Michigan reigns supreme!
The Michigan Wolverines secured their first ever College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, defeating No. 2 Washington by a considerable margin, 34-13. The Wolverines became just the fourth school all-time to finish the season as champions with a perfect 15-0 record.
Of course, eventually the Wolverines' celebration will cease. Head coach Jim Harbaugh may be headed to the NFL for a second stint, leaving the Wolverines perhaps short-handed heading into their title defense in 2025. Only Alabama (2011-12) and Georgia (2021-22) have been able to earn back-to-back national titles this century -- unless you also count USC's co-champions and vacated titles in 2003 and 2004. It will be a daunting task for the Wolverines.
In fact, Michigan is not even the favorites to win the national title next year. Here are the top-10 schools with the best odds to win next year's College Football Playoff. Odds are courtesy of BetMGM.
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With quarterback Carson Beck returning for next year, the Georgia Bulldogs will look to rebound from a disappointing finish to the 2023-24 season. Beck should have more help as well with incoming Florida transfer Trevor Etienne likely making a large impact in the Bulldogs' backfield.
All in all, the Bulldogs boast one of the best incoming classes for 2025 as they always do. Regardless of who winds up stepping up for the Bulldogs, they are sure to be competitive next season.
Alabama will take major hits on defense next year, losing several key members of their secondary. However, we know that the Crimson Tide are never down for long. Any improvement from quarterback Jalen Milroe should lead to a terrific 2024-25 season.
The Buckeyes biggest problem in recent years has been their inability to take down Michigan. However, with Wolverines' head coach Jim Harbaugh possibly leaving this offseason, the Buckeyes will have an opportunity to finally take them down. The Buckeyes return several key members of their defense and although there was a huge question mark at quarterback, Kansas State transfer Will Howard should slot into the role rather quickly.
Sure, we just watched the Wolverines dominate the national championship game, but the fact is that there are a lot of question marks surrounding this team for next season. Not only are quarterback J.J. McCarthy and head coach Jim Harbaugh possibly gone, but the team also needs to rebuild the entirety of its offensive line and most of its defense. Michigan lost several key players on both sides of the ball this year, so expecting them to rebound with so much unknown right now is a fool's errand.
While quarterback Quinn Ewers seems poised to return for the Longhorns, he will be without many of his favorite weapons from this season. Sure, Ewers is fantastic, but he needs people he can trust to catch the ball as well. Moving to the SEC could result in a horrendous season for Texas, but should the Longhorns prove worthy of moving to the toughest conference in college football, they'll once again be in CFP talks at the end of the season.
In their final season with the Pac-12, Oregon just could not find a way to take down Washington. They had two opportunities and came up short both times. How will Oregon fare in the Big Ten now? The hope is that Oregon transitions smoothly, but with Bo Nix gone, the quarterback job will likely fall to Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel was able to manage the Big 12, but games against Ohio State and Michigan could be too much for the former Sooner.
Nobody manages the transfer portal better than Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin. Although the Rebels lost a few key players this season, Kiffin made sure to shore those losses up. He retains his quarterback, Jaxson Dart, and after a season where the Rebels only lost to Alabama and Georgia, expectations will be higher than they have ever been. Of course, the Rebels do not have the incoming classes that the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs bring to the table, so a College Football Playoff appearance would be a massive win for the Rebels' program on its own.
LSU always has enough talent to compete. It's only a matter of getting everyone to mesh together that stands in their way of national title contention. With the departure of Heisman winner Jayden Daniels as well as the Tigers' top two receivers, LSU's offense could be in for a letdown if quarterback Garrett Nussmeier does not pan out. Furthermore, Kelly's decision to fire defensive coordinator Matt House, cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples, safeties coach Kerry Cooks, and defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey means there is still a lot of work to be done on the defensive side of the ball before LSU is ready to compete for a national title.
Clemson boasts a solid roster of returning players on defense, but questions in the Tigers' offensive backfield could limit Clemson's ability to make a run for a championship in 2025.
After being left out of the College Football Playoff and suffering an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Georgia in the Orange Bowl, Florida State will look for revenge in 2025. However, getting that revenge is easier said than done. The biggest problem facing the Seminoles will be replacing quarterback Jordan Travis. It's clear that Florida State's offense was not the same without him. However, aside from the quarterback position, most of Florida State's key contributors will return next year.
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