National champ Ohio State, Notre Dame and other teams to watch next season

By Canadian Press on January 21, 2025.

The longest college football season in history ended Monday night. Only seven months and two days until the start of the next.

The usual suspects will line up to compete for spots in the second go-round of the 12-team College Football Playoff, which will culminate Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. There are sure to be some surprise teams, too.

National champion Ohio State will have many of its stars move on to the NFL, but the next wave of talent is always at the ready in Columbus, drawn by the program’s pedigree and the embarrassment of riches in name, image and likeness funding. Revenue sharing also is expected to start later this year.

Marcus Freeman has Notre Dame positioned to continue to be a playoff contender, and there’s no reason to believe the other teams that made the 2024 playoff can’t make another run.

Ten teams to watch, with the caveat that rosters could change after the April transfer portal period:

Ohio State

The Buckeyes will have their fourth starting quarterback in four seasons. No problem. Julian Sayin, the No. 1 national quarterback recruit in 2024, is the front-runner to take over for Will Howard. Freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate will be the most dangerous receiver tandem in the country, and All-America safety Caleb Downs returns.

Notre Dame

Marcus Freeman has his program positioned to make annual playoff runs. The Irish need to find a replacement for quarterback Riley Leonard, but the offense brings back running back Jeremiyah Love and receiver Jaden Greathouse. The defense loses a ball-hawk in two-time All-America safety Xavier Watts, and there are holes to fill up front and at linebacker.

Texas

Arch Manning is finally the guy at quarterback now that Quinn Ewers has declared for the NFL draft, and he’ll have Ryan Wingo as a main target. The offensive line loses four starters. The drop-off should be minimal for one of the best defenses in the country. Travis Shaw (North Carolina) is among four incoming transfers and a force up front.

Penn State

The Nittany Lions could be formidable with the return of quarterback Drew Allar, 1,000-yard rushers Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton. The schedule is manageable. The Lions play at Ohio State, but they get Oregon and Indiana at home.

Clemson

Cade Klubnik will give the Tigers a three-year starter at quarterback, and there is experience aplenty in the receiving corps. The Tigers’ defense couldn’t stop the run this year, but that should get fixed with the arrival of new coordinator Tom Allen from Penn State.

Georgia

The Bulldogs will have a quarterback competition headed by Gunner Stockton, who took over after Carson Beck was injured in the SEC title game. Ryan Puglisi took no snaps as a freshman but will challenge. The offensive line has holes to fill and the receivers will be young. The defense caught a break when lineman Christen Miller announced his return.

Oregon

UCLA transfer Dante Moore is next in line at quarterback. Moore split time with Ethan Garbers at UCLA as a freshman and bided his time behind Dillon Gabriel this season. Big Ten sacks leader Matayo Uiagalelei is the defense’s top returnee. A star-studded group of transfers are coming on both sides of the ball.

Tennessee

Volunteers fans are a little nervous because Josh Heupel didn’t attack the transfer portal more. The returning core is solid. More will be expected of Nico Iamaleava in his second full season as starting quarterback. Promising young receiver Mike Matthews is ready to emerge. Star cornerback Jermod McCoy is back.

LSU

A three-game losing streak knocked the Tigers out of playoff contention, but they came out of 2024 with momentum after three straight wins, and they signed the No. 1-ranked group of transfers. The return of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is big, and so is linebacker Harold Perkins Jr.’s decision to come back.

Arizona State

The surprising Sun Devils won the Big 12 in their first year in the conference and nearly beat Texas in the playoff after winning three games in 2023. Heart-and-soul guy Cam Skattebo is gone, but Kenny Dillingham has something special going on in Tempe. Quarterback Sam Leavitt returns, as does star receiver Jordyn Tyson.

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Eric Olson, The Associated Press