We've begun a run of 40+ straight days with a football game, so if you haven't already it's time to learn some CUSA & MAC. Western Kentucky, Louisiana Tech and Delaware are the projected top teams in CUSA so far, and there are some sad ass offenses at the bottom in Sam Houston, UTEP and Middle Tennessee. Toledo is #1 in class in the MAC but #876 in coaching. Buffalo took some paycheck losses but will be firmly in the mix, Ohio could be but they took an awful loss to cellar dweller Ball State last week. Check out Western Michigan as well, under the radar with a 0-3 start vs Mich St, N Texas & Illinois, but have been this years Candle tax recipient which could be big for tiebreakers. Regardless, take some time to enjoy these teams & games, the future is very murky for them playing on this stage.

Complaining about officials is lazy, and easy to do. But this past weekend proved a theory of mine, it's time to get rid of instant replay. It simply doesn't work, calls are not being fixed and it slows the games down to a crawl. Maybe if every league adopts the ACC model and shows us the process I would change my mind, but the calls in the Auburn-Georgia game were career altering and flat out wrong. If we're not going to get the calls correct, let's at least not stop the game for 5 minutes to show us every angle of a play the officials still can't get correct.

Indiana won their biggest game in modern history, beating the Ducks so badly PETA may be calling. If you weren't taking them seriously as a contender, let me put it more clearly: they play no one of consequence the rest of their schedule, the Hoosiers likely just punched their ticket to Indianapolis as well as the College Football Playoff.

Alabama is 3 games into a brutal stretch, and are a perfect 3-0. Winning at Georgia, coming home to beat Vanderbilt and taking down Missouri on the road is a quite impressive stretch. QB Ty Simpson may be the leader in the Heisman race, and the run game is getting better each week. Their schedule doesn't let up much, but the Tide look like the best team in a wild SEC.

Ohio State is so good it's boring and I don't want to talk about them. I'll just continue to bet on them and win money.

I'm downgrading Georgia a little after that performance at Auburn. You can yell all you want about winning on the road and Auburn this... the Hugh Freeze offense is awful. The Tigers have scored 37 points in 3 SEC games. And Georgia needed every bad call and side-eyed replay to escape with their season still in tact. It's time to stop expecting the Dawgs to be great, they're a solid SEC team with an improving defense.

LSU is another team I'm downgrading, as they also have no offense. Garrett Nussmeier is tough, but he's clearly playing injured, and the run game just doesn't work. I have an early line bet on Vanderbilt +3 next week vs the Tigers, beat me and I'll change my mind.

USC beating down Michigan is something I did not see coming. The Trojans top 2 RBs were both carted off the field, and freshman King Miller comes in a runs wild against the Wolverines. The Trojans defense played a near flawless game outside of one lost coverage in the 4th quarter. USC at Notre Dame will have massive implications for both programs, and unfortunately it could be the last time we see them play because Lincoln Riley is a cry baby.

Penn State... look, someone smarter than me is going to need to explain this one. I cannot recall a team this seemingly talented that has dropped to levels that are required to lose back to back to UCLA and Northwestern. Name your bad stat or streak and the Nittany Lions are probably the butt of the joke. The situation in Happy Valley is the most toxic in all of college football.

Texas has entered the chat. The Longhorns got off the mat and bullied Oklahoma for 60 minutes. The offense was meh, but the Texas defense was the story of the day. They harrassed a 'how is he playing' John Mateer all day while picking him off three times. Texas is not an elite team, but they have an elite defense.

Should we question how good Oregon really is? After being dominated by Indiana, their one big win at Penn State two weeks ago now looks like a struggling victory over a really bad football team. The teams they have beaten are a combined 2-14 vs P4 teams. The Ducks are clearly a good team, but what looked like a title contender a week ago now has me wondering if they are a real CFP threat. I'm circling the game at Iowa on November 8th as 'suddenly very interesting'.

The Pitt Panthers have suddenly reversed their season simply by inserting freshman QB Mason Heintschel into the starting lineup. 82 points and 2-0 later, suddenly the fighting Narduzzi's are a rising team in the ACC standings. Next three games are Syracuse, NC State and Stanford... The Panthers could be 7-2 hosting Notre Dame on November 15th.

If you'd forgotten about South Florida, Friday night was a wake up call. The Bulls beat the every living stuffing out of a good North Texas team, forcing approximately 73 turnovers in the process. South Florida has 965 yards rushing, in their past 3 games! Circle Oct 25th when they play at Memphis as the G5 game of the year.

Jerry Mack is a coach and story you should know about. He's spent last few years as a running backs coach at Tennessee and NFL Jacksonville, and now he's turning around one of the bottom programs in all of CFB at Kennesaw State. After two paycheck losses, the Owls have won four straight after destroying a 4-1 Louisiana Tech team. Looking at their schedule, Kennesaw has a chance to get to the CUSA title game. In a season of surprises, that would be at the top of the list.

College football always delivers, unlike some site admins that let life get in the way of posts (my bad to the surprising number of you who asked). In weeks like we just had, one where the slate looks rather light and the uninitiated fans complain about a lack of good games, the CFB gods just laugh and deliver a day full of bangers. 2025 is shaping up to be a wild season, as preseason favorites Clemson, Penn State, Texas and Notre Dame are all on life support and we've only just entered October. Here are my thoughts on a week that exposed some frauds.

I must apologize to the UCLA football team. I will continue to bash the school, their administration and those in Westwood not amoung the 17 actual fans for complete apathy while being allowed to play in one of CFB's most prestigious conferences. But the previously 0-4 Bruins football squad showed up ready and prepared to fight despite being a 24 point underdog. They jumped on Penn State with a TD and then a surprise onside kick. 10-0 before the Nittany Lions ever saw the football, what a way to open. America's favorite bag fumbler Nico Iamaleava threw for 2 TDs and ran for 3 more. UCLA ran for 269 yards and the defense bowed up on a late 4th and 2 to ice the game. Hats off Bruins, incredible victory.

And for the other side of that game, my lawd Penn State. I can understand starting slow, this was a bad spot to play a game. West coast trip after an emotionally draining loss last week was going to be an issue. But UCLA should not have been an issue, not for a team of Penn State's stature. The Nittany Lions entered last week as a national title contender and leave LA as a team in peril. Outside of a furious 4th quarter rally against Oregon, what has this Penn State team done this year? New DC Jim Knowles defense was torched all night, and OC Andy Kotelnicki's offense has looked like a 3rd grader forced to do chores for most of this season. PSU has looked so bad that I am now questioning just how good Oregon is after they escaped Happy Valley in OT... It took one week for James Franklin to go from 'can't win the big one' to a shocking number of CFB media talking about how it may be best if he left Penn State. Whatever you think of James Franklin, he has an extremely difficult coaching job coming up.

Texas is simply not a good football team. Arch Manning is a maddening quarterback, with way too many passes that look like an FCS option QB with a few elite arm throwns tossed in to make you question your own sanity. Steve Sarkisian knows how to coach an offense, so I question what has Manning and this offense looked like in practice? Arch's stat line was 16/29 for 263, 2 TD & 2 INT. Not great, but shockingly better than it looked as both the Longhorn offense and Manning were honestly hard to watch most of the night. The OL is honestly the biggest issue, as the Texas run game has not looked good in any one of their five games. And here comes that Oklahoma defense in the Red River Shootout (we accept no other names for this game).

Miami is the #1 team in the country, argue with the wall (And kindly don't look at my new Most Deserved Rankings that have Texas A&M at #1). The Hurricanes dominated Florida State on the road after beating both Florida and Notre Dame at home. No one else in CFB has this kind of resume and no one else has consistently looked as good. The Hurricanes are the class of the ACC for sure, and may be the class of CFB come January. Bain & Mesidor should be registered as lethal weapons.

Texas A&M continues to confuse me as to how good they are. Their resume does in fact put them at #1 in my rankings, which considers only the opponent and the final score and nothing else. Beating a plucky Mississippi State team at home is always a good thing, the Aggies just looked rather sluggish doing so and for so long. But on a day when a lot of big boys struggled, A&M got a convincing SEC dub. Next up are the Florida Gators which suddenly looks like a very interesting game again.

Maryland my Maryland... that was brutal. The Terps had a 20-0 lead at home over Washington late in the 3rd quarter, only to allow 4 straight scoring drives to lose. The future is suddenly bright for the Terps with a ton of freshman playing big time ball, but this one will sting for a while. Maryland is famous for dominating September only to crawl back into it's shell the rest of the fall. Here's hoping Mike Locksley can avoid that trend, as the Terps are a lot of fun and are suddenly a competent team to deal with in the Big Ten. As for the Huskies, it's always key to win your clunkers, and whoa buddy was this was looking grim for a long time. Really concerned about the Washington run game, Jonah Coleman is a really good back that can't seem to get going.

Games you may have missed: Navy & Air Force was the game of the noon window with 65 points and (checks notes) 588 yards passing in a 34-31 Midshipmen victory. Wake Forest stuffed Virginia Tech back in the ACC cellar with a 30-23 win as a 5 point underdog. Arkansas State with a big, wild win over Texas State in a game that featured six 4th quarter drives and six TD's. App State somehow kept Oregon State winless with a much needed home victory despite an ugly box score. 1-3 Ball State shocked defending MAC champ Ohio with a 20-0 2nd half run, Buffalo held off EMU in OT & Temple got a huge home win over UTSA as a TD underdog. As for the G5, I want to give those that need it an early alert to plan to take some time to catch Old Dominion at James Madison next weekend (10/18) which should be a banger of a Sun Belt matchup. If you haven't watched Monarch QB Colten Joseph yet, be prepared to have a good time, unless that Dukes front seven eats him.

It's early season report card time as we turn our attention to October. Every team has played at least four games and we're starting to learn what these teams are, or at least are trying to be in 2025. Here are my early grades for the teams that grabbed our attention the most so far.

Ohio State, Oregon & Indiana (A+). We tried to give these kids a hall pass for a transition year in 2025 and they came back in the classroom with midterm papers completed and hit us over the head with some kind of farm equipment. The staff regrets that this our own fault and we should have known better.

Miami (A+). Florida kid #1 (the gold chained one) is starting to scare everyone in the building, even the kids from what they call the 'real south'. This kid has obviously been lifting weights in the yard all summer and has already stuffed the Irish kid in his locker. He curbed Florida kid #3 (the special needs one with the gator boots) and wrote an essay about burning down something called the ACC. We may need the authorities to help deal with him.

Oklahoma & Texas A&M (A). Bonding over their mutual hatred of the orange kid, both have risen their grades considerably this term. Texas A&M still concerns us with all the weird cult stuff and the teachers still won't trust Oklahoma with any sharp utencils or glue. But they both seem dead set on getting off the 'most likely to somehow set themselves on fire with a chew toy' list.

Ole Miss & Vanderbilt (A-). Still sitting near each other, still refusing to acknowledge either exists. We keep telling them if they strip away their past they could be good friends with common interests. But Ole Miss insists they shop at the 'good portal' and Vandy is too busy drawing disturbing pictures of Atlanta.

Texas Tech (B+). Honestly I didn't even know this kid was registered at this school, we just left him a bowl of food out of pity. But he's come to class this year, dressed this time, and taken a seat at a desk rather than the hamster cage. It seems his guardian won some kind of contenst (we didn't ask) and he spent last winter buying everything under the 'How to Defense' section of Amazon. But it shows that he cares, and he's even started to bathe.

Alabama (B). Got in a fight on day one with Florida kid #2 (the one with the spear) and left crying with a bloody nose screaming this would never have happened if his real dad didn't leave him two years ago. But to his credit, he dusted himself off, scrapped around some middle schoolers then went over to bully Georgia's house and kicked his dawgs.

Georgia & Tennessee (B-). These kids are still working hard, but may be bad influences on each other. Georgia had such a good time laughing at Tennessee for wetting the bed during their play date that the Dawgs turned around and did the same thing when the Alabama kid came over. Now that both have been humbled we hope the situation has resolved itself, as we're running out of wet wipes.

