We’ve reached that time of year again—spring practices are beginning to wrap up, transfers are about to begin dropping, while fans are already dreaming about fall Saturdays.
With the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, the battle for the No. 1 ranking feels more wide open than ever, but as we head through spring, it seems that there are only a few teams that could be considered deserving of that spot.
Honestly, there may not be an elite team this season. Every team around the country has some flaw or question mark that leaves them potentially vulnerable depending on what you're looking for. That being said, there are a few teams that stand out to us looking ahead to the fall.
Here's a look at the five teams that have arguments to be No. 1 in the country, at least right now prior to the spring Transfer Portal window.
Ohio State Buckeyes
You're No. 1 until you're not, right? If you're the defending national champions — regardless of what you lost — you should at least be considered and deserve the chance to defend your title.
Ohio State is losing a ton, including its two star running backs in Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson that made that offense click last season. The Buckeyes still return Jeremiah Smith — who most consider to be the nation's best wide receiver — and Julian Sayin is a talented quarterback. However, he certainly has a learning gap he'll have to overcome.
Another big question for Ohio State is how Ryan Day and his staff adjusts with their two coordinators — Jim Knowles and Chip Kelly — both bolting. Matt Patricia is now the defensive coordinator and Brian Hartline was promoted to offensive coordinator, but that doesn't mean the ship will just magically contine to run smoothly. Still, no one can deny that there's still talent in Columbus and that Ohio State will still be one of the top teams in the nation.
Texas Longhorns
Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond, and Silas Bolden are all gone. The Longhorns have lost four starters on the offensive line. They also have questions along the interior defensive line with both starters and some depth pieces gone.
Despite all the losses, Texas still is going to have one of the best backfields in the country assuming that Arch Manning develops. With him at quarterback combined with Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner, you've got to believe that the Longhorns will still have an elite-level offense. Defensively, they've recruited very well in the Transfer Portal and they return one of the best linebackers in the country in Anthony Hill Jr.
Even with questions, Texas is still primed to be one of the best teams in the country.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State is real this time, at least from the outside-looking in. The Nittany Lions brought in Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and even with the loss of Abdul Carter, we just don't have any question that the defense will continue to be elite.
What's most impressive this year for Penn State, though, is the offense. Drew Allar returns and he'll have two of the top running backs in the country in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. What makes them more scary? Penn State returns six offensive linemen who started at least six games last season, making them one of the deepest units in the country.
If James Franklin can't get it done this year, there are certainly questions about if he'll ever be able to do it. But, with that much talent and depth returning — even with a couple of questions on defense and at wide receiver — Penn State has a legitimate argument to be considered the best team in the country heading into 2025.
Clemson Tigers
You want to talk about another team that returns literally everyone? Look no further than Dabo Swinney's Clemson Tigers.
Cade Klubnik is back and the Tigers also have one of the deepest, experienced offensive lines in the country. In addition, Clemson has one of the deepest WR rooms in the country with Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco, and T.J. Moore headlining the group, but it doesn't stop there. They've also got Tyler Brown back to full health after he missed last season and they added 6-foot-5 WR Tristan Smith from the Transfer Portal. They've put former WR Adam Randall at running back and, thus far, the returns have been very good.
Defensively, Clemson brought in Tom Allen from Penn State to be its defensive coordinator and it's not like the talent cupboard is bare there. Clemson returns nine starters on that side of the ball, including Peter Woods, T.J. Parker, Sammy Brown, Aveion Terrell, Khalil Barnes, and Wade Woodaz. They also brought in one of the portal's top edge-rushers in Will Heldt to add to the bunch.
Clemson leads the nation in returning production and there are reasons to believe that they could be the best team in the country if they can put it all together.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The final team on our list is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Coming off a run that included a national championship appearance, Notre Dame deserves to be ranked highly.
It might be tough to sell the Fighting Irish as the No. 1 team in the nation, but we have one reason that you shouldn't overlook: Jeremiyah Love.
He's the best running back in the country, at least in my opinion, and the Irish are still going to have an elite defense with Chris Ash taking over as defensive coordinator. Marcus Freeman has cemented himself as one of the top coaches in the country and even though they've got some questions, you can't argue with the fact that Notre Dame is still a deep team that has the talent to potentially make a run.
Should they be ranked No. 1 in the country? Probably not, but it just goes to show how much parity there is in college football heading into the 2025 season.