The ABCs of College Football ✏️🏈
There are 136 teams chasing one trophy this fall. That’s a lot to keep track of!
So we’ve organized what you need to know into 26 letters. An ABC guide to the players, teams, and stories you’ll be hearing about all season long.
Ready to dive in?
By the way… this one might take you a few days, so we’ll let you focus. And then we’ll be back with our Sunday Special!
A is for Arch Manning
Manning isn’t just another quarterback (QB). He’s part of the most famous football family ever.
His grandpa Archie was a New Orleans Saints legend. His uncles Peyton and Eli Manning both won Super Bowls. Now it’s Arch’s turn.
But here’s the twist: he hasn’t played much yet.
Last year, Arch only started two games for Texas. That means fans are excited, but also nervous. Can he live up to the hype?
Adding to the drama: Arch wasn’t even included on the preseason Manning Award list. That award goes every year to the best quarterback in college football. And it’s literally named after his family! It’s a reminder that nothing’s automatic, even for a Manning.
And then comes his first big test: a showdown at Ohio State in Week 1. It’s #1 Texas vs. #2 Ohio State. Arch vs. Julian Sayin.
If Arch shines, he’s not just Peyton and Eli’s nephew anymore. He’s the face of college football in 2025.
B is for Blue-Chipper
In college football, a “blue-chip” player isn’t someone who loves to snack.
It’s what everyone calls the very best high school players. Recruits who arrive on campus with sky-high expectations.
The biggest name this year?
Probably QB Bryce Underwood, the nation’s #1 recruit, now at Michigan. Fans are buzzing that he might start right away. Coach Sherrone Moore says he’ll pick the starter closer to game time. Still, the hype around Underwood’s rocket arm and calm confidence makes him one of the most-watched players in the sport.
Out west, Oregon landed another blue-chipper: wide receiver Dakorien Moore. With starting spots open, Moore has a chance to catch passes early and often. Coaches say he has the speed and skill to look like a star from the very first snap.
Blue-chippers like Underwood and Moore bring fresh energy. And in a sport where one big play can swing everything, don’t be surprised if these rookies deliver some of the year’s loudest highlights.
C is for Clemson
A few years ago, Clemson was winning national championships. But after 2018, the Tigers hit a rough patch. (At least by their high standards!)
Then came 2024.
The Tigers roared back, winning the ACC Championship and making it back to the playoff. Leading the charge was quarterback Cade Klubnik (there’s another ‘C’), who threw for more than 3,600 yards and 36 touchdowns.
Now he’s not just the leader of Clemson… he’s one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy. That’s the award given every year to the single best player in all of college football.
And Klubnik isn’t doing it alone.
The Tigers’ roster is stacked, with explosive receivers and a great defensive line. Put it all together, and Clemson isn’t just back. They might be ready to win it all again.
D is for Drew Allar
Before he ever took a college snap, Drew Allar was a blue-chipper. Now he’s the steady hand for Penn State.
This season, the Nittany Lions are ranked in the top five and aiming sky-high.
Allar’s huddle is loaded, especially behind him. The running back pair of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen gives Penn State first-down power and home-run speed.
Add a sturdy line, trustworthy tight ends, and new targets at receiver, and it feels like the Lions can play any style they need.
The question: can he help Penn State finally win the games that have slipped away before? Under Coach James Franklin, Penn State has only one win in 16 games vs. teams ranked in the top five. This is the year to flip it.
E is for Eighteen
Here’s a funny thing about college football: a conference called the Big Ten has 18 schools.
Why? Tradition.
The name is older than most of the players’ grandparents, from a time when the conference actually had just 10 schools.
The name stayed. The power grew. The last two national champions have come from the Big Ten: Michigan in 2023 and Ohio State in 2024. That makes the conference one of the best in college football.
And the depth this year is wild. Six teams from the Big Ten are ranked in the preseason top 25. Any of them could make a run at the title.
