5 Teams that were not in the AP Top 25 that will be at the end of the season

The release of the first AP Top 25 poll of the season is truly like a holiday for College Football fans, as it gives everyone the first look at how each team stacks up nationally. The initial poll is mostly a prediction, but it gives everyone a starting point for the upcoming season, allowing each team to move forward from there.

The AP Poll voters typically do a great job with the initial polls but, it's also impossible to nail every selection. Nearly half of the top 25 teams will drop out of the poll by the seasons end which allows some of the biggest snubs to make their way into the Top 25. This season, these 5 programs will make the leap into the Top 25 by the end of the season.

Missouri is coming off back-to-back 10-win teams as head coach Eli Drinkwitz has proven he is one of the better coaches in the SEC. I understand that they lost a ton of good players from last year’s team, but Missouri has recruited well under Drinkwitz, and transfer portal quarterback Beau Pribula has a chance to be an excellent player for them. I expect Missouri should be in the top 25 teams this season.

BYU won 11 games last year, as head coach Kalani Sitake continues to build a good team that competes in the Big 12. I understand they lost their starting quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, because of an honor code infraction. He was a good quarterback, but he isn’t replaceable. BYU has built a solid program and could easily be a top 25 team.

Yes, Duke deserves to be ranked in the top 25. In Manny Diaz’s 1st season at Duke, he won 9 games. Then Diaz signed one of the best quarterbacks in the transfer portal in Darian Mensah from Tulane. Mensah is an unknown player, but he is a talented quarterback who can do it all. I expect Duke will be a top 25 team this season.

Iowa has a good chance of being a top 25 team because it might have a quarterback in Mark Gronowski, who transferred from South Dakota State. Gronowski helped win two national championships in 2022 and 2023. If they have a quarterback along with a good defense, which Iowa usually has is a recipe for success. Kirk Ferentz’s team should be in the 8–9-win range this year.

Baylor finished the season winning six straight regular-season games to end the regular season 8-4. Baylor should have an excellent chance at being ranked this season and ending the season as a top 25 team. They are led by quarterback Sawyer Robertson, who played well last year, but could be a breakout player for Baylor this year.

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