We have finally made it to college football season with “week 0” kicking off this Saturday (August 23rd) in Dublin, Ireland. I am going to get to my opinion on that shortly but just wanted to lay a little ground work about what this article will include. I am not going to go through each college football team in the top 25 in detail, that would be long and dragged out. Instead, I am going to give my opinions on a few of the top teams, some sleeper teams, and maybe a dark horse team to make some noise in the playoffs. All the being said, let’s just get right into it because college football is officially back! 

Alright, starting off we have one game this weekend which is called “week 0” that is being played over in Dublin, Ireland. The teams we will see are the Iowa State Cyclones taking on the Kansas State Wildcats. In all honesty I have no idea how the NCAA picks the teams that’s will participate in this week 0 game but I feel they got it wrong. Why in the hell is Notre Dame a permanent team playing every year in Dublin, Ireland? I mean come on, it’s so easy the “Fighting Irish”?? Hello? If this game is always going to be in Dublin then Notre Dame needs to be one of the teams every single year, it just makes sense. Also, Notre Dame does not belong to a conference so it is very easy to have them play in this week 0 every year assuming it’s staying in Dublin. Ok, now that my rant is over let’s get to this year’s teams the Cyclones (Iowa State) and the Wildcats (Kansas State). I am not going to pretend I have the slightest clue of what either of these teams offer, but they both are ranked in the Top 25 respectively so it should be a good game.. Give me the Iowa State Cyclones to pull the upset and take down the number 17 Kansas State Wildcats. 

College football is here, and after this week 0 takes place the rest of the field will be playing of course over Labor Day Weekend. That being said remember I’m not going to do a deep dive into all the teams, however here is a graphic of all the teams in the Top 25 to start the season (before week 0). 

Overall, looking at the ranking I feel like nothing really sticks out as a surprise or a miss ranking by the AP voters. I am king of surprised that Clemson is sitting at number 4 right now ahead of some usual powerhouses like Georgia, Oregon, Notre Dame, LSU, Alabama, and Michigan but not being familiar with Clemson they must have had a a lot of players stay/return and get a excellent recruiting class for this year. All that being said, let’s get down to picking some teams that I have some opinions for this year’s college football season! 

The Texas Longhorns are back on top of the college football world with the number one ranking in the preseason. I absolutely love the Longhorns this year, I saw online this is the best team on both sides of the ball that not only coach Steve Sarkisian has ever had but also the top in college football according to the experts. Leading the team we have the prodigy QB Arch Manning (yes that Manning family) son of Cooper Manning and nephew of Peyton and Eli not to mention he is the grandson of Archie Manning. The kid has the quarterback genes to say the least. I fully believe Arch will come out prepared to be one of the best (if not the best) QBs in college football this season. 

However, starting off the year Manning and the Longhorns will head to The Horseshoe (The Shoe) in Columbus, Ohio and take on “The” Ohio State Buckeyes the number 3 team in the nation. This is going to be an absolute battle of a game in week 1 and to have it a 12:00 PM (11:00 AM central) kickoff is absolutely criminal, thanks Big10 and Fox. The Buckeyes beat the Longhorns the last time they met in the 2024 Cotton Bowl 28-14. However, this year I think is going to be a little different even with Ohio State being at home I think the Longhorns come into Columbus and beat the Buckeyes with Arch Manning starting off his heisman hopeful year with a flashy win against a top 3 team on their home turf. 

The defending national champions Ohio State Buckeyes have entered the article. Now like I said earlier I do think the Buckeyes end up losing to the Longhorns week 1, however I would not count out this team. The Buckeyes are a strong team obviously with being ranked 3rd in the nation with their own top tier QB getting the starting job earlier this week Julian Sayin. Saying was the number 1 quarterback recruit in the 2024 recruiting class, he originally committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide but ended up transferring and finding his way onto the Buckeyes. Oh yeah, the Buckeyes also have the best wide receiver in college football, you may remember his name Jeremiah Smith!? 

That being said, even with a new QB this year in Sayin, the best wide receiver in college football in Jeremiah Smith, and a top tier defense as always I see the Buckeyes getting over the week one loss quickly and going on to dominate the Big Ten this year and find themselves back into the College Football Playoffs.

Let’s stay in the Big Ten for this next team, the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks ended up winning the Big Ten Championship which was the first season belonging in the Big Ten. I would say I think the trend of the Ducks being top of the Big Ten was first year luck but I do not think that is the case. I have a feeling Oregon is going to stay for quite a while and become one of the familiar Big Ten powerhouse teams. 

