“Can a Dark Horse Team Shock the College Football World? ESPN’s Bold Prediction for the 2025 National Champion Revealed!”

As the thrilling crescendo of March Madness approaches its peak, with Florida and Houston gearing up for a showdown in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament national championship, one can’t help but wonder—how do we juggle basketball showdowns while pondering the landscape of college football? After all, while Gators and Cougars display their athletic prowess on the hardwood, a different kind of excitement brews as experts weigh in on the upcoming college football season. According to ESPN’s SP+ model, crafted by the brilliant Bill Connelly, the Ohio State Buckeyes are poised to reign supreme once again, proving that winning isn’t just a habit—it’s a tradition. With a heady mix of returning talent and top-notch recruiting, Ohio State is set to reload for another title run. So, as you tune into the basketball finale on Monday evening, consider this thought: can the Buckeyes not only defend their crown but also elevate our expectations yet again? Dive deeper into the projections and find out what makes this season one for the books—LEARN MORE.

Florida and Houston will play for the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament national championship on Monday evening. The Gators are coming off of a thrilling win over Auburn, while Houston made an epic comeback against Duke that will live on forever.

But while the Gators and the Cougars are playing for it all on Monday evening, who will end up taking home the 2025 college football season national championship?

ESPN’s model, the SP+, has released its picks for the upcoming season. The model, created by Bill Connelly, has made it clear who the best team in the country is heading into the 2025 season.

According to ESPN’s model, the best team in the country – and likely national champion – is none other than the team that held up the trophy following the 2024 college football season.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are projected to win it all during the 2025 college football season.

Ohio State is projected to be the top team in the country, based on returning production, recent recruiting and recent history.

The SP+ is high on two teams heading into the 2025 season – Ohio State and Texas. But it’s the Buckeyes that come in at No. 1 overall in the rankings.

Along with Ohio State, the Longhorns are among the two teams most likely to start the season No. 1 in the preseason polls. They’re second on Schlabach’s list. They’ve got Arch Manning taking over for Quinn Ewers at quarterback, their linebackers are spectacular, and they’ve been to two straight CFPs. There’s plenty to like. But SP+ wasn’t ridiculously high on them last season — they finished seventh overall — and they currently rank 103rd in returning production. To believe in the Horns as a top-two team is to believe in the Arch Effect, I guess. That might turn out to be real, but SP+ obviously isn’t programmed for it. They start out seventh.

Ohio State is losing a decent amount of talent and production from the 2024 team that won it all, but the Buckeyes are expected to re-load in a major way heading into the 2025 season.