2025 College Football Season

[temptation]

2 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Its simple, imo, there is more distribution of talent across the P4 teams now that there is more of a leveling of the money and not just being funneled illegally to the south and to 2 teams in Midwest that play each other last game of the season for all the testosterone glory of respective fan bases..... 

That has helped bridge the gap 

That explains the rise of teams like Indiana sure but there is no reason for Texas, Florida and Penn State to have bombed so badly.

Those teams are 4th, 12th and 10th in the 247 team composite rankings respectively.

That should be a minimum of 8-9 wins alone with competent coaching.

1 hour ago, Bash Riprock said:

I do think NIL has become the great equalizer....the schools that are willing to spend, improve quickly with the right leadership.  Besides IU, another case study is Texas Tech.  Look at them to stay on top....I just viewed their 2026 schedule and it makes IU's look like a guantlet.  People don't give TTU crap for their schedule this season, but their SOS is 59.  It is even easier next year.  Take this, with their spending with a good coach...I don't see them going anywhere out of the picture.

Transfer portal...as you have repeatedly pointed out, HS signing day not nearly the deal it used to be....if kids don't play and play pretty quickly, they are moving....and they will follow playing time and $$.  (obviously go together) Again, this allows schools that traditionally don't pull in a roster of 4 and 5 stars to get talent a year or 2 down the road from other teams.  

It would also be interesting to study the track records of university presidents and the role they play with success.  President Whitten spent a few years at Georgia and I believe that factors heavily on her vision to invest in football at IU.  Coach Cignetti has indicated several times how strongly he feels about his AD and President.  Note:  didn't realize prior to IU, she was the president at Kennesaw State...now I know why they are on the schedule.

While I agree on the statements made here and also by@Coach Nowlin, my attraction to the college game has always been the “team first” mentality.

That’s now gone in most situations and guys simply get fat and happy once they’ve inked an NIL deal and winning becomes secondary for many of them.

Is this a gross exaggeration?

Edited December 5, 2025 by temptation

[Footballking16]

4 hours ago, temptation said:

Well, the coaches poll wasn't much different so I am not sure the "experts" can take the fall on this one.

I have a couple of theories as to why so many teams bombed this season compared to preseason expectations but want to hear others' first.

I am not sure if its recency bias but I cannot remember a year where so many top 10-15 teams bombed so badly.

Simple, the SEC....again....was simply overvalued. Missouri and Tennessee didn't beat a team with a winning record the entire year and were ranked throughout up until the final poll. We were fed the narrative all summer and all season long the the SEC was 11-12 teams deep. At the conclusion of the season, there isn't a single SEC ranked in the top 5 of Sagarin, ESPN's FPI, and SP+, all predicative and analytical rankings that I take much more seriously than any human poll. 

Get ready to to do it again all over. Rinse, wash, repeat.

[temptation]

21 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

Simple, the SEC....again....was simply overvalued. Missouri and Tennessee didn't beat a team with a winning record the entire year and were ranked throughout up until the final poll. We were fed the narrative all summer and all season long the the SEC was 11-12 teams deep. At the conclusion of the season, there isn't a single SEC ranked in the top 5 of Sagarin, ESPN's FPI, and SP+, all predicative and analytical rankings that I take much more seriously than any human poll. 

Get ready to to do it again all over. Rinse, wash, repeat.

While true couldn’t the argument be made that they cannibalized each other?

[Footballking16]

3 minutes ago, temptation said:

While true couldn’t the argument be made that they cannibalized each other?

Did they cannibalize each other? Exactly one bottom half SEC team beat a top half SEC team; Florida over Texas back in September. That's it. The bottom of the SEC was terrible this year. Florida lost to South Florida. Arkansas lost to Memphis. UK lost 41-0 to Louisville. South Carolina lost at home to 6-6 Clemson. It's an overrated conference and has been the last couple of seasons. But ESPN has too much stake in the game to say otherwise.

[Coach Nowlin]

17 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

 It's an overrated conference and has been the last couple of seasons. But ESPN has too much stake in the game to say otherwise.

 

RACK IT 

 

BINGO 

[Bobref]

1 hour ago, temptation said:

That’s now gone in most situations and guys simply get fat and happy once they’ve inked an NIL deal and winning becomes secondary for many of them.

