9 College Football Teams Snubbed In Preseason Top 25

The 2025 college football season will soon be upon us. The campaign is set to begin on August 23rd with Week 0, which will be followed by a monster Week 1 slate over the Labor Day holiday.

The first Coaches Poll has been released projecting the top teams heading into the year. Notable names headline that list of Top 25 contenders, including last season’s national champion Ohio State.

With that said, not everyone is happy about the standings. Some believe they’ve been robbed of national recognition.

We’ve identified nine college football teams with a legitimate gripe about not being listed in the initial Top 25 rankings. Below are our Coaches Poll snubs.

9 College Football Teams Snubbed In Preseason Top 25

Of the teams listed, eight hail from Power 4 conferences ranging from the SEC to the Big Ten to the ACC and Big 12. One program is currently a Group of Five power looking to make some College Football Playoff noise. We’ll start there first.

Memphis Tigers

The Tigers are fresh off of an 11-2 campaign in which they were in contention for a major postseason bid. Memphis missed the AAC Championship game due to an inexplicable loss to UTSA, but it did take down P4 programs Florida State and West Virginia to finish 24th in the final AP Poll.

The Tigers will return around 40% of their production from last season, though starting QB Seth Henigan is gone. Still, the team seemed deserving of a Top 25 slot after back-to-back 10-win campaigns.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Starting QB Dylan Raiola is back after leading the Cornhuskers to their first bowl game nearly a decade. He’ll have 500-yard rusher Emmett Johnson and favorite target Jacory Barney back on offense, too.

Nebraska also made a splash in the transfer portal with the additions of Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter on the outside, a pair of four-star offensive linemen, and two four-star defenders from the SEC. After going 7-6 last year, they could be due for a big season.

Baylor Bears

The Bears ended last year as one of college football’s hottest teams. They ripped off six straight wins to finish the regular season at 8-5.

Baylor returns its top passer, rusher, and receiver from the 2024 roster. So long as Dave Aranda’s defense can produce, the Bears should hang around the Top 25 throughout the year.

Utah Utes

Utah had a down-year thanks to the injury bug. With lofty preseason expectations, they stayed in the Top 20 up through October but dropped seven of their last eight contests.

Still, there’s reason for optimism. Five of those losses came by one score with a reserve QB. New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier is expecting to fill the void under center behind a strong offensive line. The defense should once again be stout.

With a few bounces, the Utes could find themselves back in the Big 12 title mix.

Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma struggled in their first season in the SEC largely due to poor quarterback play. That issue should be fixed with John Mateer entering the mix.

The Washington State transfer is one of college football’s top returning signal callers. The Sooners have weapons to throw to on the outside and a new offensive coordinator. The defense under Brent Venables should be more than capable.

Missouri Tigers

Missouri had been ranked in the Top 25 for nearly 700 days. That streak ended with the latest Coaches Poll snub. The Tigers won 10 games last year, and 11 the year before.

While they do need to replace QB Brady Cook and WR Luther Burden, they landed a Top 10 transfer class and return experience along the offensive line and on defense.

Louisville Cardinals

The Cardinals have won at least eight games each of the last three years. That includes last season’s 9-4 output with wins over Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Kentucky.

Starting QB Tyler Shough is out after being selected in the second round of the NFL Draft, but he’ll be replaced by USC transfer Miller Moss. He’ll have 1,000-yard rusher Isaac Brown in the backfield along with a defense retooled through the portal.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Yellow Jackets return veteran signal caller Haynes King and star running back Jamal Haynes. If the defense can step up to the plate, Georgia Tech could be in for a big year.

While they finished 7-6 last season, three of those setbacks came by one score. They showed an ability to play with the big boys, knocking off Miami before falling in six overtimes to rival Georgia.

Iowa Hawkeyes

The Hawkeyes went 8-5 last year. They’ve won at least eight games in each of their last nine seasons omitting a 6-2 mark in the shortened 2020 campaign.

The defense, which ranked 11th in the nation in scoring last year, should again be a strength. Transfer signal caller Mark Gronowski hopes to improve the offensive attack.