College football’s margins have only grown slimmer following the latest wave of conference realignment. The reshaped landscape has flattened the competitive curve, turning every conference schedule into a week-to-week grind. The difference between a playoff contender and a team scrapping for bowl eligibility can come down to a few untimely injuries or bad breaks in one-score games. As a result, several teams enter the 2025 season with floors and ceilings that are miles apart.
Last season, several programs shattered expectations — for better or worse. Few predicted Arizona State’s colossal breakthrough, nor did many expect Indiana to post the best season in school history. On the other side, it would’ve taken a psychic to foresee Florida State’s collapse into a two-win disaster.
Surprises are baked into the fabric of college football. Identifying them before they happen is, by nature, an extreme challenge. But reading the tea leaves on some of the sport’s biggest mystery teams offers a glimpse into their potential to either overachieve or disappoint.
Here are college football’s biggest wild cards heading into the 2025 season.
All playoff odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
Odds to reach CFP: +520
The five wins Utah posted last season matched the fewest of its power conference era and snapped a bowl streak that dated back to 2014. Long story short: that’s probably not happening again. There would be ample shock value in seeing a team go from below .500 to the playoff in the span of one…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-wild-card-teams-usc-oklahoma-among-the-sports-biggest-mysteries-entering-2025-season/
Author : Carter Bahns
Publish date : 2025-06-28 13:21:00
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