State of the Group of 5: The challenges facing smaller conferences
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David Hale, ESPN Staff Writer
JERRY KILL KNEW when he took the head coaching job at New Mexico State in 2022 that the program was strapped for cash, but it wasn’t until a few weeks into his tenure that he really understood the severity of the budget shortfall.
That’s when they came for his coffee.
The budget was so tight, the school threatened removal of free coffee in the coaches’ offices, which, for Kill, was a bridge too far.
“That didn’t last too long,” said Kill, who left New Mexico State after 2023 for a role at Vanderbilt. “I’m going to drink coffee.”
These are perilous times for schools outside the Power 4 — the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC — and behind every major concern lies the same root cause: money. In addition to New Mexico State’s great coffee revolt, smaller schools across the country are facing increasingly difficult choices in how to fund athletic budgets in the new era of college football where cash is king.
An incomplete list of potentially existential threats to schools in the Group of 5: realignment, revenue sharing, increased scholarships, the transfer portal, an autonomy conference breakaway, playoff access, control over NCAA governance, consolidation by the newly revived Pac-12 and, apparently, coffee.
Even for the best of the bunch, Boise State, there’s little room for comfort, despite being the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff. Head coach Spencer Danielson lamented the fact that more than a dozen of his current players — guys set to participate in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl — are being actively recruited into the portal by Power 4 schools.
“The more you win, it makes it easier for every other school to recruit your roster,” Danielson said. “That’s a constant battle.”
Just three years ago, Cincinnati became the sport’s most successful underdog story of the modern era by forcing its way into the four-team College Football playoff. It did so with a roster of NFL prospects, like Desmond Ridder and Sauce Gardner. But now, even former Bearcats coach Luke Fickell doesn’t think it’s possible to build a team that good without the resources and cache of a power conference affiliation.
“It’s not happening [now],” Fickell said, “and either you can bang your head against the wall or kind of embrace it.”
The landscape is changing quickly, and with each new step in the process, the foundation for the Group of 5 becomes less secure.
Add it all up, and from the cream of the crop at Boise State to the bottom of the financial barrel at New Mexico State, the challenges for the teams outside the power conferences are bigger than ever.
JUST ONE ROUND of the 12-team playoff model is in the books, and structural changes are already being debated. The current deal expires after next season, and odds are, the next iteration won’t be as kind to the Group of 5.
At the very least, there are likely to be tweaks to seeding rules, which currently guarantee the top four slots to the four highest ranked conference champs, which included Boise State this year. Without that guarantee, the Broncos would’ve likely had to play on the opening weekend and, quite possibly, on the road.
More concerning, however, is the potential for the Group of 5 to lose its guaranteed bid entirely. Multiple Power 4 athletic directors who spoke to ESPN suggested the industry was leaving money on the table by handing a playoff spot to a program that was unlikely to draw viewership or even play a competitive game.
“There’s a gap between us and them,” Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez said. “There’s always been a gap. It’s gotten wider, but as long as this expanded CFP has access, it doesn’t matter what brand or conference you’re from, that’s what makes us relevant and allows us to compete.”
In other words, protecting that automatic bid is paramount, and that puts the onus on Boise State to perform well against Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl.
A loss — especially a lopsided one — will only throw gasoline onto a fire already burning hot, as criticism mounts over postseason blowouts and whether there’s real value in assuring top seeding or even basic access for the have-nots.
Multiple ADs who spoke with ESPN noted the increasing disparity in talent between the Group of 5 and the power conferences, and they pointed out that what recently had been the best programs outside the power conferences — Cincinnati, Houston, BYU and UCF — are now in the Power 4.
And the numbers tell a blunt story.
While the 2024 season has had its share of upsets — Northern Illinois toppling Notre Dame, Memphis upending Florida State, James Madison steamrolling North Carolina — teams outside the Power 4 (minus Notre Dame) finished the regular season 9-88 against the power schools.
Working on a story about the separation of power between the haves/hate nots.
Win% by non-power conference schools vs. P4/5
2006-2012: .240
2014-2021: .189
2022-2024: .142Wins vs. P4/5 teams 7-5 or better:
2024: 1
2023: 7
2022: 5
2021: 12 pic.twitter.com/pnT2WL8fkY— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) December 24, 2024
So while the Broncos can make a run at a national championship and the occasional upset can still happen, more often Cinderella will arrive at the ball to find the gates to the castle are already locked.
American Athletic Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti said he’s not worried, but he also suggested any attempt to keep Group of 5 teams out of the playoff would result in quick antitrust litigation.
But lawsuits aren’t the only option for the Group of 5. This past summer, those conferences began discussing the possibility of creating their own playoff — something Pernetti advocated for as a means to grow revenue.
“There’s four [conferences] that are going to get left out of the CFP and will be assigned to whatever bowl tie-in they have,” Pernetti said. “There’s no guarantee they have something truly meaningful to play for in the postseason. So what’s the downside of something new? What’s the downside of more meaningful postseason football if it’s additive?”
The idea, Pernetti said, would be to create an NIT-style postseason tournament for football featuring the best teams from the Group of 5 — and potentially the power conferences — who didn’t make the College Football Playoff. A number of Group of 5 coaches said they’d be eager to see this system come to pass, but this, too, illustrates the line of demarcation in today’s game.
“I’m not interested in playing in a G5 playoff,” San Diego State AD John David Wicker said. “I’m interested in the College Football Playoff.”
Boise State’s first-round bye guarantees a payout of at least $8 million for the Mountain West, a boon for a league and a school that need every penny to remain competitive.
But the question of financial viability is about more than just cash in hand today. Look no further than SMU, another 2024 College Football Playoff participant, which effectively bought its way into the ACC by agreeing not to take any of the conference’s TV money for its first nine seasons in the league, just for the chance to count itself among the Power 4.
Other programs, including Boise State, are working to find their own path to solid ground, even if it means paying an exit fee from the Mountain West to do so.
