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The 2025 college football season is already underway following some intriguing Week 0 matchups, including a wild Big 12 season-opener in Dublin, Ireland between Iowa State and Kansas State. But with the rest of the college football world officially kicking off their 2025 seasons with Week 1 action beginning Thursday, Sporting News opted to shake […]

The 2025 college football season is already underway following some intriguing Week 0 matchups, including a wild Big 12 season-opener in Dublin, Ireland between Iowa State and Kansas State.

But with the rest of the college football world officially kicking off their 2025 seasons with Week 1 action beginning Thursday, Sporting News opted to shake up its season rankings of all 136 FBS teams. Sporting News’ latest team ranking list comes a full week after the Associated Press released its preseason Top 25 ranking, and two weeks after the unveiling of USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll. Both outlets won’t update their rankings until after this upcoming weekend’s slate of games.

In light of its updated ranking, Week 1 of the college football season will feature two Top 10 matchups and three Top 15 games. That includes a 1 vs. 2 matchup in Saturday’s highly-anticipated season-opener between consensus No. 1 Texas and second-ranked Ohio State at 12 pm ET in Columbus.

Check out Sporting News’ updated Top 25 rankings below:

1. Texas Longhorns

The Sporting News is in agreement with the Associated Press and USA Today’s Coaches Poll by naming the Longhorns as college football’s No. 1 team entering Week 1. Much of that preseason hype centers around the pending debut of former No. 1 overall recruit Arch Manning as the Longhorns’ starting QB.

Texas takes the top overall spot with what many consider college football’s most talented roster with several key returners on both sides of the ball, including senior linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., who will pair with sophomore EDGE Colin Simmons to give the Longhorns arguably the best pass-rushing tandem in the sport.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State Buckeye head coach Ryan Day addresses his team after the spring game at Ohio Stadium on April 12, 2025. — Ohio State coach Ryan Day (Kyle Robertson-Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

The reigning national champion Buckeyes take on the the Longhorns for the second time in the last eight months after downing Texas, 28-14, in the Cotton Bowl national semifinal last season from Dallas.

Like the ‘Horns, Ohio State will debut a new QB1 in redshirt freshman Julian Sayin, who will have arguably college football’s most talented playmaker in sophomore WR Jeremiah Smtih to throw to. The Buckeyes also return the sports’ most talented defensive player in junior safety Caleb Downs, who will be responsible for making Arch Manning’s life difficult Saturday.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions

Sporting News isn’t ready to give the Nittany Lions the benefit of the doubt just yet, but even they can’t deny the sheer wealth of talent on Penn State’s roster this season.

That starts with arguably college football’s top backfield led by senior QB Drew Allar and a pair of 1,000-yard RBs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton. And if new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles can transform Nittany Lions into a Top 10 defense, the sky’s the limit for James Franklin and Penn State this season.

4. Georgia Bulldogs

Given all the preseason love for Texas, the reigning SEC champion Bulldogs — which beat the Longhorns twice last season — enter the 2025 season under the radar somehow.

Like others on this list, Georgia will be breaking in a new QB1 in Gunner Stockton, who made his first career start in last year’s CFP quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame. Kirby Smart overhauled his receiver room through the transfer portal, adding Zachariah Branch and Noah Thomas in an effort to drum up more consistent offensive production this year.

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame commits — Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. (Mike Miller-Blue & Gold)

Last year’s national runner up road an incredible 13-game win streak all the way to the CFP national championship, and returns much of that unit outside of QB Riley Leonard.

Thankfully, the Fighting Irish found their QB1 replacement in redshirt freshman CJ Carr, the grandson of legendary Michigan coach Lloyd Carr. Notre Dame also returns preseason All-American RB Jeremiyah Love, a gamebreaking runner who will take much of the offensive pressure off Carr. The Irish open on the road in a Top 10 matchup against Miami, drumming up memories of 1988’s “Catholics vs. Convicts” game.

6. Clemson Tigers

Sporting News starts the back-half of its Top 10 with reigning ACC champion Clemson, which opens the 2025 season with Week 1’s second-most anticipated matchups in the Battle of Death Valleys vs. LSU.

Clemson also returns one of the most experienced rosters in college football, led by multi-year starting QB Cade Klubnik, a loaded WR room led by Antonio Williams, as well as the defensive front seven tandem of EDGE T.J. Parker and DT Peter Woods, all of whom are receiving first-round NFL Draft buzz.

7. Alabama Crimson Tide

Year 2 under head coach Kalen DeBoer comes with plenty of eyes and even more hope from Crimson Tide fans eager for Alabama to return to national prominence after falling short of double-digit wins for the first time since 2007 — Nick Saban’s first season.

The Crimson Tide open against a FSU program also eager to put last year behind after managing just two wins. A loaded Alabama defense will have be looking to set the stage and make life easy for new starting QB Ty Simpson, who steps into the QB1 role this offseason with strong leadership and decision-making. Of course, with the opener in Tallahassee, the Tide will be tested after struggling on the road in 2024.

8. Oregon Ducks

Oregon coach Dan Lanning (Ben Lonergan-The Register-Guard/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

The Ducks enter 2025 looking to replicate what led Oregon to roll through the 2024 regular season as college football’s only undefeated program en route to winning the Big Ten in its first season in the conference.

Ducks coach Dan Lanning is an incredible 35-6 in his first three seasons in Eugene, but will be breaking in a new starting QB in former five-star transfer Dante Moore, a superior talent who redshirted behind 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel last season. Oregon also returns elite junior pass rusher Matayo Uiagalelei after racking up double-digit sack numbers as a sophomore.

9. LSU Tigers

Brian Kelly is feeling the pressure entering his fourth season in Baton Rouge after taking a step a step back with nine wins last year after a pair of 10-win seasons to start his tenure.

As mentioned above, Kelly and LSU open with the Battle of the Death Valleys at Clemson, where the Bayou Bengals will count on second-year starting QB and Heisman Trophy favorite Garrett Nussmeier to make use of a rebuilt WR room and help pick apart a veteran Clemson defense.

10. Miami Hurricanes

The Hurricanes open against No. 5 Notre Dame in a Sunday night showdown from Miami, and will be breaking in former Georgia transfer Carson Beck at quarterback.

If Beck can bounce back from a disappointing 2024 that ended prematurely with a UCL injury in the SEC Championship game, the Hurricanes have more than enough returning talent to once again challenge for the ACC championship. And while the 2025 season won’t necessarily rest on Week 1’s result, a 1-0 start against last year’s national runner-up could be the start of a special season in Coral Gables.