LSU (C+). The cajun kid aced the first test, but it turns out it was the Clemson practice test. His teachers understand his last two parents ranged between disfunctional and criminal, but this child simply thrives on chaos. This New Englander parent isn't good for his performance, and his gumbo lacks flavor now.

Penn State (C). Reportedly spent all summer organizing his books and buying shiny new pens, determined to prove he belongs at the head of the class. Spent most of September home schooling but once he finally came in to take the first real test, he drooled on the paper for 3 hours then tried to furiously answer everything as the timer was going off.

Texas (D+). Teachers are concerned about home abuse, as the orange kid is once again showing up with hurt QBs but they won't admit to anything. Seems to still be very good at coloring inside the lines with his expensive crayons, but asking him to get in front of the class was a mistake and the cause of that stain on the floor.

Notre Dame (Incomplete). The Irish kid tried to take the final during the first two weeks and could't pass it, mumbling something about his broken defender. He's gonna spend the rest of the term taking all the easy tests and hoping extra credit will get him a passing grade. May have to look into what 'fire Ash' means as he's starting to frighten the staff.

Auburn (D+). Should be in a vocational school that will cater to his needs of golfing and escort services. We've never seen a kid get in so much trouble for not throwing things.

Clemson (F). The staff feels there should be an investigation, this is not the same kid as last year. Does he have a twin that was previously locked in a basement? Whatever the case, the one that's coming to class this year is broken and cannot be fixed.

North Carolina (F-). This kid showed up saying he was the 33rd graduate student and showed the class pictures of him posing with some infant at the beach. So far all he's done is creep on the class hamster and eat the spider decorations.

UCLA (F----). Since my repeated requests to have this child moved to a place that can either tolerate or fix his smell, the janitors will be staging a walk out on Saturday as they have tired of cleaning up his mess. Enough, let's get real and understand we can still celebrate New Years at his house without him crying in the back yard as he deficates on the roses.

The Big 12 Gang (?). Iowa State, Arizona State, BYU, Houston, Cincinnati, Utah, Arizona, Baylor, Kansas & TCU are gonna have to sort themselves out on their own. As long as we keep tortillas out of their pit, we're confident this lord of the flies group will elect someone as their leader. The ritual won't be pretty and will undoubtedly involve a few armed militias, but it will be entertaining.

Oklahoma State (Z). You can't expect us to grade this child anymore than we can expect he'll put his underwear back on. Let's just pray someone will foster this kid next year.

Who did I miss? Let me know at @PuntandRally.

Ohio State's defense is the best unit in college football. It's annoying but true, and it's going to be a problem for everyone that wants to win hardware in 2025. They dominated a good Washington offense to the tune of 234 yards, 1-11 on 3rd down and had as many sacks as the Huskies did points (6). While the Buckeye offense needs some time to gel, or things to iron out, they've got a whole lotta time to do so. With apologies to Minnesota & Rutgers, the Buckeye season comes down to Illinois, Penn State and Michigan. Julian Sayin is only going to get better, same for freshman RB Bo Jackson. Those of us that were hoping Ohio State would be taking a step back will get no such luck.

Penn State is gonna take a lot of heat for this loss, but hear me out, did the Lions find something tonight? For most of the game Penn State looked like they were hanging on, albiet with a defense that was bringing the juice. Once Penn State got down 17-3 and the stadium got truly uncomfortable, the Lions offense went down the field twice to tie the game. Yes they lost in OT, but this may be the lesson this team needed, and they got it early. I am admittedly glossing over some ugly truths such as the RB duo of Allen & Singleton had no room to run, James Franklin punting from the plus 36 and Drew Allar played mostly awful while throwing yet another crushing pick to lose a game. I just think Penn State comes away from tonight better than they entered if they learn from this game.

Speaking of the Ducks, just another massive Big Ten win for Oregon. Dan Lanning has built a juggernaut in Eugene and has yet to lose a regular season conference game. The CFP loss last year clouds the fact that outside of one awful afternoon in the Rose Bowl, Oregon has beaten everyone else since leaving the Pac 12 (RIP). QB Dante Moore is the latest Oregon QB that will contend for postseason awards, and this Duck defense looks better than last year after stopping Penn State's dynamic RB duo to the tune of 139 yards and 4.0 per carry. Oregon & Ohio State don't play in the regular season, but I'd lay money down right now they will play each other at some point.

Texas A&M is a real threat in the SEC. Their offense beat Notre Dame and their defense beat Auburn. Auburn was 0-12 on 3rd down, a stat I would've thought a misprint had I not watched the game. A&M has a lot of weapons at RB & WR, Marcel Reed has certainly elevated his game and their OL is playing like one of the best in the conference. The Aggies get Mississippi State, Florida and at Arkansas next so 7-0 is a real possibility. Mike Elko's 2nd year has started off red hot, and this team has the chance to be really special. As for Auburn, the Hugh Freeze offense is done, forget about it, it no longer works. Don't tell me about QB play or wait until blah blah blah, I've seen enough. What he's doing with this roster is a fireable offense.

The College Football Playoff narrative about Notre Dame is already insufferable, and it's only going to get worse. Look I get it, and I'm guilty of looking forward to who is a playoff team or not. But Notre Dame is a 2-2 football team right now. If Notre Dame isn't playoff worthy they'll probably lose another game or more. If there are 11 teams (plus G5) better than the Irish after December 6th then they are out. If, if, if... National CFB reporters that love to talk about the 'regular season matters most' are now leading off every Notre Dame game review with 'FIghting Irish playoff hopes are...' ugh, embrace the regular season and let the games tell the story. Is ND a playoff team? Hell no, they're 2-2 and it's September 28th. Will they be on December 6th? I have no earthly idea at this point, nor does anyone else no matter how authoritatively they talk about it. Maybe for fun I should keep a running list, at least that will give me something fun to do while listening to this nonsense.

RIP fearing Georgia football. Welcome back to reality, you're just a good (I think?) football team now. Losing to Notre Dame in the CFP was bad, escaping Knoxville because the Vols kicker couldn't handle the moment was concerning, but losing this game at home to Alabama was the end. All offseason the Bulldogs heard 'Kirby can't beat Alabama' and their comeback was that they never get the Tide at home. Welp, down in Athens, Bama once again jumped on the Dawgs from the opening drive, grabbing an early 14-0 lead they would never relinquish. The defense could not get off the field, allowing Bama to convert 13-19 on 3rd down while managing 2-8 on their own. Stockton was badly outplayed by Ty Simpson, who now looks like another Bama Heisman contending QB. Kalen DeBoer is 2-0 vs Kirby Smart and 5-5 vs all other FBS teams, and was 2-5 away from Tuscaloosa. Georgia has played two SEC games and is nearly 0-2.

FSU does not look ready to be a contender in the ACC. Hats off to Virginia and Tony Elliott for a monumental win for the Cavaliers program, but this was a hard loss for the Seminoles. FSU allowed 440 yards, 27 first downs and UVA converted 9-15 on 3rd/4th downs. The Nole offense rolled up and down the field but turned it over 3 times which ended up being the difference. It's not a killer loss in these days of expanded playoffs, but it wasn't a good look for an FSU team about to face Miami.

USC is not a Big Ten contender. Playing at an Illinois team that got skull dragged by Indiana last week, the same ole soft ass USC showed up. Couldn't run the ball much, turned it over twice, committed 8 penalties and could not play defense. Illinois fumbled into the end zone twice trying to give this game away, and the Trojans refused to take it. Just proves once again you get physical with a Lincoln Riley team you'll have a good time. USC's Big Ten record away from the state of California is now 1-5.

Is this Louisville team good? The Cards got down 17-0 early but came back to beat a meh Pitt team. The RB duo of Duke Watson & Isaac Brown had 28 carries for 67 yards. On the other hand, they held pitt to 80 yards on the ground and forced 5 turnovers. Miller Moss threw it 51 times for 339 yards and 3 TDs, and WRs Bell & Lacy were dynamic. I just don't know what to make of this team yet. They host a hot Virginia team next week in a game that will feature a whole lot of points, that may tell us something more. But I'm eyeing that trip to Miami on 10/17, and wondering if this Cardinal team should be taken seriously as a threat.

Indiana beats Iowa and Curt Cignetti is dead to me... OK, let me be fair, going to Iowa is never easy and congrats on the win. But that safety was unforgiveable and I'm still raging mad about it. Also, are the Hoosiers becoming the quintessential bully? Sure they look great when things are rolling, but punch them in the mouth and they look a lot like USC. Yeah, that's too harsh, maybe I should just say good road win and move on. But this Iowa team has no offense and Indiana barely escaped with their lives. I love how brash Cignetti is, but you gotta back up that mouth. He talked a lot of trash before the CFP last year and spent the entire game punting from plus territory and generally playing James Franklin ball. This Hoosier team visits both Eugene and Happy Valley, can they into a hostile environment and play their game?

Ole Miss is a real contender in the SEC. They are 5-0 after a big win over LSU, and Lane Kiffin is delighting everyone outside of Baton Rouge by constantly trolling Brian Kelly. The offense is really good, with a whole lotta really fun parts including two quarterbacks they look like they can win with, highlighted by Trinidad Chambliss who has been a revalation. Looking at their schedule, we'll see the Rebels next on Oct 18th when they go to Georgia, and then go to Oklahoma. They get South Carolina and Florida at home before they go to Starkville for the Egg Bowl. A date in Atlanta is doable, something I would have never predicted coming into this season.

The early line behind Texas Tech in the Big 12 starts with Arizona State and Iowa State. This will change 12 times before we get to conference championship week, so let's follow the madness as we progress through the season. For this week, the Sun Devils have shaken off a wild loss in Starkville with two huge wins over Baylor and TCU. Iowa State still doesn't quite feel like a real contender, but they are 5-0 and destroyed a previously undefeated Arizona team. Cincinnati got a huge road win taking down Kansas late, Utah destroyed what's left of WVU and Houston escaped winless Oregon State in OT. Way way way more to come from the P4's wildest conference.

College Football Playoff Contenders: I should write this as it always gets a lot of traffic. But nope, maybe next week, but probably not. Enjoy the regular season, folks.

Indiana beat Illinois down so bad I was checking the Bloomington police blotter for criminal charges. I believe Illinois is a good football team, and the Hoosiers beat them so bad it's hard to find the most impressive stat or moment. But 63 points speaks to the offensive firepower, I'm focused on the IU defense. Illinois had 20 rushes for 2 yards, only 9 first downs and were 1-10 on 3rd down. This Hoosier defense is dominant, and that's not something I thought coming into 2025. I figured QB Mendoza was a great fit for Cignetti's offense, and WR Elijah Sarratt is a weapon. But losing RB Leo Beebe is now an afterthought with Black, Hemby & Martin running all over the Illini, and WR Omar Cooper has been an even bigger weapon. The Hoosiers are B1G & CFP contenders, rising to the level of Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State in my mind.

Texas Tech is the class of the Big 12 because their defense is the best unit in the conference. I'm still not sold on QB Morton, and the offense as a whole came crashing back to earth vs real competition. But Utah could do nothing all day, to the point where I now question what the Utes really have on offense, especially QB Dampier. I thought it was a great OL with weapons in the backfield, but Texas Tech made them look like UCLA and Nico. The Utes defense fought incredibly hard to keep the game respectable, but there was no question who the better team was from the opening drive. Red Raiders also have weapons at kicker and punter, hitting 58 yard bomb FGs and repeatedly pinning the Utes inside the 5 yard line.

We were all wrong about Clemson, and I'll take the lead. I saw a team that won the ACC and returned almost everyone that mattered. In reality, this is a mid team with no identity that has regressed horribly. The OL is a major weakness, but the defense is alarmingly bad. Syracuse ripped through the Tigers like they were playing against air, in fact the only time the Clemson D showed up at all was to commit personal fouls. Dabo can rant all he wants, the team I saw on the field against Syracuse will struggle to make a bowl game. With motivation coming into question, Clemson has joined Kansas State as the early leaders for the 'who is this years version of 2024 Florida State?'

