Spring ball is in the books, the portal window has slammed shut (for now), and ESPN’s latest post-spring Top-25 has fans buzzing — and a few fanbases already complaining.
Some teams made major moves up the board, while others stumbled or dropped off completely. Let’s take a look at the biggest risers and fallers now that the dust has settled.
The biggest winners in the post-spring top-25 rankings
Nobody capitalized on the rankings better than Clemson. The Tigers jumped five spots to No. 2 in ESPN’s post-spring rankings, and it’s not hard to see why. Cade Klubnik is back under center with a seriously talented wide receiver group, and Dabo Swinney bolstered the defense by bringing in Tom Allen as the new defensive coordinator.
Add in impact transfers like Purdue's Will Heldt and Alabama’s Jeremiah Alexander, and suddenly Clemson looks like a real national title threat again.
Right behind them at No. 1? Penn State. The Nittany Lions were already in the mix, but they jumped up two spots to take the top ranking from Ohio State. Why? Continuity and firepower.
Drew Allar returns at quarterback, and he’s got Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton behind him, not to mention a revamped wide receiver room thanks to portal additions like USC’s Kyron Hudson and Syracuse's Trebor Peña. It’s a complete roster, and Penn State fans have every reason to believe this is their year.
Further down the list, Texas Tech is officially on the national radar. After not appearing in the pre-spring Top 25, the Red Raiders paid their way in at No. 16. They were one of the most active teams in the portal and it clearly paid off, at least in the preseason rankings. We'll see how it all shakes out when games actually start to be played.
The biggest losers in the post-spring rankings
Let’s start with the reigning champs. Ohio State dropped from No. 1 to No. 5, and while that may not seem like a massive fall, the Buckeyes looked a lot more mortal this spring. They lost most of their starting lineup to the NFL, and the quarterback situation is still up in the air with Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz battling it out. There’s elite talent in the receiver room and secondary, but the uncertainty under center gave Penn State and others an edge heading into the summer.
Notre Dame also took a step back — and in a more concerning way. The Irish slid three spots to No. 7, largely due to quarterback questions. CJ Carr is the likely starter, but after Steve Angeli transferred to Syracuse, Notre Dame’s depth took a serious hit. There were also some losses on the offensive line that could come back to bite them. Sure, the defense added some pieces in the portal, but the Irish don’t look quite as formidable as they did a few months ago.
And then there’s Tennessee. Not only did the Vols fall out of the Top 25 entirely, but they also suffered one of the more public quarterback dramas we’ve seen, potentially ever. Nico Iamaleava’s departure to UCLA via the portal was a gut punch, and it cchanges things in Knoxville this coming season. There’s still talent on the roster, but there are too many unknowns for the Vols this preseason.