College football is here again, which also means the constant CFB internet discourse has finally arrived. I can’t express just how much I’ve missed the barely-coherent smack talk between Twitter (X) burner accounts surrounding the strengths of schedules, qualities of losses, and the victors in hypothetical matchups. The chatter between campuses during the week before a huge game creates a certain anticipation for Saturday that sets college football apart from any other sport in the country. 

One of the many great things about the start of a new college football season is the dozens of surprises that start to brew once the ball is in the air from each team’s first kickoff. These surprises can take many different forms over the course of a season. Sometimes, they take the shape of an awesome upset that no one saw coming, like Vanderbilt’s 40-35 victory over #1 Alabama last season. Other times, we get to see programs that were counted out in the beginning of the season finish with opportunities to compete in the College Football Playoff, like Arizona State, Indiana, and SMU did in 2024. And on the other side of the coin, we try to look away from programs whose high hopes going into a season get smashed flatter and flatter as the weeks go on, like Florida State’s and Oklahoma State’s 2024 seasons.

While these are surprises to the masses who follow the college football media over the course of a season, there are always the small populations of people who predicted unranked Oklahoma to crush Alabama’s playoff hopes, or picked Boise State to easily mosey into a playoff bye, or had USC eeking out a 6-6 record despite a top-25 ranking in the preseason. 

Now, the reason I didn’t have any of these on my bingo card in 2024 is that I didn’t have a bingo card, but I won’t make that mistake again for the 2025 season. I’m going to stake my claim for my boldest predictions and hottest takes of the 2025 season here, so I can revisit them when I’m inevitably right… or embarrassingly wrong come December.

Take #1: Clemson QB Cade Klubnik is your 2025 Heisman Trophy Winner.

In the eyes of the Las Vegas oddsmakers, this isn’t the world’s hottest take, but it doesn’t feel like the college football media is talking enough about Klubnik.

Here’s the deal with Cade Klubnik and why he’s my pick to win the Heisman Trophy: there are 3 starting QBs who led Power 5 teams to the 2024 CFP that are returning this season. These are Cade Klubnik from Clemson, Drew Allar from Penn State, and Sam Leavitt from Arizona State. Allar will be facing solid defenses all season and has some uncertainty as far as receiving targets go. And on the other hand, without one of the best running backs in the country, Leavitt won’t be experiencing the alleviated pressure that comes with having a well-established run game anymore. By this process of elimination, I believe that Klubnik is the right pick to hoist the Heisman.

Klubik is a mobile, high-IQ quarterback with 2 years worth of starts in Dabo Swinney’s program. He’s going to be facing ACC defenses all season with a Clemson offense who is leagues above any other unit in the conference. The Clemson offense has 8 starters returning, including their entire receiving core and 4 of their 5 offensive linemen. Klubnik should be absolutely dicing the defenses he faces all season and should at least be a Heisman finalist when the regular season is said and done.

Take #2: LSU misses the CFP… again.

According to a lot of the voices around college football, 2025 is going to be the year LSU breaks through with Brian Kelly and makes the CFP. I, on the other hand, am not so confident in the Tigers. If we’re following the same formula as 2024’s threshold to make the playoff, the maximum number of losses that will still get you into the playoff is 2, and LSU’s schedule looks like it has more than 2 losses on it. 

The good news about this take is that I’ll be able to have a pretty good feel for its accuracy after just one week. LSU’s trip to Clemson in week 1 will be an early indicator of what we can expect from them this season, especially defensively. Their Achilles heel for the entirety of Kelly’s time on the sideline has been their defense, and facing Clemson’s offense is going to be a real test for them in the first week of the season. 

I have no doubt that the return of Garrett Nussmeier at quarterback will ensure another year of explosiveness on offense for the Tigers, but that’s how LSU is every year. If they want to break out of the peloton in the SEC, they’re going to have to step up on defense, and I don’t see where they made improvements on that side this offseason.

LSU is set to face 7 preseason top 25 teams this season. They will host Florida, South Carolina, and Texas A&M in Death Valley. And on the road, they’ll have to face Clemson, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Oklahoma. For them to come away from those 7 games with just 2 losses would be beyond impressive… unrealistic.

Take #3: Georgia Tech to play for an ACC Championship.

Take a look at Georgia Tech’s schedule. They’re going to be 10-1 heading into rivalry week when the Georgia Bulldogs come to face them in Atlanta. And I’m not saying they’ll beat Georgia, but we all remember that they took the Bulldogs to 8 overtimes last season, right? We all saw what head coach Brent Key was going through on that sideline after the game, right? They’re going to be well-prepared for that matchup, and Atlanta will be rocking on Black Friday.

We live in an era of college football where there is nothing more precious to a program than returning starters, especially playmakers. And after outstanding seasons respectively in 2024, QB Haynes King and RB Jamal Haynes are coming back to lead the Yellow Jackets again in 2025. Jamal Haynes is poised to be the best running back in the ACC, and they’ve added WR Eric Rivers from FIU who led Conference-USA in receiving yards and TDs by a mile. The Yellow Jacket offense is going to be a force against their ACC opponents.

I’m not saying Georgia Tech is a national championship contender by any means, but I am saying you should invest in the over on their win total. Keep an eye out for the Yellow Jackets.

Take #4: Arizona State has a major hangover.

If you can’t tell, I’m not high on Arizona State this upcoming season. Without an insane talent like RB Cam Skattebo as the focal point of their offense, I believe QB Sam Leavitt isn’t going to have as easy a time establishing the passing game for ASU as he did in 2024. 