Miami is a real national title contender. The Hurricane defense may be the best in the country, a shocking thought after witnessing last year. DE's Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor are terrorists coming off the edge, and the secondary has really buttoned up under new DC Corey Hetherman. On a rainy night against a heated rival, this Hurricane defense shut the door when the offense was stuck in mud against a good Gator defense. Veteran QB Carson Beck had an off night and it didn't end up mattering. Miami gets a week off before visiting Florida State in the most anticipated edition of that rivalry in decades.

I am so mad at myself for thinking Nebraska was finally going to break through their 0-27 run vs ranked teams. I'm so done with Dylan Raiola I don't even want to watch him anymore until someone beats it into his head he isn't nearly as good as he thinks he is. He does not step up into throws. He takes unnecessary arm angles. He lofts 3 yard outs just begging to get them picked and run down his throat. The Huskers defensive line is mid G5 level and were beaten down but what I still think is a mid Michigan OL. I fell for my feelings on Matt Rhule, when the truth is that he has his own personal 0-18 run vs ranked teams going back to his days at Baylor. The Huskers are the same, it's my fault for thinking otherwise.

It's time to pay more attention to Missouri football. Seemingly overlooked every year, the Tigers are now 4-0 and will be 5-0 hosting Alabama on Oct 11th after a play date with UMass. QB Beau Pribula has been better than advertised, and RB Ahmad Hardy should start getting some postseason award love. They have a good OL & WR core lead by Kevin Coleman, and the Tigers are now a top 10 team in defensive efficiency. After running the numbers post week 4, I have Missouri projected to finish T2 in the SEC & 9-3 overall. That's a fringe CFP resume already, and they have the chance to rocket up even further in a few weeks. Tiger fans don't want to hear this, but Eliah Drinkwitz is going to get some really big offers to consider in the near future.

TCU has my attention after winning the, sadly, last Iron Skillet we'll see for some time. Texas Tech is going to get most of the B12 love, and Arizona State got a big win at Baylor. But the Horned Frogs look like a team with a lot of firepower, and a defense that looks better than advertised. I'm a huge fan of coach Sonny Dykes so I'm tempering my excitement a bit, and TCU has to travel to Arizona State this Friday in a fascinating matchup. However, if they find a way to leave Tempe with a win, the remaining Horned Frogs schedule shows them likely favored in every game moving forward. It's too early to think this way, but I'll do it anyway... TCU vs Texas Tech for the B12 championship sounds like a really fun time.

Having the best number in betting can make all the difference, even when it's a soul crushing push. Auburn and Oklahoma were nearly identical teams. The Sooners made the plays necessary to win the game, with an assist from some questionable SEC officiating that is making news postgame. The Sooners defensive line is game wrecking, and the Tigers line was equal or better holding OU to 35 yards and 1.5 ypc. Mateer is a better QB than Jackson Arnold, but not by as much as some may think. Hat tip to Oklahoma for getting a 2nd big win at home in this early season, but I come away feeling these teams are still equals. The brutal safety to steal my ticket to a push was painful, and the only solace I take is that I had the very best and only number that didn't lose.

RIP Wisconsin football. I understand the Big Ten West is no more, and that was always going to be a bad thing for the Badgers. I have no answers as to why a Luke Fickell team is this bad, but I'm starting to believe the talk that his staff (a lot at Notre Dame) were the ones that raised Cincinnati to their heights. But it's clear the new era of college football is killing this Wisconsin program, and Fickell doesn't appear to be the guy to restart it. Having a functional QB would be a nice start.

The Jason Candle Tax strikes again! Every year Toledo has the best roster in the MAC, and every year Candle's boys decide to lay a rotten egg against a team that should not compete with the Rockets. The 2025 version is now formerly 0-3 Western Michigan which scored a TD with 48 seconds left to take a 14-13 victory. Rockets QB Tucker Gleason gets the WTF happened attention for his 89 total yards and 2 pick performance. But this was a team effort, and that includes this mind boggling trend by the Toledo coaching staff. This is why I call it the Candle Tax, because every year without fail the Rockets have to pay the MAC gods tribute by losing outright as a double digit favorite.

Week three delivered bangers all day long, from Georgia Tech beating Clemson on a fire drill FG, to Georgia outlasting Tennessee in OT, to the game most of you enjoyed in South Bend. As a Notre Dame fan I'm understandably livid at the Irish defense... Even Thursday night was fun with Wake Forest giving NC State all it could handle, to the meltdowns of Kansas State, Colorado and UCLA on Friday night. Here are some of my final thoughts on the week.

Tennessee is so much better than I ever thought possible this year. This heartbreaking loss to Georgia will sting for a long time, but it's clear they won the QB 'trade' in getting Joey Aguilar. The fact that they took the Dawgs to the very edge with both starting CB's out shows me I need to seriously re-evaluate my outlook on the Vols. As for Georgia, the QB questions should be over. Gunner Stockton was the hero of the day, dropping dimes all over the field in near impossible situations. The Dawg defense has massive issues, but they still find ways to overcome.

Clemson clearly isn't making the jump most thought this year. Klubnick is the same QB we've been watching for years, inconsistent and having to do way too much. They're not out of the ACC race yet, but we'll have to wait another month to find out as they go ACC dumpster diving for a few weeks. But the OL & DL that were supposed to dominate look more like a liability, and they've made some killer mistakes in crucial situations at nearly every position. I'm interested to see how the Tigers respond seeing as how this was supposed to be the year they made it back to the big time, and now look like they'll have to scrap and claw their way into an ACC race in which they appear to be 4th at best right now.

Notre Dame's defense is a disaster. After a dream season running all the way to a national title appearance, the sequel is of the Happy Gilmore variety. New DC Chris Ash is either a total bust, or the Irish defense was so dominant last year only because of Xavier Watts, Jack Kiser and 66% of Howard Cross and Riley Mills. New QB CJ Carr has looked very good, likely viewed as sensational had the defense not been torched all night. Marcus Freeman didn't forget how to coach over the offseason, but this will be his toughest test yet. He has to somehow pick up this program and refocus them after back to back disaster finishes.

All credit in the world to Texas A&M, especially Marcel Reed and the gaggle of weapons they have at WR. The defense has issues, clearly. But Reed was a limited passer last year that just beat ND on the road by coming at them all day with his arm. Mike Elko is a great coach, and he's showing the entire nation why those of us that have followed him have said so. Program defining win for the Aggies.

Brent Key is one heck of a football coach that will have big time options after this year if he so chooses. His Yellow Jackets are 3-0 with games vs Temple, Wake and Virginia Tech coming up. In fact looking forward, GT will be favored in every game until Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate in rivalry week. But that's a long ways away, for now GT needs to find ways to move the ball without sacrificing QB Haynes King's body. He's a baller and a tough ass runner, but he needs to stay healthy. The Jackets are in line for a really special season if he does.

Florida's offense is broken. DJ Lagway is crumbling under the strain and the Gators cannot run the ball at all. The defense was up to the LSU challenge, but couldn't overcome Lagway's 5 interceptions. Florida outgained LSU, allowed only 96 yards rushing and held the Tigers to 4-14 on 3rd downs. It's a pretty helpless feeling when the QB savior starts costing you must win games. Interested to see if/how long Billy Napier survives this season.

Speaking of savior QB's, is there a more fun one than Diego Pavia? This guy and his rag tag bunch of Commodores are 3-0 and took down South Carolina in the Cock Pit. The numbers won't wow you, but this offense just keeps hammering away and finding success in crucial times. Gamecocks offense clearly cannot operate without LaNorris Sellers, so let's hope he can get back on the field very soon.

If you weren't watching UCLA on Friday night that's understandable. Only a few thousand of their own fans bothered to show up to the Rose Bowl, and they're likely glad they didn't. But UCLA is an unserious football program, I want to talk to you about New Mexico and their head coach Jason Eck. Eck was a turnaround master at FCS Idaho, and he's working magic already in Albuquerque. The Lobos had a season win total of only 3.5, but are now 2-1 after a total bludgeoning of the Bruins. With the Battle of I-25 (or Rio Grande Rivalry if you prefer) up next vs New Mexico State, the Lobos will likely enter October as at least an early surprise contender to win the Mountain West.

I still don't know what to make of this NC State team. CJ Bailey, RB Hollywood Smothers & TE Justin Joly are weapons, that's for sure. Their run game looks elite at times, other times Wake stuffs them repeatedly on 3rd & 1. The defense get gashed, tackles poorly and looks generally lost vs Robby Ashford, and then shuts the Deacs down in the 2nd half with a tango of 1-2-3 punt five straight times. Inconsistent is the correct word, but that doesn't communicate the shift from looking like a bottom MAC team for stretches, to an ACC contender at others. Note, Jake Dickert is a hell of a coach that's getting a lot out of this Wake roster. Hat tip for the cover, Wolfpack.

Quit watch: UCLA is worse than even I thought possible, and may seriously go 0-12 this year. Virginia Tech looks like they've already opted out of 2025.
Could be close: Kansas State is 1-3 after another meltdown at the hands of Arizona. Oregon State has been a disaster at 0-3, and they play Oregon next. Coastal Carolina and Liberty are quicking turning into dumpster fires.

Traveling issues. Oregon and USC won easily, but both looked at least mortal once they had to travel to the midwest even while playing the CUSA division of the Big Ten. Boston College and Minnesota both went out west as favorites, and lost to Cal and Stanford respectively. This got a lot of attention early last year and kind of fizzled out. But I'm keeping a close eye on these games, and early returns warrant further investigation.

Week two was one of those weeks that casual fans looked over and complained. Only one ranked matchup, powers playing cupcakes all over, lots of large spreads. Those of us that have seen this before, we knew this is when college football shines in all of its madness. In the end, the week ended up requiring multiple quad boxes and screens to keep up with all the action from noon until after midnight. It was yet another reminder that no matter the hype, College Football will deliver you a good time if you just sit back and watch where she takes us.

'Fire Billy Napier!' screams will be heard all week after the Gators dropped an ugly one to South Florida. My take, they played sloppy, stupid football against a team that likely surprised them physically and they got beat. It honestly doesn't change my opinion about this Gator team. The schedule will take care of Billy if he is indeed not the right man for the job. Me, I'm taking advantage of how they are being viewed right now, and the +9.5 points next week at LSU. Florida still has a good defense and a physical freak at QB.

Oklahoma and Illinois are good, I'm just not sure how good yet. Duke played Oprah giveaway football yesterday, handing the Illini everything but their jerseys. Illinois was the better team, that I'm sure of, just not sure how much. Michigan was a tough fight, but it's clear the Wolverine offense is not ready for prime time, and their WR's will go pro in something other than football. Big wins for both the Sooners and the Illini, I'm just struggling to determine what each of them mean.

South Florida has opened 2025 by beating #25 Boise State at home, and then marched into the Swamp and took down the #13 Florida Gators. The Bulls defense has been incredible, surrendering just 25 points in two weeks and playing incredibly physical run defense. They're 2-0 as double digit underdogs and hold the G5 driver seat for the college football playoff. QB Byrum Brown has been a nightmare for defenses to deal with, and Alex Golesh is rocketing up the SEC want list for next year. My preseason G5 pick for the CFP has delivered consecutive bangers.

Sawyer Robertson needs to be in the Heisman conversation immediately. I still can't comprehend how he beat SMU. The Bears defense was torched most of the night, and the Mustangs had a 14 point lead with 6 minutes left in the game. Baylor's running game eventually helped out a little, but they needed every single one of Robertson's 440 yards and 4 TDs to escape Dallas 1-1. You also have to hand it to Dave Aranda, he's going for every 4th down he can to keep this team going.

Arizona State is not ready to compete up front. A good comeback by the Sun Devils went sideways when they lined up 3 straight times at the Mississippi State 2 yard line, and went absolutely no where. The supposed cellar of the SEC stuffed the Big 12 playoff hopeful cold, holding them to a field goal. It's almost poetic that the Sun Devil defense then collapsed in spectacular fashion to give the Bulldogs a program changing win. ASU is not near a CFP level on their lines. But on the flip side, congrats to Clanga on a legendary night for the folks of Starkville.

