B/R Experts' Bold Predictions for the 2025 College Football Season

College football fans were treated to an appetizer last weekend when Iowa State and Kansas State squared off in Ireland as the headlining matchup in a five-game slate of Week 0 action.

Now it's time for the main course.

Before the college football season kicks off in more traditional fashion this weekend with a full schedule of games, the college football writing team at Bleacher Report put together a round of bold predictions for the 2025 season.

Each member of our writing staff—David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Joel Reuter and Brad Shepard—made one team-specific prediction and one player-specific prediction for the season ahead.

Enjoy!

Kenyon: Colin Simmons Leads the Nation in Sacks

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Perhaps lost a bit in the Arch Manning hype is that Texas returns a terrific defense.

Most notably, the Longhorns bring back a pair of All-Americans with linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and safety Michael Taaffe. By season's end, however, we might be spending most of our time talking about edge-rusher Colin Simmons.

As a true freshman, he collected 48 tackles with 14 for loss and nine sacks. What makes that particularly impressive is Simmons was no higher than third in the rotation, taking on snaps behind Trey Moore and Barryn Sorrell.

Moore and Sorrell are gone now; it's Simmons' time to shine.

So, first, he's headed for a larger opportunity—read: snap share. Plus, since the Longhorns are expected to lead in most games, Simmons should have plenty of obvious passing situations to focus on the QB only. Early drives, third quarter, garbage time, all the sacks look the same in a box score.

Simmons has major All-American potential, and leading the nation in a flashy category would lock up that accolade.

Kramer: Dakorien Moore Will Have a Jeremiah Smith-Like Breakout Year

Last year's batch of wide receivers was one of the best college football has ever seen. And while time will tell if this group has the depth to match, Dakorien Moore is ready to do his best Jeremiah Smith impression at Oregon.

Moore, a 5-star recruit and the nation's No. 9 overall prospect, according to 247Sports, is expected to start for Oregon as a true freshman. And although he's probably 30 pounds lighter than Smith was as a freshman, he's also likely to be one of the explosive football players in America.

Moore played at Duncanville High School, a powerhouse in Texas, and put up video game numbers as a junior and senior. Every major football program in the country coveted the nation's top wideout, and for good reason.

With the injury to Ducks' wideout Evan Stewart, head coach Dan Lanning will call on Moore to provide an immediate spark to an offense that will need him. And Moore, who is exceptional in space, should step up immediately.

While he might not offer the same opposing presence that Smith did as a freshman, Moore's strengths are different. He's a threat to score the ball from anywhere on the field, and Oregon won't hesitate to showcase his talent.

Massive season incoming. You've been warned.

Reuter: LaNorris Sellers Wins the Heisman Trophy

After a 3-3 start to the season that included narrow losses against LSU (36-33) and Alabama (27-25), the South Carolina Gamecocks ripped off a six-game winning streak to close out the regular season with as much momentum as any team in the country.

During that stretch—which saw them beat Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Wofford and Clemson—quarterback LaNorris Sellers threw for 1,481 yards with 13 touchdowns and three interceptions, while adding another 436 rushing yards and four more scores on the ground.

The road ahead is a grueling one for the Gamecocks, especially during the second half of the season when they play five straight ranked teams over a span of six weeks in conference play.

If Sellers can lead South Carolina to national relevance while navigating that gauntlet and continuing to put up dynamic dual-threat numbers, he could charge to the front of the Heisman Trophy conversation.

For the record, he is +1600 to win the award entering the season, according to DraftKings. That gives him the fifth-best odds, behind Arch Manning (Texas), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State).

Shepard: Carnell Tate Has Better Numbers Than Jeremiah Smith

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There's a reason why everybody in the nation talks about Ohio State super sophomore pass-catcher Jeremiah Smith. He's the best wide receiver to come through college football in decades and potentially ever.

But he's not going to post the best receiving numbers on the Buckeyes in 2025.

That distinction will go to junior pass-catcher Carnell Tate, who the national champions paid WR1 money to keep from entering the portal, and the Chicago native is about to reward them with a breakout campaign. With all the extra attention on Smith, Tate is going to run deep time and time again in man coverage, and Julian Sayin can consistently get him the ball downfield better than Will Howard could.

