ESPN finalizes 2025 SP+ rankings

ESPN releases its final 2025 Preseason SP+ rankings, offering an analytics driven view before kickoff in Dublin.

ESPN Finalizes 2025 Preseason SP+ Rankings

ESPN has published its final 2025 Preseason SP+ rankings, a numbers‑driven take on who might excel this season. The top three are led by the defending national champions at No 1, Alabama at No 2, and the SEC champions at No 3, with projections that emphasize tempo and opponent quality rather than last year’s results.
The rankings also spotlight Texas at No 5, with Arch Manning taking the helm as QB1 and the program tasked with turning analytics into on field success. Alabama is praised for a strong projected offense and solid defense, while Georgia faces questions about quarterback transition as it looks to repeat as a top team. The SP+ method highlights what analytics see as the most sustainable elements of play and how they translate into win totals and points.
Beyond the top tier, the list expands to Nos 11–25, including LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Miami, Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina, Kansas State, SMU, Missouri, USC, Auburn, Indiana, Louisville and Iowa. The exercise shows how pace, efficiency and schedule strength can reshape expectations well beyond the familiar powerhouses, and how a few key players and schemes can swing a program’s projected performance this season.

Analytics reshapes the conversation around college football by focusing on efficiency rather than headlines. The SP+ rankings reveal which teams are expected to thrive under pressure, how quarterback changes can slow or accelerate a program, and where schedule strength may cushion or intensify a rough patch. The charting also underscores a broader trend: teams now live and die by projected offenses, defenses and special teams performances, not just recruiting star power. The result is a sharper, sometimes harsher lens on what counts as reliable success.

Highlights

Analytics forecast will meet real game outcomes as the season unfolds, testing the durability of SP+ assumptions.