EA Sports College Football 25 has a whopping 134 FBS teams, but not every team will be strong enough to take into online play. Predicting is half of the fun, though. So, here are our guesses for the 25 best teams in College Football 25.
EA Sports College Football 25: The Good (But Not Great) Teams
The back half of college football’s Top 25 features teams with talent and some glaring weaknesses. Each of these teams would be a good option for players looking to take part in Online Dynasty. However, if you’re looking to take one of them into head-to-head play online, know that other players will likely be choosing much more complete teams.
25. Wisconsin Badgers
They’re always good – even when you think they’ll take a step back. Even in an absolutely loaded Big Ten, Wisconsin’s balanced style and competitive defense should serve them well.
24. Memphis Tigers
Quarterback play matters in football video games, and Seth Henigan is an elite passer. He turned down more lucrative opportunities in the transfer portal to remain at Memphis for his senior season. Look for this to be a team with a high-powered offense that will need to carry them.
23. USC Trojans
USC begins its first year in the Big Ten this year. It comes on the heels of two years of missed opportunities with Caleb Williams under center. Now, the Trojans have a good team whose biggest question mark is at quarterback, with Miller Moss (probably) being the new starter in Lincoln Riley’s offense.
22. Miami Hurricanes
Miami is loaded with talent. In real life, that talent is unproven and has a lot of questions heading into the 2024 season. In EA Sports College Football 25, however, a player skilled on the sticks should be able to have a lot of success with Miami’s athleticism.
21. Kansas Jayhawks
Quarterback Jalon Daniels is tailor-made for a football video game. On top of that, the rest of the Jayhawks are pretty good, too. Kansas is no longer just a basketball school.
20. Arizona Wildcats
The coaching carousel resulted in some player transfers in the offseason, and Arizona might not be the favorites in the Big 12 that they once were. Despite that, there is some really good talent on this team and players should find some success in College Football 25.
If Things Go Right, They Could Challenge for Conference Titles
These teams have a lot of skill but are still a step or two below the elite squads in college football. In a couple of cases, though, there are some elite offensive units that should be popular choices for online play.
19. Kansas State Wildcats
In all likelihood, Kansas State is going to be better on the field than they are in EA Sports College Football 25. With Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12, though, KSU could benefit from some inflated ratings due to being one of the best teams remaining in 2024.
18. Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma has a lot of talent, but they’re about to realize they’re not playing in Kansas anymore. Year 1 in the SEC will provide a stiff test, and the Sooners’ schedule would test even Georgia or Alabama. Oklahoma has a huge fanbase, though, and should be a popular team in head-to-head play.
17. Oklahoma State Cowboys
If you like dominating with a strong offensive line, Oklahoma State will be your kind of team. You’ll need to score a lot of points, though. The Cowboys’ defense is really porous – Oklahoma State was the 127th-ranked pass-defense team last season.
16. North Carolina State Wolfpack
NC State’s biggest asset is their wide receivers. With star quarterback Grayson McCall transferring in this year, NC State should be a really fun offense to play with in College Football 25.
College Football Playoff Contenders
None of these teams will be favorites to win the national championship, but making the first 12-team playoff is within reach. Each of them boasts a lot of talent, and fans should enjoy booting up EA Sports College Football 25 with any of these teams.
15. Penn State Nittany Lions
Offense is an issue for Penn State, which doesn’t bode well in a video game dominated by players with offensive skill. Still, the Nittany Lions are loaded, and they should offer a pretty balanced roster with no huge weaknesses.
14. Utah Utes
Utah is one of the teams that are a little hard to gauge. They have a sixth-year senior in Cam Rising at quarterback and an offense that should be improved. The defense is competitive enough for the Utes to contend in the Big 12, but it’s unclear whether they’ll have the individual star power needed to be a good option in College Football 25.
Related: Is EA Sports College Football 25 Coming to PC?
