Updated bandwagon picks for 2025

A guide helps casual fans choose a team to follow in 2025 by weighing hype against realistic challenges.

Bandwagon Picks for the 2025 College Football Season

The bandwagon guide spotlights one team from each conference for the 2025 season and adds several Group of Five options for variety. It highlights Georgia Tech, Utah, Iowa, and Florida as potential picks while noting roster moves, coaching stability, and the difficulty of the schedules they face.

Georgia Tech leans into a physical, run-based style under Brent Keys, with Haynes King at quarterback and Jamal Haynes at running back. The offense is guided by coordinator Buster Faulkner, but three starting offensive linemen must be replaced and the defense must improve after a season that left room for growth. Utah brings in quarterback Devon Dampier and offensive coordinator Jason Beck to lift a previously stagnant offense, while the defense returns only five starters and faces a demanding Big 12 slate. Iowa adds transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski to inject playmaking into an offense that has shown flashes, and Florida bets on DJ Lagway to spark a high ceiling attack despite a brutal schedule and recent shoulder and calf concerns. The Group of Five slate includes Rice, Western Kentucky, Kent State, Hawaii, and Southern Miss, offering entertaining options for fans seeking a change of scenery and a different level of competition.

This guide treats bandwagon engagement as a practical way to connect with the sport, while acknowledging the real risks behind optimism. It emphasizes the importance of quarterback health, line play, and the depth to handle injuries, transfer turnover, and long conference slates. It also notes that coaching stability can tilt a season as much as talent, especially when a team faces frequent tests on the road.

Beyond star power, the piece highlights a larger pattern in college football: fans chase hype when schedules look favorable, but true contenders prove themselves when depth, discipline, and execution hold under pressure. The guide invites readers to weigh ceilings against the likelihood of turning potential into consistent results over a full season and to stay patient when outcomes lag behind early expectations.

Highlights

Patience and proof will decide which bandwagon pays off.