College Football is Back

BY: KALE SPENCER / STAFF WRITER 

Ohio State Mascot Brutus gets the crowd riled up at “The Shoe” on gameday. (Photo via OSE.edu)

College football is back! Many sports fans waited 178 long days to see the next season, patiently marking the days down till kickoff. Through 4 weeks of football, here are some of the biggest winners and losers of this early season.

Let's start with some winners:

1) Ohio State

After a close win against Texas, Ohio State has rolled past opponents Grambling State and Ohio. Julien Sayin and Jeremiah Smith have led this offense to high efficiency and consistent, scoring 70 and 37 in their last two outings.

Caleb Downs has led one of the nation's top defenses, holding each of their first three opponents to less than ten points. The Buckeyes’ next couple of games look favorable as they start Big-10 play and hope to return to the top of the mountain with a back-to-back national championship.

2) Ole Miss

The Rebels have looked sound on both sides of the ball, with the offense leading the charge, averaging 44.8 points per game, ranking 12th in the country amongst FBS teams. On the other side of the ball, linebackers Jaden Yates and TJ Dottery lead this suffocating defense with 29 and 26 total tackles apiece. Alongside these linebackers, the secondary has racked up an incredible 21 passes defended.

Quarterbacks Trinidad Chambliss & Austin Simmons have commanded this offense to a 4-0 record. Although Chambliss has outplayed Simmons, the two quarterbacks have both played well in their two starts. It will be interesting to see who Head Coach Lane Kiffin chooses as the starter moving forward.

3) Indiana

Fernando Mendoza has been lights out to start his 2025 campaign with 975 passing yards and 14 touchdowns in his first four games. He currently has the highest odds (+650) to win the Heisman trophy after a blowout to No. 9 Illinois, where he threw for five touchdowns.

After a historic 2024 season, the Hoosiers would like to replicate some of that magic that got them a College Football spot last season. Head Coach Curt Cirnetti will once again try to lead his team to another CFP bid.

4) Oregon

Once again, the Ducks look like a National Championship contender. Quarterback Dante Moore, tight end Kenyon Sadiq, along with a veteran wide receiver room, have propelled their offense to an elite stratosphere, adding to a top ten FBS rushing attack with 14 touchdowns and 255.2 yards per game.

Other than ranked teams No. 3 Penn State and No. 11 Indiana, Oregon has a high chance of making and possibly winning a national championship.

On the other hand, here are some losers:

1) Florida

After a blowout win against our LIU Sharks, resulting in a final score of 55-0, the Gators have yet to win a game, going 0-3 against opponents South Florida, No. 4 LSU, and No. 2 Miami. Quarterback DJ Lagway has looked lackluster, especially against the Tigers as he threw a dismal five interceptions with only one touchdown.

Other than bright point wide receiver Vernell Brown III, this Florida team has struggled to move the ball and get stops when they need to. Billy Napier, Head Coach for the Gators, is now on the hot seat as he has to think of a way to turn his season around.

2) Clemson

As the preseason No. 4, Clemson has now dropped all the way out of the top-25 now standing at a 1-3 record. Underdogs Georgia Tech and Syracuse acquired wins over the Tigers in back to back weeks while losing the turnover battle 0-2 in each of those contests.

From their first four contests, each matchup was within reach, but they failed to deliver in crucial moments—whether converting on third downs or making key defensive stops. Starting 0-2 in ACC play poses a tough challenge, and it will be telling to see how Head Coach Dabo Swinney navigates the remainder of the season.

3) UCLA

Disappointment is the simple, yet true reality for the Bruins. The program fired head coach DeShaun Foster after an 0-3 start, including blowout losses to Utah and New Mexico. Former 5-Star Nico Iamaleava has not lived up to his hype, producing an even ratio between touchdowns and interceptions.

Heading into Big 10 play, the Bruins’ season may be over before it has really started. With many top 25 teams on their schedule, the chances of qualifying for postseason play, and furthermore, a bowl game, are now slim to none.

4) Notre Dame

Coming off an appearance in the national championship game, Marcus Freeman and company have kicked off the season 1-2. The Fighting Irish lost their first two games by a combined 4 points to Miami and Texas A&M. 

Winning out, to get to the college football playoffs, has to be on many of their players' minds. Especially Heisman hopeful running back Jeremiyah Love, who has averaged 5.5 yards per carry and has added only 3 touchdowns. We will see how the Fighting Irish respond to early struggles and finish this season. 

There have been many surprises to kick off the 2025 college football season. As the season progresses, it will be fascinating to see if these teams build upon their strong starts or flip the script.