In the summer of 2023, San Diego State was on the cusp of joining the Power 5 — “we were item No. 2 on the agenda,” Wicker noted — before the Pac-12 fell apart. The Aztecs, along with Boise State, Colorado State and Fresno State, will now join a reconstructed Pac-12 in 2026, with eyes toward regaining “power conference” status. In recent months, UConn has had conversations with the Big 12 about membership, though those talks hit a snag. Assuming the Mountain West or Pac-12 continues the realignment reshuffling, the logistics of the Group of 5 could look entirely different by 2026, when the next iteration of the playoff begins.
The potential consolidation of the best programs currently outside the Power 4 creates another image problem though. Administrators at the bigger schools see a landscape that bears little resemblance to the setting when Cincinnati crashed the playoff party in 2021. The wealthiest Group of 5 schools from 2021 are now mostly in the Power 4, and many others are angling for invites. Everyone else faces such a shortfall of both money and talent that there’s no realistic path for them to consistently compete at the highest level.
“You have to think at some point they’re going to say, ‘Why do we want the G5 to be represented?’ Because the money has made every decision,” Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell said. “The whole reason they expanded is so the top conferences can get as many of their programs into the tournament. I hope there’s a seat at the table, but you have to be realistic with it. Would they rather see us vs. whoever or another SEC team?”
TO PAY FOR the coffee at New Mexico State — in addition to a new practice field, a football operations center and a nascent NIL collective — Kill hit the road. He lobbied local legislators. He hobnobbed with potential donors. He spoke at booster events. He spent an inordinate amount of time doing something that had nothing to do with coaching, but everything to do with winning in college football’s new era: He asked for money. He even donated $120,000 out of his own pocket to help make the budget work.
“The biggest payout we got was $1.8 million for beating Auburn [in 2023],” Kill noted. “But that went toward the deficit, so we didn’t see any of it.”
Bronco Mendenhall served as head coach at BYU and Virginia for 18 years, but when he took over at New Mexico in 2024, he said he spent more time fundraising in his first months there than at any of his previous jobs.
Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock said it’s nearly impossible to fully engage with his team because of all the fundraising demands. He has instituted a schedule in which he spends a sizable chunk of his time from January through June working on raising money, then turns his focus toward coaching from July through the end of the season.
When Pernetti met with his league’s coaches after taking the commissioner job last year, the most frequent complaint was the time spent on recruiting and fundraising over coaching and player development.
It’s a constant refrain among coaches, but at the Group of 5 level, the needs are existential.
Group of 5 coaches who spoke to ESPN suggested the money needed just to retain the bulk of their starters has grown — doubled or tripled by some estimates — in the past year. But even that line on the expense report is probably drastically underestimating the problem. With the House settlement ushering in a new era of revenue sharing, where most Power 4 schools are expected to use upward of $15 million on direct payments to football players, the market is likely to shift heavily again. This time, it’s doubtful many Group of 5 schools will be able to ante up with anything comparable to a Power 4 school.
After leading New Mexico to a surprisingly strong 5-7 record in 2024, Mendenhall sat down with a number of his stars to discuss the future. In nearly every case, it was clear there was no way to retain them. The Lobos waved goodbye to their starting quarterback, top receiver, starting tailback and best O-lineman — all of whom transferred to Power 4 schools. Ultimately, Mendenhall also departed, taking the head coaching job at Utah State. His move was about family, he said — his sons all live or go to college in Utah — but there are numerous examples of coaches burned out on the grind of fundraising for the job who just want to get back to coaching players.
Just last year, three head coaches of Group of 5 programs — South Alabama‘s Kane Wommack, Georgia State‘s Shawn Elliott and Buffalo ‘s Maurice Lindquist — left for jobs as assistants at Power 4 schools. This offseason, Washington State coach Jake Dickert left what would once have been considered a solid job to take over at struggling Wake Forest.
For Kill, the onus of coaching at the Group of 5 level wasn’t the main reason he left New Mexico State after the school’s most successful season in a half-century, but it certainly played a part.
“I worked a whole lot of hours along with our staff, and in this era of football, I was going to have to do more next year and the next year,” Kill said. “You knew this thing was going to get bigger and bigger, and I said there was no way I could do it.”
Not long after he announced his retirement, however, he got a call from Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea with an offer to come aboard as an advisor. No fundraising, no glad-handing — just program-building and coaching.
“You don’t have any time to develop players anymore,” Kill said. “If he’s good, he’s going to leave. If he’s not playing, he’s going to leave. To build a team at this level, you’ve got two years.”
He took the job, and he’s making just shy of what he earned at New Mexico State. Five players, including QB Diego Pavia, also left the Aggies for Vandy.
Even the success stories, such as Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, come with a bit of an asterisk.
“[Jeanty] didn’t stay for free,” Mendenhall said. “He’s praised for staying and that’s great, but he didn’t stay out of the goodness of his heart. Boise State did all it could to keep him.”
The Broncos are one of the few programs at the Group of 5 level that can afford to keep a star. Danielson said his priority is retaining homegrown talent, and Boise State — while hardly flush with cash — has donors willing to step up to maintain success at what has been, for the past 20 years, the best program outside the power conferences.
Elsewhere, however, times are tough. In 2005, the average power conference football program generated about $10.9 million in annual revenue, compared with about $4.4 million for the average Group of 5 team. By the 2022-23 academic year, that gap in football revenue had grown to more than $30 million — a more than four-fold increase. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Add in a marked difference in cash on hand for their respective collectives and the investment already made in football-related facilities, and the difference might be better measured in light years than dollars.
“The money doesn’t just fall out of the air,” said Pernetti, who said the American is exploring numerous outside-the-box options to fill the gaps, including selling naming rights for the conference, adding advertising to uniforms and talking with investors in the private equity space. “Conferences have a responsibility more than ever before to figure out new revenue streams.”