All that equals chunk-play receptions for Tate and a 1,000-yard season.

Kenyon: Georgia Has a Perfect Regular Season

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Is it possible for a top-five team to fly under the radar?

The answer, realistically, is a solid no, but Georgia seems to have stayed largely out of the spotlight this offseason. Instead, the SEC storylines have revolved around Arch Manning at Texas, Alabama's QB competition, LSU's all-in championship pursuit, Nico Iamaleava bolting from Tennessee, Florida's curious year and so on.

Part of that is understandable. Georgia has reached the "underwhelming greatness" portion of its powerhouse era, winning 11-plus games in three straight years excluding the shortened 2020 season. At this point, we just expect it.

How about a little surge to 12-0, though?

Kirby Smart's team eases into the season with a couple of likely blowouts, then travels to rival Tennessee. Georgia has an extra week to prepare for Alabama, which is coming to Athens—as do Ole Miss and Texas. Those are all very challenging games, but home-field advantage matters. After all, UGA dropped two of those matchups on the road in 2024.

Ultimately, even if I'm wrong, the Dawgs will probably land in the CFP. But they might be chasing the overall No. 1 seed, too.

Kramer: Clemson Wins the National Championship

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At a time when the SEC and Big Ten are trying to control the future of the College Football Playoff's look and feel, Clemson will remind everyone that exceptional pigskin outside the two major conferences is still alive and well.

Yes, the Tigers will win another national championship.

The argument starts, of course, with quarterback Cade Klubnik. The former 5-star struggled in the year part of his college career before breaking out last season. Now, with an unbelievable group of wideouts to throw to, Klubnik is poised to win a Heisman and guide Clemson's offense to an elite status.

Defensively, this team is ready, too. Players like T.J. Parker and Peter Woods lead a defensive front that should absolutely eat. And Dabo Swinney's willingness to finally use the transfer portal should help out depth tremendously.

Putting all the pieces together, Clemson is primed. And having a manageable ACC slate certainly provides a clear path. Out-of-conference games against LSU and South Carolina to start and end the year will be telling, although the ACC games all look and feel winnable on paper.

This team is talented, the path is lined up and all the pieces are in place. It's been a while since we've seen a Clemson team this poised for excellence and expect it to take full advantage out the gate.

Next stop, natty.

Reuter: Navy Finishes 11-1, Earns College Football Playoff Bid

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The Navy Midshipmen logged just the sixth 10-win campaign in school history last year, finishing 10-3 and briefly slotting in at No. 24 in the AP poll during a 6-0 start to the season.

Their impressive start was derailed by a 51-14 loss to Notre Dame on Oct. 26, followed by a disappointing loss to Rice the following week.

A matchup with the Fighting Irish looms large once again on this year's schedule, but this is a team capable of making a serious push for the Group of Five spot in the College Football Playoff picture.

Dual-threat quarterback Blake Horvath is back to run point on the triple-option offense after putting together one of the best seasons in Navy history in 2024 when he threw for 1,353 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 1,246 yards and 17 scores.

They should cruise to an 8-0 record to open the year leading up to the Nov. 8 game against Notre Dame, which is followed by tough tests against South Florida (Nov. 15) and Memphis (Nov. 27) before the annual Army vs. Navy game to close out the regular season.

If they can go 3-1 over those final four games, they should have a real shot at making the College Football Playoff.

Shepard: Iowa State Wins the Big 12 and Goes to the College Football Playoff

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This may not sound super-bold at this point after last week's season-opening win over Kansas State and an 11-win campaign a season ago, but Iowa State is going to win the Big 12. 

Factor in that the Cyclones have never won a title since the formation of the league in 1996 and that the last time the program won ANY football championship was in 1912 when they were members of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and that would be a pretty big deal.

Coach Matt Campbell's team has a strong running back duo in Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III, a rugged defense and a veteran, gamer quarterback in Rocco Becht. There are no elite teams in the Big 12 this year, so Iowa State should be Arizona State's biggest competition.

Get ready for Becht Mania to sweep the nation and Iowa State to finally hoist a trophy.