The only catch? When so many heavyweights play in the same league, they’re going to spend the fall knocking each other around.
🎥 And flying across the country to games!
By the time the playoff arrives, we’ll find out which of these giants are still standing. And whether the Big Ten can keep its championship streak alive.
F is for Finebaum
For years, the Southeastern Conference, or SEC, was the unquestioned king of college football. The league won four straight national championships before the Big Ten finally stole the spotlight.
So what is Finebaum?
He’s not a player or a coach. Paul Finebaum is a TV host who talks SEC football all day. When he talks, fans everywhere listen (and argue). And he’s saying 2025 is the year the SEC takes the crown back.
The preseason top 25 rankings agree, with nine SEC teams ranked.
Georgia and Alabama are both in the top 10, and they’re the teams that won three of those four championships. Will they continue to run the conference? Or will Texas become the new power?
G is for Georgia
Under coach Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs have been the most consistent team in college football.
Think: two national championships in 2021 and 2022 and four straight trips to the SEC Championship Game. Even when they’ve fallen short, they’ve never drifted far from the title chase.
But this year brings a new era. Last year’s QB, Carson Beck, transferred to Miami. That opens the door for Gunner Stockton. He already filled in during the 2024 SEC Championship and beat Texas. So he’s had a taste of the spotlight.
And once again, Georgia is loaded at most positions.
Christen Miller returns as a defensive lineman who’s hard to block. Freshman Elijah Griffin is a blue-chipper. Add in transfer receiver Zachariah Branch, and there’s plenty of firepower on both sides of the ball.
The expectations are always high: the Bulldogs aren’t just chasing wins. They’re chasing more trophies.
H is for Hot Seat
In sports, a “hot seat” doesn’t mean your chair is actually on fire. It means a coach needs to win now.
And two of the hottest seats are in the state of Oklahoma.
At Oklahoma, or OU, coach Brent Venables hasn’t found the magic yet. He’s only had one winning season so far in three tries. That’s rough for a program used to playing for championships.
Then there’s Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State. He’s entering his 21st year as head coach, but his 3–9 season last year was one of the worst in school history.
And they’re not the only hot seats.
Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, USC. These are big-time schools with big-time expectations, where fans want wins.
For all of these coaches, 2025 is a big test. Every game will count. One more bad loss could mean the end.
So hot seats aren’t about temperature. They’re about pressure. And this fall, a few coaches are going to be feeling it.
I is for Ireland
The college football season kicks off Saturday!
The matchup? #20 Kansas State vs. #21 Iowa State.
The location? Dublin, Ireland. The game is in Aviva Stadium, a place normally used for rugby and soccer.
🎥 Hit play on this preview!
This international opener is the first of five games this weekend in what fans call Week 0. The day ends in Honolulu with Stanford vs. Hawaii.
So get ready! The NFL is playing games in Brazil, England, Germany, Ireland, and Spain this year.
And college football is showing it can travel too.
J is for Jeremiah and Jeremiyah
Two players, one name, and a whole lot of highlights.
Meet Jeremiah Smith and Jeremiyah Love: two stars who make defenders nervous just by stepping on the field.
At Ohio State, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith turned heads the moment he arrived. As a freshman last year, he racked up over 1,300 yards and 15 touchdowns, setting records and proving he’s more than hype. He’s tall, fast, and fearless. The kind of receiver who can turn a short pass into a long touchdown before you can blink.
🎥 Watch this catch he made to clinch last year’s championship game.
Who’d they beat? Notre Dame.
Where does Jeremiyah Love play? Notre Dame. And he’s making his own history.
Last season, he piled up more than 1,100 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, running with both power and speed. This year? He’s a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate.
One attacks through the air. The other dominates on the ground. And both enter 2025 as preseason All-Americans. That’s like the college version of blue-chippers: players who are the best in the country at their positions.