Is this a gross exaggeration?

An exaggeration … but not a gross one. Perhaps more of a generalization than an exaggeration. But the one thing that’s undeniable is that things continue to trend in that direction. No end in sight.

[Komets2727]

1 hour ago, temptation said:

That explains the rise of teams like Indiana sure but there is no reason for Texas, Florida and Penn State to have bombed so badly.

Those teams are 4th, 12th and 10th in the 247 team composite rankings respectively.

That should be a minimum of 8-9 wins alone with competent coaching.

While I agree on the statements made here and also by@Coach Nowlin, my attraction to the college game has always been the “team first” mentality.

That’s now gone in most situations and guys simply get fat and happy once they’ve inked an NIL deal and winning becomes secondary for many of them.

Is this a gross exaggeration?

When you have a QB at Duke?! making $8 million dollars this year with NIL, no it isn’t an exaggeration 

[Coach Nowlin]

Welp.   I look to see more 6-6.  7-5 type teams saying no to exhibition games and risking business decisions 

 

 

 

 

[Bobref]

35 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Welp.   I look to see more 6-6.  7-5 type teams saying no to exhibition games and risking business decisions 

 

So, the doomsayers who said the expanded playoff would mean the death of the bowl system may have been right after all? The immutable law of unintended consequences.

[23andCounting]

Brooks Austin likes Ohio State to win the championship. He was asked which team matches up best with them. His answer: Notre Dame. That's saying something coming from an SEC guy and a film expert. I guess maybe I'm not as crazy as some on here think I am. 

@Footballking16 @Komets2727

[Irishman]

3 hours ago, Bobref said:

So, the doomsayers who said the expanded playoff would mean the death of the bowl system may have been right after all? The immutable law of unintended consequences.

Yes we were right. 🙂 I still contend the current path is unsustainable. This is season 2 into my prediction of 5 years before something significant gives way and leads to only a minimal or symbolic connection to a college or university. 
Another unintended consequence is seeing a depletion of resources to the Olympic sports on campuses. There is a lobbying group set up to protect them, but with no controls whatsoever, I am not sure the effort will gain anything. 

[Komets2727]

3 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Brooks Austin likes Ohio State to win the championship. He was asked which team matches up best with them. His answer: Notre Dame. That's saying something coming from an SEC guy and a film expert. I guess maybe I'm not as crazy as some on here think I am. 

@Footballking16 @Komets2727

Listen, if BYU wins tomorrow, the Irish are likely out. Doesn’t sound like a true natty title contender to me…

[Bash Riprock]

3 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Brooks Austin likes Ohio State to win the championship. He was asked which team matches up best with them. His answer: Notre Dame. That's saying something coming from an SEC guy and a film expert. I guess maybe I'm not as crazy as some on here think I am. 

@Footballking16 @Komets2727

Well if Foster Brooks says it…..

[Footballking16]

3 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Brooks Austin likes Ohio State to win the championship. He was asked which team matches up best with them. His answer: Notre Dame. That's saying something coming from an SEC guy and a film expert. I guess maybe I'm not as crazy as some on here think I am. 

@Footballking16 @Komets2727

Who?

[23andCounting]

5 hours ago, Footballking16 said:

Who?

Look him up. I heard him being interviewed yesterday. They were talking about Ohio State and all the athletes they have. He said in order for a team to beat Ohio State, they'll have to have balance. Defense, run game, passing game. I thought, hmmm, that sounds like Notre Dame. His answer, Notre Dame. I just thought it fascinating coming from an SEC guy, Georgia I believe. Not saying his opinion is the be all end all. Just a bit of validation for me that I'm not being biased or crazy. Notre Dame passes the eye test, plain and simple. People around the country agree. I'll say it again, even Saban stated that this team is different than they were in in Weeks 1 & 2. New QB and new defensive coordinator. With those things worked out, this team is ready to play for a national championship. 

Look, at the end of the day, everyone knows Notre Dame is a Top 12 team, more than likely one of the best six teams in the country. If you can't see that, you're probably in denial. But I understand the chaos involved this weekend and how the playoff format is structured. We never thought it would be possible that a legitimate title contender could be left out of the 12 team field, but here we are. All the more reason to move this thing to sixteen. Certain, with sixteen teams, we won't be having this conversation again, right?

