5 college football teams that will have breakout season in 2025 ft. Florida Gators
NIL, the transfer portal portal and the CFP have changed the college football landscape, and it feels like teams can have a breakout season with a little more ease than before. That makes for a college football world as wide open as it has ever been.
While there have been surprise teams before, this year there were several teams who not only enjoyed a breakout seasons, but also made the CFP. The Indiana Hoosiers, Arizona State Sun devils and SMU Mustangs weren’t expected to be in the mix for their conference title, much less make the College Football Playoff.
Here are five schools that could follow the same model and make a run at the CFP.
5 schools that will have breakout season
#1. Florida Gators
The Florida Gators finished the 2024 season strong. After a slow start in which fans were clamoring for the school to fire Billy Napier, Florida closed the season with a four-game winning streak, including victories over then-ranked LSU and Ole Miss, and a Gasparilla Bowl win over undermanned Tulane.
DJ Lagway is a strong dual threat quarterback and he will be flanked by running backs Jadan Baugh and Ja’Kobi Jackson. Both averaged over five yards last season, so the backfield will make life difficult for opposing defenses on what could be a breakout season in Gainesville.
#2. Illinois Fighting Illini
Bret Bielema’s squad already showed vast improvement in 2024, going from five wins in 2023 to 10 last season, including a Citrus Bowl victory over South Carolina. The Illinois Fighting Illini will bring back most of their core for next season.
Luke Altmyer is coming back under center after a breakout season in which he passed for 2,717 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. Other top players like offensive tackle JC Davis, defensive back Xavier Scott and edge Gabe Jacas are all going back for one more year. The Illini are returning most of their starters making them dangerous.
#3. Auburn Tigers
After a disappointing season, the Auburn Tigers were quick to address their holes in their roster. They got a handful of 4-star transfers including wide receivers Eric Singleton Jr. and Horatio Fields, quarterback Jackson Arnold and offensive tackles Xavier Chaplin and Mason Murphy.
The Tigers will look vastly different in 2025 and have enough talent on offense to compete. While it may take some time for all payers to gell together, the Tigers should be much more competitive.
#4. Kansas State Wildcats
No conference was as wide open as the Big 12 last season. In the end, a four way tie opened the door for Arizona State and Iowa State to play in the Championship Game. The Kansas State Wildcats fell a game short but has one of the most talented rosters in the conference.
Dylan Edwards and Avery Johnson will lead the Wildcats potent offense. On defense, they got some players through the transfer portal including former Ohio State linebacker Gabe Powers and former Arizona safety Gunner Maldonado. If the defense works better they could contend for the conference title.
#5. South Carolina Gamecocks
Sure, the South Carolina Gamecocks already put the college football world on notice after a strong finish in 2024, winning their last six regular season games. Shane Beamer’s squad could have a breakout season in the sense that they could be in play for the national championship this season.
LaNorris Sellers is a Heisman candidate, and the South Carolina offense has playmakers all along. On defense, the Gamecocks should be solid again. They have road games at Missouri, LSU, Ole Miss and a Texas A&M, but if they can at least manage split, the Gamecocks could get a CFP berth.