Here's the part that I'm guessing most will care about:
Tier 7: Flying beneath the radar like Tom Cruise in 'Maverick' (five teams)
Georgia Tech
Iowa
Kansas
Minnesota
Washington
We've seen a lot of change in college football in recent years, which has made Iowa's offense such a needed through line connecting the modern version of the sport with an older generation. Granted, that generation probably lived through the Great Depression, but let's not split hairs. Nevertheless, there were signs that even the Hawkeyes might be taking a small step forward, as the offense scored 40 points in a game four times last season -- something Iowa had done just four times in the previous four seasons combined. Now, Iowa has a QB it likes in
South Dakota State transfer
Mark Gronowski, the defense should be stout again, and nobody punts like the Hawkeyes.
Kansas was 1-5 in games decided by a touchdown or less last year but also had wins over three straight ranked teams in November. With a more settled offensive approach and the return of
Jalon Daniels, this Jayhawks squad looks like a potential sleeper.
Not counting the 2020 COVID-19 season, Minnesota is one of just 15 teams to win 60% of its Power 5 games. That's more impressive than it sounds. It's better than Washington, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Miami and Texas A&M. The Gophers enter 2025 with a ton of intriguing options led by
Koi Perich and
Darius Taylor, and while the schedule includes road trips to Ohio State and Oregon, there's certainly a path for PJ Fleck to get Minnesota back to the 10-win plateau.
Go Gophers!!
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