Joel Klatt's 2025 College Football Rankings: Does Penn State Stay on Top?

Fox News

2 days ago

Michigan. Ohio State. Now, Penn State?
Following spring football, I ranked James Franklin's Nittany Lions No. 1 in my post-spring top 25 poll. Why? Because they're following the same championship blueprint that led Michigan and Ohio State to national titles in the past two seasons.
That blueprint is still in place, but so is my growing fascination with another contender. As August arrives and fall camp kicks off, it's time to revisit the rankings. Will Penn State stay on top? Or has someone else earned the No. 1 spot?
Here's a look at my preseason top 25.
Utah is bouncing back this year. This is the exact type of year when I love the Utes — because no one is talking about them in the offseason, that's when they're at their most dangerous. Utah is coming off a season where it was better than what its 5-7 record indicated. It got snakebitten by injuries after its 4-0 start, starting four different quarterbacks. Utah's success is going to come down to QB play. Devon Dampier transferred from New Mexico after earning first-team All-Mountain West honors a year ago. Dampier is a dual-threat signal-caller, and I think that will help the Utes threaten to win the Big 12 title.
I had some trouble filling out the last few teams on this list, so I went with the teams that I trust most. With Oklahoma, I also trust its quarterback: Washington State transfer John Mateer. I really like him. He's got a great arm, is accurate and very athletic and should improve Oklahoma right away. The offense was a disaster last year, but coach Brent Venables remade the Sooners' offense over the offseason. Venables is back to calling defensive plays, and that unit was in the top 20 last year. That schedule is brutal, though, having six games against teams you'll see later on this list.
The Bears finished last season on a high note, winning their last six regular-season matchups. They lost their bowl game to LSU, but they found something with quarterback Sawyer Robertson. He threw for over 3,000 yards, and they now have Bryson Washington at running back, possibly giving them the best QB-RB duo in the Big 12. The defense should improve, too. I think we'll know what we need to know about Baylor when it takes on Auburn in Week 1.
Continuing with the theme of teams I trust, Iowa is certainly a part of that group. I think the Hawkeyes could get to eight or nine wins, if not more, and they might even be underrated. The offense improved last year — granted it didn't need to do much to improve from 2023 — but I like new quarterback Mark Gronowski. He can turn the Hawkeyes around, and while I understand that you might have heard that before, Gronowski won the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy in 2023 and two national titles. He also has 55 starts under his belt.
I think Ole Miss is going to be good, but I'm not certain about that. Lane Kiffin has to replace a lot of last year's team, including quarterback Jaxson Dart. I believe Austin Simmons is a good player, but I'm not 100 percent confident in saying that. I think Kiffin, the first Ole Miss head coach to win 10 games in back-to-back years in over 60 seasons, is excellent. He always replenishes the roster and was active in the portal again, landing 247 Sports' fourth-ranked class.
It feels like when you're not talking about Iowa State, that's when the program has its best seasons. That's why I get a little nervous placing some expectations on the Cyclones here. Still, quarterback Rocco Becht returns after a strong year, but they're replacing his top two targets (Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel). I actually spoke with Becht this offseason about his new wide receivers, and he likes the guys that Iowa State brought in via the portal. The Cyclones' defense should be good, but I think the HC-QB duo is what should give the Cyclones an edge in the Big 12.
There's a lot of momentum building up in Lubbock, Texas. I think the hype is real, as I bumped the Red Raiders into my top 25 after excluding them in the spring. Texas Tech's offense was excellent last year, but the defense was one of the worst in the country. So, it hit the portal really hard, and I think that could go a long way in the Big 12. Texas Tech had 247 Sports' second-best transfer class, bringing in guys that should make a huge impact right away. Behren Morton is back for his third year at quarterback after helping Texas Tech finish in the top 10 in passing offense last year.
Ending the run of Big 12 teams, this is another ranking based on how much I like the HC-QB duo. Some might actually have the Sun Devils ranked higher after winning the Big 12 and giving Texas a strong run in the 2024 College Football Playoff. They bring back quarterback Sam Leavitt and one of the best wide receivers in the country in Jordyn Tyson. As much as I like those two and coach Kenny Dillingham, the loss of star running back Cam Skattebo is tough. He was second in the FBS in touches and scrimmage yards, so I can't say that they're going to be just fine without him. You can't just replace your heart and soul with a transfer.
A slight step back from last year, but the Hoosiers are here to stay. There shouldn't be a major drop off. Their schedule is favorable, and coach Curt Cignetti has never had a losing season. He's 130-37 in his 14 seasons as a head coach. Still, you need players to succeed, but I trust Cignetti's roster-building skills, and I liked the decision to replace quarterback Kurtis Rourke with Fernando Mendoza. There are a lot of returning players there, too, with three All-American candidates on defense (DE Mikail Kamara, LB Aiden Fisher, CB D'Angelo Ponds).
