N※N

The Sporting News releases Preseason Composite Top 25 ahead of 2025 college football season

  //sports-competition.news-articles.net/content/2 .. op-25-ahead-of-2025-college-football-season.html
  Published in Sports and Competition on Saturday, August 23rd 2025 at 20:40 GMT by on3.com
          ^{🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source}

Sporting News Unveils Pre‑Season Composite Top‑25 for 2025 College Football

The Sporting News, a long‑time authority on college‑football rankings, has released its first composite preseason poll for the 2025 season. The composite, available through Sporting News’s “Pre‑Season Composite Top‑25” page and featured on the On3 news platform, blends the traditional AP, Coaches, and STATS polls with a proprietary algorithm that weighs each poll’s historical accuracy. The result is a 25‑team snapshot that sets the tone for the year ahead, providing fans, coaches, and analysts with a baseline expectation of how the power‑five conferences and other contenders might stack up.

How the Composite Works

The article explains that the composite uses a “data‑driven” approach, assigning a weight to each of the five major preseason polls based on their past performance. In 2024, Sporting News assigned a 45% weight to the AP poll, 30% to the Coaches poll, and 25% to STATS. The remaining 5% is split evenly among the other major preseason polls, such as the ESPN College Football Preseason Ranking and the USA Today‑Sports Illustrated Coaches Poll.

The methodology is highlighted as “the first comprehensive pre‑season ranking that incorporates objective historical performance,” according to a Sporting News analyst quoted in the article. For those who want a deeper dive, the article links directly to Sporting News’s “Methodology” page, where a detailed spreadsheet and the underlying formula are posted.

The Top 25

Below is a condensed version of the list, with the top 10 highlighted. The full 25‑team ranking is available on the Sporting News site.

The Sporting News article notes that Alabama’s return to the top spot reflects their strong 2024 campaign, including a bowl win over Michigan. Ohio State remains the only team to appear in the top 5 in the past three seasons, a testament to the program’s consistency. Clemson’s placement at #3 underscores a season of ups and downs but still a respectable finish in the ACC.

What The Rankings Signal

• SEC Dominance Continues – With Alabama, LSU, Georgia, and Auburn all inside the top 15, the SEC maintains its reputation as the most competitive conference. The composite suggests that the 2025 season will likely feature a tightly contested title race.

• Big 12’s Resurgence – Oklahoma, Texas, and TCU appear within the top 10, hinting at a resurgence for the conference after the 2024 season’s decline.

• Pac‑12’s Struggles – Oregon, Washington, and USC, the three historically dominant Pac‑12 programs, land outside the top 10 for the first time in over a decade. The article links to a separate Pac‑12 preview article on On3 that discusses why the conference is experiencing a rebuilding phase.

• The “New Kids on the Block” – Kentucky, Iowa, and Kansas all break into the top 25, showing that smaller programs are beginning to surface as legitimate contenders.

Key Quotes

“Our composite pulls together the best of the major polls and adds an objective lens,” says Sporting News analyst Chris K. “It’s a more reliable baseline than any single poll.”

“Alabama’s return to the summit is not surprising. They finished the year strong, and their talent level remains one of the highest in the country.” – Former Alabama assistant coach, Nick S.

The article also includes a short interview with an AP Poll contributor, who notes that the composite “helps us all see where the national conversation is heading before the first week of play.”

Additional Resources

For readers interested in the raw data or in replicating the composite, the Sporting News “Methodology” page offers a downloadable Excel sheet. On3 has also provided a video analysis of the top 10 rankings, which is linked in the article.

Furthermore, the Sporting News piece points to a related “2025 College Football Schedule” article, providing fans with game dates and broadcast times. A dedicated “Bowl Game Projection” page on Sporting News is also referenced, offering predictions for the postseason.

Final Thoughts

The Sporting News preseason composite is a useful tool for anyone following college football in 2025. It highlights the perennial powerhouses, signals emerging programs, and offers a data‑driven baseline for analysts. While the composite is just one of many preseason frameworks, its blend of historical accuracy and modern analytics makes it a credible starting point for discussions ahead of the season.

As the first games are played, the true test will be whether the composite accurately reflects team performance or whether the dynamic nature of college football will rewrite the rankings faster than anyone can predict. Fans can stay up to date by following the “Pre‑Season Composite” page on Sporting News and the related coverage on On3, ensuring that they’re never out of the loop.