Photo by the College Football Playoff
Ohio State and Notre Dame are at the top of the Power Rankings and are set to battle for glory, history, and the trophy! Ohio State and Notre Dame are at the top of the rankings and will play for the National Championship! Since only four teams played this week, the rest of the Power Rankings will have a quick note about where teams are now and in the Fall of 2025.
1. Notre Dame (14-1) (Last Week #1) (#5 College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #3 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
I’m not surprised Notre Dame is here. The only thing they’ve done this year that surprised me was beat Georgia by more than one score. This is the best team Notre Dame has had in over 35 years. They never quit and can’t be underestimated. I know the oddsmakers are favoring Ohio State at the moment, but this team makes it 50/50 at the worst. Still, to get here in year three is an amazing feat that while not as rare as you might think, is still impressive and still done by the best in the game. No matter what happens in Atlanta, Notre Dame is set with Marcus Freeman as their head coach.
2. Ohio State (13-2) (Last Week #4) (#6 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #6 and #7 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Can Ohio State make history? Can they be the first-ever Buckeye team to win a National Championship after losing The Game? Nothing surprises me from this team anymore. That goes for both the good and the bad. I could see them losing this game in an ugly way or winning it in domination. For their success in their three postseason victories, the result of this will overshadow them all by a mile. Coach Urban Meyer explained the mindset of Ohio State and the Buckeye faithful. There is no love lost for a team that loses a championship. No prizes or legends told for “getting this far.” No heartwarming memories decades later. It’s time to do what Ohio State has struggled to do since 2019. Finish.
3. Penn State (13-3) (Last Week #3) (#4 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #5 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Penn State is thinking of this postseason as a warmup at the moment with Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, and Kaytron Allen all three returning for 2025.
4. Texas (13-3) (Last Week #2) (#3 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #4 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Texas gets a shot at the only two teams that beat them this year, but they have to go on the road to both Ohio State and Georgia in 2025. Whether it’s a senior Quinn Ewers or junior Arch Manning, the Horns will have an advantage at quarterback.
5. Oregon (13-1) (Last Week #5) (#1 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #1 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Oregon will be back in the College Football Playoff in 2025 as long as Dan Lanning isn’t poached by an NFL team.
6. Indiana (11-2) (Last Week #6) (#8 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #9 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Short of winning a Big Ten or National Championship, it’s hard to see Indiana improve upon their 2024, but Curt Cignetti has made a career out of winning when he’s not expected to.
7. Arizona State (11-3) (Last Week #7) (#12 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #10 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Any team would miss Cam Skattebo, but Kenny Dillingham has the chance to build something big at ASU.
8. BYU (11-2) (Last Week #8) (#17 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #17 and #18 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Speaking of building something, BYU has always been solid with Coach Kalani Sitake, but they have a chance now to become concrete.
9. Boise State (12-2) (Last Week #9) (#9 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #8 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Broncos are still going to be the team to beat in the Group of Five teams and will stay that way until they join a Power Conference.
10. Army (12-2) (Last Week #10) (#22 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #19 and #18 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The military academies have a more cyclic nature as programs than most college football teams, but Jeff Monken is the man to lead them to another great season.
11. Georgia (11-3) (Last Week #11) (#2 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #2 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
It’s a bit strange to see Carson Beck leave Georgia after two years for Miami of all places, but don’t expect that to mean Georgia is taking a step back in any way.
12. Tennessee (10-3) (Last Week #12) (#7 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #7 and #6 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Josh Heupel and Nico Iamaleava will keep Tennessee as a top 15 team in 2025, but they’ll need to find a good replacement for Dylan Sampson.
13. Iowa State (11-3) (Last Week #13) (#18 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #18 and #19 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
A third year as a starter for Rocco Becht would be huge for him, Matt Campbell, and Iowa State altogether.
14. SMU (11-3) (Last Week #14) (#10 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #12 and # in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Year two in a Power 4 Conference looks to be big for the Mustangs as they return star quarterback Kevin Jennings.