Pernetti said he’s working with AAC schools on setting a minimum required revenue share for athletes with a focus on football, though the details remain fluid.
For many athletic directors at smaller schools, however, there’s seemingly no feasible way to come up with the cash to match what bigger schools will spend.
“Everyone is trying to figure out the maximum investment to have success,” Pernetti said. “The hard part is, it creates some gaps in what some institutions will do versus others.”
Hammock said he’s keenly aware which side of the ledger Northern Illinois is on, but he refuses to concede defeat just because he’ll be trailing on the balance sheet. Bigger schools can offer money, and that’s enticing. But he can offer relationships, growth and development, and he hopes there are still enough players out there eager for those things for NIU to keep pace.
“We’re trying to find the right type of people and families that want to have their sons developed,” Hammock said. “That still matters to certain people.”
That’s been the blueprint for Boise State, Danielson said. In an era in which every relationship is at least partially transactional, he has decided the key to success is finding players who appreciate what the Broncos can offer in any deal.
“Do we have what everybody else has? No. But do we have enough? Yes.” Danielson said. “There’s extremely high expectations here. Embracing those things and pushing forward to grow to where you can be closer. We don’t need to find 1,000 recruits that fit Boise State. We need to find 25.”
JEANTY FINISHED SECOND in this year’s Heisman race, demolished records for rushing and became a household name in college football. He’ll get a chance to play on one of the sport’s biggest stages in the Fiesta Bowl. He got paid.
That’s a pretty sweet deal, Danielson said, and it’s one Boise State is unique in being able to offer.
“It’s not a pipe dream. You can have it all at Boise State,” he said. “Do you want to win the Heisman? Come on. Do you want to make the playoff and get a first-round bye? Come on. It doesn’t mean it’s easy, but you can do it here, and we have the stats to back it up.”
What Danielson hopes will be a winning sales pitch moving forward may also be an exception rather than the rule, and the talent drain from the have-nots up to the haves figures to get worse with added scholarships, reduced roster spots and a ton of new revenue-sharing dollars entering the market.
Last season, 273 players transferred from Group of 5 schools to power conference programs, an average of more than four per program. And unlike at the Power 4 level, where the bulk of outgoing transfers are leaving due to a lack of playing time, the portal departures from the Group of 5 are often stars. Last year, 88 of the players who left Group of 5 schools — nearly one-third of the total — had been named to all-conference teams the prior year.
With the settlement in the House case, schools in 2025 can offer up to 105 scholarships for football — 20 more than in years past — which makes for even more bleak math for the small schools trying to keep pace. Should all power-conference schools opt for the maximum, that would create nearly 1,400 new scholarships at the Power 4 level — and a sizable portion of those spots could be filled by players transferring up from the Group of 5.
“What will happen is it’ll give them more opportunities to get kids who might be good at this level to go up there and be third-team guys,” Chadwell said. “It’ll widen that gap even more…. If you didn’t have the portal, you could have some success. But it’s going to be harder and harder, because you don’t have the money to keep your top players, and the bigger schools will have the money and the scholarships.”
When Mendenhall first arrived at New Mexico after two years out of coaching, he said he was confident he could bridge the gap between his long-held belief in relationships and development and the new world order created by the transfer portal and NIL.
“I’m having to frame what success might look like in helping young,” Mendenhall said before the 2024 season. “That might not be longevity at an institution. It might just be helping them reach a new level in today’s market.”
And yet, when the season ended and Mendenhall sat down with stars like QB Devin Dampier, he realized he didn’t have the cash to keep them, and relationships he thought were strong ended quickly.
That’s when things really hit home for Mendenhall.
“The frustration of the relationship built, time spent and a player choosing to leave your program, that still hurts,” he said. “That’s the main difference I learned this year…. I still love these kids, and I’m thrilled for them now. But as a coach, you can end up becoming cynical. Or you can frame it — and I hate this idea — that you’re just going to have them for one year.”
In the future, he said, he plans to hire for a general manager position who will serve as a financial buffer for the head coach in those situations. It’s too hard, he said, to maintain an emotional relationship with players when money gets in the way, so he thinks it’s imperative to separate business and development.
Still, said Fickell, it’s impossible to completely wall off the coaching relationship from the financial one these days.
“I never wanted to be involved in money with kids because I thought it changed your relationship,” Fickell said. “And if I still felt that way, then I wouldn’t be able to coach in college football right now.”
TO WORK AT one of the sport’s have-not programs is to accept a certain amount of adversity with the job, so coaches and ADs at the Group of 5 level are accustomed to searching for silver linings.
The portal works both ways, as Chadwell noted, and that means a host of talented — if underdeveloped — players may leave the Power 4 for a chance at more playing time. Without film, a player isn’t making it to the NFL, so for all the allure of NIL dollars and a Power 4 pedigree, ultimately everyone prizes playing time.
Pernetti said the House settlement could also potentially open the door to multiyear contracts that would keep players in the fold longer, though the details on how that could work remain vague.
And some schools like Boise State have been able to parlay success on the field with strong fan enthusiasm to at least build an NIL collective strong enough to compete with bigger brands when it comes to retaining talent.
But there was a moment during last year’s Mountain West league meetings, Mendenhall said, that clarified the status of schools outside the Power 4 hierarchy. Administrators were discussing the House settlement and other changes coming to college football, debating how his conference could respond.
Mendenhall threw up his hands. What was the point in even debating strategy when it wouldn’t be the Group of 5 coaches or athletic directors making the decisions?
“We don’t decide,” Mendenhall said. “We adjust and adapt and react to what’s decided for us.”
And yet, Danielson and the Broncos are still eager to ante up. It’s a program, he said, “born with a chip on its shoulder,” and winning against long odds is the only way he knows how to do it.
Maybe there isn’t a foolproof blueprint to do more with less these days, but Danielson said there’s a path to success for programs with a clear vision and the right approach. The Broncos won’t win every battle. They just need to win enough.