[Bobref]

4 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Certain, with sixteen teams, we won't be having this conversation again, right?

😅🤣😂

[23andCounting]

Another thought. Can we really exclude Notre Dame while placing five teams from the SEC? The SEC is overrated, plain and simple. 

[temptation]

55 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Another thought. Can we really exclude Notre Dame while placing five teams from the SEC? The SEC is overrated, plain and simple. 

Notre Dame went 0-1 against the SEC.

[23andCounting]

14 minutes ago, temptation said:

Notre Dame went 0-1 against the SEC.

Lost to A&M by 1 point when they were playing their worst. A&M beat LSU by 24 points. Beat Missouri by 21 points. There was a time when I feared the SEC as a Notre Dame fan. There's not one team in the SEC that I would take over Notre Dame in a bet. It's widely accepted that Notre Dame is better right now than they were when they rolled through Penn State and Georgia en route to the 2024 title game. 

Arkansas:

Lost to Ole Miss by 6

Lost to Tennessee by 3

Lost to A&M by 3

Lost to LSU by 1

Lost to Texas by 15

Lost to Notre Dame by 42 - this is really hard to ignore.

Spin it how you want, Notre Dame is the best team in the SEC. 

 

[Footballking16]

6 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Look him up. I heard him being interviewed yesterday. They were talking about Ohio State and all the athletes they have. He said in order for a team to beat Ohio State, they'll have to have balance. Defense, run game, passing game. I thought, hmmm, that sounds like Notre Dame. His answer, Notre Dame. I just thought it fascinating coming from an SEC guy, Georgia I believe. Not saying his opinion is the be all end all. Just a bit of validation for me that I'm not being biased or crazy. Notre Dame passes the eye test, plain and simple. People around the country agree. I'll say it again, even Saban stated that this team is different than they were in in Weeks 1 & 2. New QB and new defensive coordinator. With those things worked out, this team is ready to play for a national championship. 

Look, at the end of the day, everyone knows Notre Dame is a Top 12 team, more than likely one of the best six teams in the country. If you can't see that, you're probably in denial. But I understand the chaos involved this weekend and how the playoff format is structured. We never thought it would be possible that a legitimate title contender could be left out of the 12 team field, but here we are. All the more reason to move this thing to sixteen. Certain, with sixteen teams, we won't be having this conversation again, right?

The question was never about ND’s  national title odds. It was whether or not they deserve to be in the field. If the last at-large spot comes down to Miami and ND, and it appears it is headed that way, there is no way Miami should be left out. Why play the games then?

[Footballking16]

16 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Lost to A&M by 1 point when they were playing their worst. A&M beat LSU by 24 points. Beat Missouri by 21 points. There was a time when I feared the SEC as a Notre Dame fan. There's not one team in the SEC that I would take over Notre Dame in a bet. It's widely accepted that Notre Dame is better right now than they were when they rolled through Penn State and Georgia en route to the 2024 title game. 

Arkansas:

Lost to Ole Miss by 6

Lost to Tennessee by 3

Lost to A&M by 3

Lost to LSU by 1

Lost to Texas by 15

Lost to Notre Dame by 42 - this is really hard to ignore.

Spin it how you want, Notre Dame is the best team in the SEC. 

 

Arkansas is 2-10. It’s going to be a miserable Sunday for Notre Dame fans at this stage.

[23andCounting]

13 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

The question was never about ND’s  national title odds. It was whether or not they deserve to be in the field. If the last at-large spot comes down to Miami and ND, and it appears it is headed that way, there is no way Miami should be left out. Why play the games then?

Wasn't ND left out in 1993?

[Footballking16]

5 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Wasn't ND left out in 1993?

In 1993? There were no playoffs nor designate title games. People voted on champions. Different era.

 

[gonzoron]

16 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

Arkansas is 2-10. It’s going to be a miserable Sunday for Notre Dame fans at this stage.

If they don't get in, they'll still get a bowl game. I'm ok with that. Most Notre Dame fans should be also. We have a freshman QB. Future looks bright.

I would love to see a ND/IU matchup, though. I'm a fan of both.

[Bash Riprock]

Pretty cool intro for the Big 10 title game tonight!  Fox promoting both CFB and IndyCar.