Texas A&M is a sleeping giant. The more I looked at it over the offseason, the more I liked A&M. Coach Mike Elko has been working to get this program back on track as he enters Year 2. I don't love how last season ended — losing four of its last five after getting out to a 7-1 start. Quarterback Marcel Reed was promising, though. The Aggies' entire offensive line returns, as well as multiple running backs (Le'Veon Moss and five-star recruit Roman Owens). Defensively, Elko should be able to get things going on that side of the ball. Texas A&M does have three really tough road games (Notre Dame, LSU, Texas) that hurt its ranking here, but I'd bet on them for the long haul.
The Wildcats are my pick to win the Big 12. Chris Klieman's squad is the most dependable team in the conference, with quarterback Avery Johnson headlining the list of returning players. If you look at their losses from last season, it was really a matter of turnovers. They were minus-eight in those four losses, which I think they should be able to turn around. Defensively, they should have one of the best fronts in the conference. They've got some questions along the offensive line, but this is a program that develops really well along the offensive line.
When I first did this, I had the Gators at No. 10, but the recent injury news about quarterback DJ Lagway caused some hesitation. Why does it seem like he's always banged up? Florida is very good, if not a borderline great team, but this injury-prone offseason for Lagway has me concerned for coach Billy Napier. Florida went 8-5 a year ago, winning its last four games as Napier fought off hot seat rumors. If Lagway isn't healthy, however, I don't love UF. If he is, Florida is a top-10 team. The season changed when he became the Gators' starting quarterback, going 6-1 as the one loss came to Georgia, and he left that game early due to injury. That schedule looks more brutal if Lagway isn't healthy.
Similar to Florida, I was high on Illinois in the spring, but I've had some concerns recently. Still, I'm high on Illinois because it's returning 16 starters, including quarterback Luke Altmyer and its entire offensive line. Coach Bret Bielema established his style there, and this year is a favorable schedule for Illinois, avoiding Penn State, Oregon and Michigan. If it can win its games against USC and Indiana early, it should make the CFP.
I'm bullish on the Hurricanes. I get it. The injury stuff with quarterback Carson Beck isn't great, but I can't get away from the fact that you can't recruit and add transfer portal talent at the level that Miami has and not be better. It went 10-3 last year after a 9-0 start, with that late loss at Syracuse essentially ending its CFP hopes. Coach Mario Cristobal has to get over that hump. Miami can lean on the run game and line of scrimmage, so I don't think Beck will need to be a savior. I like the new defensive coordinator, former Minnesota defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman, and Miami hit the portal hard to fix its defense, particularly in the secondary. Rueben Bain is a potential star off the edge.
I might be overrating South Carolina, but it has a quarterback (LaNorris Sellers) who I think is exceptional and arguably one of the best defensive players in the sport (Dylan Stewart). Just with those two players alone, the Gamecocks have something going. The defensive line had some losses over the offseason, but coach Shane Beamer has recruited well. The schedule is backloaded for South Carolina, so it'll have time to find its footing before taking on LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Clemson.
The Wolverines had a tremendous end to last season, and their defense was able to put it all together even without their star players on the field. They can't be worse on offense than they were a year ago, right? Because of that, I think Michigan will be back among the elite in the sport. Michigan beat Ohio State and Alabama with little offensive production, as the only teams worse at throwing the ball than Michigan were the service academies. I'm interested to see how new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey fits in. Will Michigan start Bryce Underwood or Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene at quarterback? Keene missed all of spring practice due to injury. I know Michigan is replacing a lot of defensive talent, but it was able to handle Alabama without those players. Its game against Oklahoma in Week 2 could determine if Michigan is a playoff team or not.
Coach Kalen DeBoer has to bounce back in Year 2. Alabama failed to win 10 games for the first time since 2007 last year. This isn't a program that's going to wait around for DeBoer, but he's an outstanding coach who has won everywhere else he has been. He's reuniting with his longtime offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb this season after he was with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks last year. That'll help out and should help projected starting quarterback Ty Simpson. He's a former five-star who has waited three years for this opportunity. Alabama will have stars all over the field, including two players I recently ranked in my top 10 for overall players in the country. The Crimson Tide defense was in the top 10 a year ago, so it should be fine on that side of the ball. The schedule is tough, but the bottom line is that DeBoer has to win at Alabama soon and this program has to reach the CFP.
LSU hasn't accomplished as much as Alabama, but I trust Garrett Nussmeier more than I trust the Tide's quarterback situation. The urgency should be there for LSU and coach Brian Kelly. Kelly knows it as well, leading him to hit the portal hard and fill some holes with 247 Sports' No. 1 transfer class. Notre Dame can't be playing in the title game while LSU's not in the CFP. That's not why LSU paid Kelly. Linebacker Harold Perkins returns for the Tigers, and hopefully he can get back to the level he was at as a freshman. This should be a very good team that makes the CFP.
This is an interesting team that's tough to project, but I'm giving coach Kirby Smart the benefit of the doubt. Gunnar Stockton is a question mark at quarterback, but Smart's teams have proven that they don't need an elite signal-caller to succeed. His teams just win, and there's never a shortage of talent there. The Bulldogs also got better at wide receiver, addressing that issue by adding Zachariah Branch and Noah Thomas after leading the country in drops last year. Georgia also gets most of its big games at home — where it never loses, as it hasn't fallen at home since 2019. This is a team that should play for an SEC championship.
