Ranking the top 10 teams for the 2025 college football season

2. Texas Longhorns

Texas had a fine season in Steve Sarkisian’s fourth year despite a heartbreaking ending in the playoff. Now Longhorns fans will finally get what they have been waiting for as the Arch Manning era is ready to begin. Manning flashed upside while Quinn Ewers was injured and he could elevate the Longhorns to another level if he lives up to the hype. While it may not have an immediate impact in 2025, Texas also has the top-ranked recruiting class in the country arriving in Austin. 

With over a dozen players declaring for the NFL draft, several of Texas’ underclassmen may have to step up in 2025, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines. Manning will also be without a couple of notable wideouts, Isaiah Bond and Matthew Golden, but still has budding star Ryan Wingo. A rematch with Ohio State in Columbus is a tough way to start the 2025 season, but Texas has a lighter SEC schedule than some outside of road trips to Florida and Georgia. That could ultimately help the Longhorns return to the conference title game.