By Skeeter Smith
LSU
At one point during the 2024 season, the Tigers were sitting atop the SEC with everything in front of them to play for. However, things came crashing down quickly after they faced a three-game losing skid in the middle of the year. What felt like a potential championship run fell apart. To make matters worse, head coach Brian Kelly‘s previous stop, Notre Dame, had a fantastic year and made it all the way to the national title game.
Since their season ended, Kelly and company have wasted no time improving the roster. They brought back key players like quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and star linebacker Harold Perkins. Additionally, they went heavy in the portal, bringing in weapons for Nussmeier such as Barion Brown, Nic Anderson, and Bauer Sharp, which helped the Tigers rank #1 in the transfer portal class. It’s clear LSU is taking an “all-in” approach, and that should lead to better on-field results in 2025.
Michigan
In the midst of what was a rebuilding year for the former national champs, there may not have been a team that finished the year stronger than the Wolverines. Against all odds, they went on the road and knocked off their bitter rivals, Ohio State, and followed that up by upsetting Alabama in impressive fashion during bowl season. Michigan then carried that momentum into recruiting, landing the nation’s top quarterback, Bryce Underwood, vaulting their class ranking into the top 10. It may have been a rocky start to Sherrone Moore’s tenure, but it feels like he’s finding his footing and getting this program back into the title conversation.
Texas Tech
Coming off an 8-5 season in 2024, head coach Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders wasted no time this offseason loading up in the portal as they gear up to make a run in the Big 12 in 2025. They more than addressed their issues in the trenches on both sides of the ball, bringing in highly touted transfers like Romello Height, Lee Hunter, Hunter Zambrano, and Howard Sampson. Returning to command the high-powered offense is quarterback Behren Morton, who is looking to build off a strong 2024 campaign. Texas Tech appears to be assembling all the right pieces to make a push for the College Football Playoff next season.
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Auburn
It’s a crucial year for Hugh Freeze and his staff as they head into year three of his tenure and look to post a winning record for the first time at Auburn. For the Tigers, it felt like they just couldn’t get out of their own way for most of the season, losing a handful of games they could’ve, and probably should’ve, won.
One glaring hole since Freeze’s arrival has been at quarterback. He finally addressed this by bringing in former five-star Jackson Arnold from Oklahoma to command the offense in 2025. They’ve also surrounded Arnold with the right weapons, adding Eric Singleton and Horatio Fields from the portal while already having high-ceiling rising sophomore Cam Coleman on campus. The Tigers are bringing in a top-10 recruiting class this year, which should further bolster the talent in the building. This is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for Hugh Freeze and his football team.
Florida State
The only way is up, right? After being preseason ranked in the top 10 heading into 2024, the Seminoles’ season came crashing down quickly after starting the year 0-3. Calling it a “down year” doesn’t even do justice to what transpired in Tallahassee, as they went on to produce one of the worst seasons in Florida State football history. Clearly, they have to get better. While there’s not much concrete evidence to suggest a dramatic turnaround in 2025, it’s hard to imagine a program with as much history and tradition as FSU posting another stinker like this past year. A 2-10 season is unacceptable, and Mike Norvell knows it. Expect him to have his team ready to compete in the ACC once again.
