Joel Klatt’s Post-Spring Top 25: Updated College Football Rankings

We've come across a new rankings time for college football. There used to be the pre-season rankings, post-season rankings, and the always loveable "way too early" rankings that would be pressed out the second the national championship game ended.

Now the post-spring rankings have taken off as the world continues to need numbers next to a team's name to know how good they are, certainly not by trusting what they see personally.

With that in mind, Joel Klatt of Fox Sports released his post-spring top 25 on Monday, and has Notre Dame in a spot that would seem to make it well-within national championship contending range yet again. Below are Klatt's rankings along with a thought on each grouping from me.

Joel Klatt's Post-Spring College Football Top 25:

Teams 25-21:

25. Oklahoma
24. Baylor
23. Iowa
22. Auburn
21. Indiana

Oklahoma and Auburn both look to rebound after disappointing years while Indiana looks to double up last season's magic. I can see one of Oklahoma or Auburn bouncing back and making noise in the SEC but based off where both are coming from, expecting both to contend for eight regular season wins (what a ranking would require) feels like a bit of a reach.

Teams 20-16:

20. Ole Miss
19. Texas A&M
18. Miami (FL)
17. Iowa State
16. Kansas State

Is a bit lower expectations what Lane Kiffin actually needs to get over the hump at Ole Miss and is this the year Mario Cristobal can finally put it all together and bring "The U" back? Carson Beck is a veteran but ishe really enough?

Teams 15-11:

15. Arizona State
14. BYU
13. Florida
12. Michigan
11. South Carolina

Just how close does Klatt see the Big 12 this year? Four of his five ranked conference teams take up the 14-17 spots with Baylor just cracking the top 25. Another competitive year coming for the conference but one that doesn't seem to have a true championship contender.

Teams 10-6:

10. Illinois
9. Alabama
8. Georgia
7. LSU
6. Notre Dame

Is Illinois the Indiana of 2024? Notre Dame getting the edge over three SEC powerhouses speaks to the national respect last season's title game run meant for Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish. Of those closely leveled SEC teams though I'm not sure I'm putting my trust behind the Brian Kelly backed team before Kirby Smart or Kalen DeBoer's, though.

Teams 5-1:

5. Clemson
4. Oregon
3. Ohio State
2. Texas
1. Penn State

Don't get me wrong, Penn State will be loaded but national championship level loaded after losing both tight end Tyler Warren and all-world edge Abdul Carter? I'm sold on Penn State as a playoff caliber team but considering quarterback Drew Allar couldn't complete a single pass to a wide receiver in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame, I certainly have reservations. Texas, Ohio State, and Oregon will all be loaded with talent again but of the five I actually find myself feeling the best about Clemson headed to 2025 currently.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Take:

The numbers are fun to see next to each team's name but just fast-forward and think about how when the actual preseason rankings come out, we'll quickly all say how they don't mean anything. These somehow mean even less.

I don't like to make any grand takeaways from such things but if you're wondering if Notre Dame has realistic national championship chances in 2025, consider the fact Klatt has Penn State ranked atop the list despite the Irish not only beating the Nittany Lions but also not losing as much top-end talent to the draft.