Clemson has real problems on their offensive line. They got their act together after going down 16-0 to Troy, sending the Twitterverse into a meme frenzy. The Tiger rushing attack is incredibly bad considering all they returned up front, and Klubnik looks out of sync trying to do everything on his own. The defense is still great, but the Tigers no longer look like the class of the ACC.

Oregon looks scary good. Yes, they have played two bad teams, but they're scoring 64 points per game and may have just ended Mike Gundy's tenure at Oklahoma State. The run game looks elite (10 yards per carry?) and QB Dante Moore looks like another unstoppable Duck commander. Assuming things hold as they should, the trip to Happy Valley in week five will be an incredibly wild scene for a top 5 showdown.

I have no idea how South Dakota State won so many games with Mark Gronowski at QB. But he is not a QB, and he looks like every other recent undersized fullbacks that Iowa has had under center for years. Just think of all the time, money, hard work, blood, sweat and tears that have gone into the Iowa offense over the past years.

The Jamey Chadwell era at Liberty has been a total bust. The Flames have more talent than anyone else in CUSA by a lot, and they just dropped their 4th conference game in their last 6, and two in a row to Jacksonville State. The same Jax St that lost everyone from last years team and was portaled together with chicken wire this offseason. Hat tip to Charles Kelly, I may have been very wrong about him. But Liberty football is a total mess.

Kansas State is confirmed ASS. Losing to Army, who lost to FCS Tarleton State last week confirms my question from last week. Kansas State has lost their offensive identity, rushing 18 times while throwing 25 passes with the ever so inconsistent Avery Johnson. Army ground the Wildcats down with 70, yes SEVENTY carries for 237 yards. It wasn't explosive, but it was near perfect execution. K State would be on quit watch if I didn't think so highly of Chris Klieman.

Virginia Tech football is broken. Athletic director Whit Babcock is openly telling his board that they either fully fund their needs or risk falling further behind. It's easy to say fire Brent Pry and his staff, but VT has done this so many times and it doesn't make any difference. Bigger changes are needed to fix this mess. But until then, here's hoping they can blow out some bad teams and I can fade them some more later this year.

There are a lot of teams I don't feel I have a good read on just yet. I think Georgia and Penn State are title contenders, and working out kinks while they play with the food on their early schedules. Add Texas to that mix, although I believe in that defense. Texas A&M, USC, Texas Tech, South Carolina, Washington are others I'm looking for some type of validation either way, although I'm high on all of them.

My why bother list: UCLA, Wisconsin, Stanford, Wake Forest, Oklahoma State, Northwestern. Cal has moved out of this category with a dynamic looking freshman QB in Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Kentucky, Arkansas and Mississippi State as well, for still fighting hard for their coaching staffs after I thought each quit on them to some degree last year. Virginia also has my attention with this offense, but wow did they let NC State off the hook this week.

These QB's are must watch TV: CJ Bailey, Taylen Green, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Parker Navarro, Dante Moore, Byrum Brown, Beau Pribula, Jalon Daniels, Diego Pavia, Rocco Becht, Kevin Jennings, Dylan Lonergan, Luke Altmyer and Malik Washington.

College football, like the great Ebby Calvin 'Nuke' LaLoosh once said, announced its presence with authority in week one. We've still the whole 33rd NFL team circus playing TCU tonight, but I've seen enough to know we're in for a banger of a season. Here are my takeaways from week one.

Ohio State still has an elite defense and aren't we're all sick of it at this point? I'm sorry Buckeye fans, but you've won your title and Ryan Day has gotten over everything not named Michigan. A silver lining might be the run game doesn't look scary, but not many teams between now and December will be able to take advantage. The WR core is elite, and Julian Sayin is only going to get better. I thought the Matt Patricia hire plus replacing nearly everyone on defense would take them down a notch. I was wrong.

Miami might have a decent defense. Notre Dame isn't an offensive juggernaught, but they have a supposed top offensive line and a host of weapons. And Miami shut them down more times than not, espcially the run game. That's an impressive leap in game one of the Corey Hetherman era. Beck and the WR look good, and Miami will likely find more running room against opponents that don't have the front seven of the Irish. We'll find out how good these teams really are down the line, but for the Hurricanes to win this one on a national stage feels pretty big.

'We Want Bama' is no longer an ironic cheer, no one will fear Alabama again for a while. They didn't lose to Florida State, they were bullied on both lines of scrimmage. Ty Simpson will take a lot of heat, but the run offense was abysmal and the OL is just plain bad. Kayden Proctor got walked back so many times it looked like he was taught that as a technique. This was shocking to everyone, including myself, who thought Bama had a top OL/DL combo going into this season. HC Kalen DeBoer is on a horrid 4-5 run vs FBS teams, including 1-5 in his last 6 away from Tuscaloosa. Looking forward, the Tide visit Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina and Auburn this year. Things better get fixed quickly.

LSU took the first step on the way back to elite, Clemson proved even this seemingly loaded team is not. Maybe I'm overreacting, but Clemson's OL was supposed to be a strength, and LSU dog walked that unit all night. We'll have to see down the line how dramatic each side really is, but this game says LSU is a contender in the SEC and beyond. Clemson is still likely the class of the ACC (Miami? FSU?) until proven otherwise, and their defense is elite enough to bully most. But if that OL performance is the norm, going to Georgia Tech in two weeks and closing with FSU, at Louisville and at South Carolina will further expose a one dimensional offense. But no matter what, any Clemson title talk will be met with shrugs and giggles.

Boise State's tackling was an issue in 2024, and looks worse in 2025 so far. The offense fumbled four times and the OL looks like it has serious issues, but the defense is what concerns me the most. I've been banging the South Florida drum all offseason so I'm not shocked they won. I'm looking forward to watching Byrum Brown stay healthy and make other defenses look silly. But if the Broncos do not sure up their ability to bring guys to the ground, dare I say they may not win the Mountain West? Certainly not if they continue to run for less than 4 yards a carry.

Sark beating Nick Saban years ago has masked the Longhorn performance on the big stages. The red zone offense is atrocious, the run game is inconsistent at best and Texas still makes the little things look harder than they should. Losing on the road to the defending champs by one score is nothing to be ashamed of. But the same things keep preventing them from getting over the top. False starts, dropped passes, 4th downs... Try to imagine the narrative about Sark and Texas had Quinn Ewers not hit that 4th and 14 TD pass against Arizona State in last years playoffs.

Is Kansas State bad? I want to believe they lost a tough battle against a good Iowa State team, and then had to play a fiesty North Dakota team coming back from overseas. But that's two straight sub par performances, and needing every single one of Avery Johnson's 318 yards to beat the FCS Hawks has me questioning what the Wildcats really are. We'll see on Oct 4th when they visit Baylor, but I've got the Wildcats on bust watch.

Auburn got a massive and much needed win, but I'm cautious. I've been high on the Tigers all offseason, and I feel great about what I see from this OL and run game. Jackson Arnold was a gamer and he looks like a leader, and the front seven owned the Bears all night long. But I want to see more of Arnold's ability to drop and throw, and the secondary was torched by a good Baylor pass game. This is all unfair to say after such a big win, I'm just not sure how to classify this Auburn team yet. Regardless, it was a huge win for Hugh Freeze and this program.

Utah might already be a favorite in the Big 12. The offense looks really good with new QB Devon Dampier and RBs Wayshawn Parker and NaQuari Rogers. The defense looks improved, although my feelings on UCLA are more of the 'why bother' variety. I'm not going to dunk on Nico, plenty more will do that. But one game in, both the Utes and the Bruins are exactly what I thought they were. Utah HC Kyle Whittingham decided he wouldn't retire after last years debacle, and this 2025 team looks like a nice swan song for him if that is his intention.

The resurgence of the sunshine state. Florida State, Miami & South Florida all scored huge wins in week one, 3 of the best wins of the opening weekend outside of LSU & Ohio State. Florida, UCF and FIU took care of their cupcakes as well. It's one week, but the state of Florida has been down bad in college football recently, so it's notable they've opened so well.

Scoring is down. Unders are 59-35 to start the 2025 season. The big games have been defensive battles, and there was a lot of average to worse QB & OL play all over the country. Obviously I expect things to improve as the season gets going and offenses find their rythym, but it's a noticable early trend worth monitoring.

Vegas numbers are tight. By my numbers (shown here) Favorites won 49, Underdogs 46. Home teams have had a rough start going 45-50, and road favs opened 8-4 (although those numbers are skewed a bit with neutral sites). I don't believe in many spread situational trends, but I do take a macro view of things, and it's telling me that books did well settling lines appropriately.

The 2025 season is coming up on us fast, and it's time to get ourselves ready. It's officially game week for 9 FBS teams (and Idaho State) and we're about to leave all the hype and waiting behind and start learning what is real about all 136 teams in FBS football this year. Going into this 2025 season, we have a bunched leaderboard to start, as there are a larger number of contenders than usual, but no clear favorite as of now. With that in mind, here are some final preseason notes about the top teams in CFB. What do I believe, what do I think I know, and what is my biggest question about the top 25 teams in the preseason AP Poll.

1. Texas
Believe: Texas is in fact, back. Sark and staff have built Texas back into a national power with rosters loaded with talent.
Think: The 2025 offense will be better than 2024. I'm banking on a better run game and Arch to be better by December than Ewers.
Question: Can the defense keep replacing the DL at this high rate?

2. Penn State
Believe: The run game will be top 5 in the nation.
Think: Drew Allar will show what he can do with vastly improved WRs at his disposal.
Question: Does the big game narrative start to become a mental hurdle if Oregon/Ohio State games go sideways?

3. Ohio State
Believe: The roster is still loaded and the Michigan narrative provides fuel against complancency.
Think: The defense will be top 5 again due to a top secondary.
Question: The coordinators. Can Hartline keep the offense humming? Is Matt Patricia the best DC for the Buckeyes?

4. Clemson
Believe: Pass offense will be elite.
Think: Run defense will bounce back.
Question: Run game & Depth are the main reasons I'm not sold that Clemson is a title contender.

5. Georgia
Believe: Georgia is extremely dangerous and they're coming in under the radar.
Think: Kirby & Bobo will get back to RTDB with great success in 2025.
Question: Does Georgia have the killers and leaders they need to fuel a run?

6. Notre Dame
Believe: The defense will be elite, especially vs the pass.
Think: The run game will be dominant.
Question: Can CJ Carr be good enough early and elevate by December?

7. Oregon
Believe: The skill players have future household names in a lot of places.
Think: The OL/DL additions/replacements will be high floor but inconsistent.
Question: Can the defense improve on the big stages?

8. Alabama
Believe: The Tide will have a top 10 OL and DL.
Think: Ryan Grubb will upgrade this offense to a much more consistent and versatile attack.
Question: With Jam Miller out 6-8 weeks, do they have the RB depth to overcome?

9. LSU
Believe: Garrett Nussmeier will be the best QB in the SEC.
Think: The defense will take the next step in DC Baker's second season.
Question: Can/will the Tigers run the ball effectively?

10. Miami
Believe: The Hurricanes will be tremendous on both lines of scrimmage.
Think: The run game will dominate the ACC.
Question: How much can new DC Hetherman improve this defense in year one?

11. Arizona State
Believe: Sam Leavitt will be in a Heisman ceremony before his Sun Devil career is over.
Think: The defense will improve even further in DC Brian Ward's third season.
Question: Can ASU run the football with all new OL & RBs?

12. Illinois
Believe: The run game will improve in 2025 due to a better OL.
Think: While there's a lot to like about this Illinois team, #12 is too high.
Question: Do they have the skill players to match the hype this team is getting?

13. South Carolina
Believe: LaNorris Sellers will be the most fun QB to watch in 2025.
Think: This defense is going to regress, more than people think.
Question: Beamer's SC teams have lost 2 games by the 1st week of Oct in every year, can they change that?