“I believe, if you want to be developed on and off the field, for the NFL or for professional life, there’s not a better place than Boise State,” he said. “Does that mean we’ll never lose a player? No. But you’ll keep the right ones.”
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Max Olson
Ole Miss linebacker Suntarine Perkins, defensive tackle Will Echoles, center Brycen Sanders and defensive back Antonio Kite have committed to returning in 2026, the school announced Thursday.
All four starters have signed deals with the school to return under new coach Pete Golding next year, a source told ESPN, ahead of the Rebels’ first-ever College Football Playoff game.
The Rebels are working to retain their key returning players amid former coach Lane Kiffin’s move to LSU and the impending opening of the transfer portal window on Jan. 2. Kiffin is taking several assistant coaches and staffers with him to Baton Rouge.
Echoles earned second-team All-SEC honors and leads all Power 4 defensive tackles with 26 pressures this season, according to ESPN Research. Perkins was a third-team All-SEC selection in 2024 after recording a team-high 10.5 sacks.
The Rebels are also attempting to bring back star running back Kewan Lacy, the SEC’s second-leading rusher, and starting quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has said he’ll weigh his options if he receives an NCAA waiver for an additional season of eligibility.
Kiffin left for SEC rival LSU on Nov. 30 and will not coach Ole Miss in the CFP. Golding, the Rebels’ defensive coordinator for the past three years, was promoted to permanent head coach.
The No. 6 seed Rebels host No. 11 Tulane on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT/HBO Max/truTV) in their first-round game, a rematch of a nonconference meeting the Rebels won 45-10 on Sept. 20.
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Mark Schlabach
Quarterback Beau Pribula is on the move again.
Pribula, who spent this season at Missouri after transferring from Penn State, has informed the Tigers’ coaching staff that he plans to enter the transfer portal, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.
Pribula doesn’t plan to play for the Tigers (8-4) when they take on No. 19 Virginia (10-3) in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Dec. 27 (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC), sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Pribula, a senior from York, Pennsylvania, helped the Tigers to a 6-1 start this season, with the only loss coming against then-No. 8 Alabama. But then he was hurt early in the third quarter of a 17-10 loss at Vanderbilt on Oct. 25. His left ankle was placed in an air cast and trainers carted him off the field.
Doctors determined that Pribula dislocated the ankle but didn’t fracture it. He missed two games before returning to play in a 17-6 loss at then-No. 8 Oklahoma. He also played in the Tigers’ 31-17 win at Arkansas in Missouri’s regular-season finale.
In 10 games, Pribula completed 67.4% of his passes for 1,941 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran for 297 yards with six scores.
Pribula battled Sam Horn for the starting job in training camp, and both quarterbacks were expected to play in the opener. Horn, however, suffered a fractured right leg on his first play of the game in a 61-6 win against FCS program Central Arkansas and missed the rest of the season.
Freshman Matt Zollers ran the offense when Horn and Pribula were sidelined, and coach Eli Drinkwitz said Thursday that Zollers will start in the Gator Bowl.
Pribula, who was ranked the No. 8 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2022 by ESPN, spent his first two seasons at Penn State. He left the Nittany Lions before their CFP first-round game in December 2024 after starter Drew Allar announced he was returning in 2025.
CBS Sports first reported Pribula’s intention to transfer.
Skim through the Heisman Trophy voting, and seven of the top 10 players will be on the field in this year’s College Football Playoff. Our apologies to Jeremiyah Love, whom we’d love to see there, too, but that’s an issue for Notre Dame and the ACC to work out.
But that list only scratches the surface of the depth of talent that will be showcased in this year’s playoff. From Ohio State‘s wealth of riches to James Madison’s band of upstarts, the 12 teams that made this year’s playoff are loaded with future NFL draft picks, college stars and under-the-radar gems just waiting to become household names on the sport’s biggest stage.
Before the games kicked off, ESPN’s panel of experts (Bill Connelly, David Hale, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg) attempted to whittle down those 12 rosters to provide the definitive ranking of the 50 best players in this year’s playoff. It was no easy task. We’ve left off a bevy of names that we’ll no doubt come to regret — Georgia’s KJ Bolden, Oregon‘s Bear Alexander and Alabama‘s Germie Bernard and Kadyn Proctor — but that’s only another reminder of just how much star power will be on display in the coming weeks.
The criteria for our list is much like the process used by the College Football Playoff committee, insofar as we mostly made it up as we went. But the bigger point here was to identify not only the players who put up the best numbers during the regular season or the biggest names on the teams most likely to make a deep run, but to find the best players, the ones who’ll have a chance to have postseason star turns the way Will Howard, Cam Skattebo and Jack Sawyer did in 2024.
