The 2024 college football season may not be over, but analysts around the sport are already preparing for what promises to be a contentious 2025 campaign. With the path to a national championship seemingly as wide open as its ever been thanks to the transfer portal and NIL, the power landscape should shift year to year.
Programs such as Auburn, who had a rough season in 2024, could very well see themselves upwardly swerving into contenders in 2025. On3’s Andy Staples and Ani Wasserman, who just released their ‘Way Too Early 2025′ Rankings’, sees a trio of underachieving 2024 SEC programs, including Auburn, becoming elite next season.
Staples and Wasserman ranked the Tigers as the No. 10 team in the country in their rankings, crediting [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s work in the last two recruiting classes and the transfer portal additions of [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and [autotag]Eric Singleton Jr.[/autotag] for Auburn’s hypothetical turnaround. Florida, who also underachieved in 2024, checks in one spot above the Tigers, at No. 9 in the rankings.
Other than Florida and Auburn, Texas (No. 1), Georgia (No. 6), and South Carolina (No. 7) round out the five SEC programs ranked among the top 10 spots. Texas and Georgia were the only two teams to finish the 2024 year ranked among the CFP top 10, while South Carolina narrowly missed the 12-team Playoff field after finishing the season with six consecutive victories.
While the SEC has the most programs in the ‘Way Too Early’ top 10, the BIG 10 features the most in the top 5, with Oregon (No. 2), 2024 National Championship favorites Ohio State (No. 3), and Penn State (No. 4), representing the conference. Notre Dame (No. 5) and Clemson (No. 8) also earned spots in the top 10, making Florida, Auburn, and South Carolina the lone programs ranked among the elite to not earn a Playoff spot in 2024.
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