10 Most Overrated Teams in College Football Right Now

The calendar is turning to October, and we are nearing the midpoint of the 2025 college football season for several teams. There is still much to unfold, but we can already make several observations about which teams are overhyped and overrated.

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1. #7 Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State’s offense does not scale against good competition. Drew Allar is who he is. He’s above average, but he’s not elevating the receivers around him, and the Nittany Lions cannot get their receivers involved against good defenses. James Franklin is now 4-21 against top-ten teams as the head coach at Penn State, and the Nittany Lions need to prove they are capable of winning against opponents ranked in the top ten, having similar expectations and resources to their own.

Penn State (-25.5) at UCLA

2. #13 LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers lost at Ole Miss 24-19 and dropped to 4-1 and 1-1 in SEC play. Losing to Lane Kiffin’s Rebels on the road is not a significant cause for concern, but the general trendline for Brian Kelly’s LSU program should be setting off alarm bells in the bayou. LSU still struggles to run the ball effectively, as it averaged only 2.8 yards per carry. In addition, the hyped defense surrendered 484 yards as LSU was outgained 484-256. Garrett Nussmeier isn’t healthy, and he can’t carry the offense by himself against a schedule that still includes Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Alabama, Oklahoma, and LSU’s win against Clemson is not going to hold near the weight they thought it would after the opening week victory.

3. #14 Iowa State Cyclones

It’s nearly time to remove the Iowa State Cyclones from the list of overrated teams. The Cyclones are still ranked 14th, and they have yet to achieve anything that would be considered a great win. However, Matt Campbell’s team was impressive on Saturday, as they defeated the Arizona Wildcats by a 39-14 margin. The score was a bit more lopsided than the numbers suggest, as Arizona was only outgained by 39 yards. Iowa State’s lack of success running the ball (2.4 yards per rush) is still a primary concern, but the Cyclones have a very efficient passing game, and this is proving to be a program that knows how to win games. Ultimately, that’s what matters, but I still think Vanderbilt should be ranked higher than the Cyclones are and would roll them in a head-to-head matchup.

Iowa State (-1.5) at Cincinnati

4. #15 Tennessee Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers got a lot of mileage from a blowout of Syracuse and then a close loss to Georgia. Still, both of those resume points took hits on Saturday, and the Volunteers very nearly lost to Mississippi State. Georgia fell to Alabama, and Syracuse got housed by the Duke Blue Devils, and then Tennessee allowed the Bulldogs to go 8-19 on third down and rush for 198 yards while putting up 34 points in the Vols’ overtime win. The defense is clearly significantly worse than it was a season ago. Again, tell me why Vanderbilt is not ranked higher than Tennessee.

5. #17 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have been in this spot for a couple of weeks now, which only looks better after their narrow escape over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in overtime. They are justifiably ranked, but the Yellow Jackets have narrow wins over Colorado (now 2-3) and Clemson (now 1-3), plus the overtime win at Wake Forest, and the offense relies too heavily on the superhero toughness of Haynes King. If King gets slowed, Georgia Tech could lose to nearly anyone in the ACC.

6. #20 Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines are 3-1, but the one loss was a beating at the hands of Oklahoma, a game that was not nearly as close as the score indicated. The only win of substance was a good one over Nebraska. Michigan’s passing game is, to put it charitably, a work in progress, as no trust can be placed in any of the team’s wide receivers. Until Michigan proves it can be multi-dimensional on offense, the Wolverines have a definite ceiling on their potential.

Wisconsin at Michigan (-16.5)

7. #21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

In reality, Notre Dame is likely one of the top 15 teams in the country, but its resume does not warrant a ranking anywhere near the top 25. The Fighting Irish are still only 2-2, with the wins coming against Purdue and Arkansas. While barbecuing the Razorbacks on the road is nice, that is now a team without a head coach, and Notre Dame has not proven that it has fixed its defense. The schedule doesn’t offer many opportunities for quality wins, particularly with USC losing to Illinois. Does a 10-2 Notre Dame team make the College Football Playoff?

Boise State at Notre Dame (-19.5)

8. Receiving Votes – Memphis Tigers

The Memphis Tigers are now 5-0 and are on the cusp of breaking into the top 25. Let’s look beyond the record. The Tigers have beaten Chattanooga, Georgia State, Troy, and Florida Atlantic, plus have a come-from-behind and very fortunate victory against Arkansas. The Razorbacks have since fired their head coach, and they outplayed Memphis for much of that game. No one would have Arkansas near the top 25. Memphis should roll to 7-0 before we see them play South Florida on October 25 in a huge matchup with College Football Playoff and American Athletic Conference implications.

Tulsa at Memphis (-20.5)

9. Receiving Votes – USC Trojans

Stop telling me how improved the USC defense is. For months, we heard about how Lincoln Riley had figured it out, and the Trojans were going to be stout on defense, and things would be different. USC gave up 31 points to Michigan State and then followed that up by giving up 34 points and 502 yards to the Illinois Fighting Illini in a 34-32 defeat. Illinois averaged 12.3 yards per pass and allowed Illinois to run for 4.9 yards per carry. Next up for the Trojans? Michigan, Notre Dame, and Nebraska.

10. Receiving Votes – TCU Horned Frogs

There’s a whole lot to like about the TCU Horned Frogs and their offense, but they blew a 17-0 lead against Arizona State, and they are now 3-1 with a win over a dreadful North Carolina team and a very pedestrian SMU team. The defense is not inspiring, and if Josh Hoover is not playing at an optimal level, the Horned Frogs will struggle to beat anyone with a pulse. 

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