15. Memphis (11-2) (Last Week #15) (#25 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #25 and #23 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
2025 will be a pivotal year for Memphis as they continue to play and build their program into a Power 4 team. They could be just like SMU if given the chance.
16. Ohio (11-3) (Last Week #16) (Unranked in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked # in the AP and Coaches Polls)
It’ll be interesting to see if, after winning their first MAC Championship since 1968, the Bobcats can go back-to-back and push for a playoff berth for the MAC.
17. Illinois (10-3) (Last Week #17) (#20 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #21 and #25 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Illinois is the darkhorse of the Big Ten in 2025. Coach Bielema has done this before and his old pattern is working for him at Illinois like it did in Wisconsin.
18. UNLV (11-3) (Last Week #18) (#24 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #24 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Dan Mullen Era in Vegas will continue what they started in 2024, challenging Boise State in both the Mountain West and for a playoff spot.
19. Navy (10-3) (Last Week #19) (Unranked in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Blake Horvath is going to look to lead Navy to a season like Army and Bryson Daily had; a historic number of wins and an AAC Championship.
20. Syracuse (10-3) (Last Week #20) (#21 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #22 and #25 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Kyle McCord needed to come back for another year as much as Syracuse needed him to come back. Still, Fran Brown had a great first season and the next volume looks promising.
21. Missouri (10-3) (Last Week #21) (#19 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #23 and #20 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
11-2 and 10-3 are pretty good consecutive seasons for Mizzou. Now, the pressure will be on Eli Drinkwizt to get the Tigers into bigger destinations in the postseason.
22. Sam Houston State (10-3) (Last Week #22) (Unranked in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Year three in the FBS will look different for Sam Houston as their program has a new coach to build off their 10-win season.
23. Clemson (10-4) (Last Week #20) (#16 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #13 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Cade Klubnik returning is a big win for Clemson. They will be expected to do more than win the ACC again but to make noise in the College Football Playoff.
24. Ole Miss (10-3) (Unranked Last Week) (#14 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #16 and #15 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Despite their coach’s constant rantings, Ole Miss has had a good haul in the transfer portal and should be a top-15 team in 2025.
25. Miami (10-3) (Last Week #12) (#13 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #15 and #16 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Getting Carson Beck is huge for Miami as they look to maintain the success they had as an offense and a program in 2024.
Actual First Round
5. Texas (11-2) defeated 12. Clemson (10-3)
4:00 PM Saturday, December 21st, 2024 – Austin, Texas
6. Penn State (12-2) defeated 11. SMU (11-3)
Noon Saturday, December 21st, 2024 – State College, Pennsylvania
7. Notre Dame (12-1) defeated 10. Indiana (11-2)
8:00 PM Friday, December 20th, 2024 – South Bend, Indiana
8. Ohio State (11-2) defeated 9. Tennessee (10-3)
8:00 PM Saturday, December 21st, 2024 – Columbus, Ohio
Actual Quarterfinals
8. Ohio State (12-2) defeated 1. Oregon (13-1) in the Rose Bowl
Wednesday, January 1st, 2025 – Pasadena, California
7. Notre Dame (13-1) defeated 2. Georgia (11-3) in the Sugar Bowl
Thursday, January 2nd, 2025 – New Orleans, Louisiana
5. Texas (13-2) defeated 4. Arizona State (11-3) vs. in the Peach Bowl
Wednesday, January 1st, 2025 – Atlanta, Georgia
6. Penn State (12-2) defeated 3 Boise State (12-2) in the Fiesta Bowl
Tuesday, December 31st, 2024 – Phoenix, Arizona
Actual Semifinals
8. Ohio State (13-2) defeated 5. Texas (13-3) vs. in the Cotton Bowl
Friday, January 10th, 2025 – Dallas, Texas
7. Notre Dame (14-1) defeated 6. Penn State (13-3) in the Orange Bowl
Thursday, January 9th, 2025 – Miami, Florida
Actual Championship
Monday, January 20th, 2025 – Atlanta, Georgia
7. Notre Dame (14-1) vs 8. Ohio State (13-2)
Projected 2024 National Champions are the 15-1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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