College Football Rankings: ESPN reveals first FPI Top 25 for 2025 season

The latest college football rankings are here as ESPN revealed its first FPI Top 25 of the 2025 season. Now that the summer is here, college football is ready to heat up.

A lot can change from now until the season opens at the end of August of course. There are injuries, heck maybe some more transfers! But this is an interesting look to get us ready for college football.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the latest FPI rankings from ESPN. We begin with some national title contenders at the top!

1. Texas

The FPI has Texas as the No. 1 team in the country as we get into the summer. Arch Manning will take over the mantle of QB1 and try to win a national title for the Longhorns.

CJ Baxter is back for Texas at RB and it seems like Steve Sarkisian has reloaded this team to get ready for another CFP run. But pretty much anything less than getting to the title game is a disappointment.

2. Georgia

Get ready to deal with the Bulldogs once again as Kirby Smart is ready to make another run. Based on the offseason, the FPI put Georgia as the No. 2 team in the country.

Gunner Stockton takes over at QB and the team brought in some firepower at WR with Zachariah Branch from USC. Don’t worry, the defense should be national title worthy again.

3. Alabama

Are you ready for Nick Saban, er, Kalen DeBoer to ascend to new heights? Well, the Crimson Tide got a top three spot in the FPI ahead of the summer so it seems like there’s a lot of buy-in for the former Washington coach to really get it going in 2025.

DeBoer has a massive decision to make at QB in a three-horse race, one that could determine their fate this fall. But based on the preseason, they’ll be in the running for an SEC title and should be able to get back to the playoff. Otherwise, hit the panic button!

4. Ohio State

The defending national champions only get the No. 4 spot in the FPI in June. The Buckeyes did lose a lot to the NFL but brought back some elite pieces like Jeremiah Smith at wide receiver and Caleb Downs at defensive back.

The question lies at quarterback, which Ryan Day is surely to find an answer. But logically, Ohio State should be in the favorites section for the Big Ten and therefore, in contention to make another run.

5. Penn State

The Nittany Lions are a popular pick to finally win it all in 2025 and the FPI has them in the top five in the preseason. Like Ohio State last year, Penn State brought a lot back to “run it back” in the hopes of a national championship.

Drew Allar is back at QB while Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen return in the backfield. After getting to the CFP semifinals last season, it’ll be disappointing if they don’t go a step further this season.

6. Oregon

The Big Ten champs from a year ago went one and done in the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, losing to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Dan Lanning has continually gotten better with the Ducks so naturally, they’ll go further this season.

Dante Moore is expected to take over at quarterback after a year of development and it helps that he has Evan Stewart and Gary Bryant Jr. to throw to. Dillon Thieneman should be solid in the secondary as well. This looks like the right spot in the FPI for Oregon.

7. Notre Dame

Marcus Freeman has been one of the best coaches in America since he took over at Notre Dame. His message gets across to recruits. But can he return to the national championship this year?

That’s the new bar set by Freeman but the FPI has them behind some of the usual suspects, at least for now. Like a lot of these top teams, Notre Dame has to figure out the QB situation. Hyped recruit CJ Carr seems to be the frontrunner.

8. Texas A&M

Coming off an 8-5 season, this might be a bit of a surprise from the FPI. Mike Elko goes into his second season with resources at his disposal and certainly got off to a great start.

However, the Aggies lost four of their last five last season, including a 35-31 loss to USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. But last year included top 10 wins over Missouri and LSU, so the pieces are in place to be a playoff contender.

9. Miami

Going from Cam Ward to Carson Beck is an interesting change, but if the latter is healthy, Miami could have a potent offense. So long as Beck is light on the turnovers.

Mario Cristobal is doing the right things, but it all has to come together on the field and it was a big missed opportunity last season. The FPI is banking on a playoff appearance this year and we imagine the brass at Miami is too.

10. Tennessee

Tennessee received a top 10 ranking in the FPI despite massive offseason news. The team lost QB Nico Iamaleava via transfer as he ended up at UCLA following an NIL negotiation. Josh Heupel stood his ground and actually landed Joey Aguilar, ironically, from UCLA.

But can this team return to the playoff? That might be up to Aguilar under center. The Vols have to replace production elsewhere at RB and WR and will need players to step up in Heupel’s offense.

ESPN reveals first FPI Top 25 for 2025

11. Clemson
12. LSU
13. Ole Miss
14. Auburn
15. South Carolina
16. Oklahoma
17. Michigan
18. Florida
19. USC
20. SMU
21. Kansas State
22. Arkansas
23. Missouri
24. Arizona State
25. Nebraska