10 Most Overrated Teams in College Football Right Now

The calendar has turned 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. #6 Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma being overrated only applies if John Mateer is not healthy. If the playmaking quarterback can come back and be 100% healthy, the Sooners are one of the five best teams in the country. As of now, Mateer is not expected to return right away after surgery on his hand, and without him, I don’t trust the OU offense. The Sooners do have, quite possibly, the best defensive line in the country, and they will need to wreak havoc against a Texas offensive line that has yet to prove they can block the pass effectively. Until Mateer is back and proves he is healthy, Oklahoma is not the sixth-best team in the country.

Week 7: Oklahoma (+2.5) at Texas

2. #11 LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers lost at Ole Miss 24-19 and dropped to 4-1 and 1-1 in SEC play before their bye week. 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.

Week 7: South Carolina at LSU (-9.5)

3. #13 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

I love Haynes King and I love Brent Key and the culture of toughness he has put together in Atlanta, but Georgia Tech is not the 13th best team in the country, which becomes clear if you look beyond the 5-0 start. The Yellow Jackets won on the road at Colorado 27-20 to open the season, but the Buffaloes are now 2-4 and winless in the Big 12. They also have ACC wins over Clemson by three points on a long field goal as time expired, and they were fortunate (thanks to poor officiating) to escape with a win in overtime at Wake Forest. The schedule is conducive to the Yellow Jackets continuing to win, but I don’t trust the defense against competent offenses, and the offense relies too much on King to be Superman. 

Week 7: Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech (-14.5)

4. #16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are probably one of the 20 best teams in the country, but what has this particular team done to earn a jump in the rankings to #16? Notre Dame is 3-2, and the wins have come against Purdue (2-3 and winless in the Big Ten), Arkansas (2-3, and fired Sam Pittman), and Boise State. Notre Dame was not exactly dominant against the Broncos this past Saturday, outgaining Boise by less than 75 yards. If not for four turnovers by Boise State, the game would have been very competitive beyond halftime. On the positive side, the defense is improving, and if Notre Dame continues to win against a relatively weak schedule, they’ll likely make the College Football Playoff. 

Week 7: North Carolina State at Notre Dame (-21.5)

5. #21 Arizona State Sun Devils

Arizona State is 4-1 and 2-0 in the Big 12, but they are flirting with losses each week. There’s something to be said for finding ways to win. Still, they were unimpressive in a 38-19 win over Northern Arizona, lost to Mississippi State (winless in the SEC), beat Texas State comfortably, and now have wins over Baylor and TCU, both by a score of 27-24. This feels like a team that will likely rack up a couple of losses in the near future, with games against Utah and Texas Tech on the horizon. 

Week 7: Arizona State at Utah (-4.5)

6. #22 Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State was on my overrated list for multiple weeks, and the Cincinnati Bearcats exposed the Cyclones’ defense by dialing up 38 points and 31 points by halftime with 478 yards of offense. Cincinnati ran all over Iowa State with 264 yards on the ground and eight yards per carry. The Bearcats tried to give this game away a few different times, but Iowa State was unable to take it. I believe they are still overrated and are not one of the 25 best teams in the country, and are merely an upper-half Big 12 squad.

Week 7: Iowa State (-3.5) at Colorado

7. #25 Florida State Seminoles

After a rousing start to the season with a thumping of Alabama, the Florida State Seminoles have now dropped two straight ACC games, and their path to the College Football Playoff is now exceedingly narrow. The Seminoles ended up outgaining Miami, but many of their yards came after Miami had built a 28-3 lead deep into the third quarter. Miami was able to make Florida State one-dimensional, and if Tommy Castellanos has to attempt 42 passes in a game, the Seminoles are likely to dislike the outcome. FSU has improved significantly over the debacle that was 2024, but this season is now trending downwards, and they still have road trips to Clemson, NC State, and Florida on the schedule.

8. Receiving Votes – Texas Longhorns

Texas has national title expectations, but they do not appear capable of blocking any good defensive front, and they only got 11 carries for 15 yards from their running backs in a disappointing loss at Florida on Saturday. The defeat drops Texas to 3-2, and they have yet to impress against a team with a pulse. Quarterback Arch Manning is not elevating the offense in a meaningful way. Texas is now 3-7 against the combination of Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State under Steve Sarkisian, and they are now 9-15 in one-score games with the current head coach. The Longhorns are recruiting as well as anyone, at least on paper, but the preseason number one team in the country is flailing, and they now must take on the fierce defensive line of Oklahoma. What about Texas’ resume suggests it deserves to receive votes? They beat San Jose State, Sam Houston, and UTEP, hooray! The Longhorns still have games against OU, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, at Georgia, and Texas A&M, and appear closer to an 8-4 team than a 10-2 team.

Week 7: OU vs. Texas (-2.5) 

9. Receiving Votes – Penn State Nittany Lions

This was supposed to be the year. Much like Ohio State in 2024, Penn State paid a whole lot of NIL money to convince NFL Draft-eligible players to return for another season in State College. The Nittany Lions then bolstered the receiver room via the transfer portal and subsequently paid a significant amount to poach defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Columbus. Penn State is only five games into the season, and all of those hopes have come crumbling down. They have gone from having title hopes to wondering if they have a head coach capable of leading the program. Penn State lost to Oregon in a game they were fortunate to get to overtime, and then they went on the road and gave up 42 points in a dreadful defeat to previously winless UCLA. The Bruins ran the ball for 280 yards and 5.4 yards per rush as they jumped out to a big lead and held on for dear life down the stretch. PSU was a 26-point favorite against 0-4 UCLA, but the Nittany Lions are now 3-2 and 0-2 in the Big Ten, and the path to the College Football Playoff appears very nearly closed off entirely. Look at Penn State’s wins thus far: Nevada, Florida International, and Villanova. They then surrendered 30 points to Oregon and were thoroughly outplayed at home, and gave up 42 points to UCLA. That’s not a team that deserves to get votes, regardless of how much talent they have on paper.

Week 7: Northwestern at Penn State (-22.5)

10. Receiving Votes – Louisville Cardinals 

The Louisville Cardinals are now 4-1 after Jeff Brohm’s squad lost at home to the Virginia Cavaliers. Credit to Tony Elliott’s squad, but that’s a rough home defeat for Louisville, and their previous form doesn’t inspire much confidence. Louisville’s ground game was expected to be dominant, but Isaac Brown has been limited due to injuries, and Duke Watson has been invisible. The blame likely lies with the offensive line, and there does not appear to be a fix on the roster. The defense is solid, but this team needs an explosive offense, and that has not materialized consistently, spoiling a potentially special season given the easy schedule. Miami on a Friday night is next after a bye week.

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