I am sure my friend Alex, who post this article to the Wire 2 Wire Sports website would agree! (Shoutout to you and your team Alex) I do reside in one of the Big Ten football states (Wisconsin) however I am not a fan but I do hear and see a lot about the teams  through local sports radio and websites. We know Oregon lost their QB from last year in Dillon Gabriel but his could be replacement is no slouch. Looks like the Ducks have two quarterbacks that are competing for the job former five star recruit transfer from UCLA Dante Moore or incoming freshman and top 10 recruit Austin Novosad. The rumblings right now is Dante Moore will be the starter in week 1 and gives the team a chance to fight for the top spot in the Big Ten once again. I like the Ducks this year and think they have what it takes to get to the Big Ten Championship again, however I do have them losing to “The” Ohio State Buckeyes. (Sorry Alex)

Now that we have talked about some team’s individually let’s just get some quick opinions on some of the other teams in the Top 25. The Clemson Tigers being ranked 4th in the nation surprised the hell out of me? Like where did they come from? However, looking deeper into what Dabo is cooking with at Clemson I see why. 

They have their own heisman hopeful quarterback returning in Cade Klubnik and will skill players on offense and a top defense, mixed with a easier conference (ACC) it all makes sense and it could be Clemson’s time to be back on top!? Next I see the Notre Dame Fighting Irish currently at number 6 in the preseason rankings. As much as I hate to say this 2025 could be the Irish’s year. Marcus Freeman has a squad there in South Bend Indiana and I would not be surprised to see them fighting for a spot in the national championship game. 

However with Notre Dame not belonging to a conference which in my opinion is lame but I get why they stay independent, I do not see the Irish finishing the year as champions. We are traveling down to Baton Rouge and checking in on the LSU Tigers. Brian Kelly and the Tigers have their own heisman hopeful quarterback returning as well in  Garrett Nussmeier, stack that with elite playmakers on both sides of the ball, and their home stadium known as Death Valley. I like the LSU Tigers to find their way into the SEC title game and into the college football playoff.

Alright let’s get into some “dark horses” picks for this year’s college football season. I am going to start with the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies are a very interesting team, I like their coach Mike Elko and I think they found their next superstar quarterback in Marcel Reed. Reed is a ridiculous athlete playing the qb position and if he can find some consistency with his throwing you better watch out. I like the Aggies making some noise this season and finding their way into the college football playoff.

Second team as a dark horse pick if you will, the Florida Gators coached by Bill Napier has a talented team this year led on offense by their own heisman hopeful candidate DJ Lagway. Look for the Gators to make some noise in the SEC this year and with any luck could end up in the SEC Championship this year looking at a playoff bid. 

Lastly, let’s talk about a team that’s not ranked in the top 25 for a true crazy pick to make the college football playoff, my North Carolina Tarheels. The Tarheels landed as some would say (myself included) the best coach in NFL history, Bill Belichick. Belichick is bringing a whole new mentality to the UNC football program and I am all in on it. Crazy prediction incoming, give me the North Carolina Tarheels, with Bill Belichick leading this new era for UNC to upset Clemson and take the ACC Championship this season!!

Oh, I almost forgot… I am going to put the graphic below of the preseason 2025 Heisman trophy winner odds. I am picking the favorite Arch Manning to start off the year dialed in and continue riding the momentum into securing himself as the 2025 Heisman trophy winner. I know terrible to pick the favorite but I just have a feeling. Finishing out the top 3 for my prediction would have to be Jeremiah Smith from Ohio State, and Drew Allar from Penn State. 

In ending, we all know the hype that surrounds college football and I feel this year will be no different. However, my personal opinion is the addition of the NIL and Transfer Portal has really changed the “feel” of college football. I mean we all know the stadium atmosphere has not and will not change and that’s what keeps people coming back year after year, but with players transferring every time you turn around I think it really takes away from the game. You have so many different top tier players deciding to leave that it dilutes what it means to play college football. I could not imaging playing at Michigan, Texas, Alabama, Ohio State, or LSU on Saturday night with the lights on with over 100,000 people cheering for you and the name on the front of your jersey. Why would you want to keep transferring and leaving such great fan bases and atmospheres? I guess I will never understand but that’s for another article.. Cheers to us, the fans because College Football is BACK!!