5 burning questions entering 2025 CFB season

The start of the college football season always brings great hope across the country, as each team sets out on its quest, whether chasing a title, aiming for bowl eligibility, or just seeking bragging rights in a rivalry game.

However, with that hope also comes a high level of uncertainty, and this season has raised that to a level we haven't seen in recent years, with plenty of questions across the nation.

We identified five to think about heading into Week 1.

Should we be worried about 1st-year starting QBs?

The early AP Top 25 taught us that sports writers across the country don't care about quarterback experience. There are six teams in the top 15 of the preseason rankings set to start a quarterback with less than 100 career collegiate pass attempts on their resume, with the heralded Arch Manning headlining the list.

No. 1 Texas: Arch Manning
No. 3 Ohio State: Julian Sayin
No. 5 Georgia: Gunner Stockton
No. 6 Notre Dame: CJ Carr
No. 8 Alabama: Ty Simpson
No. 14 Michigan: Bryce Underwood

Manning and Stockton likely belong in a different class than the rest. Both saw significant snaps last season, and Stockton notably took the field in the playoffs with Georgia. However, there could still be plenty of growing pains as both take the mantle as permanent QB1.

The rest of the list is littered with top recruits who now get the chance to cash in on that potential. Sayin is likely in the best situation given Ohio State's embarrassment of riches in the receiver room, but the initial test is fierce with Texas coming to Columbus in Week 1.

If these talented prospects hit their ceiling, any of these six teams could be a serious contender for the national title. If they go through understandable challenges in adjusting to a starting role, these programs could be in a fight for the playoffs.

If not now, when for Franklin?

Somehow, Penn State won 13 contests, made a playoff run to the national semifinals ... and James Franklin still hasn't shattered the "can't win big games" narrative.

First, the good. Since Franklin's hire, the Nittany Lions have compiled 101 wins - the 10th most at the FBS level during that time. They are unquestionably one of the top teams in the Big Ten and have become something of an NFL factory. So what's the problem? Franklin's squads consistently fail to rise to the occasion and take down a top program when given the chance. Penn State is 1-15 against top-five teams under Franklin, with a slight improvement to 4-20 against the top 10.

Sure, Penn State made the national semis last year, but the path couldn't have broken down in a more ideal scenario. Despite losing the Big Ten title game to Oregon, it was the Ducks who had to face the eventual champion, Ohio State, in the playoff opener. The Nittany Lions' "reward" for losing was a first-round home playoff game against SMU and a neutral-site contest with Boise State in the quarterfinals. They got through both unfazed, but once again couldn't beat a top team, losing to Notre Dame in the semis.

Is this the year Franklin finally flips the script? It's likely the best chance of his career. Ohio State and Oregon both had major roster turnover after last season and are starting new quarterbacks. Meanwhile, Penn State returns a number of top players, led by quarterback Drew Allar and star rushers Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Oh, and the schedule? With a weak non-conference slate, two games will essentially decide the Nittany Lions' fate: at home versus Oregon and on the road at Ohio State.

If that doesn't all add up to a title-game shot for Franklin, when will he ever get there?

What's going on at Auburn?

If we had to guess, our bet would be that Hugh Freeze's favorite number is three. That would make Auburn's strategy for its opener against Baylor a lot easier to digest. If you haven't been paying attention, the Tigers plan to use three different play-callers AND three different quarterbacks in the road game in Waco. Huh?

Five-star freshman Deuce Knight and ex-Stanford starter Ashton Daniels are talented players, but Auburn splashed the cash in the transfer portal to bring in former five-star recruit Jackson Arnold from Oklahoma. The fact that Arnold hasn't separated himself from the other two passers should set off the alarm bells on the plains.

However, if you wanted to take the glass-half-full approach, the quarterback play could hardly be worse than what the Tigers suffered through last year. Also, their talented roster should thrive with even average play at the position from one of the three names.

With Auburn jumping straight into the fire on the road against Baylor, it won't take long to see if Freeze's strategy pays off or if an underachieving outfit again rankles the fan base. If it's the latter, Freeze might have plenty of time to work on his golf game come football season next year.

Will there be more chaos in the Big 12?

Some people resort to extreme activities, such as skydiving or mountain climbing, to satisfy their need for a rush of adrenaline. Our suggestion? Save the money and watch Big 12 football, the most chaotic conference in America. Over 40% of conference games ended within one score in 2024, and the school picked to finish dead last in the preseason, Arizona State, won the whole damn thing and made the playoffs. The top five teams in the same preseason poll went 26-35 overall and 13-32 in conference play.

The Big 12 is off to another roaring start in 2025, with Iowa State claiming the first win of the college football season over the weekend by a narrow three points over Kansas State in Ireland.

What's the reason for the randomness in the conference? The departure of Oklahoma and Texas leveled the playing field to a certain extent, with most programs operating in the same space in terms of budget and recruiting talent. Texas Tech will look to change that this year after spending a boatload on transfers in the offseason.

Although Arizona State should still be the class of the conference with quarterback Sam Leavitt and a host of key players returning, it seems silly to bank on anything normal happening in the Big 12. Look for the Red Raiders, Baylor, Iowa State, TCU, and Kansas State to challenge, as well as a Utah team that finally has a quarterback in transfer Devon Dampier.

Oh, and Scott Frost is back at UCF, Rich Rod returns to West Virginia, Jalon Daniels is still quarterbacking Kansas in what feels like his 10th season, Coach Prime begins life without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter at Colorado, and Mike Gundy might actually be on the hot seat at Oklahoma State.

Are you not entertained?

Will Clemson keep Belichick from being ACC's biggest story?

Look, it's going to take something special - or particularly wild - to keep 73-year-old Bill Belichick from being the biggest story in the ACC this season. Arguably the greatest NFL coach of all time, Belichick has dipped into the college ranks with North Carolina after being shunned by the league he once dominated for an extended period. Every game for his Tar Heels will be must-watch TV, scrutinized on a play-by-play basis. So what could match the scene in Chapel Hill to grab some attention for the ACC? A return to the national title picture for Clemson.

It doesn't seem far off that the Tigers and Dabo Swinney were the kings of the sport, but Trevor Lawrence is long gone, and he apparently took Clemson's relevance in the title race with him. However, Cade Klubnik's late-season brilliance at quarterback has reignited the Tigers' hopes for a national championship.

Clemson returns a ton of top talent on both sides of the ball, and Klubnik should thrive again in Garrett Riley's offensive system. The Tigers are clearly the class of the ACC. But what does that really mean in today's college football landscape dominated by the SEC and Big Ten? Clemson essentially played five strong teams last season, beating SMU by three points and losing to Georgia, Louisville, South Carolina, and Texas by a combined score of 122-62.

Are the Tigers for real this year, or did lesser opponents prop them up in 2024? We won't have to wait long to find out with a Week 1 matchup against No. 9 LSU on the slate.