When I made these rankings, I separated the top 10 into two tiers. Notre Dame is at the top of Tier 2. The Fighting Irish just beat up Georgia in the CFP, and their talent is way better than you think. Coach Marcus Freeman has recruited and signed a player with an average rating of 91.5, up from the average player rating (90) of Kelly's recruits in his final years at Notre Dame. That makes a difference, as they've essentially gone from being outside the top 10 in recruiting to seventh in the nation. Notre Dame has the players to succeed, with running back Jeremiyah Love headlining that group. The schedule is favorable, and it should make it to the CFP if it just splits the Texas A&M/Miami games. I don't really have many questions about this team. Freeman knows what this team is and has embraced it.
Oregon is replacing a lot from last year's team after losing 18 starters, but this is a team that's built itself on recruiting well and has one of the most talented rosters in the sport. Coach Dan Lanning has also hit the portal well to help fill in the gaps over his time in charge. At quarterback, Dante Moore takes over for Dillon Gabriel. He's not experienced, but I think he's talented. He got to sit behind Gabriel last year and learn, transferring in after starting as a freshman at UCLA in 2023 after being a five-star recruit. I don't love the injury to wide receiver Evan Stewart, however. Five-star freshman Dakorien Moore is going to have to produce right away. Still, Oregon isn't going anywhere this year.
I wanted to put Clemson higher, but I'm going to pump the brakes just a bit. I've loved Clemson all offseason. Cade Klubnik is my No. 1 quarterback entering the year. The Tigers also return 16 starters, with four of them being offensive linemen. They have legitimate talent at wide receiver, but their defensive line should be stellar. Edge rusher T.J. Parker and defensive tackle Peter Woods joined Klubnik on my list of top 10 players in college football. Tom Allen is their defensive coordinator after holding the same position for an impressive Penn State defense last year. As for Clemson's schedule, its first and last games should be its toughest. It opens at home against LSU before closing the year at South Carolina. The Tigers avoid Miami in ACC play, so I think they will almost certainly play in their conference title game. Watch out for Clemson and the victory lap that might come from Dabo Swinney.
I would've put the defending champions higher, but they're replacing so many stars. Fourteen players from last year's team were picked in the 2025 NFL Draft. Both coordinators left, with Brian Hartline taking over for Chip Kelly at offensive coordinator and Matt Patricia replacing Jim Knowles as Ohio State's defensive coordinator. I don't have many questions about Hartline, but I wonder how long it might take Patricia to acclimate to the college game. OSU made some nice pickups in the portal, though, adding tight end Max Klare (Purdue), running back CJ Donaldson (West Virginia) and two potential starting offensive tackles. At quarterback, we'll see if Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz is the starter. I think it's going to be Sayin, but I keep asking Ryan Day who it's going to be, and he mentioned that Kienholz is still fighting for the job and doing great in practice. Whoever wins that job gets to throw to Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. Can I win that job? My shoulder is toast and I can throw it to Smith. We know exactly what the standard is for Ohio State, even after winning a national championship.
Ohio State's Week 1 opponent comes in right above it. Arch Manning mania has arrived. I think he'll be outstanding. He reminds me of the college version of Trevor Lawrence. As the noise is focused on Manning, though, Texas has a great chance to have the best defense in the country. Five of the last eight national champions had the best scoring defense in the country, and I think Texas has a chance to do that. The Longhorns have a star at each level, with Colin Simmons at edge rusher, Anthony Hill Jr. at linebacker and Michael Taaffe at safety. Texas hit the portal to address its needs at defensive tackle. Coach Steve Sarkisian has built something that is sustainable, but it's now time for him to cash in after falling in the CFP semis in each of the past two years. I think Texas will win the SEC and possibly steal the mantle of being the face of the conference from Georgia. In terms of the Week 1 matchup against Ohio State, I give Texas the edge in that game due to Manning.
The Nittany Lions still have the No. 1 spot that I gave them in my post-spring rankings. I'm huge on blueprints, and I think Penn State best resembles the blueprints Michigan and Ohio State had when they won the national championship over the past two years. That blueprint is an experienced team with an experienced quarterback and a lot of guys who return rather than becoming an early-round pick in the NFL Draft. Just like those Michigan and Ohio State teams, those players are looking to rebound from a tough loss in the previous season.
Alongside quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, four offensive linemen and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton are among the group of players returning. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is in Year 2 and doesn't need to establish an offensive system. Knowles was a great replacement at defensive coordinator after Allen left. PSU brought in three wide receivers via the portal as well to address its biggest hole last year. USC's Kyron Hudson, Syracuse's Trebor Pena (All-ACC slot receiver) and Troy's Devonte Ross (All-Sun Belt) should all be solid pass catchers for quarterback Drew Allar. The big question is if coach James Franklin can beat a top-five opponent. Penn State has games against Ohio State, Oregon and possibly the Big Ten title game and the CFP. Whether Penn State and Franklin can match up with those teams will continue to persist until it wins one of those games.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports' lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast "The Joel Klatt Show." Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the "Joel Klatt Show" on YouTube.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.