producing the #1 pick and not even making the playoffs, the Canes really want to make a CFP appearance. They hit the portal hard, but I don’t believe their talent is on par with last years team. They have a hard non-conference, but an easy conference schedule, so it is possible for them to win the ACC and clinch a birth that way.

Owen's prediction? 9-3
Tennessee Volunteers - Coming off a playoff appearance, the Vols had high expectations. However that changed with the unexpected exit of Nico Iamaleava. This will most likely be sort of a rebuilding year for the Vols, in a stacked SEC another playoff appearance will be difficult. They have the top player and QB in the 2026 class committed currently, so no need to fret in Knoxville. An 8-4 season wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Owen's prediction? 8-4
Indiana Hoosiers - Following a playoff berth, 15 would be a disappointment for the Hoosiers. They have no Ohio State on the schedule, but other than that, they have a very tough one. I do not foresee another Hoosier CFP appearance, even with the atrocious non-conference schedule.

Owen's prediction? 7-5
Illinois Fighting Illini - Coming off a successful 9-3 season, Illinois is returning 16 starters and looks to get the program’s first CFP berth. 9-3 doesn’t get that done, however. I’ve got them losing tough road games against Duke and Washington, but 11-1 is possible for this team.

Owen's prediction? 9-3
Ole Miss Rebels - The Rebels lost a lot this year. They don’t have a great culture, coach Lane Kiffin is great on the field, but has some questions off the field. Their whole season relies on the success of Austin Simmons, and once they are out of the playoff race I see Ole Miss sort of giving up on the year. This would be very disappointing for the folks in Oxford, so for their sake let’s hope my prediction of 6-6 is wrong.

Owen's prediction? 6-6
Texas Tech Red Raiders - The Red Raiders have the best roster they’ve had in a long time. There isn’t a massive hole on this roster, and they’re arguably the best team in the Big 12. I’ve got them going 11-1, with a tough road loss to Arizona State, but this would get them a spot in the Big 12 Championship, and possibly a playoff spot.

Owen's prediction? 11-1
Florida Gators - With all of the hype in the world surrounding QB DJ Lagway, expectations are high this year for the Gators. With a very difficult schedule, it will be hard to make a playoff appearance. Florida is still missing some talent needed to make a run, so I've got them with an 8-4 record, and 4-4 in the SEC.

Owen's prediction? 8-4
Iowa State Cyclones - Matt Campbell has a solid squad this year who could make some noise in the Big 12. I love QB Rocco Becht, and they’ve got some other solid pieces around him, but they have a very tough schedule, and it will be hard to win the conference. They can definitely upset some teams though (like I have them doing to Arizona State) and who knows, the Big 12 is nuts so maybe they could make a run. I’ve got them going 8-4, but with this schedule, they could be way better or way worse.

Owen's prediction? 8-4
Michigan Wolverines - I think this Michigan team is actually really good. I don’t think they are better than Oklahoma or Ohio State, but the rest of their schedule is relatively easy. However, I’ve got them dropping the Washington game, which is sandwiched between two difficult road games against USC and Michigan State. If they avoid losing that, and win one of either OU or OSU, this is a playoff team.

Owen's prediction? 9-3
SMU Mustangs - Coming off of the programs first ever playoff birth, expectations are high in Dallas. They return a lot of talent, and they look to make the CFP again. They have a pretty hard schedule, but I’ve got them going 11-1 with a likely playoff spot.

Owen's prediction? 11-1
Kansas State Wildcats - The Wildcats will be good this year. They’ve got a great starting QB in Avery Johnson, a great RB Dylan Edwards, a good defense, they have all the tools. In the wild Big 12, a playoff birth is a possibility for K-State. Losing 2 games would make it very difficult, but their ceiling this year is 12-0.

Owen's prediction? 10-2
BYU Cougars - After a great 2024 season for the Cougars, their star QB Jake Retzlaff is no longer on the team. Last year was a bit of a fluke in my opinion, and I expect a drop off, with a worse roster and a pretty difficult schedule.

Owen's prediction? 6-6
Boise State Broncos - Coming off a very successful season, I’ve got Boise State having another great season. Yes, they lost their best player of all time, but they return a bunch of talent, and brought in some solid transfers. I’ve got them going 11-1, with a very close loss to ND and, spoiler alert, another CFP birth.

Owen's prediction? 11-1