14. Michigan
Believe: The front 7 will still be very good.
Think: This team looks worse than last year on both sides of the ball.
Question: Where are the skill players?

15. Florida
Believe: QB Lagway, RB Baugh and WR Wilson are a potential dynamic trio.
Think: This defense could be elevate to dominant this year.
Question: Health & Depth. The news on DJ Lagway's health is very concerning.

16. SMU
Believe: The offense will be better this year with an improved OL.
Think: Kevin Jennings is much better QB than he showed in the playoffs last year.
Question: The defensive front 7.

17. Kansas State
Believe: Dylan Edwards & Antonio Martin Jr will be the best RB duo in the Big 12.
Think: The defensive back 7 is the strength of this team.
Question: Can Avery Johnson make defenses respect his arm?

18. Oklahoma
Believe: The Defensive Line is elite.
Think: John Mateer will be a dynamic headache for the SEC.
Question: Do the Sooners have the depth at the skill positions to overcome injuries?

19. Texas A&M
Believe: The run game will be elite.
Think: Year two under Mike Elko will raise A&M past the 8-4 jokes.
Question: Can Reed and the passing game keep defenses honest?

20. Indiana
Believe: Mendoza to Sarratt will feed families.
Think: The defense will elevate to a top 35 unit.
Question: Do the Hoosiers have the depth this year to sustain?

21. Ole Miss
Believe: Kiffin has raised the Ole Miss floor more than any coach in their history.
Think: Austin Simmons will be a Heisman contender in 2026.
Question: In a down portal year, can the OL/DL adds play at SEC level?

22. Iowa State
Believe: Rocco Becht is a dynamic and clutch player.
Think: The run game improves a lot with better OL for Hansen/Sama.
Question: Can the run defense improve to adequate?

23. Texas Tech
Believe: The defense will be the most improved unit in the Big 12.
Think: The pass offense will take another step with WR weapons.
Question: Depth and RB with Joyner out?

24. Tennessee
Believe: The defense will still be tremendous with a top CB duo.
Think: The QB play will be better than last year.
Question: Who makes up for all of Dylan Sampson's production?

25. Boise State
Believe: The run game will still be tremendous w/o Jeanty.
Think: TE Matt Lauter will near 1k yards this year.
Question: Can the defense improve, especially the tackling?

Disagree? Let me know what I missed at @PuntandRally. Happy CFB season eve to us all!

Every year teams start with hope, everyone's undefeated, every team is working hard and the team vibes have never been higher. And then the ball is kicked, and some teams go THUD. Some start in week one and never recover, some put up a fight before they fall hard. 2025 Florida State was the hardest thud we've seen in a long time, but certainly not the only ones. Oklahoma State, Utah, Kentucky, Arizona and Purdue all did their part. We didn't expect much from Maryland, Stanford, Mississippi State or UCF, but all ended up a stain on pavement non the less. App State, UAB, San Diego State all entered with decent G5 expectations that went splat, and the dregs of the G5 had too many to list. Who will it be this fall? Here's my list of who goes THUD in the upcoming 2025 season.

Virginia Tech
This brings me no pleasure. I think the Hokies are one of the easiest teams for everyone to root for outside of their own personal fandom. The Enter Sandman entrance is iconic and fun, and many seasons have been ruined in Blacksburg over the years. This year, I think it's the Hokies that go thud in a hard way. I just don't see a lot of hope on this roster, and HC Brent Pry just hasn't worked out. I want to see this OL develop and make room for some interesting RBs, I want to see QB Drones develop into a real QB, and I want to see this former lunch pail defense rise up along with some fun special teams units. But what I do see is the best OL off to the portal, along with most of the back seven on defense. I see a secondary starting four G5 transfers, a WR room of nothing to concern a DC, and an inconsistent QB that's hurt a lot. I see VT going 4-8 and resetting the program again after this season. THUD.

Kentucky
Another program I think gets a lot of casual fans, probably because we love to see the big & bad SEC contenders get humbled by little ole UK, like Lane Kiffin found out last season. But when UK announced they had signed Zach Calzada to start this season, I shed a little tear. Mark Stoops has made Kentucky a tough out in a rough league, but a 2-6 finish in 2023 followed by a 4-8 season last year has the needle pointing to thud. The portal took the Wildcats top 2 WR, top 3 DL and every starter returning from their OL. The adds are nice pieces, but they're G5 nice. The DL looks really small, especially for the SEC, and the LB corp looks more like a mid ACC team. The OL may start 4 portals, three from the G5, which likely won't leave room for a decent looking RB room to roam. I think Stoops knew this was coming, which is why he went after the A&M job so publicly. I don't think he's lost his ability to coach, but I think he's lost the ability field a Kentucky team that fights everyone like a racoon trapped in a trash bag. THUD.

Wisconsin
Another team that seems to capture our hearts over the years for fighting with the big dogs like Ohio State & Michigan. I thought Luke Fickell was the perfect hire for Wisconsin and I'm shocked this isn't working. The Phil Longo hire at OC should go down in history as one of the worst of this century, as it may have doomed Fickell. I like the Jeff Grimes hire and I'm not ready to give up on Mike Tressel either, although last year was rather ugly. But the schedule this year looks like too much for this roster to overcome. Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon is bad enough. But Iowa, Washington, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota on top is just brutal. Top RB Tawee Walker portaling to Cincinnati is a really bad sign, and I am not a believer in QB Billy Edwards. Five WRs left via the portal, as did promising TE Tanner Koziol who vacationed in Madison for the spring. The remaining OL looks like it could be decent, but I don't see the playmakers to take advantage against this schedule. Other than a pair of good Safeties, I don't see difference makers on the defense either. I hope Wisconsin stays patient and gives Fickell a couple more years to dig himself out of this one, I still believe he's a good coach. If not, Fickell will land somewhere else and have to stew about the Longo hire for a long time. THUD.

Maryland
Let's have some fun now. You ever root for Maryland like VT, UK or Wisky? Probably not. I have, but I grew up a Terps fan and I will never forgive them for leaving the ACC. To me, Maryland is getting exactly what they signed up for. In my earlier years this univeristy won a national championship in basketball and the ACC in football. They had alums like Ralph Friedgen taking the Terps to good bowl games, and even slipping a bit he finished 75-50 and won ACC Coach of the year in 2010, and was promptly fired a week later. Since then it's been a dumpster fire, and here we are now in year 7 of the 'Why is Mike Locksley Still Here' times. Their top QB portaled to Wisconsin, top RB to Indiana, top DL to Texas, top OL to Colorado, Mississippi State & Arkansas... MD lost 33 players to the portal and signed 16. The starting QB just may be freshman Malik Washington. He'll have little at RB to help, and less at WR. The OL looks like it could be the worst in the Big Ten, and the DL doesn't look much better. An average LB corp and a decent looking secondary is all the hope I can find on this roster. Maybe new OC Pep Hamilton spent his last two years out of football dreaming up the greatest offense known to man. Maybe new DC Ted Monachino has been overlooked by everyone in football since he was fired as the Colts DC in 2017. Or maybe this entire university should stop pretending it can play at this level and save us all some time. THUD.

Oklahoma State
Back to the depressing entries on the thud list with the Pokes. Another program I've rooted for from afar more times than I can remember. Gundy's teams were always fun, high flying, hard hitting from guys you'd never heard of before. Gundy's ability to find talent was second to none, and he had finally gotten the better of Oklahoma as they were leaving the Big 12 (play to Pokes you chicken sh!! Sooners). But 2024 was an absolute disaster, this roster looks in bad shape and Gundy has turned his weary eyes to Todd Grantham, of all people, to fix a broken defense. I think the OC hire of Doug Meacham is interesting, but not when I look at this offensive depth chart. The QB room is a complete unknown and the WR room is a gaggle of P4 portals with very little production. RB Freddie Brock is interesting from Georgia State, but the OL was a tire fire last year and looks like a starting unit of mid level G5 portals. Gundy signed 42 players in the portal, seemingly a sign everyone possible and see who sticks approach. The secondary returns a lot, but were awful last year and the 6 portals they signed don't scream instant improvement to me. I wish T. Boone Pickens were still alive so we could at least get some great banter from Gundy as this thing goes down. But it certainly looks like it's going down hard, until it goes THUD.

Cal    UCLA    Stanford
I'm grouping these three together because these aren't worth three different entries, and 99% of you don't care about any of these teams. I don't know what has happened to the California teams (USC, you're on watch as well), but each of these programs is currently a heaping pile of why bother. I don't see the plan at any of these schools beyond 'Hey this famous guy once played for us, maybe he can fix it'. Combined these teams lost 101 players to the portal. Had Nico's dad not lost his mind they would each be starting QBs you couldn't name if your life depended on it. Stanford has an interim head coach, UCLA has a first time head coach who'd only previously been a RB coach, and Justin Wilcox. I have Cal winning 5 games this year, UCLA 4 and Stanford 3. All three were mercy adds to new conferences and none of them can get people to come watch their games. Outside of the hilarious upset, such as Cal beating Auburn or Stanford beating Louisville, this isnt' fun for anyone. They aren't even fun to rag on like this. Maybe I'm wrong... if you're a fan of any of these schools that has a better perspective, please hit me up online at @PuntandRally and set me straight.

I have a few teams on THUD watch that will likely get added as we approach the season. But for now let me know your thoughts, who'd I leave out? Who's the team you see going THUD in 2025? Hit me up at @PuntandRally.

Every year there is a short list of teams that can realistically win a national championship. The list for 2025 is expanding due to the new landscape of college football where the transfer portal and NIL have spread out the top talent more so than the past 15 years. This year is looking like the first in a while that has no 'superteam' such as Ohio State last year or the runs of Georgia/Alabama in years past. In all I see nine teams that I think can win the title this year, nearly double what I thought last year, and triple that of 2023. I am curious as to how far this ultimately expands (or contracts) in the next few years, as programs adapt to the latest revenue sharing model. But for now I'm just excited to go into a season with so many possibilities, rather than just the usual suspects.

Texas
Two straight final four appearances, top 5 team talent and consistent elite recruiting & portal classes. The SEC used to be Alabama & Georgia, and everyone else, Texas has joined that group in a hurry. This year they start the official Arch Manning era, have a loaded RB room and have a lot of talent at WR/TE that we'll get to know this year. They've built up the OL & DL needed to grind in the SEC, and they use the portal as well as anyone in the country. The Longhorns are going to break through that final wall very soon.

Georgia
Speaking of Georgia, still the king of team talent at #1, and still the top recruiting operation in the game. They have the best coach in the country, and they use the portal to fill in needs. The Bulldogs have certainly been stripped of their 2nd & 3rd level talent in this portal/NIL era, but they just won the SEC in a 'down' year. Admittedly this team has a lot of questions, but only because we haven't seen the latest of the 5 star talent about to be unleashed in 2025.

Alabama
Count out Bama at your own peril, even though they lost the GOAT Nick Saban. HC Kalen DeBoer has Alabama still recruiting at a top 5 level, and even with a thorough staff turnover and roster ramifications the Tide are still #7 in team talent rankings. Year one was a bit rocky, but DeBoer is still only 2 years removed from a title game appearance at Washington. And now he has his trusted OC in Ryan Grubb back with the gang. The OL/DL combo is one of the best in the country and have built a secondary back to a top 5 unit. Questions are QB and WR depth, but likely not for long.

Penn State
Is this the year that Penn State rises to the top of the CFB landscape? Technically they already did that last year, making the final four and were one horrific INT from going to OT vs Notre Dame. This year the Nittany Lions bring back nearly everyone outside of their two top players (DE Abdul Carter & TE Tyler Warren) and bring in new DC Jim Knowles. That roster retention has PSU rocketed up to #2 in team talent rankings, a massive jump for a program usually around the 8-15 range. QB Allar in his 3rd year, and 2nd under OC Kotelnicki's system will have new portal WRs to play with, and the RB room is one of the best in CFB.