K is for Key Week 1 Games
Here’s the fun part: we don’t have to wait long to see these players shine.
In Week 1, many of the best teams start out with what’s basically a warm-up game against smaller schools. Get the rust off, pile up some points, and move on.
But not everyone starts that way. And this year, Week 1 is loaded with blockbusters.
The biggest? #1 Texas vs. #2 Ohio State. That’s not just the game of the week. It might be the game of the year.
Right behind it is #9 LSU vs. #6 Clemson, an early clash between two playoff hopefuls.
And then there’s #5 Notre Dame vs. #10 Miami, a showdown between proud programs.
So yeah, Week 1 isn’t easing us in. It’s dropping us straight into playoff vibes.
L, M, and N are for LaNorris, Mateer, and Nussmeier
Part of the reason the SEC has so many ranked teams? Quarterbacks.
And three of the most intriguing this year line up with the letters L, M, and N.
First is LaNorris Sellers at South Carolina. He’s only a sophomore, but he’s already on the Manning Award watch list and getting real Heisman Trophy buzz. Sellers can throw deep, run fast, and has fans dreaming about an upset or two that could shake up the SEC race.
🎥 Want to see the type of play only he can make?
Next comes John Mateer at Oklahoma. He transferred in after lighting it up last year at Washington State. Now he’s bringing that style to the Sooners. And trying to help his coach off the hot seat.
And don’t forget Garrett Nussmeier at LSU. The veteran threw for more than 4,000 yards in 2024 and gives the Tigers a steady, confident leader under center. Experts say he could be one of the top QBs in next year’s NFL Draft.
Three different paths: a rising star, a transfer newcomer, and a proven veteran. Together, they help make the SEC shine.
O is for Overtime
In college football, if a game ends tied, it goes into overtime (OT).
But OT in college isn’t like the NFL, which plays a bonus quarter.
It starts like this: both teams get to try and score from the 25-yard line.
If it’s still tied after that, they head to a second OT. But there’s a twist! If they score a touchdown this time, they must try a two-point conversion.
Still tied? On to the third overtime. From then on, it’s a straight-up showdown. Each team switches off two-point conversion plays until one makes it and the other doesn’t.
And if you’re wondering how far it can go…
Last season, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech went an epic eight overtimes.
🎥 You’ve got to watch these highlights!
Yep, the Bulldogs finally pulled out a 44–42 win. It was the longest game of 2024 and one of the longest in college football history. The record is nine OTs!
Overtime isn’t just extra football. It’s extra drama, where every single play could end the game.
P is for Playoff
If overtime makes sure every game has a winner, the College Football Playoff (CFP) makes sure the whole season does. It’s the big tournament at the end of the year that decides the national champion.
Here’s how it works.
12 teams make the CFP. Five spots go to the highest-ranked conference champions. The other seven are called “at-large” picks (think: the best of the rest).
The top four teams get a bye, which means they skip the first round and get to rest while everyone else plays. In that first round, teams 5 through 12 face off.
After that, the winners move on to the quarterfinals and semifinals. These rounds are played in the big bowl games. (You might have heard of these: Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose, and Sugar. Anyone hungry?)
Then comes the grand finale, the National Championship Game.
Got all that?
Well, you should also know it hasn’t always been this way. Ask your grown-ups how the national champion was crowned when they were kids.
And some people want to expand even more. But for now, it’s 12, and the race to get there makes every Saturday matter.
Q is for Quarterbacks
Experts often say the quarterback is the most important position in any sport. No wonder. You’ve got to throw, you’ve got to run, you’ve got to lead the team.
In college football, a QB can make or break a whole team’s season.
That’s why a great website called The Athletic ranked all 136 starting QBs in the country for 2025. They put each QB in one of seven levels, called tiers.
Each tier is explained below. Quick definitions: the Power 4 are the big conferences with most of the top teams and players (Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and ACC). The Group of 5 (or G5) are the smaller conferences just a step below.