The Big 12 will, once again, be wide open for any team to claim. Big 12 teams seem to wake up on game days having no idea how they’re going to play, and this type of volatility does not favor Arizona State’s effort to repeat as conference champions. After Arizona State’s loud rise to the top of the Big 12 and HC Kenny Dillingham’s antics last season, every team in the conference will be sure to have ASU circled on their calendar.

Take #5: Florida will make the CFP.

Florida’s 2024 season was a tale of two quarterbacks: graduate senior Graham Mertz and true freshman DJ Lagway. With Mertz as the starter in 2024, the Gators were 2-3 and looked like their season was slipping away from them halfway through. In their loss to Tennessee in Knoxville, Mertz was knocked out for the season with a knee injury, which ushered in DJ Lagway as the starter. In games that Lagway started last season, the Gators were an impressive 6-1. 

The one loss that Lagway started? He went down with a hamstring injury in the second quarter against Georgia in Jacksonville. What was the score when Lagway was knocked out? 13-3 in favor of Florida. This means that in 6 games where Lagway played the entire game, Florida was undefeated, and they were in control against the eventual SEC champs when he was injured. 

I believe a healthy Lagway who starts the entire season will equate to Florida being among the SEC teams fighting for a spot in CFP. Florida’s 2025 schedule is far from a walk in the park, but in my eyes, this is the year that Florida establishes themselves as one of the best teams in the country.

Take #6: TCU to win the Big 12.

As it was last season, the Big 12 is essentially anyone’s for the taking. There’s one team in the Big 12, however, that I feel is not getting enough love in the preseason discussion, and that’s TCU. The Horned Frogs finished their 2024 season 6-1 after a rocky start, and they’re returning one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 in Josh Hoover, who threw for just under 4,000 yards last season.

If there’s any method to my Big 12 pick, it’s based on a team being under the radar, having a great head coach, and having an outstanding returner at the quarterback position. All three of these are present for the 2025 Horned Frogs. We all remember the last time HC Sonny Dykes had an experienced QB come back to Fort Worth, right? Look out for TCU in 2025.

Take #7: Indiana makes the CFP… again.

The hard truth to swallow for some of the angry CFB fans who hate an underdog story is that the Hoosiers aren’t going anywhere. Indiana is already being counted out by the college football masses because they didn’t exactly stack up to the CFP competition when they had the opportunity last season. I, however, believe it’s time to acknowledge that Indiana got way, way better this offseason.

First off, they upgraded at quarterback, which is tough to do considering how great Kurtis Rourke was for the Hoosiers last season. Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza will be taking the reins in Bloomington and is expected to have a stellar year with the Hoosiers. Mendoza was among the highest-rated transfer QBs this offseason, and chose to land in Bloomington over other suitors like Georgia and Miami. Mendoza will be standing behind a new and improved offensive line, and he’ll be feeding 2 of the Big Ten’s best returning receivers Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. 

Defensively, Indiana is returning three of the best players in the country from 2024. Mikail Kamara was among the best edge rushers in college football last year and surprisingly chose to return instead of declaring for the draft. CB D’Angelo Ponds and LB Aiden Fisher are also standout defensive players from last season who chose to return for 2025. All three of these defensive beasts followed HC Kurt Cignetti from James Madison, and have not lost very many football games in their college careers.

The floor for IU is an 8-4 season, which is almost a fairy tale to IU fans who’ve followed the program their entire lives. I’d be very surprised if they don’t come away with a couple signature wins in their big games this season. All I’m saying is don’t count out the Hoosiers.

Take #8: Coach Prime and Colorado fall short of bowl eligibility.

It’s officially time for us to learn just how good of a head coach Deion Sanders really is. It feels like his entire squad from last season went to the NFL this offseason and the Buffaloes’ roster looks rather depleted. Coach Prime has yet to name a starting quarterback between true freshman Julian Lewis and Liberty transfer Kaidon Slater, and whoever gets that starting job is going to have to feed an entirely new receiving core. 

The main problem for the Sanders-coached Buffaloes in his two years with the program has been their defense, and they haven’t done a whole lot to turn that unit around this offseason. Because of Coach Prime’s theatrics the past two seasons, it’s fair to say that the rest of the Big 12 is going to be looking forward to the opportunity to beat up on the Buffaloes while they’re in a rebuild.

My Official 2025 CFB Predictions:

National Champion: Texas

National Champion Runner-Up: Penn State

ACC Champ: Clemson

Big Ten Champ: Penn State

Big XII Champ: TCU

SEC Champ: Texas

G5 Playoff Team: UNLV

Heisman Trophy Finalists: Cade Klubnik (Clemson), Arch Manning (Texas), DJ Lagway (Florida)

Biletnikoff Finalists: Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State), Ryan Williams (Alabama), Zachariah Branch (Georgia)

Doak Walker Finalists: Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame), Nick Singleton (Penn State), Jadan Baugh (Florida)

Thorpe Award Finalists: Caleb Downs (Ohio State), Leonard Moore (Notre Dame), Jermod McCoy (Tennessee)

Butkus Award Finalists: Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas), Taurean York (Texas A&M), Sonny Styles (Ohio State)

Hendricks Award Finalists: Dylan Stewart (South Carolina), Collin Simmons (Texas), Mikail Kamara (Indiana)

Outland Award Finalists: Kadyn Proctor (Alabama), Peter Woods (Clemson), Spencer Fano (Utah)