Ohio State
Talent aquisition is the surest way to build a championship roster, and Ohio State does that better than everyone outside of the top of the SEC. The defending champs are a staple on the contenders list, no matter who they are replacing or how green some positions may look. Team talent is #4 overall this year, and they use the portal effectively to fill in needs. New QB, RB, DL will be found by November and the Buckeyes will once again be in the thick of the CFP race once new OC Hartline & DC Patricia get acclimated. Oh, and they still have the two best players in CFB in WR Jeremiah Smith and S Caleb Downs.

Notre Dame
The Irish showed last year just how far a nasty defense, a tough running game and great coaching can take teams in this new 12 team playoff format. Can ND finally get over the 37 year drought? The numbers say they can, and last year proved they were one team short of doing just that. The Irish are #6 in my team talent rankings, and HC Freeman is recruiting at a level not seen in South Bend since the Lou Holtz days. They use the portal effectively to fill in needs and do a great job at roster retention. A great OL, a top RB room and a still loaded defense will need new QB (Carr or Minchey) to balance the offense and give ND the pass threat to put them over the top.

Clemson
Clemson is back on the contenders list after a few years of lurking behind the top dogs. Dabo's previous objection to using the transfer portal to enhance his roster likely set the Tigers back in previous seasons, as well as a few coaching hires. Due to all that Clemson is #12 in my talent rankings, the lowest amoungst the contenders. But they have a loaded roster in 2025, and new DC Tom Allen is a big addition to the staff. A veteran OL, a 3rd year QB/OC combo and a dynamic WR room will be a force to rekon with this year.

LSU
The Tigers are still #8 in my team talent rankings even after a couple of meh seasons, due to a #2 ranking incoming class (croots + portals). HC Kelly has learned to use the portal as a weapon, and they've hauled in the top class in 2025. LSU still recruits at a championship level, and I'm betting this is the year people remember how good a coach Kelly can be. QB Nussmeier has a number of WR/TE options to throw to, and RB looks much better after Caden Durham's freshman discovery last year. The question is defense, and LSU has portaled in a lot of elite talent to patch up the issues of the recent past.

Oregon
I feel I have to include Oregon on this list even though I don't see them as title contenders this year. Dan Lanning has built the Ducks into a perennial power due to his onslaught in recruiting and portal additions with a #1 overall class this year. The Ducks are #3 in my team talent rankings in what feels like a transition year. They just lost so much from last years undefeated regular seaon that I see this as a gap year, get QB Dante Moore experience, find some WRs now that #1 Evan Stewart is lost for the season. RB Makhi Hughes was a great add, but the OL is going to start at least 3 portals. Defense still has a good line, and new faces will emerge once the season gets going. This just doesn't feel like the year the Ducks break through.

In the slow days of the offseason, now would be a good time to talk about our favorite ways to follow College Football. Outside of Twitter (X, whatever...) how do you consume CFB news? I mainly listen to podcasts or watch them on YouTube, and honestly I think it's my favorite thing about modern college football. Back in the day (old man voice) all we had was 'professional' coverage (stiff), and mostly as a side act to other sports. Nowadays most teams have their own shows, conferences have their own shows, and then there are the more national shows. I enjoy the 'talkin ball' approach that a lot of these take, which is in no way diminishing their professionalism and unique ways they approach the sport. Most importantly I want to consume my college football talk from people who genuinely love the sport, and these all fit that bill. If I find a show with hosts that don't, or at least don't seem to, I'm out. I'm not a fan of call in shows, or the shock value approach... just not my thing. Shows like Pat McAfee or Paul Finebaum or Barstool feeds, I appreciate their place in the sport, but hey we've all got our preferences. Here are mine:

Split Zone Duo
SZD is one of my favorite podcasts to listen to. Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson and (sometimes) Steven Godfrey have great insight into the programs behind the teams, and coaching searches/gossip. They cover the sport as a whole, with more attention to the G5 than anyone else outside of gambling podcasts (see later on the list). The approach is fun but can be light or serious depending the topic, but it's a smart show with great information. In depth program reviews, conference vibe checks, the fastest 30 (to 50) minute weekly recaps, there's so much here to love. A must listen.

Josh Pate's College Football Show
I'm a huge fan of Josh Pate and his show, I love the fact that he puts out his own power rating (JP Poll) which is very rare outside of gambling shows. A solo host that cares deeply for college football and doesn't shy away from speaking his mind on a range of topics, evaluating Pate State material or handing out a chalice of supremacy for a bold take. He takes a holistic view of CFB and can be a prisoner of the moment in times such as these when the sport decides to light it's rules and playoff format on fire seemingly every other week. Pate has his views on the Playoff format and expansion and how they will impact the sport in the future, and he's got my vote for CFB commissioner. But I also look forward to closing in on the season where we can leave the depressing stuff to the side and talk gas stations and football. Another must listen.

The Solid Verbal
A glaring omission originally, which I must admit with great shame. Ty Hildenbrandt and Dan Rubenstein are the OGs of CFB podcasts, and have remained a staple against which all others are judged. A year round show with my favorite format, a couple of huge CFB fans having fun talking about every aspect of this great sport. They have fun and lean into the weird aspects of this landscape, with segments, names and audio drops from some of my favorite CFB moments. The shows are both informative, fun and cover every team all the way to the Patriot league, which is why they fit with such a wide audience. If you're not listening to the Solid Verbal, quite frankly you're doing it wrong.

Cover 3 Podcast
Another national show by guys who simply love to talk ball. Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, Bud Elliott & Danny Kanell are a fun watch, and also cover the sport as a whole and not just the big teams. They dive into gambling as well, which is right in my wheelhouse. They are my favorite resource to talk players, talent, motivation and the ups & downs for a teams season. Cover 3 is the resource I trust to say a kid can really play, or a coach simply isn't working out. A fun show that takes a lot of angles about teams, coaches & players, and Bud's Summer School series covering one team at a time in depth is the best preview you'll find in the game. This is another one of my must listen recommendations.

That SEC Podcast
No, I'm not an SEC 'fan'. I'm actually a Notre Dame fan who simply loves That SEC Podcast. Cousins Mike & Shane are so much fun, and genuinly love college football and talking about the teams in the SEC. I love the format, which is really just two guys having a blast talking ball around whatever topic they've chosen for the day. Yes, it's SEC focused, and they aren't shy about their feelings for teams outside of the conference. But let's be honest, if you're a CFB fan you're interested in SEC football, even though you may not root for any of the teams. Even if your allegiance is outside the SEC, I would absolutely recommend you check out this show.

Hit The Books
First gambling podcast on the list, and easily one of my favorites. Brad Powers and Joey Knish have great insight into CFB as a whole, and if you're looking for gambling value I would recommend this podcast first. They have shows early in the game weeks to get insight into matchups and line value, and their offseason conference previews are a must for anyone looking to lay some duckets. They are focused on all 136 teams in CFB, and every show will undoubtedly send me to my team info or ratings making small notes or adjustments. The guys have fun talking ball and bets, if that's your thing I highly recommend you check them out.

On3 - Andy Stapes, Ari Wasserman, J.D. PicKell
I'm cheating a bit as I'm combining two different shows, but Andy & Ari have a great thing going with daily shows during the week, even in the offseason. And J.D. PicKell's show The Hard Count is on multiple times a week as well, and brings great energy and insight to his coverage. Combined these are both fun to watch from guys that love the sport and have found very entertaining ways to cover it. The banter of Andy & Ari is a lot of fun, and they willingly put their takes out there for us to agree or disagree with. J.D. brings the insight with practice reports and genuine team vibes, along with his own predictions and takes. Not a lot of G5 coverage from these, their focus is more the mainstream of CFB, would absolutely recommend.

Phantom Island Podcast
I'm including this newer podcast because I'm a huge fan of Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni. If you've ever listened to the Single Wing, this is seemingly the place where that is going now (rather than Split Zone Duo as before). Godfrey brings the Gen X energy that I can relate to, and Nanni has a unique and comedic way of approaching CFB (see next entry). The show is weeks old, so I can't speak much to format or style yet, and they do cover things outside of CFB. But I'll follow CFB media if I like their approach, and these two are worth the follow.

Shutdown Fullcast
This is more a group chat within the Ethos of college football, but it's a truly fun show. Jason Kirk, Spencer Hall, Holly Anderson and Ryan Nanni (again) can end up talking about ancient civilization or the Red Dead Redemption video game, but it's always from a viewpoint of college football. It's a funny show, the only one my wife has actually listened to and laughed or asked about. But if you've read this far you know I'm all about people having fun talking about college football, and while this one certainly pushes way outside that boundry, it's a good time that I recommend you check out.

BBOC: College Sports Betting Picks & Strategy
The Action Networks Stuckey, Collin Wilson, Mike Calabrese and Brett McMurphy are another gambling podcast that I would recommend to CFB bettors. They've got great insight into the sport as a whole, and have a good time talking ball and bets. They take a realistic view on gambling, no hot takes or mortal locks of the year, just good coverage of all 136 teams, their coaches and players. They also do conference previews for all 11 conferences starting in late July, so I'd absolutely recommend you check them out later this summer.

VSIN: College Football Betting Podcast
Tim Murray hosts my newest gambling podcast edition which I highly recommend you give a listen. A revolving door of guests is usually a negative for me, but Tim books the best of the best and makes it work with ease. The focus is on all of CFB from the P4 to the bottom of the G5, with insight and informative discussion into everything you need to lay your duckets. Line moves, situational spots and team insight that I've found invaluable, it's no wonder this show is rising the rankings quickly.

College Football Enquirer
RIP to the PAAAD, but I'm including it here anyway. Dan Wetzel, Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger hosted my favorite CFB podcast until earlier this year. Wherever they land, I will follow. Dan Wetzel's rant on losing a COVID spring ball bet on Gardner-Webb is the still one of the funniest things I've ever heard. These guys had a lot of fun talking ball, dumb crinimals all the way to fat bear week. If and when these guys start new podcasts I will update this this for those interested.

What did I miss? There's certainly a lot of CFB media out there right now, and I don't know them all. Drop me a message and let me know what I'm missing out on @PuntandRally.

Please do not break this great sport of ours. I say ours, because I'm a fan, writing on behalf of other fans. We all have our own allegiances, but we all love this sport and don't want it ruined. If we wanted an NFL lite we'd be NFL fans, college football is special. It's imperfections are part of the charm, and nothing else in sports gets us excited like seeing a lesser known school beating one of the blue bloods. Take all your Bama/Georgia games, your playoff games, your national title games... keep em. Northern Illinois beating Notre Dame was the most memorable game from 2025. The path that you (SEC/B1G/ACC/B12) seem hell bent on taking will remove that possibility. And that's what you don't understand, or don't care about. You want big games, more playoff matchups and ultimately more money. We want App State to beat Michigan and we've hardly had more fun than watching Boise State take down Oklahoma in an otherwise 'meaningless' bowl game. It's the soul of college football, and it should be respected as such.

The fact is that you P4 conferences hold more power over this sport than any others in history, and your rhetoric is quite concerning. I won't pretend to know all that you do, I can only give you my perspective as a fan, that I believe most fans would agree with. There are two factions here, the first being the SEC and Big Ten, as they hold more power than everyone else. They are already talking about leaving the NCAA and forming their own enterprise, at least for football. The ACC and the Big 12 are taking meetings with venture capital firms to discuss billion dollar, private-equity backed super leagues. All of you, please stop this nonsense. If private equity gets involved, this thing of ours is over. If you further divide (or effectively end) the difference between Georgia and Georgia State, this thing of ours is over. A few of you will get very rich, and 99% of everyone else involved in college football will lose.

Have you considered the ratings for last years playoffs? Did it not tell a story that college football works between late August and January 1st? The longer the season goes, the more people lose interest. Die hards like me will watch anything, all year round. But you've gotten a solid data point that you've already expanded beyond interest. If you rip apart the (currently 136) programs you will lose more diehards, like you already have on the West Coast. You killed the Pac 12, Wazzu and Oregon State have been relegated, UCLA, Stanford & Cal are falling faster now in their liferaft alliances, even USC is floundering in their new midwestern existence...

