10 Most Overrated Teams in College Football Right Now
TJ Inman
Host · Writer
It is still incredibly early in the 2025 college football season, but we can already make some observations about which teams are overhyped and overrated.
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1. #3 LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers are still ranked third after improving to 3-0 with a 20-10 victory over the Florida Gators in Baton Rouge. There is no question that the LSU defense has improved quite a bit, but the offense has taken a large step backwards, at least thus far. Against the Gators, LSU had a grand total of ten first downs during the game, and they were quite fortunate to be gifted five turnovers from the inept Florida attack. LSU’s marquee win, the Clemson Tigers, are now 1-2.
2. #8 Texas Longhorns
Texas has an incredibly good defense. In fact, the Longhorns might have the best defense in the country. That being said, they don’t have an offense worthy of being in the top ten right now, and until that gets figured out, Texas should not be ranked 8th in the country. Arch Manning looks either injured or overwhelmed, and he had nine straight incompletions against UTEP as Texas struggled to pull away from the Miners. Texas has a favorable schedule, but they have another loss coming soon if Manning does not find his rhythm.
Week 4: Sam Houston State at Texas (-41.5)
3. #12 Iowa State Cyclones
Yes, the Iowa State Cyclones are 4-0, and they deserve credit for that start, but they really have not been impressive, and the resume has some holes when studied closer. The opening week game against Kansas State looks worse and worse as the Wildcats flail, and they gave up 385 yards to Arkansas State in a game that was much closer than it was expected to be. Iowa State is a good team, but it should not be the top-ranked team in the Big 12.
4. #13 Ole Miss Rebels
The Ole Miss Rebels are ranked 13th after surviving in Oxford against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Ole Miss has a really good offense, and it was impressive to win with a backup quarterback, but the defense is a problem and has regressed in a big way after the 2024 season. Arkansas was driving for the go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes to play before a fumble cost them the game, but the Razorbacks had 526 yards of offense. That came after a decent day for Kentucky against Ole Miss, and it looks like they will need to win shootouts.
Week 4: Tulane at Ole Miss (-12.5)
5. #17 Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech is 3-0, and they have dominated a trio of overmatched opponents: Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Kent State, and Oregon State. Each game was in Lubbock, and the Red Raiders deserve credit for taking care of business. Why do they keep rising in the rankings for beating up tomato cans, though? We’ll find out whether or not Texas Tech is for real over the next four weeks, as they have three road games beginning with a clash at Utah against the Utes.
Week 4: Texas Tech at Utah (-3.5)
6. #24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame is a blue-blood program that gets the benefit of the doubt from voters in nearly every situation. They are getting credit for taking on two quality opponents (Miami and Texas A&M) and for the residual success of last season, but the Irish are 0-2, and it is now clear that the defense has taken a gigantic step backward. The Fighting Irish gave up 27 points to Miami, and the secondary got ripped apart by the Texas A&M Aggies in South Bend. The rest of the schedule is much kinder, but the 0-2 start puts Notre Dame’s playoff hopes on life support.
Week 4: Purdue at Notre Dame (-26.5)
7. Receiving Votes – South Carolina Gamecocks
Are voters paying attention? South Carolina was unimpressive in the opening week against the Virginia Tech Hokies, a team that just got smacked around by Old Dominion and fired Brent Pry, they continued the trend in week two with a sleepy win over South Carolina State and then they got battered by Vanderbilt at home. The passing game has not taken a step forward, the defense has regressed after losing a lot of talent to the NFL Draft, and LaNorris Sellers is now uncertain heading into the heart of a difficult schedule. South Carolina has not done anything to be anywhere near the top 25.
Week 4: South Carolina at Missouri (-13.5)
8. Receiving Votes – Arizona State Sun Devils
Arizona State beat Texas State 34-15, bouncing back from the loss to Mississippi State. The Bobcats managed to hang around with 303 yards of offense, but two turnovers cost them a chance at being truly competitive. Arizona State has failed to impress thus far, and Sam Leavitt does not appear to have made any progress in his game after his breakout campaign in 2024. ASU has been passed by multiple other teams in the Big 12.
9. Receiving Votes – Clemson Tigers
Clemson is a name-brand program, but they should not be getting votes from anyone at this point in the season. The Tigers are 1-2 with a loss to LSU at home, a very disappointing performance and underwhelming final against Troy, and then a loss at Georgia Tech. The offense lacks creativity, and everything seems quite difficult for Clemson on that side of the ball. Unless receiver Antonio Williams is able to return and provide a true second threat in the passing game, it’s hard to see where big improvement comes.
Week 4: Syracuse at Clemson (-17.5)
10. Receiving Votes – SMU Mustangs
The SMU Mustangs are another ACC team that should not be receiving votes. They have been propped up thus far by preseason expectations, but we now have a large enough sample size to recalibrate who they actually are this season. The pass defense is a far cry from what they had last season, and they are not running the ball at the same level they did in 2024. SMU is likely to disappear from this list after another defeat, this time to TCU in Fort Worth this weekend.
Week 4: SMU at TCU (-6.5)
