This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq as Ranking college football's surprise teams in 2025, per Phil Steele. With the historic expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams, the race for the national championship has opened up in a way it never has been before.

Fox Sports' Joel Klatt is optimistic the Big Ten will overtake much of the College Football Playoff landscape and potentially have a first-time team make the field. Klatt says Nebraska, which won a bowl game this past season, could be one of those teams.

Ole Miss lost star defensive tackle Walter Nolen, who finished the season with 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks before being drafted in the first round by the Arizona Cardinals. Furthermore, Ole Miss will be missing five of its top six sack leaders from last season.

Beamer and the Gamecocks will look to build upon the successes of their 2024 season in hopes of reaching their first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. South Carolina's 2025 season will begin in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 31st against the Virginia Tech Hokies.

CFN preseason college football rankings of teams 11 to 25. From Michigan to Oklahoma to Utah, which top 25-caliber teams have the stuff to push for the College Football Playoff?

For the Oregon Ducks, the goal is to build on an incredible season, despite losing their starting quarterback. Dillon Gabriel is now representing the Cleveland Browns at the NFL level, and Oregon will turn to redshirt sophomore Dante Moore as the new starting quarterback.

It's a well known assumption from college football fans that the Oregon Ducks are in the upper echelon of name, image, and likeness (NIL) investment. Through Ni