College football changes rapidly in the era of the transfer portal. If you blink, today’s leading teams could end up on the back burner. And those who were in the basement can be promoted to the elite. That’s why rankings of the best programs in the sport should be done every offseason. The top 25 list was significantly shuffled after the 2025 campaign.
Indiana wouldn’t have been in the conversation two years ago. Last year, they were on the rise. Now, the Hoosiers are national champions and on the list. Programs like Brigham Young, Mississippi State and SMU are also on the rise. On the downside, Clemson and Nebraska are among the teams falling back in the rankings. Wisconsin was completely dropped.
So how does our list stack up? Without further ado, here are the top 25, as voted by the experts at USA TODAY Sports.
1. Ohio
We are witnessing the greatest run in college football in Columbus. The Buckeyes are 165-21 since 2012. In 2024, Ryan Day became the program’s third consecutive full-time coach to win a national championship. Is there anything else to say? Ohio State has won at least 10 games in all but one season since 2005. This is simply the gold standard in the Bowl Subdivision and the envy of every program in the country in the Big Ten and beyond.
Alabama football is more than just a program, it’s bigger than an international brand. It’s a way of life. Script A stands for tradition and excellence. Alabama fans are passionate about their favorite sport year-round, and expectations rarely drop. There is also a national championship, which hosts 13 of the two major telecom services. And the debate over who is the greatest coach in sports boils down to Nick Saban or Bear Bryant. Either way, it’s the Alabama coach.
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3. Georgia
The Bulldogs have been climbing the charts with a bullet, making them look like blue bloods without Kirby Smart having the long-lasting success as a national power like others. There was a glory era in the early 1980s when Herschel Walker and Vince Dooley provided the previous peak. But there’s never been a better time to be a Georgia fan, and as long as Smart is at the helm, success doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
4. Notre Dame Cathedral
You can tell the history of college football without a big chapter about the Fighting Irish. From Rockne to Leahy to Parseghian to Holtz, the sport has had some memorable teams and moments. After a period of slump earlier this century, Brian Kelly and Marcus Freeman are back where Notre Dame fans expect them to be: competing for a national championship.
5. Texas
Texas has a natural resource of high school talent and a wealth of talent needed in the NIL era. They are a traditional power that has emerged from an unforgivable long slumber between Mack Brown and Steve Sarkisian. Texas had its heyday in the Southwest Conference under Darrell Royal, but the Longhorns also showed their horns during the Brown era. They fall into the category of heavy hitters.
6.LSU
LSU is the only program this millennium to have three coaches win national championships. Lane Kiffin could be the fourth. Money poured in to fund his roster. LSU’s standards are such that Brian Kelly would be fired after winning 71% of his games. LSU attracts in-state talent, but the Tigers also have a national brand, and night games at Tiger Stadium are a mecca for college football.
7.Michigan
One of the most consistent programs in the country, the Wolverines also stand out with their famous stadium and unique helmet. The only blemish on his resume was his ability to break through by winning a national title this century. They went through it with Jim Harbaugh in 2023 and regained their place among the elite, but critics may point to NCAA violations that occurred during that season.
8. Oklahoma
Crimson and Cream have blue blood in them. Oklahoma State is the only SEC school behind Alabama in overall winning percentage. Even though the 2000 Sooners were OU’s last national champion, double-digit win seasons remain the norm. The University of Oklahoma reigned supreme in the 1950s under coach Bud Wilkinson, but regained supremacy in the 1970s and ’80s with coach Barry Switzer’s Wishbone. Seven Heisman winners point to the program’s star power.
9. Miami (Florida)
Strangely, conference membership hasn’t benefited the Hurricanes much, as they had five national championships prior to their ACC tenure. That may be about to change given the program’s recent resurgence, and while there’s no denying that Miami is a nationally known brand, that’s partly due to its reputation for skirting the rules on and off the field.
10. Southern California
Although dominant in the Pac-12 throughout Pete Carroll’s tenure, USC hasn’t seen success since NCAA violations hurt the program. They have yet to reach the College Football Playoff, and the transition to the Big Ten hasn’t been smooth. With a nine-win season in 2025 and the addition of the top-ranked player class in the country, things may turn around. Still, there are some rungs to climb before reaching the top of the Big Ten.
11. Oregon
Oregon State, perhaps the best program in the bowl division without a national championship, played as a pair during the Bowl Championship Series era and reached the semifinals last year before losing to Indiana. Although not a traditional powerhouse, the Ducks have won 10 or more games in 16 seasons since 2000 and are 46-8 under coach Dan Lanning. After moving to the Big Ten, they went undefeated and won the conference title in their first year, finishing with an 8-1 record in 2025.
12. Pennsylvania State University
Joe Paterno represents the program as the winningest coach in major college football with 409 wins and two national titles. The program, also known for its blue-and-white uniforms, was thrown into crisis following NCAA sanctions related to the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Bill O’Brien laid the foundation and James Franklin did the heavy lifting to return the Nittany Lions to college football’s elite. Penn State, which failed to win a title under Franklin, will undergo a reset under head coach Matt Campbell.