13. Clemson Tigers
Clemson took in zero transfers through the portal, which is astonishing in today’s college football landscape. The Tigers’ defense is one of the best in college football. For players who love to keep the pressure on their opponent, Clemson will be a good option in online play. The offense, however, uncharacteristically struggled in 2023. It’s unclear how many impact players they’ll have on that side of the ball.
12. Tennessee Volunteers
The Vols are probably a little higher on our list than they will be in the preseason rankings. But it’s for good reason. The offense in Knoxville is really, really good and features a passing attack that not many other teams can rival. In a football video game, that definitely plays.
11. Florida State Seminoles
After losing a lot of key talent from last season’s team, Florida State has largely reloaded for 2024. A new quarterback and some significant returning players have this very skilled team among the best teams to play with in EA Sports College Football 25.
The Top 10 Teams in EA Sports College Football 25
10. LSU Tigers
LSU has holes, and they’re not a complete team. That said, their offense is prolific and will put up a lot of points in online play. In football video games, it’s all about scoring points, so LSU should serve competitive players pretty well.
9. Michigan Wolverines
This placement could quickly end up being SO wrong – in either a good or bad way. Michigan should be good on the field, but whether they are video game good remains to be seen. J.J. McCarthy is a Viking, the offensive line is mostly gone, and Jim Harbaugh is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. There are so many unknowns that it’s hard to tell how they’ll play in the game ābut we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and call them elite for now.
8. Missouri Tigers
Missouri is coming off an 11-win season and is poised for another strong run in 2024. The Tigers have – seriously – one of the very best passers in the SEC in Brady Cook. Mizzou also added a ton of talent via the transfer portal and should be competitive in the difficult SEC. This should be a sneaky effective team in online play. Not many players will pick them, but if you master their offense, you could have a lot of success.
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
I’m admittedly a little biased here. Notre Dame routinely has top recruiting classes but fails to come through on the field. I can’t help but wonder if all of the Fighting Irish talent will underperform in College Football 25, too. They probably deserve to be a couple of spots higher than this, but ratings are going to have to prove it first.
6. Alabama Crimson Tide
Only the Crimson Tide could enter a rebuild and still be the sixth-best team in College Football 25. Even with Nick Saban retiring, Alabama is still the gold-standard program in college football. Their talent will shine through in the game, and they’ll still be a team that is used often.
5. Ole Miss Rebels
The elite teams in College Football 25 all have dominant offenses, and Ole Miss certainly fits that bill. Lane Kiffin knows offense. Jaxson Dart should be highly rated at quarterback, and a talented corps of skill position players around him should help players put up a lot of points with the Rebels.
4. Texas Longhorns
Texas is coming off a trip to the College Football Playoff in 2023 and should be set up for more success in 2024. Quinn Ewers is really good and should be highly rated in the game – it helps that he’s one of the cover athletes for College Football 25. Assuming the best team is rated 98 or 99 overall, don’t be surprised if Texas is in the 96 or 97 range.
3. Oregon Ducks
At least one GB of download size for College Football 25 is probably taken up by all of Oregon’s uniform options. On top of that, they’re still really good – especially on offense. Don’t sleep on their defense, though. Oregon’s defensive line could wreak havoc on opposing offenses in the game for players who like to keep pressure on the opponent’s quarterback.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
More of the same in Columbus. Not many teams use the transfer portal better than Ohio State, and the video game result is a lot of high-end talent being added to the roster. On the actual field, chemistry and familiarity matter. In College Football 25, though, it’s all about the ratings. The Buckeyes should, by the numbers, be in the mid-to-high 90s in overall rating.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
Even though Georgia didn’t make the College Football Playoff last year, they’re still the gold standard program in college football today. Carson Beck is an elite passer, and the Georgia roster is loaded. Where many teams on this list are much stronger on either offense or defense, Georgia is one of the very best at both. You’ll see them many, many times in Online Head-to-Head.
And those are the teams we think will be in EA Sports College Football 25‘s Top 25.
EA Sports College Football 25 releases on July 19, 2024, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
