CFB cheat sheet: All you need for kickoff to 2025 season

The always buzzing transfer portal and the constant talk about conference realignment and playoff expansion have made following college football a year-round activity. However, there's a different vibe come the last week of August with a fresh season of games ahead and so much new chaos about to unfold.

This campaign promises to be electric from the jump with a blockbuster matchup between Texas and Ohio State headlining Week 1. Here's all you need to know to get set for the 2025 season.

Featured analysis ✍️

25 most important names for 2025 season

With the new year comes a cast of new characters. While there are a number of key players returning - notably Arch Manning and Jeremiah Smith - the biggest addition to the sport is Bill Belichick at North Carolina. Read more ...

Burning questions to be answered this season

Another year, another chance for James Franklin to wreck the narrative that he can't win the big games with Penn State. Franklin enters the season 4-20 against top 10 opponents during his tenure in State College. This is perhaps Franklin's best chance to flip the script, with many pundits picking the veteran Nittany Lions to win the Big Ten. Is this the year Penn State finally gets it done, or will it be more disappointment? While Franklin has title aspirations, Hugh Freeze is looking to do anything to win some games at Auburn, including running an offensive system with three different play-callers. Will it work? Read more ...

How can Arch Manning possibly live up to the hype?

The latest product from the Manning quarterback factory finally gets the starting job at Texas after two years with the program. He's wowed in limited action over that span and looks ready to take over the sport. And that's essentially what he'll have to do to meet the sky-high expectations for Eli and Peyton's nephew. Read more ...

Power 4 previews 🍿

SEC tries to regain title form following 2-year drought

The SEC was long the undisputed king of college football, but in the last two years, the Big Ten rose to the top with back-to-back national champions. A host of top programs are ready to bring the title back to the South, with No. 1 Texas leading a six-pack of SEC teams in the preseason AP Top 25. Which one has the best chance to end the Big Ten's reign? Read more ...

Experience makes Clemson the ACC favorite. Can anyone challenge?

Clemson got real used to competing for national titles under Dabo Swinney, so despite the Tigers' solid results of late, their absence from the big stage has been notable. That might change in 2025 with Cade Klubnik back to build on his strong finish to last season and give Swinney the kind of elite quarterback play he enjoyed with Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence. The ACC seems like Clemson's to lose, but a host of possible spoilers could rise up. Read more ...

Penn State looks to hold off Ohio State, Oregon for elusive Big Ten title

If there was ever a season for James Franklin to dispel the narrative that he can't win the big game, this is it. Penn State returns a significant number of key performers from last year's semifinal squad, led by star quarterback Drew Allar and the running back duo of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Add in the fact that Ohio State, Oregon, and Michigan are all breaking in new quarterbacks and this feels like it's finally the Nittany Lions' year. Read more ...

Arizona State eyes 2nd Big 12 title to follow shocking CFP run

Even Kenny Dillingham might admit he was surprised by Arizona State's debut season in the Big 12. Preseason polls picked the Sun Devils to finish 16th of 16 teams in the revamped conference, yet Dillingham's bunch shocked the world, won the league, and made the playoff. Can Sam Leavitt and the defending champions return to the CFP, or will the sport's most chaotic conference produce another shocking winner? Read more ...

Betting tips 💵

CFB national title betting: Presenting a case for the top 6 contenders

Manning's Longhorns are co-favorites with the Buckeyes to win the National Championship, but four other teams trail closely behind. We laid out our case for and against the top six contenders, and discussed a few programs that can be considered national title sleepers. Read more ...

Heisman Trophy odds: Should Nussmeier be in same tier as Manning, Klubnik?

The name Manning is synonymous with quarterback brilliance, so it's no surprise that Arch Manning is one of the Heisman favorites despite the fact he's just beginning his first season as starter at Texas. However, he's got company at the top of the oddsboard with the experienced Cade Klubnik at Clemson. Those two lead a host of quarterbacks - including LSU's Garrett Nussmeier - that dominate the Heisman oddsboard heading into the preseason, with one freakishly talented receiver from Ohio State the only non-QB in the top 12. Read more ...

CFB betting: Who will make, miss College Football Playoff?

The playoff field may have expanded to 12, but as we learned last year, that won't end the debates about who deserves to get in and who is left on the outside. Some of last season's top programs experienced major roster turnover, so we could see a shakeup in playoff participants. Can DJ Lagway stay healthy and get Florida to the playoff after years of middling SEC performance? Is this the year Brian Kelly finally gets LSU over the hump? See who we like to make the CFP in 2025 and who we think might be a surprise omission. Read more ...

CFB betting: Picking winners for each of the 4 major conferences

With 12 teams now making the playoff, the need to win your conference is slightly less urgent. However, the guaranteed bye for the four highest-rated conference champions is still enough of a carrot to entice teams to go all-out. Did Kalen DeBoer learn enough in his first season with Alabama to get the Crimson Tide back on top in the SEC and surprise Texas and Georgia? Is this finally Penn State's year to take down the likes of Ohio State and Oregon and raise a Big Ten banner? Who is worth a dart throw in the chaotic Big 12? Read more ...

Odds to win national title (via theScore Bet and ESPN BET)

• Ohio State +550
• Texas +550
• Penn State +650
• Georgia +800
• Alabama +900
• Clemson +900
• Notre Dame +1100
• LSU +1500
• Oregon +1500
• Michigan +3500
• Florida +4000
• Miami +4000