I'm so tired of this. I'm tired of such a great sport hell bent on devouring itself. I'm tired of the negative headlines that this stuff generates. I wonder how a sport that markets itself by its flaws is even attracting new fans. How are your demographics, are you losing the younger generations? It would not surprise me. Ever year fans have to learn new teams, new conference affiliations, new playoff formats... It's too much to keep track of, and turns people off. This is a great thing we have, celebrate it, promote it, love it. And for the love of everything holy, please stop trying to kill it. Find new careers if this isn't a passion, let people who deeply care about this sport be in charge.

If I had the opportunity to make a case to the P4, that would be it. From reading the quotes out of spring meetings, this latest CFB mess is about the playoff format, and their lack of trust in the CFP selection committee. I watch CFB media like Josh Pate and Joel Klatt raging against 'board rooms', as if we haven't lived this existence for more than a decade already. Is it perfect? Absolultely not, and I don't need it to be. We're no longer arguing about the 4th best team each year, we're down to the 12th, and probably soon the 16th. Pate & Klatt feel this will further divide the sport, a view I can respect but disagree with. I believe they are overlooking the impact of writing official rules that the SEC and Big Ten are at least twice as important as other conferences. I also think once you make conference standings all that matter to make the CFP, out of conference games become meaningless. And why is it that we don't think we can find 13 people capable of making good decisions about who makes the playoffs? If the committee is bad, change it. Put people on that actually watch all the games, not sitting athletic directors who watch their women's tennis teams on fall weekends. Put one or two analytics personel on the committee, people that can actually build and argue metrics like strength of schedule... But hey, guys like Pate and Klatt make a good living talking about this stuff, I'm a guy with a website, so what do I know.

There's a lot that I love about College Football, but it's certainly not perfect, frankly it never has been. But it's quirks used to be fun to rag on and a source of endless entertainment, and now things have gotten much more serious. I'll address the important stuff in a later post, for now here's a list of things that are sure to grind my gears about the 2025 college football season.

Akron
As if going 15-63 over the past eight years wasn't bad enough, the Zips went ahead and got themselves pre-banned from the 2025 bowl season for an APR score of 914. For those of you who don't know what that means, it means Akron decided 'we ain't come here to play skool'.

Greg Sankey & Toni Petitti

The supreme leaders of the Power 2 are the CFB parents fighting over custody of the rest of the CFB world. They are at odds about the playoff format for 2026, which is holding up the entire sport. 12 teams, 14, 16... 5 automatic bids vs 11... the headlines are nausiating at this point. I don't have inside knowledge of these two, but what I do know is I'm so tired of hearing about these conference commissioners I can't imagine what the more casual CFB fans think at this point. The greatest sport in the world is constantly making headlines for all the wrong reasons, and one or both of these names is almost always in the title.

Kent State
Oh Kent, this can't be fun for anyone other than your opponents. I take no issue in the Golden Flashes playing inferior football, but when you have 1 more win than I have since December of 2023 and your head coach spent last year fleecing boosters, it may be time to either start caring about football or start thinking Ohio Valley Conference. The best thing I can find about your 2025 squad is your QB Devin Kargman's glorious hair.

Prime Haters
Prime inherited a 1 win team in 2022 and took them to a 9 win season and an Alamo Bowl last season. Whatever argument just ran through your head to shout back at me, read that line again. It was an incredible job, and I have zero business judging how he did it. Prime is fun, Colorado football has been must watch, and I am genuinely interested to see what Deion can build this program into after this start.

Maryland
Mike Locksley is a terrible head coach and the Terps belong in the ACC. Kevin Anderson is my mortal enemy still to this day for firing Ralph Friedgen and pushing Gary Williams out of College Park. Back then Maryland had a national championship in basketball and an ACC conference championship in football until he Brockmire'd it.

Michigan Scandals
It's time to stop all the Michigan hate. Did they cheat? You bet your ugly winged helmet they did. But they did what countless schools have done, they found an advantage, illegal as it was, and used it in some form on their way to winning a national championship. Connor Stallions did not mis-snap a hundred balls for Alabama to make them lose that game and Ohio State can dig up all the Zapruder films they want, they won't find one that shows the Buckeyes with more points than Michigan in any game since 2019. We all lost, Michigan won, let's just move on.

Nick Iamaleava
I hope there's a happy ending to this Father Iamaleava saga, but honestly I don't want to hear about him anymore. Nico and Madden are the present and future QBs of the UCLA Bruins, a match made in heaven. None of them have seemingly any interest in playing good football other than a source of money. While I have empathy for these two kids being wronged by a parent, I have none for a football program with the advantages of USC and the interest of an emo teen.

UAB
UAB chose to hire a local high school coach to succeed the legendary Bill Clark, because it was 'That guy won a Super Bowl' Trent Dilfer. Dilfer is 7-17 over two years while making comments like 'It's not like this is freakin' Alabama' after a 41-18 pummeling at the hands of Navy. UAB fans deserve better.

Kentucky
This is more a makes me sad entry, but the Mark Stoops era of Kentucky football feels like it's in its mediation stage. Going 77-73 at Kentucky should come with a statue, not this. But after a 4-8 season with a 1-6 finish, preceded by Stoops public flirtation with the A&M job, things aren't looking so hot in 2025 either. No man of his stature and accomplishment should be thinking 'Help me Zach Calzada, you're my only hope'

Jordon Hudson
I was blissfully unaware that Bill Belichick was dating a junior prom queen and I want to return to that ignorance. I'm sure Jordon Hudson is lovely, but she is an absolute failure at whatever she is supposed to be doing for Belichick.

Cincinnati
Bearcat athletic director John Cunningham inherited a football program lead by Luke Fickell barreling his way to the the first CFP bid for a G5 program. He then hired Scott Satterfield to tear it back down. He saw Satterfield's 25-24 record at Louisville and thought... something. Eight wins and two years later this mistake will continue to walk the plank of mediocrity until it's rectified.

Oklahoma State
He's a man, and he's still only 57. But Mike Gundy's Ok State program is falling off a cliff and things don't look any better this year. Gundy is a pure CFB coach, endlessly entertaining while culturally obvilious. He's the Spurrier of the mid-south, if the HBC was a Fox News junky. He's fun, and he's a Cowboy legend for his 11 year, 169-88 career. But it's getting sad and unless he can unflush this program it's going to get even sadder.

New Mexico State
Bad coaching hires make me crazy. Jerry Kill was a great but short lived coach for the Aggies, and athletic director Mario Moccia used that momentum that New Mexico State desperately needed, only to hire Tony Sanchez and his 20-40 record at UNLV. Moccia was fired for a much more serious reason, but this hire would've been enough for me.

The ACC Bottom

In a CFB landscape rapidly deteriorating into have an have-nots, the bottom half of the ACC still commanding P4 level access is ridiculous. They are the reason the media deal sucks, and a good part why FSU and Clemson tried to sue their way out. And most simply aren't charming or interesting. I count North Carolina in this class because they repeatedly make football decisions like a toddler program building on Xbox. Get better or get in the American.

Louisiana Tech
Sonny Cumbie is 11-25 in his 3 years in Ruston, LA, with 3 FCS wins and 5-1 vs UTEP and Middle Tennessee. Cumbie once pulled the media credentials of a local beat writer, Ben Carlisle of BleedTechBlue.com, for 'not being supportive enough.' The story reads like it's set in North Korea. Bulldog AD Ryan Ivey needs to flush this guy.

Alabama
They can't keep getting away with this. The final boss of college football for over a decade finally lost their GOAT head coach Nick Saban, and there was much rejoicing. That is until they hired Kalen DeBoer, and now I fear Bama will not go gently into the night. Despite what some Bama fans think, DeBoer is an almost perfect hire, and 2025 is going to prove that in Dixieland. CFB needs variety, and we already have Georgia and Ohio St to still deal with.

Hugh Freeze & D. J. Durkin
Freeze and Durkin are two people that should not be in charge of young men. Durkin proved that at MD, where a player died as a result of a culture he purposely promoted. Freeze is a cheater who paid players and used recruiting trips to frequent escort services. For these actions, I should love the guy. But he also uses his religion as a shield to hide behind a dark history of sexual misconduct and intimidating young women. But he can call an offense, so I guess that's what's important...

James Franklin Jokes
James Franklin is just a lot of fun to poke at. I look at this picture every day to remember when Franklin so awkwardly tried to big boy jab at Marcus Freeman only to get beat in devastating fashion in the Orange Bowl. But Franklin is a good coach, and the narrative about him isn't really fair. Penn State is going to be very good this year, and Franklin will get pelts to hang on his wall. RIP, big game James, it was fun while it lasted.

Larry Scott

It's not exactly 2025 material, but walk with me on this one, because if the superleague is our Death Star, Larry Scott is the snake alien in the trash compactor. Larry Scott killed an entire major conference by being the most incompetent shit stain in CFB C suite history. The man who famously stated 'You have to look at this based on where we’ll be after 10 years, not 3' saw USC & Oregon bolt for the Big Ten, the rest climbing on the life rafts of the Big 12 & ACC and Wazzu & Oregon State relegated to the G5 within those 10 years. He then scurried off with more than 50 million dollars from the 119 year old conference he destroyed. The guy entered CFB as the head of women's tennis and left in the worlds richest 1 percent. This guy wasn't a bad hire, he was a batman villian.

Mark Gronowski
Iowa's offense sucks. Rinse, repeat, for years. But this year, if you're not at least curious what an Iowa team with a dynamic veteran QB looks like, honestly what are you doing here at Punt and Rally? The 6'3, 230 pound runner with real arm talent could be the missing link Kirk Ferentz has been searching for since, well, a long while. Gronowski can make throws that Hawkeye fans aren't used to, at least not in Black and Gold. He's used to playing in cold & shitty weather (South Dakota State) and has 93 career passing and 37 rushing TD's. If that doesn't convince you, check out these highlights. If you're still not excited, I'm not the droid you're looking for.

John Mateer
In a do or die year for Brent Venables, he's turned to Wazzu OC Ben Arbuckle and his star QB in Mateer. Mateer was a 3000+ yd passer and had 178 carries for 826 yds/15 TD's. He's an instant upgrade for this OU program that's forgotten how to field a competent QB under this staff. Hopefully they've decided to stop teaching the turnstyle OL play as well as field a WR corp that's less MASH unit and more typical Sooner weaponry. Adding Jayden Ott (Cal) in the spring tells me they are dead serious about actually moving the football forward in 2025. I'm expecting big things from Norman this season, and Mateer is the biggest reason why.

Devon Dampier
Utah is finally free of the will he/won't he madness of Cameron Rising. HC Kyle Whittingham found himself a playmaking baller out of New Mexico in Dampier. For you sickos that didn't watch the Lobos last year, Dampier threw for 2750+ and rushed for 1150+ and a total of 31 TD's. He also started a cool 0-4 including a loss to Montana State and had 19 turnovers. That said, the supporting cast is much better in Salt Lake City, starting with an offensive line that returns 5 starters and a couple of talented backs to take the heat off of him. He will need to find reliable targets, as the Utes WR/TE are in rebuild mode, but I'm excited to see how new OC Jason Beck unleashes Dampier this fall.

Demond Williams Jr
Williams started the last two games for Jedd Fisch last year and burst onto the scene with a 374 yard, 5 TD performance in the Sun Bowl vs Louisville. Now that he's QB1 with a full year under his belt, I think Williams is going to explode this year. New OC Jimmie Dougherty was Willams QB coach last year,, and he's now elevated to the OC role. The schedule sets up nicely with 2 should be easy W's before the Apple Cup vs Wazzu. I have the Huskies between 7-8 wins this year, and QB play is a big reason I see them making some noise in the Big Ten.