So, who will be this year’s most impactful playoff performers? The list starts here. — David Hale
OG, Tulane, redshirt junior
2025 notable stats: 849 snaps, 2 pressures, 0 sacks allowed
2025 preseason ranking: NR
The 6-foot-2, 293-pound big man has developed into a three-year starter at left guard for the Green Wave and has earned first-team All-American Conference honors in back-to-back seasons. Veteran leaders such as Hurst are a big reason why this squad was able to reload for 2025 after losing top players to the portal and pull off an 11-win season and a run to the CFP. — Max Olson
WR, Oklahoma, redshirt junior
2025 notable stats: 65 rec, 948 rec yards, 7 TDs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
The Arkansas transfer who emerged as a No. 1 receiver and All-SEC performer has been a massive development for helping Oklahoma overcome its recent offensive struggles. Sategna’s explosive touchdowns in close wins over Missouri and LSU played a big part in helping secure the Sooners’ CFP bid, and his 1,273 all-purpose yards were second most among all SEC wideouts. — Olson
QB, James Madison, redshirt junior
2025 notable stats: 2,533 yards, 21 TDs, 61.2 QBR
2025 preseason ranking: NR
The Sun Belt Player of the Year has enjoyed a terrific two-year run as the Dukes’ starter with 6,117 total yards, 68 touchdowns, just 12 interceptions and a 20-5 record. He led his squad on an undefeated run through Sun Belt play with eight wins by double-digit margins and surpassed 300 total yards in five games, including a 448-yard performance against Old Dominion. — Olson
LB, Indiana, senior
2025 notable stats: 35 solo tackles, 7 TFLs, 2 INTs
2025 preseason ranking: 77
Fisher, a three-year starter, was a first-team All-American in his debut season with the Hoosiers after transferring from James Madison and had another highly productive year as a key leader for the No. 2 scoring defense in FBS. The 6-foot-1, 231-pound senior had a season-high 13 stops in the Hoosiers’ pivotal road win at Oregon and opened their victory over UCLA with a pick-six. — Olson
QB, Miami, redshirt senior
2025 notable stats: 3,072 yards, 25 TDs, 80.5 QBR
2025 preseason ranking: 29
Beck bypassed the NFL draft for a sixth year in college and one more chance to make a deep CFP run with the Hurricanes. He returned from an elbow injury and in form this season with the second-best completion percentage in FBS and the top QBR in the ACC. Beck led four wins over AP top-25 opponents and has boosted his career record as a starter to 34-5. — Olson
QB, Texas A&M, redshirt sophomore
2025 notable stats: 2,932 yards, 25 TDs, 77.8 QBR
2025 preseason ranking: NR
After taking over as Texas A&M’s starter during the 2024 season, Reed took a big step forward in his third year with nearly 3,400 total yards and a top-five QBR in the SEC (77.8). He had what it took to lead the Aggies to a last-minute road victory at Notre Dame and a 27-point comeback against South Carolina on their way to an 11-0 start. When he gets hot, few dual-threat quarterbacks are more fun to watch. — Olson
OT, Ohio State, redshirt junior
2025 notable stats: 759 snaps, 0 sacks allowed
2025 preseason ranking: NR
After earning six starts at left guard last season for the national champions, Siereveld moved to left tackle and proved he could be among the Big Ten’s best, earning second-team all-conference honors from the league’s coaches. Siereveld and his fellow starters up front kept quarterback Julian Sayin protected throughout his run to becoming a Heisman finalist, with only 11 sacks allowed through 13 games. — Olson
DL, Oklahoma, senior
2025 notable stats: 21 pressures, 6.5 sacks, 9.5 TFLs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
Thomas has played in only nine games, yet still earned first-team All-SEC honors from the conference’s coaches. He has been that impressive as a pass rusher and logged all 6.5 of his sacks in SEC play for a Sooners defense that’s leading the country in TFLs and sacks. Thomas sat out most of November because of a quad injury and is working to try to get back on the field for the CFP. — Olson
LB, Alabama, redshirt senior
2025 notable stats: 75 tackles, 37 solo, 3 TFLs
2025 preseason ranking: 27
Lawson put in the work to come back from a torn ACL sustained late in the 2024 season and again played at an All-SEC level for the Crimson Tide as a senior. The two-time team captain delivered two of the biggest plays of the season for Alabama’s defense with his fourth-quarter strip against South Carolina and his fumble recovery against Auburn to clinch close victories. — Olson
QB, Alabama, redshirt junior
2025 notable stats: 3,268 yards, 26 TDs, 76.7 QBR
2025 preseason ranking: NR
Simpson did what QBs rarely do these days in waiting until Year 4 to become a starting QB. He proved he can perform under pressure in leading a run of four consecutive victories over ranked SEC foes to kick off conference play, and he went on to earn second-team All-SEC honors from the conference’s coaches. — Olson
DL, James Madison, redshirt freshman
2025 notable stats: 16 solo tackles, 7 sacks, 1 FF
2025 preseason ranking: NR
West put together a remarkable redshirt freshman season at JMU after logging only seven snaps a season ago. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound defensive end earned Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors this season and currently ranks second in the conference in TFLs and third in sacks. He brought his best in the Sun Belt title game with nine pressures and three sacks in a 31-14 victory over Troy. — Olson
DT, Oregon, junior
2025 notable stats: 4 TFLs, 29 total tackles, 6 PBUs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
He fortified Oregon’s defensive line in his first season as a starter, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors and contributing 29 tackles, four for loss, with five quarterback hurries and six pass breakups. Washington helped the Ducks rise to No. 9 nationally in points allowed. Oregon ranked 20th nationally against the run. — Adam Rittenberg
DT, Ole Miss, sophomore
2025 notable stats: 55 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 8 TFLs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
The 310-pound sophomore from Houston, Mississippi, was one of the stars of Ole Miss’ 2024 recruiting class, and he has enjoyed a breakout campaign as a first-time starter. He has made 45 of his 55 tackles against the run — five of his 11 run stops (tackles at or behind the line) came in tight midseason wins over LSU and Washington State — but he has also had 4.5 sacks. — Bill Connelly
OLB, Texas Tech, senior
2025 notable stats: 47 tackles, 9 sacks, 46 pressures
2025 preseason ranking: NR
Playing for his fourth school in five years, Height has been the perfect foil for any offense that tries to focus too much attention on David Bailey. The 24-year-old pass-rush specialist has nine sacks and an elite 18.4% pressure rate, and he has been remarkably consistent all season: He has recorded at least three pressures in 12 of 13 games, with at least a half-sack in eight. — Connelly
RB, James Madison, junior
2025 notable stats: 190 carries, 1,263 yards, 10 total TDs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
The 5-foot-7, 190-pounder has evolved into the most important player on the JMU offense. He has produced at least 85 yards from scrimmage in 12 of 13 games and produced 223 in the Sun Belt championship game win over Troy. He only grows more effective over time, too: He averages a strong 6.8 yards per touch in the first three quarters and an incredible 9.7 in the fourth. — Connelly
OLB, Oregon, junior
2025 notable stats: 61 tackles, 13 TFLs, 2 FFs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
