- Florida State wants to show issues round shortly: After a disastrous 2-10 file in 2024, head coach Mike Norvell will look to proper the ship in Tallahassee in 2025.
- Is this Auburn‘s 12 months? Can the Tigers flip the web page on 4 straight dropping seasons and emerge as a College Football Playoff contender?
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The highest stage of faculty soccer, the Power Four, might be described finest as a stress cooker. In a multi-billion-dollar trade, there are immense expectations to carry out on the sector and generate income.
For one cause or one other, the next 5 groups have fallen in need of expectations just lately regardless of being a few of the most storied packages within the sport.
Florida State Seminoles
A 2-10 file is a nightmarish season for any faculty. For one with a wealthy historical past like Florida State, it’s unacceptable. It was the Seminoles’ worst file in half a century, earlier than the legendary Bobby Bowden even took over as head coach.
The Seminoles fielded the nation’s seventh-worst offense by EPA per play and ranked simply 111th defensively within the metric. Head coach Mike Norvell was in a position to survive 2024 due to Florida State’s 13-1 file in 2023, however he wants to show issues round shortly in Tallahassee. He has two new coordinators in Gus Malzahn (offense) and Tony White (protection), together with a brand new quarterback in Boston College switch Thomas Castellanos, who hasn’t been shy about discussing how good he thinks the Seminoles shall be this season.
Thomas Castellanos’ Career PFF Grades
Florida Gators
Despite getting into the season on the recent seat and going through some of the brutal schedules within the nation, Billy Napier loved his finest 12 months with Florida, going 8-5 and securing the college’s first bowl recreation victory since 2019. Expectations stay the identical heading into 2025, due to a possible celebrity at quarterback in sophomore DJ Lagway and an excellent supporting solid round him.
If Lagway can polish his footwork, the Gators ought to be capable of rating on anyone. The greatest query is whether or not a now-experienced secondary can enhance after final season’s struggles. Napier shall be counted on to provide the same file to final 12 months’s, if not take a step ahead.
Auburn Tigers
Following a 5-7 file in 2024, Hugh Freeze is now 11-14 throughout two seasons as Auburn’s head coach. That’s an equivalent file to Bryan Harsin’s in his two years earlier than he was fired and Freeze changed him.
The Tigers have suffered via 4 consecutive dropping seasons for the primary time since 1947-1950. While which will make the long run appear bleak, there are nonetheless excessive expectations for Auburn heading into 2025. The Tigers did an excellent job within the switch portal and have signed a top-10 recruiting class in every of the previous two years.
Not solely ought to Auburn have a successful season for the primary time since 2020, however the crew, if it reaches its ceiling, can also be a darkish horse to crash the College Football Playoff.
Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma took a serious step ahead in Year 2 below Brent Venables, ending with a 10-3 file in 2023, however got here crashing again right down to earth this previous season. The Sooners went 6-7 general, their second time doing so in three years with Venables main this system. They hadn’t endured a dropping marketing campaign in your entire twenty first century earlier than he took over.
A really lackluster offense that was hampered by accidents was the most important wrongdoer, as Oklahoma had the bottom PFF offensive grade within the Power Four final season (60.2). The Sooners’ protection is what in the end bought this system bowl-eligible, putting twelfth in faculty soccer with a 91.4 PFF grade as a unit. Oklahoma’s protection stays sturdy getting into 2025, and the crew will search for transfers, similar to quarterback John Mateer and working again Jaydn Ott, to jump-start the offense, although there are nonetheless severe issues on that aspect of the ball.
Jaydn Ott’s Career PFF Grades
USC Trojans
Lincoln Riley’s USC groups have gotten worse in annually of his head-coaching tenure. The Trojans began scorching in Riley’s first season in 2022 with an 11-3 file and a Heisman Trophy winner in Caleb Williams. Even with Williams again in 2023, USC completed simply 8-5 earlier than going 7-6 this previous season as a member of the Big Ten.
Riley’s usually elite offense appeared a bit stale in 2024, putting simply thirty first in EPA per play. That was the primary time a Riley-coached offense was outdoors of the highest 15 within the metric since he grew to become Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator in 2015. He’ll want to show issues round shortly in Los Angeles. Otherwise, there may very well be some rumblings about whether or not the Trojans have to discover a new chief.