Texas leads college football NCAA Re-Rank 1-136 after spring practice
Texas leads college football NCAA Re-Rank 1-136 after spring practice
Show Caption
Hide Caption
US LBM Coaches Poll: Ohio State claims top spot after national title run
See where your team landed in the final US LBM Coaches Poll ranking of the year.
Sports Pulse
Texas is No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports springtime college football re-rank as the hype continues to build around the Longhorns and new starting quarterback Arch Manning.
After back-to-back College Football Playoff berths, including a trip to last year's national semifinals, Texas is poised to take the next step and capture the program's first championship since 2005.
Rounding out the top six are Clemson, Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State. The Buckeyes have to rebuild on both lines while settling the ongoing quarterback competition between Lincoln Kienholz and Julian Sayin.
This group is followed by No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Oregon, No. 9 Miami, No. 10 Alabama, No. 11 Illinois and No. 12 Tennessee. The Illini are poised to make a playoff run with one of the most experienced rosters in the country.
COACHES RANKINGS: SEC | Big Ten | Big 12 | ACC
LOOKING AHEAD: Big Ten leads too-early Top 25 after spring
As expected, the Top 25 is dominated by the Big Ten and the SEC. The two power conferences combine for 11 of the top 15 teams and 13 of the top 21.
Teams predicted to rise in this year's re-rank are No. 17 TCU, No. 18 Nebraska, No. 22 Texas Tech, No. 25 Oklahoma and No. 35 Auburn. Farther down the re-rank, look for No. 50 Florida State to rebound after a miserable 2024 and teams such as No. 45 Kansas and No. 59 UCLA to reach the postseason after coming up one win shy last season.
One thing hasn't changed since the end of last year: Kent State continues to sit last in the Bowl Subdivision. The Golden Flashes went winless last season and recently made a coaching change, dismissing Kenni Burns and promoting offensive coordinator Mark Carney on an interim basis for the 2025 season.
But Kent State now sits at No. 136 with the addition of two newcomers to the FBS. Delaware and Missouri State will join Conference USA this season but not be eligible for the conference championship or the postseason while transitioning from the Championship Subdivision.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
41 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Illinois Defense Preview 2025: The Fighting Illini D Will Be One of the Big Ten's Best
The defense finished 14th in the Big Ten, was miserable at generating third down stops, and didn't do much at coming up with any tackles for loss. But outside of a few weird performances - like, allowing 49 points to Purdue, 31 to Rutgers, and 28 to Northwestern, all wins - it found ways to bend hard without a ton of breaking. 2025 Illinois Preview Illinois Offense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season- The secondary is loaded. Almost all of the stars are back, starting with All-Big Ten safety Xavier Scott and fourth-leading tackler Miles Scott. These two are all over the field - Scott is one of the conference's best ball-hawkers - and junior Matthew Bailey is getting to everything else. The team's leading tackler with 94 stops and seven broken up passes, Bailey is about to get a whole lot more corners aren't as strong as the safeties, but they're good. Kaleb Patterson, Jameim Clarke, and Torrie Cox Jr. weren't always air-tight, but they're veterans who know what they're doing. - The linebackers will push the safeties for the star power. Gabe Jacas is a game-wrecking pass rusher, earning All-Big Ten honors, making 74 tackles, eight sacks, and 13 tackles for loss. Fifth-year senior Leon Lowery comes in from Wisconsin - he was great at Syracuse for two years before going to Madison - to work on the other side. Dylan Rosiek eats up tackles in the middle, but he got knocked out with a broken leg. He's expected to be back and fine, and Kenenna Odeluga should step up after getting his feet wet last year. They'll do the dirty work to let the outside guys shine. - The Illini might be loaded with experience across the board, but the defensive front will be all about the transfer portal. Former Wisconsin Badger James Thompson was one of the biggest and best gets in the portal - more on him in a bit - and Tomiwa Durojaiye has a world of upside, but without a ton of stats at West Virginia and then Florida State. 6-0, 300-pound Curt Neal (Wisconsin) is a bowling ball who can hold up on the nose. Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season2025 Illinois PreviewIllinois Offense Breakdown © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
41 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Illinois Football Preview 2025: Fighting Illini Prediction, Win Total, Top 10 Players, Keys to the Season