The former blue-chipper was a contributor from almost day one at Oregon and has blossomed into almost the perfect outside linebacker. He set career highs in TFLs (13), run stops (14), sacks (seven) and forced fumbles (two), and when he missed a tackle against Washington in the fourth quarter of Oregon’s 12th game, it was his first official miss all season. — Connelly
CB, Indiana, junior
2025 notable stats: 39 tackles, 31 solo, 8 PDs
2025 preseason ranking: 82
A freshman All-American at James Madison, Ponds has been a huge part of the Indiana rebuild from Curt Cignetti’s first day in charge. He can line up wide or in the slot, and he’s one of the nation’s surest tacklers at the cornerback position. Don’t even bother targeting him downfield: On passes of 10 or more air yards, he has given up only a 28% completion rate. — Connelly
WR, Georgia, junior
2025 notable stats: 73 rec, 744 yards, 5 TDs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
As an extension of the run game, Branch catches most of his passes near the line of scrimmage but averages 8.1 yards after catch. After a reasonably slow start, Branch averaged 6.6 catches and 64.7 yards over his past seven games. He also might be the scariest return man in the CFP. — Connelly
WR, Indiana, junior
2025 notable stats: 58 rec, 804 yards, 11 TDs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
Cooper combined with Elijah Sarratt to provide the perfect 1-2 punch for Fernando Mendoza. He enjoyed two perfect games this season (he caught a combined 18 of 18 passes for 322 yards against Indiana State and Michigan State), and with Sarratt hurt, he made the catch of the year against Penn State with a toe-tapping touchdown with 41 seconds left. — Connelly
DE, Miami, senior
2025 notable stats: 52 tackles, 12 TFLs, 7 sacks
2025 preseason ranking: NR
A sixth-year senior and West Virginia transfer, Mesidor has been a fantastic battery mate for Rueben Bain Jr., either tying or setting career highs this season in TFLs (12), run stops (10), sacks (seven), pressures (42) and pressure rate (13.9%). Following Miami’s back-to-back losses, he raised his game down the stretch, helping to assure the Hurricanes’ rebounded in the CFP rankings. — Connelly
DE, Oklahoma, sophomore
2025 notable stats: 43 tackles, 12 TFLs, 6 sacks
2025 preseason ranking: NR
Oklahoma lost R Mason Thomas to injury in November, and Wein, who entered the season with only one career tackle, made sure it didn’t matter in the slightest. He recorded at least one TFL in 10 of 12 games, and he made 2.5 sacks with seven pressures in late wins over Alabama and Missouri. Thomas’ return to the lineup could take the focus off of him and also make him more effective. — Connelly
S, Oregon, junior
2025 notable stats: 31 solo tackles, 2 INTs, 4 PDs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
After serving his time at Purdue, Thieneman moved to Eugene and quickly thrived as a patrolman in the back. Oregon ranks fifth nationally in yards allowed per dropback (4.7) and ninth in interception rate (4.0%), and Thieneman’s fingerprints are all over that. His overtime interception against Penn State both clinched a CFP berth for the Ducks (in retrospect) and sent the Nittany Lions spiraling. — Connelly
S, Indiana, senior
2025 notable stats: 67 tackles, 6 INTs, 2.5 TFLs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
A former junior college player who sued for an extra year of eligibility, Moore transferred back to Indiana after a year at Ole Miss, and he has become a wonderfully effective ball hawk for a defense that is tied for sixth nationally with 25 takeaways. An active defensive front creates pressure and then Moore swoops in to pounce on a quarterback’s mistakes. — Connelly
QB, Ole Miss, senior
2025 notable stats: 3,016 yards, 19 total TDs, 86.0 QBR
2025 preseason ranking: NR
A year ago, Chambliss was leading Ferris State to the Division II title. Now he’s leading Ole Miss into its first CFP. Austin Simmons began the season as the Rebels’ starter but sustained an early injury. Chambliss made the most of his 10 starts, finishing fifth in Total QBR and eighth in the Heisman voting. He’s a passer first, but he will torch you with his legs if you let him. — Connelly
WR, Ohio State, senior
2025 notable stats: 48 rec, 838 yards, 9 TDs
2025 preseason ranking: 67
The best No. 3 receiver in the country last season, Tate has become maybe the best No. 2 in 2025. He has topped 100 yards four times this season — including a 183-yard effort against Minnesota — and he has caught at least one touchdown pass in eight of the 10 games he has played. Tate sat out three games in November but returned to catch the clinching 50-yard TD against Michigan. — Connelly
DT, Texas Tech, senior
2025 notable stats: 11 solo tackles, 8.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks
2025 preseason ranking: NR
Part of Texas Tech’s lucrative defensive transfer class, Hunter arrived from UCF and immediately had an impact on the Red Raiders’ front. Hunter earned third-team AP All-America honors and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection after fortifying the interior line with 34 tackles. The 6-foot-4, 330-pound Hunter regularly commanded double-teams and helped Texas Tech become the nation’s best against the run. — Rittenberg
QB, Georgia, redshirt junior
2025 notable stats: 2,691 yards, 31 total TDs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
Stockton waited his turn to become Georgia’s starter as a fourth-year junior and was certainly up for the challenge, leading the Bulldogs to another SEC title with a nine-game win streak since an early loss to Alabama. He currently ranks No. 6 nationally in QBR (85.8) and offered plenty of proof in tough tests against Ole Miss, Texas and Tennessee that he’s capable of taking his team on another title run. — Olson
TE, Oregon, junior
2025 notable stats: 40 rec, 490 yards, 8 TDs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
In a season in which injuries hit Oregon’s wide receiver room especially hard, Sadiq emerged as a capable target. He earned second-team AP All-America honors and was named the Big Ten’s Tight End of the Year after recording eight touchdown catches — most among FBS tight ends — and a team-high 40 receptions. Despite sitting out some time because of injury, Sadiq recorded 490 receiving yards and became the first Oregon tight end to be a finalist for the Mackey Award. — Rittenberg
WR, Indiana, senior
2025 notable stats: 51 rec, 687 yards, 12 TDs
2025 preseason ranking: 78
One of coach Curt Cignetti’s plug-and-play transfers from James Madison, Sarratt followed a third-team All-Big Ten season in 2024 with a second-team selection this fall, despite sitting out some time because of a hamstring injury. Sarratt recorded touchdown catches in all but two games he played and had three multi-touchdown performances and four with seven or more receptions. Sarratt has 186 receptions for 2,835 yards and 28 touchdowns during the past three seasons. — Rittenberg
LB, Ohio State, senior
2025 notable stats: 45 solo tackles, 1 FF, 1 INT
2024 preseason ranking: 62
The 6-foot-5, 243-pound playmaker has performed at an All-America level for the Buckeyes and should be a first-round NFL draft pick next spring after shining under new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. He’s the leading tackler on the No. 1 defense in the country, had a season-high 12 stops in the Big Ten title game and ranks fourth among all starting linebackers in Pro Football Focus grading this season. — Olson
0:33
Alabama comes away with a big-time INT in the 3rd quarter
Bray Hubbard hauls in the tipped ball for a big-time Crimson Tide interception.