CJ Carr
Full disclosure, I'm a huge Irish fan. Last season was such an amazing run, and Riley Leonard was an incredible leader and dyanmic runner that nearly won the whole damn thing with mostly arm punts. Now we move onto Carr (probably), a highly touted Sophmore with a real live arm and more mobility than he's given credit for. Carr has been the fan favorite since he signed with ND, and from what little we've seen of him, he can absolutely spin the football. With playoff hero WR Jaden Greathouse back, Malachi Fields (UVA) added with others, Notre Dame should have a fun passing game to go with a top 3 running game in 2025. Now if only OC Mike Denbrock can teach Carr or Kenny Minchey to be an unstoppable man child runner on 3rd and 4...

Arch Manning
I mean, come on, it's Arch Manning. However this goes, it will be fun. But he looks scary good from what we've seen so far, and Texas is now a yearly CFP lock.

Jackson Arnold
Auburn could be really, really good this year. If the Tigers can keep Arnold upright with all playmakers they have at WR and a nasty defense, the Tigers will be in the SEC race. It's a critical 3rd year for Hugh Freeze, so stay loose, Tampa escorts.

Joey Aguilar/Nico Iamaleava
The future 30 for 30 on the Iamaleava family will be a must watch. For 2025, how does each handle his situation? Aguilar could be an instant cult hero in Knoxville. Nico and his brother Madden are now the present & future of Bruin football, if any of their 73 fans care.

Carson Beck
I will admit I have no idea how good Beck really is. He's a good QB, that I'm sure of, but how much more? Cam Ward was an incredible leader for the Canes, and word from Georgia is that isn't Beck's strongest asset. Like his dating life, there's a lotta ways this could go.

DJ Lagway
If Lagway can get and stay healthy, and improve his consistency, he's a Heisman finalist. He's already the reason Napier still roams the sidelines in Gainesville.

Bryce Underwood
Thanks to Mrs Oracle the Wolverines have a prodigy at QB. With all respect to Mikey Keene (Fresno transfer), I'm not interested. Michigan's offense has been like watching paint dry, and with Underwood at least it will be interesting paint.

Beau Pribula
Pribula looks like the next plucky Mizzu QB you'll suddenly be watching with great interest in November wondering how the Tigers are in still the SEC race.

The Powerhouses
2025 is setting up to be a wild year, as QB newcomers Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Dante Moore (Oregon), Ty Simpson (Alabama) and Gunner Stockton (Georgia) will each play a huge part in determining the national title race. As will Drew Allar (Penn St) in a make or break season, and make means actually win some big games. Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) have the talent and rosters to make real noise this year. The majority of these QB's will be playing in the CFP.

Other Fun QB's worth watching
CJ Bailey would've been much higher on my list, but NC State hired Kurt Roper as their new OC so I just hope Bailey survives 2025 now. Gio Lopez is on my shit list for bailing on South Alabama for the Belichick carnival at North Carolina, but it doesn't make him less dynamic. Virginia technically has the 4th ranked passing yardage leader in Chandler Morris from North Texas. Sam Leavitt (ASU), Sawyer Robertson (Baylor), Rocco Becht (ISU), Josh Hoover (TCU), Avery Johnson (KSU), Jalon Daniels (KU) are all Big 12 QB's worth the price of admission. Luke Altmyer is a baller for Illinois, Dylan Raiola is now a 2nd year starter looking to build off an adequate freshman season at Nebraska, Fernando Mendoza (Cal) is a fun 2nd act for HC Curt Cignetti at Indiana and Jayden Maiava did some good things to finish last year at USC. Diego Pavia (Vandy) is back for hopefully a repeat as the savior of Nashville, Taylen Green (Arkansas) should be a lot of fun in his 2nd year under OC Petrino, LaNorris Sellers is an insane talent at QB and will take some big swings vs South Carolina's brutal schedule, and what we saw out of Austin Simmons at Ole Miss in the Georgia game was very promising. Can Zach Calzada finally be a competent SEC QB at Kentucky after chucking for 3400 yds and 32 TD's last year at Incarnate Word? Finally, watch out for KaMario Taylor at Miss St, if/when he takes over. Early word is he's a gifted athlete with a live arm, and HC Jeff Lebby's offense is as fun as his family is... problematic.

QB's for the Sickos
If you haven't watched JMU's Alonza Barnett, make it a priority in 2025. Maverick McIvor was a big pick up for Tyson Helton at Western Kentucky. I'm very interested to see new FBS member Missouri State and their 3500+ yard passer Jacob Clark. Owen McCown is back to run UTSA's fun offense under Jeff Traylor. New FAU coach Zach Kittley found a huge portal QB in Caden Vetkamp from WKU. Maddux Madsen is back for Boise, interested to see how he elevates now that all everything RB Ashton Jeanty is in NFL jail (aka a Raider). Blake Horvath is back for Navy with his 30 TDs from last years commander in chief trophy winners. Find some time to watch Walker Eget at San Jose State with their high flying offense under former option coach Ken Niumatalolo. Some others if you're so inclined would be Kadin Semonza at Tulane (from Ball St), JC French at Georgia Southern, EJ Warner at Fresno (from Rice), Parker Navarro at Ohio and Tucker Gleason at Toledo.

News flash, Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama and Georgia are really good. Texas officially starts the Arch Manning era with a still punishing defense. Even perennial bridesmaids Notre Dame or Penn State could win a title this year. Clemson looks like they've leveled back up, and Bizzaro Foghorn Leghorn Brian Kelly looks to have a sneaky great team at LSU. Yeah yeah yeah, same ole same ole. I want to highlight the next tier of teams, those who either look primed for a big season, or primed for great podcast content due to the fallout. We eat the whole hog here at Punt and Rally, so here are some thoughts on the other 127 or so teams that normally don't factor in January.

Texas Tech
Joey McGuire's won 8-7-8 games as he enters his 4th season, and it's shaping up to be a big one. #4 in returning production, QB Grehen Morton & most of his receiving core is back. If they can firm up the OL along with finding a RB rotation of Quinten Joyner (from USC) & RB depth that can produce, they could improve their offense even higher after finishing 22nd in my rankings last year. The defense returns the most production in CFB, and 5 of their 3rd ranked portal class are highly rating defensive players. That includes a massive upgrade along the line with DE's David Bailey (Stanford) & Romello Height (GT) to go along with DT Lee Hunter (UCF). With new OC Mack Leftwich (Texas St) bringing his creative offense to Lubbock, dare I say the Red Raiders could be a CFPlayoff contender? Before you laugh this away, keep in mind the Red Raiders play the 9th easiest strength of schedule in all of P4 and my preseason outlook is already approaching 10 wins.

Auburn
Auburn has a title contending roster. But Auburn is also a dumb football team, or at least it has been under HC Hugh Freeze. Penalties, turnovers, drops, you name it, they've bungled it. But this year looks different (insert laugh track). Let's start with an OL that returns all 5 starters, plus 2 more power 5 staring tackles via the portal. They've got (possibly) the best WR core in the country. They imported Jackson Arnold from OU, who had 0 healthy WR's to throw to last year while he was running for his life. The must replace RB Hunter, and that may start with UConn import Durell Robinson. They wasted a really good defense last year, and while they have to find some new parts, their 3rd ranked incoming class (portal + croots) should be able to help. They do play my #9 ranked schedule, but if Freeze can't get this team at least in the playoff discussion maybe Hogville can start combing his phone records again so the Tigers can find someone who can use all of this talent.

Colorado
Coach Prime proved me wrong. I thought this was only a fun, but short, two year exercise to showcase Shedeur, Shilo and Travis Hunter. But Prime remains in Boulder and I'm excited to see how he progresses. CFB needs more fun teams like this, and last year the Buffs proved that Prime can back up the talk. Now he's signing new signal callers, new weapons, an all star coaching staff and building both the lines. Kaidon Salter is a great add, and ripping Julian Lewis away from USC is hysterical. People still skeptical of Prime should watch 2022 clips of Colorado, because legally I can't call them highlights. I realize coach Prime is a polarizing figure, but I say sit back and enjoy this ride either by rooting for him or against him. Either way you have feelings about Colorado football. There's no other coach in football that could've made that happen three years ago.

South Carolina
I love coach Shane Beamer. I think LaNorris Sellers is one of the most fun QB's in CFB. But they are getting a lot of hype for a team that lost a whole lot from last years squad, and they face my 6th hardest schedule. They've added a lot of talent with my 18th ranking incoming class, but that's some of the issue I see here with 1/2 the roster turning over. Out of the gate they get Va Tech, Vandy, Mizzu and Kentucky, all of which they should beat, but all of which can ruin your Sandman redux if you're sleepwalking. And things get much tougher from there @LSU, OU, Bama, @Ole Miss, @A&M before finishing with Clemson. Add is all up and thats 4 elite opponents along with 4 good ones for my #10 ranked SOS. This is in no way a knock on the Cocks, an 8-4(ish) season would be a really good one (to me), but I get the feeling would not be appreciated as much in Columbia.

Miami
If I were to be tasked with building a program, Mario Cristobal would be the man I want building the roster. He would also have a Fisher Price headset that would communicate solely with farm animals. How did he not take last years team to the playoff, or at least the ACC championship game? World class offense, a defense full of misaligned talent and he finished 1-2 vs GT, Wake and Syracuse? No disrespect, but Miami's 2nd team talent should've won those games. Yes they've added Carson Beck (Georgia), the most fitting shotgun marriage I could dream up. But WR is a ?, albeit with talented options. They do have one of CFB's best Offensive Lines, and Mark Fletcher is a big, explosive back. And they've added 4 power four CB's to tighten up the turnstyle secondary they had. This year's roster is a Lexus after he put last year's Ferrari in a swamp, and I simply do not trust Cristobal went to driving school this offseason. Could he improve? Sure. But I'm betting he'll have that WTF just happened look on his face again after Notre Dame runs over them in week one, and Florida does the same in week four.

Florida State
From 12-0 to 2-10, with one FBS win over Cal by 5 points (shoutout Richard Johnson of Split Zone Duo, big fan). HC Mike Norvell has cleaned house, portaled back up and rides into 2025 on the proverbial hot seat. Pairing OC Gus Malzahn with Wile E. Weird Wing QB Thomas Castellanos (BC)is certainly a choice, but should be a fun watch. If he manages to get the ball out and on target, FSU has a lot of really good options at WR & TE. Four P4 OL portals should help, as should 5 good DL highlighted by James Williams (Nebraska). This is still my #2 talent rated ACC squad with loads of options, and new DC Tony White did some really good things at Nebraska. But we all need some schadenfreude and my vote goes to the program that sued the ACC for trying to add SMU, got smoked 42-16 in Dallas and ultimately watched them play for the ACC Championship (and yeah, they sued for many other reasons, but this one is the most hysterical).

The G5
Sometimes number can lie, and that's my case with Troy. My power ratings put them at #56, 3rd in the G5 this preseason, which is just wrong no matter how much they return from a team that started last year 1-7. Boise State remains my preseason G5 fav, but Tulane, Memphis and South Florida all make a good case. Charles Huff taking over at Southern Miss has my attention with the top G5 portal class, and I am a huge G.J. Kinne fan at Texas State even though he has a ton to replace. Toledo is the class of the MAC, but that's almost always the case and HC Jason Candle finds a way to blow it most years. I'm a huge fan of Scotty Walden and see Utep taking the next step to bowl this year. But I'd like to say that I feel for the fans of Louisiana Tech for having to endure an inexplicable 4th year of Sonny Cumbie. With DC Jeremiah Johnson (big fan) finding a life boat at Coastal Carolina, I simply wish the good people of Ruston a happy hunting season (Oct 1). Last years G5 darling UNLV is rebuilding under legendary non-crootin Dan Mullen, but they've added some fun parts and should be a good watch this year. Bob Chesney's 2nd year at James Madison could get really special in a hurry if electric QB Alonza Barnett can find a way to take down Louisville in week 2. And finally there's Liberty, so much more talented compared to the rest of CUSA and would likely schedule an animal rehab center if allowed. I believe Jamey Chadwell is a good coach, but if he has another 3-4 stretch this year I'm applying the Gene Chizik label and moving on.