There are 10 QBs in Tier 1. And we’ve already talked about six of them:
Cade Klubnik at Clemson (#1)
Garrett Nussmeier at LSU (#2)
LaNorris Sellers at South Carolina (#3)
John Mateer at Oklahoma (#4)
Drew Allar at Penn State (#6)
Arch Manning at Texas (#10)
But let’s meet the other four in that top 10.
At #5, DJ Lagway at Florida is a dual-threat sophomore. He’s young but already pushing the Gator offense forward, finishing 2024 with a four-game win streak and big plays against big-time opponents.
#7, Sam Leavitt of Arizona State, stunned college football fans last year. He led the Sun Devils to a conference title and a CFP berth last year and almost upset Texas… despite being picked to finish last in the Big 12 in preseason polls. Scouts love his smart, athletic game.
#8, Kevin Jennings at SMU began last year as a backup. When the starter got hurt, he sparked the offense. He ended up throwing for over 3,200 yards and leading the Mustangs to the CFP in their first year in the ACC.
And at #9, Josh Hoover of TCU set a school record for passing yards last year. He averaged more than 300 yards per game and is ready to see if he can break his own record this year.
So there you have it. The top 10 QBs in the country. By the time this season ends, there’s a good chance one of them will be holding the Heisman Trophy.
R is for Rankings
Before a single game is played, college football fans are already arguing about who’s the best. That’s where rankings come in!
Two main rankings, called polls, run every week of the season:
The AP Poll, voted on by writers who cover sports for newspapers and websites.
And the Coaches Poll, voted on by actual college football coaches.
Here are the preseason top 10s:
Notice the differences?
The AP has Penn State ahead of Ohio State, while the Coaches flipped them. Same with Clemson and Georgia. That’s because the two polls are just opinions (not facts, and definitely not robots).
See those numbers in parentheses?
Those are first-place votes. Think: how many voters thought that team was #1. Each voter ranks 25 teams, and there’s a formula to add up points and decide the order.
And here’s the fun part: the preseason polls will be tested right away. Remember Week 1? Texas vs. Ohio State. One of those giants will take an early hit. And the rankings will shuffle before August even ends.
So do these rankings determine who makes the playoff?
No! There’s something called the CFP Committee that starts meeting during the season. They make their own list! They look at things like who you beat, who you lost to, and how tough your schedule was. Those are the rankings that decide which 12 teams make the playoff.
S is for Sun Devils
It’s also for Sam Leavitt, who you met already.
Last year, nobody saw the Sun Devils coming. When Leavitt transferred from Michigan State to Arizona State, he wasn’t even on most people’s radar. But in his first year in Tempe, he threw for nearly 3,000 yards and rushed for over 400 more.
Oh, and he turned the Sun Devils into Big 12 champions.
And it wasn’t just him. Running back Cam Skattebo bulldozed through defenses, giving ASU a one-two punch that kept opponents guessing. Together, they powered an offense that went from ignored to unstoppable.
Their most famous moment came in the CFP, when they took Texas to overtime and nearly shocked the world. They didn’t win, but they proved they belonged.
🎥 Need a reminder of just how close that ending was?
Now, Skattebo is in the NFL.
But the Sun Devils are ranked #11 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. Leavitt is the Big 12’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year. From picked-last to playoff threat, Arizona State’s rise under coach Kenny Dillingham is one of the wildest stories in college football.
T is for Transfers
Last year, Sam Leavitt switched schools and turned Arizona State into Big 12 champs. This year, John Mateer switched to Oklahoma and is trying to give the Sooners a spark.
Those are called transfers. But what does that really mean?
The transfer portal is basically a big list online where college players can say, “I want to play somewhere new.” Once they put their name in, other schools can recruit them.
Some players switch to get more playing time, some chase a better chance to win, and yes… some are looking for more money. Because while college football is a sport we love, it’s also a business.