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN2025 Illinois PreviewIllinois Offense BreakdownIllinois Defense Breakdown Illinois Fighting Illini Key to the Season The defensive front has to get into the has the guys, and now the pressure has to come. The 2022 defense lived behind the line, making 81 tackles for loss and 28 sacks. The 2023 bunch stalled a bit too often - 24 sacks and 57 tackles for loss - and last year, despite all of the success, the line managed just 54 tackles for loss and 24 sacks. Illinois Fighting Illini Key Player Malik Elzy, WR Illini have defensive options to get behind the line. What they don't have is a sure-thing No. 1 target to make defenses worry. There's talent and depth to be fine overall as a corps, but it would be a huge help if Elzy, who has all the tools in the box to be special, can blow up on the outside. Illinois Fighting Illini Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss Top Transfer In: James Thompson Jr. Out last year banged up, the 6-6, 300-pound former Wisconsin Badger made five sacks and 52 tackles in his previous two seasons. One of the top linemen in the portal, he's a 3-4 NFL-caliber end who can stuff things up inside, Transfer Out: Josh McCray, RB Illini have options, but losing a 240-pound veteran back who averaged over five yards per carry with ten scores last year isn't a plus. McCray is off to Georgia. Illinois Fighting Illini Key Game at Washington, Oct. 25Illinois might have dreams of playing for the Big Ten Championship, and those aren't wrong. But big picture, get to 10-2, get into the College Football Playoff. Beating Ohio State would obviously be huge, but that's a massive lift. After that, there's a week off, and then comes a trip to Seattle. Get through that - it's the first meeting since a 44-19 loss in 2014 - and there's a real shot at something big.- 2025 Illinois Schedule Breakdown Illinois Fighting Illini Top 10 Players 1. Gabe Jacas, LB Sr.2. Xavier Scott, S Sr.3. Luke Altmyer, QB Sr.4. JC Davis, OT Sr.5. Matthew Bailey, S Jr. 6. Melvin Priestly, OT Sr.7. Josh Kreutz, C Sr.8. Miles Scott, S Sr.9. James Thompson, EDGE Sr.10. David Olano, PK Jr. Illinois Fighting Illini 2024 Fun Stats - Yards Per Game: Opponents 373.8, Illinois 364.8- Touchdowns Scored: Illinois 45, Opponents 33- First Quarter Scoring: Illinois 82, Opponents. 59 Illinois Fighting Illini 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen The Illini have got to take advantage of the hand they've been they have to face Ohio State, but that's in Champaign. They miss Michigan, Oregon, and Penn State. This year, you don't want Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska, and the Illini don't get it's Illinois. It wouldn't be the slightest bit shocking if it lost at Purdue and beat Ohio State a week later. Going to Duke is sneaky-nasty, making the trip to Indiana is no longer a given win, and a date at Washington is is dangerous, and Wisconsin should be better ... maybe. USC is still a restaurant quality program, going to Washington won't be a speed bump, and ...If Illinois is the real deal, it should win ten games The Illinois Fighting Illini Win Total At … 8Likely Wins: at Purdue, Western Illinois, Western Michigan50/50 Games: at Duke, at Indiana, Maryland, Northwestern, Rutgers, USC, at Washington, at WisconsinLikely Losses: Ohio State 2025 Illinois PreviewIllinois Offense BreakdownIllinois Defense Breakdown © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
41 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Illinois Offense Preview 2025: The Fighting Illini Are Loaded
The Illinois offense only averaged 365 yards per game. It didn't run well, it wasn't explosive, and it didn't come up with a ton of first downs, but it didn't turn the ball over in bulk, and when things were working, it kept games in total now it comes back transfer portal is helping with the depth and options, but if you liked what you saw last year out of the starting 11, get ready for more, starting with ... X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN2025 Illinois Preview Illinois Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season - Luke Altmyer is back for a third season, throwing 35 touchdown passes after transferring over from Ole Miss in 2023. He runs just well enough to be a positive, but his fifth-year senior leadership will be the biggest positive. Ethan Hampton (Northern Illinois) is a capable backup who can move. - The offense might be loaded with veterans, but it's losing the combination of Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin. Those two led the way with 109 catches, and now it's up to Malik Elzy to rise up on the outside, and Collin Dixon and Hank Beatty to step up in the slot. Hudson Clement (West Virginia) and Justin Bowick (Ball State) are deep play threats. The tight ends aren't stars, but they can bring the pop. Tanner Arkin caught 16 passes with three scores last year. - Leading rusher Josh McCray took off for Georgia, but the Illinois running backs are good if they can stay in one piece. Aidan Laughery was second on the team with 589 yards and four scores, Kaden Feagin is a 250-pound load, and there's just enough depth to be okay. - The line is loaded with experience, and now it has to be far stronger. It was decent for the ground game, but the pass protection needs tweaking. JC Davis is an All-Big Ten left tackle, and Melvin Priestly has a world of upside on the other side, if he doesn't kick inside to Josh Kreutz should be an all-star, and guards Josh Gesky and Brandon Henderson are massive 325+ pound blasters. Illinois Defense Breakdown2025 Illinois Preview Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
