Way too early Top 25 rankings for the 2025 college football season

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- 01/21/2025 at 6:38 AM #240216
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  The Miami Ute
  Participant
  
  The Athletic came out this morning with its projected preseason Top 25 and it isn’t pretty.
  
  They’ve slotted ASU as #9 and BYU as #10. The only other Big XII teams to make the cut are Baylor at #18 and KSU at #23. Not even an honorable mention of Utah (how soon they forget).
  
  To my amateur view, it really looks like they are projecting and expecting past performance to be proof of future success (how did that work for us this season?). It also looks like they are really drinking the Kool-Aid on both ASU and BYU.
  
  Here are their comments:
  
  9. Arizona State (11-3)
  Key returnees: QB Sam Leavitt, WR Jordyn Tyson, TE Chamon Metayer, DT C.J. Fite, LB Keyshaun Elliott, S Xavion Alford
  
  Key transfers: RB Kanye Udoh (Army), WR Jalen Moss (Fresno State), CB Kyndrich Breedlove (Purdue)
  
  There’s no reason ASU can’t contend for another Big 12 championship. While it loses all-everything running back Cam Skattebo, it brings back nearly everyone else and landed 1,117-yard rusher Udoh from Army. Eight starters return from a defense that allowed 19.2 points per game during its six-game winning streak to end the regular season and held its own against Texas in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss.
  
  10. BYU (11-2)
  Key returnees: QB Jake Retzlaff, RB LJ Martin, WR Chase Roberts, LBs Isaiah Glasker and Harrison Taggart, K Will Ferrin
  
  Key transfers: TE Carsen Ryan (Utah), DT Keanu Tanuvasa (Utah), DL Anisi Purcell (Southern Utah)
  
  BYU spent most of the season in CFP contention, and there’s no reason the Cougars can’t break through and win the Big 12 in 2025. The conference schedule is challenging, with trips to Colorado, Iowa State and Texas Tech. BYU will enjoy continuity on offense, beginning with Retzlaff — who became a cult hero in his first season in Provo — whereas the defense loses much of its leadership. Special teams could be a strength.
- 01/21/2025 at 7:27 AM #240217
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  AlohaUte
  Participant
  
  I think BYU will be good, but they were among the luckiest teams last season and those sorts of things tend to even out. I have them at 8-4.
  
  ASU losing Skattebo is a HUGE deal. Keeping Leavitt is great for them though. I expect they will go 9-3.
  
  As for the Utes, we’ll have a serviceable offense and defense will be solid. We’ll bounce back, but not all the way back. I have the Utes at 8-4.
  - 01/21/2025 at 11:12 AM #240234
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    HoosierUte
    Participant
    
    Hilarious. “…who became a cult hero in his first season in Provo…”
  - 01/21/2025 at 6:55 PM #240250
    
    Utah#1
    Participant
    
    They were trailing in the the Utah game until Rose got hurt. I believe if Rose continued to play and was healthy, BYU coulda lost by two TDs or more. They lost to Kansas and barely beat OSU. They are a good team, but their record doesn’t reflect their play on the field. I expect the Big12 to me more competitive next year then it was this past season and don’t expect the top teams (ASU, ISU, and BYU) to be anymore dominant then the rest of the league. I think there will be some parity with the top half of the league. We will see.
- 01/21/2025 at 7:58 AM #240219
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  GameForAnyFuss
  Participant
  
  I chuckle at any poll that contains the words “way too early”. Even the title is admitting that the poll (and polls are flawed no matter what) is basically BS.
  
  It would be like writing a chemistry paper with the words “junk science” in the title.
- 01/21/2025 at 8:07 AM #240220
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  snorkerelli
  Participant
  
  This is good. We do way better as underdogs. When we started getting respect from pundits we fell off a cliff (e.g. last two seasons). All that matters is where we end up next year.
- 01/21/2025 at 8:34 AM #240221
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  China Rider
  Participant
  
  All we know for sure is that right now the Utes are a bad football team in a bad conference. If the backslide of the last two years continue, I’m afraid the Utes will be trapped here for good. Time is of essence.
- 01/21/2025 at 10:58 AM #240231
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  Utah
  Participant
  
  Ugh. College Football really just sucks now. Look, ASU and BYU were both 10 win teams, they both bring back their QB’s, they get slotted up high again. I get it.
  
  But how do you slot anyone else? Hell, look at Utah: we brought in 2 transfers, kept Wilson and have 2 HS QB’s coming in. There is a really, really good chance that three of those 5 are gone after spring ball. Same with the RB’s. Hell, we brought in some RB’s and some left and we brought in others and other left.
  
  Who am I rooting for? How can I tell if they will be good or not? We don’t even know what the roster is. Utah could easily lose another 20-30% of their starters…and in the same vein, we might not even have our starting RB, QB, TE on the team right now.
  
  Hey, but at least we have a running clock and the game will take 4 hours to be completed and we get to play s**tty teams I could care less about this fall.
- 01/21/2025 at 11:01 AM #240232
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  Utah
  Participant
  
  Looking at Utah’s schedule, here is where I have them:
  
  For sure wins:
  Cal Poly
  Wyoming
  
  For sure losses:
  No one.
  
  The rest: Look at the rest of the games. I could see Baylor, BYU, Kansas St, ASU, Kansas, Tech, Cincinnati, and WVU all blowing us out if we play like we did last year. That is 8 losses.
  
  But if we get back to having a decent QB, our defense is good enough that we could easily win 10+ games. None of those teams are juggernauts.
  
  But I have no idea who the crap is on our team, who is on anyone else’s team or anything. This is just so stupid.
  - 01/21/2025 at 11:05 AM #240233
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    Anfernee
    Participant
    
    College football isn’t healthy for you anymore, brother. Very obviously. Maybe just make peace with that and find some things for this fall that don’t suck the fun out of life for you.
  - 01/21/2025 at 2:56 PM #240244
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    EmersonUte
    Participant
    
    hey Utah – I feel exactly the same. Alienated from the team. Only cheering for the laundry at this point. Its all so so stupid.
    
    Even for paying the players (which I’m in favor of in some fashion) this is about the dumbest way you could possibly do it.
    
    Freeing up money for skiing, plays at Eccles Theater, other stuff. But I’m lurking on a Ute message board in January – so you know I’m interested – but I couldn’t name half our day 1 starters for the fall at this point. My fandom is waning.
- 01/21/2025 at 1:06 PM #240238
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  UteBacker
  Moderator
  
  Prediction accuracy in college football is a fool’s errand right now. With the huge turnover in rosters, how can you even begin to know how good teams will be? I guess these polls are something to talk about in the off season, but they’re about as worthless as the paper they’re written on.
- 01/21/2025 at 1:10 PM #240239
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  Tony (admin)
  Keymaster
  
  There’s no Koolaid strong enough to get me to drink it after the last two seasons. I’m glad we’re not ranked to start out the season.
  - 01/21/2025 at 3:35 PM #240247
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    Tednab
    Participant
    
    Nope not buying whits BS , he’s lost all credibility the decline continues .. we’ve lost more talent than gained through the portal. We replaced our loses with a bunch of average G5 players, not to mention losing 3 good players to the zoobs. The offense might slightly improve (because it can’t get any worse), only if dampier stays healthy. But then again we’re talking about whits unwavering ability to handicap every kind of offense, both foreign and domestic. Our QB depth isn’t anything special. Our D won’t be as good as last season.. Mediocre season with a 5 to 8 wins season at best, in what will hopefully be both whits and Harlan’s last year. Oh did I mention the big 12 sucks and those locked on podcast are insufferable. drinking the whiskey instead of the kool aid this season
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