Top 136 College Football Teams Ranked Post-2025 Season
The 2025 college football season wrapped up with a bang. Indiana pulled off a shocking 27-21 win over Miami, and honestly, no one saw them coming as champs.
It was a wild ride—full of surprises, twists, and moments that had fans glued to their screens. From the first kickoff to the final whistle, the season’s unpredictability was on full display.
This post takes a look at the final Athletic 136 rankings for 2025. Let’s talk about the biggest overachievers, underachievers, and just how weirdly fascinating this landscape turned out to be.
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The Unpredictable Journey of the 2025 Season
Indiana’s win over Miami really was the cherry on top of a season that broke all the rules. The expanded College Football Playoff made everything messier—and, honestly, more fun to watch.
Rankings this year leaned heavily on how teams performed in the playoffs and bowls. Nothing felt set in stone until the very end.
The Top 10 Teams: A Closer Look
Indiana went undefeated, so yeah, they earned that No. 1 spot. Miami clawed their way up from No. 8 to No. 2, which says a lot about their grit.
Ole Miss and Georgia had some nail-biters. They landed at No. 3 and No. 4, with Georgia’s resume giving them a slight boost. Ohio State and Oregon rounded out the top six, both with postseason moments worth remembering.
- Indiana: Undefeated season, championship win—enough said.
- Miami: Climbed from No. 8 to No. 2 with a killer postseason run.
- Ole Miss: Battled Georgia, solid all year.
- Georgia: Notched wins over Ole Miss, Alabama, and Texas.
- Ohio State: Lost to Miami in the quarterfinals, but still a strong year.
- Oregon: Fell to Indiana in the Peach Bowl semifinals.
Significant Overachievers and Underachievers
Every year, a few teams blow past the predictions. In 2025, Virginia, North Texas, Houston, New Mexico, and San Diego State all punched above their weight and moved up the rankings.
Meanwhile, some of the usual suspects—Penn State, Clemson, LSU, South Carolina, and Florida—just couldn’t get it together. They all finished well below where everyone thought they would.
Overachievers
Virginia jumped to No. 15 after taking down Missouri in a bowl game. North Texas and Houston also made big moves, showing consistency when it mattered.
- Virginia: Shot up to No. 15 thanks to a bowl win.
- North Texas: Stayed steady and finished strong in their bowl.
- Houston: Outperformed expectations all season.
Underachievers
Penn State and Clemson started in the top 10 but ended up somewhere in the 40s. That’s a rough drop, honestly.
LSU, South Carolina, and Florida couldn’t live up to the preseason talk, either.
- Penn State: Preseason No. 1, finished in the 40s—ouch.
- Clemson: Preseason No. 2, also dropped to the 40s.
- LSU: Didn’t meet expectations, plain and simple.
Noteworthy Bowl Performances
Bowl games shook up the final rankings more than usual. Texas, even with some debate about their No. 8 spot, picked up wins over Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Vanderbilt.
Alabama and Oklahoma had a rematch in the Playoff. This time, Alabama flipped the script and took the win, shifting both teams’ final spots.
Key Bowl Game Outcomes
Virginia’s bowl victory against Missouri turned heads. USC barely lost to TCU in overtime, and Iowa’s win over Vanderbilt bumped them up to No. 16.
- Virginia: Beat Missouri in their bowl game.
- USC: Lost to TCU in overtime—tough break.
- Iowa: Took down Vanderbilt, climbed the rankings.
The Bottom of the Rankings
The top teams get all the headlines, but the bottom tells its own story. Oklahoma State fell all the way to No. 123—didn’t win a single Big 12 game. That’s a brutal season.
UMass, sitting at No. 136, just can’t seem to catch a break. That’s the third time since 2020 they’ve ended up dead last.
Teams Facing Challenges
Oklahoma State’s new coach, Eric Morris, has a mountain to climb. The program’s seen better days, for sure.
UMass took some heavy losses and is still searching for a way forward. You have to wonder how long this rebuild will take.
- Oklahoma State: Lowest-ranked Power 4 team, zero Big 12 wins.
- UMass: Finished No. 136, took several tough losses.
The 2025 college football season? Wild. There were emotional highs, a few gut punches, and just a ton of surprising twists.
Indiana pulled off a championship run that nobody really saw coming. Meanwhile, some underdog teams punched above their weight, and a few big-name programs stumbled hard.
Want to dig into the final rankings or just relive the chaos? Check out the Athletic 136 rankings for more details.