Why does it matter? Every offseason, hundreds of players change teams. And whole teams can look brand new from one year to the next.
Nobody proved that this offseason more than Texas Tech. The Red Raiders brought in stars like David Bailey (defensive lineman from Stanford) and Howard Sampson (offensive lineman from North Carolina). That’s huge for a program that hasn’t won a conference championship since 1994. Ask your grown-ups how old they were then!
Transfers don’t just add talent. They can completely rewrite a team’s story… even before the first kickoff.
U is for UNC
The University of North Carolina (UNC) may have lost a star lineman to Texas Tech. But it also gained the greatest football coach of all time.
In a stunning move, UNC hired Bill Belichick last December. He’s won six Super Bowls and more NFL playoff games than any other head coach.
But he’s never coached in college. Until now! Belichick has a coaching staff loaded with NFL veterans and fans can’t wait to see what happens next.
But here’s the reality check.
Experts think UNC only has a 4% chance to win their conference title (in the ACC) this season. Compare that to Clemson at 19%. In other words, if you played this season 100 times, experts think Clemson would win 19 times, UNC just 4, and other teams in the ACC 77 times.
Belichick brings the star power. But in college football, it takes more than a great coach.
V is for Versatile Defenders
Offense gets the flashy highlights. But there’s a reason experts say, “Defense wins championships.”
Just ask Texas, Ohio State, and Penn State. The top three teams in the country also happen to have stars on defense who can make your jaw drop.
At Texas, sophomore edge Colin Simmons is stepping into the spotlight. (Edge = QB chaser on defense.) Last year, he played mostly in passing situations and still piled up 9 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. Now he’s a full-time starter, and Longhorn fans are buzzing.
At Ohio State, safety Caleb Downs does everything. (Safety = last line of defense.) He’s a big reason they won the national championship last year. And why they’re in the mix again this year. Coaches say he’s the kind of player who forces other teams to change their whole game plan.
And at Penn State, defensive tackle Zane Durant brings massive power inside. (Defensive tackle = muscle in the front of the defense.) With his strength and quickness, offensive linemen call him the toughest defender they’ve ever faced.
Three stars, three defenses, three contenders. Turns out versatile defenders can be just as valuable as superstar quarterbacks.
W is for Williams
Alabama has a long history of superstar receivers (like DeVonta Smith, now on the Philadelphia Eagles).
Ryan Williams is next in line. He was a blue-chip recruit who skipped his last year of high school to play for the Crimson Tide.
And he didn’t just fit in last year. He exploded. In his very first game, at just 17 years old, Williams had two touchdowns and 139 receiving yards.
Then came his best play: a 75-yard, game-winning catch to upset rival Georgia.
🎥 This is what it looked like!
Now a sophomore, Williams is Alabama’s top target. Alabama needs Ws (wins). Ryan Williams helps get them.
X, Y, and Z are for X, Y, and Z
Yep, sorry. We went there.
But we’ve been working through the ABCs of college football, so it feels right to end with actual letters.
And believe it or not, X, Y, and Z are a common way coaches and players describe the different receiver positions.
The X is the big, physical receiver. He’s often the go-to target for tough catches.
The Y is often the tight end (part blocker, part pass-catcher). He can confuse defenses by doing a little of everything.
And the Z is the speediest receiver. He often zips around before the snap to get a running start. (That’s called going in motion.)
Teams try to match their plays to their skills. Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State is built to dominate as an X. Ryan Williams at Alabama can be a deadly Z. And programs like Penn State love to feature the Y role with talented tight ends.
How coaches use their X, Y, and Z can be the difference between making the CFP and missing it.
So that’s it! The 2025 college football season from A to Z.
Now the games can begin. The letter we’ll be watching most closely is W.
If there’s a team you want to learn more about, check out this amazing preview from SID Sports.
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This is literally the most helpful guide to the college football season ever!! Thanks Smallball!!
Amazing work!