S, Alabama, junior
2025 notable stats: 4 INT, 6 PBU, 3 FFs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
After emerging as a starter in 2024 and leading the team with three interceptions, Hubbard solidified himself as one of the nation’s best defensive backs this season. The junior safety from Mississippi earned first-team All-America honors and again led Alabama with four interceptions, while contributing 66 tackles and a team-high six pass breakups. Hubbard had an interception and a forced fumble in Alabama’s narrow win against Auburn in the Iron Bowl. — Rittenberg
OT, Miami, junior
2025 notable stat: Nation’s third-highest pass-blocking grade (88.8)
2025 preseason ranking: 24
A mainstay at right tackle for the past three seasons, Mauigoa earned first-team AP All-America honors this fall after anchoring one of the nation’s top offensive lines. Miami ranks fifth nationally in fewest tackles for loss allowed (3.5 per game) and tied for eighth in fewest sacks allowed (.92 per game), while averaging 37.8 points during the final four regular-season games. He won the ACC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy and earned the nation’s third-highest pass-blocking grade (88.8) from Pro Football Focus. — Rittenberg
QB, Oregon, sophomore
2025 notable stats: 2,733 yards, 24 TDs, 77.8 QBR
2025 preseason ranking: NR
After starting five games as a true freshman at UCLA in 2023, Moore took the rare step of transferring to a place where he knew playing time would be limited. He used the gap year in 2024 to refocus and blossomed this fall for the Ducks, completing 72.5% of his pass attempts with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. Moore helped rally Oregon to road wins against Penn State and Iowa and had 849 passing yards in his final three regular-season games that has him projected as possibly the top pick in the 2026 NFL draft. — Rittenberg
OT, Indiana, junior
2025 notable stat: No. 2 graded offensive lineman in the Power 4
2025 preseason ranking: NR
The Hoosiers prioritized upgrading their offensive line after 2024 and made several key additions through the portal. Their best blocker though turned out to be a holdover in Smith, who started the previous two seasons for the Hoosiers at left tackle. He protected the blind side of Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and became the first Indiana player named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year. Smith also is the first IU tackle to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors since Charley Peal in 1977. — Rittenberg
LB, Ohio State, junior
2025 notable stats: 6.5 sacks, 10 TFL, 62 total tackles
2025 preseason ranking: NR
A new set of stars emerged to lead the nation’s No. 1 defense this fall, and Reese was undeniably front and center. He has thrived under new coordinator Matt Patricia, recording 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the edge position and finished second on the squad with 62 total tackles. One of three Buckeyes defenders named a first-team AP All-American, Reese was named Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year and recorded a sack in six of Ohio State’s first eight games of the season. — Rittenberg
WR, Miami, freshman
2025 notable stats: 84 rec, 970 yards, 7 TDs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
The Miami native dazzled in his home area during his freshman year at the U, recording twice as many receptions than any other Hurricanes player this season, while leading the ACC in touchdowns and ranking fourth in the league in receiving yards, which marked a Miami freshman record. Toney had four 100-yard receiving performances, including in each of his final two regular-season games. A second-team AP All-America selection, Toney earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors after leading FBS freshmen in receptions. — Rittenberg
G, Oregon, senior
2025 notable stat: 87.3 pass-blocking grade
2025 preseason ranking: NR
A key member of an Oregon offensive front reshaped through the transfer portal, Pregnon earned first-team AP All-America honors during his first season with the Ducks. After starting two seasons for USC, Pregnon helped protect quarterback Dante Moore, giving up no sacks and only three pressures on 335 pass-blocking opportunities. Oregon enters the CFP ranked sixth in fewest tackles for loss allowed. — Rittenberg
DL, Ohio State, junior
2025 notable stats: 28 solo tackles, 3 sacks, 2 FFs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
Running against Ohio State is no easy task, thanks in large part to the work of McDonald around the line of scrimmage. McDonald racked up 16 run stuffs this season — stops on runs at or behind the line — while making 60 total tackles on plays that gained an average of just 1.1 yards. McDonald missed only two tackles all season, making him one of the most reliable defenders on the D-line in the country. — Hale
RB, Ole Miss, sophomore
2025 notable stats: 258 carries, 20 TDs, 1,279 yards
2025 preseason ranking: NR
After playing sparingly for Missouri in 2024, Lacy became one of the top impact transfers in the country under coach Lane Kiffin and the Rebels. He set an Ole Miss single-season record with 20 rushing touchdowns and became the school’s first finalist for the Doak Walker Award. Lacy leads the nation in rushing touchdowns and is fourth nationally in points per game. According to Pro Football Focus, he is second nationally in missed tackles forced (84) and fourth in yards after contact (809). Lacy had at least one rushing touchdown in all but one game. — Rittenberg
DL, Ohio State, senior
2025 notable stats: 36 solo tackles, 11 sacks, 1 FF
2025 preseason ranking: NR
Curry was a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks this season, racking up 11 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss, six QB hurries and 40 pressures. Curry’s versatility allowed him to create havoc on the edge and inside throughout the season, and his ability to move in space and play physical helped him rack up 62 total tackles, most in the Big Ten by a defensive lineman. — Hale