To paraphrase a mantra from other leagues, football means more to the ACC founders at Clemson. The Tigers’ return to national prominence with two national titles under Dabo Swinney in the 2010s is just part of the program’s rich legacy, which includes 24 conference titles and nearly 800 wins. The decline of the past three years has seen Clemson fall from its perch near the top.
Few people mean more to a program than Steve Spurrier means to Florida. He revolutionized the Gators into one of the best programs of the 1990s. The head ball coach established the Swamp brand and gave the Gators an identity. They became regulars in the SEC Championship Game. Urban Meyer brought further glory with two titles. Florida lacks the consistency and history of some of the top programs, but its apex is just as high.
Trivia Question: When was the last time Texas A&M won a national championship?Answer: 1939. The Aggies have the financial resources, fan support and recruiting talent to be top-tier, but that greatness stubbornly holds them back. They only had two 10-win seasons and finished fourth in the final U.S. LBM Coaches Poll of this century. R.C. Slocum’s Aggies dominated the Southwest Conference in the early 1990s. Is it time for new days of glory? Mike Elko’s early return suggests it’s safe for the Aggies to dream of improving potential.
16. Tennessee
Few states can match Tennessee’s relentless vigor in college football. General Robert Neyland put the Vols on the map and put his name on the stadium. Johnny Majors achieved cult status. Philip Fulmer’s Vols rose to prominence in the 1990s, winning the national title in 1998. Since Fulmer, Tennessee die-hard fans have rarely had the opportunity to experience title contention. Josh Heupel helped the program regain honor, but it still has work to do to get back to the elite.
17. Indiana
Last year’s undefeated record and sudden national title creates a tense atmosphere in Indiana. This is a program that made two bowl appearances before establishing credibility during the Bill Mallory era in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It hit rock bottom before finding success under Tom Allen in 2019 and was preceded by the arrival of Kurt Cignetti, who significantly strengthened the program in 2020. Despite lacking long-term history, the Hoosiers have won 27 games in two seasons and look poised to make another run in the playoffs.
18. Florida
FSU doesn’t have a 100-year history compared to other schools in the area, with its football program only starting in 1954. But with legendary coach Bobby Bowden building the program into a household name, the Seminoles joining the ACC proved mutually beneficial for both the university and the conference, raising the league’s profile in the sport while FSU remained one of the leaders in the national conversation. Success has been hard to come by since the departure of Jimbo Fisher, but the program still has the prestige it needs to become a national contender.
19. Brigham Young
It’s been a wild ride for the Cougars since their days in the Western Athletic Conference under head coach LaVell Edwards. The quarterbacks of the 1980s and ’90s, including Steve Young, Jim McMahon and Ty Detmer, won the national title in 1984. The program joined the Mountain West and then became independent. Their highest point was 43 wins in four seasons from 2006 to 2009 under coach Bronco Mendenhall. The addition of Kelani Sitake and his move to the Big 12 put the Cougars back in the national conversation as a playoff contender the past two seasons.
20. Nebraska
With the exception of 2009, when poor quarterback play offset one of the best defenses in program history, Nebraska hasn’t been a national factor in more than two decades. A school that won three titles in four years in the 1990s and held the key to bowl games for more than 30 years failed to make the postseason for seven straight seasons. Recent progress has seen notable turnaround artist Matt Rhule earn his second straight bowl berth despite yet to win more than seven games.
21. Auburn
These are dark days for Auburn. The Tigers experienced five straight losing seasons, their darkest period since the late 1940s. Auburn’s loyal fan base deserves more recognition. Recent struggles aside, this accomplished program has had its first undefeated season under three coaches since the 1990s and won the national title in 2010. From Pat Sullivan to Bo Jackson to Cam Newton, Auburn has produced shining stars. Now all I have to do is get out of this funk.
22. Washington
The Huskies emerged as one of the top programs in the 1980s and 1990s under coach Don James, winning the national championship in 1991. Most recently, Chris Petersen led Washington to the playoffs, and Karen DeBoer led it to the national title game in 2023. The Huskies have advanced to a bowl in all but one season since 2010 and have won double digits five times.
23. Iowa
Iowa State has been a model of consistency until the end of the Hayden Frye era. The Hawkeyes had even more success when then-44-year-old Kirk Ferentz replaced Frye, who retired. Since 2006, he has had just one losing season and qualified for a bowl game in the last 24 of his 25 seasons. His current performance is the best record during the Ferentz era. Iowa has won at least seven games every year since 2013 and is aiming for a Big Ten double in 2021 and beyond.
24. Mississippi
Those old enough to have witnessed Johnny Vought remember Ole Miss as a powerhouse. From the 1950s and 1960s. Those who watched Archie Manning remember that the Rebels were a superstar and his son Eli was a star. But there were troubles in the NCAA and a down year before the program came back winning the SEC. The addition of Lane Kiffin changed the trajectory of the program, and the Rebels reached the semifinals last year. Now that Kiffin has gone to LSU, the challenge continues its momentum.
25.SMU
The Mustangs regained national prominence after moving to the ACC. The school’s football history has a Wild West feel, and notable names such as Doak Walker and Eric Dickerson have been compared to the infamous NCAA death penalty. Since then, the program has been revived for the first time in 40 years, competing in the College Football Playoff in 2024 and competing for a conference title the following season.