WR, Texas A&M, junior
2025 notable stats: 886 yards, 9 TDs, 12 total TDs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
No incoming transfer this season has affected two phases of the game as much as Concepcion, who won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. The NC State transfer earned first-team All-SEC honors at wide receiver, return specialist and all-purpose player, after leading the league with nine receiving touchdowns and 480 all-purpose yards. He became the first A&M player in the modern era to score on a reception, a rush and a punt return in the same year. Concepcion had 57 receptions for 886 yards. — Hale
DL, Miami, junior
2025 notable stats: 19 solo tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 INT
2025 preseason ranking: 33
The numbers don’t exactly scream superstar. Bain had 4.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and 37 total tackles. But ask any QB or offensive coordinator who faced Miami this season who the best player on the field was, and the answer probably would be unanimous. Bain’s motor is unrivaled, and the attention he commands at the line of scrimmage opens up lanes for others on Miami’s front. For the season, Bain racked up 48 pressures — tops in the ACC — and 18 stops at or behind the line of scrimmage. — Hale
LB, Georgia, junior
2025 notable stats: 45 solo tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 FFs
2025 preseason ranking: 38
Perhaps the most fierce player on the Dawgs’ defense, Allen is a machine in the middle for Georgia, racking up 85 total tackles, including eight for a loss. He added four PBUs, two QB hurries, two forced fumbles and contested seven of 16 targets while in coverage. — Hale
CB, Ohio State, junior
2025 notable stats: 18 solo tackles, 1 INT
2025 preseason ranking: 3
Downs picked off two passes this season, which is far more impressive than it sounds, because despite playing 322 snaps in coverage, opposing QBs targeted him only 20 times. Downs gave up only nine catches all season as the primary defender, accounting for only 72 yards and no touchdowns. The longest completion he gave up was 17 yards. A 14-yard completion in the second quarter of the Big Ten title game was the first one he’d given up in nearly two months. There is not a more lockdown corner in the country than Downs. — Hale
DL, Texas A&M, senior
2025 notable stats: 19 solo tackles, 11.5 sacks, 1 FF
2025 preseason ranking: NR
The problem, according to Miami coach Mario Cristobal, with trying to control Texas A&M’s pass rush is that the Aggies so rarely need to bring extra help. The front four dominates on its own. There’s plenty of praise to go around, of course, but the leader of that group is Howell, who led the SEC with 11.5 sacks and finished fourth with 14 tackles for loss. Howell added five QB hurries, six PBUs and a forced fumble for good measure. If the Aggies are going to make a deep run, it probably will be because of the chaos created up front by Howell & Co. — Hale
QB, Ohio State, sophomore
2025 notable stats: 3,323 passing yards, 31 TDs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
When Will Howard left after winning a national championship last season, Ohio State could’ve chased another veteran in the portal. Instead, the Buckeyes handed the keys to the best roster in college football to a player with no real previous experience. Sayin didn’t flinch. From beating Texas in Week 1 to blossoming into a Heisman finalist by year’s end, Sayin never appeared overwhelmed by the moment, racking up an eye-popping stat line that included 31 touchdown passes, only six interceptions and a nearly 79% completion percentage. Sayin’s 182.2 passer rating was the best in the country, and if he makes a similar leap in the playoff as Howard did last year — there might be no stopping Ohio State from a repeat. — Hale
OLB, Texas Tech, senior
2025 notable stats: 27 solo tackles, 13.5 sacks, 3 FFs
2025 preseason ranking: 57
One of the best pass rushers in the country, Bailey led all Power 4 players in sacks with 13.5. He finished the regular season with 17.5 tackles for loss, 13 QB hurries, 65 pressures, a ridiculous 19.9% pressure rate and three forced fumbles. The Red Raiders’ defensive front was its best weapon, and no one on that D-line created more havoc in 2025 than Bailey. — Hale
LB, Texas Tech, senior
2025 notable stats: 117 tackles, 61 solo, 7 FFs
2025 preseason ranking: 92
Arguably the best defensive player in the country in 2025, Rodriguez dominated in all areas for Texas Tech this season. He racked up 117 tackles, second most in the Big 12. He picked off four passes, had 11 tackles for loss, broke up six passes and forced seven fumbles. And as if it wasn’t enough to dominate on defense, Rodriguez even got into the action on offense, rushing twice and scoring both times. — Hale
WR, Ohio State, sophomore
2025 notable stats: 1,086 rec yards, 11 TDs
2025 preseason ranking: 1
If we’re ranking based on talent alone, there’s a good argument that no player comes close to matching Smith’s ability. Smith caught 80 balls for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, but that doesn’t really tell the story. It’s how he has done it. Smith commands double-teams constantly, draws the attention of everyone’s best corner, and has every defensive coordinator he faces scheming to slow him down. And none of it has mattered. Smith continues to produce big play after big play, opening up options for Ohio State’s offense all over the field. — Hale
QB, Indiana, junior
2025 notable stats: 2,980 passing yards, 39 total TDs
2025 preseason ranking: NR
The Heisman Trophy winner has to top the list. Mendoza was a force for Indiana, as the Hoosiers took the next step from playoff Cinderella in 2024 to the No. 1 team in the country entering the 2025 postseason. Mendoza’s final numbers tell the story: more than 3,200 total yards, 39 touchdowns and only six interceptions for the last undefeated team in the country. — Hale
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