The 2025 college football season could be one for the record books in the Lone Star State. The Texas Longhorns could enter the season as the top-ranked team in America because of a star-studded defense and a quarterback named Manning. Texas Tech went all-in in the offseason and Baylor, TCU, and SMU return a proven winner at quarterback to lead their conference championship hopes. It isn’t an overstatement to say six of the seven Power Four teams in the Lone Star State enter 2025 with CFP aspirations. 

The G6 ranks are also full of hope. UTSA ended last year strong and should field one of the best offenses in the American. North Texas and Texas State also feel like a conference championship is a possibility. The state’s two new head coaches – Phil Longo at Sam Houston and Scott Abell at Rice – face uphill battles toward bowl eligibility but should be fun to watch on the offensive side of the ball. 

So, how do we sort through the contenders and the pretenders? Here is the 2025 Preseason Power Poll. 

1. TEXAS LONGHORNS 

The Texas defense might be the best in the nation with stars such as Anthony Hill Jr., Colin Simmons, and Michael Taaffe leading the herd. That should provide Arch Manning with cover as he goes through the inevitable ups and downs of a Year 1 starter. The Horns have reached the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff in consecutive seasons and sent more players to the NFL than any other team. Is the 2025 group the one to get over the hump and play for a national title? We think so. Four games away from home – Ohio State, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia – will determine if they get a chance at the CFP.    

2. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS 

The Red Raiders won the offseason. The next step is to play for a Big 12 championship and knock on the door to the CFP. Joey McGuire loaded up on star potential through the transfer portal, overhauling the offensive line, defensive line, and secondary ahead of a pivotal Year 4 in Lubbock. Behren Morton missed the spring again after shoulder surgery, but word out of West Texas is that he’s healthy. Two new coordinators are X-factors but both OC Mack Leftwich and DC Shiel Wood are up for the challenge. Road games against Arizona State, Kansas State, and Utah loom large. 

3. TEXAS A&M AGGIES 

Personal expectations for the Aggies in Year 2 Mike Elko's tenure rest heavily on an individual’s perception of quarterback Marcel Reed. If you believe he’s an above-average quarterback in the SEC, Texas A&M could be a dark horse candidate to crash the conference championship party and punch a ticket to the CFP. Reed’s supporting cast includes star running back Le'Veon Moss, an improved arsenal at wide receiver, and all seven of the team’s best offensive linemen. If the defense improves, watch out. However, if Reed isn’t The Guy, A&M is suddenly a team with expectations to finish somewhere between 6-6 and 8-4 again. 

4. SMU MUSTANGS 

The good news is that quarterback Kevin Jennings returns to lead what should be another potent offense on the Hilltop. Tight end RJ Maryland returns from injury and will pair with Matthew Hibner to give the Ponies the top tight end duo in the ACC. Replacing Brashard Smith is the tallest task offensively, but the real question mark is on the defensive side of the ball. SMU lost most of its top players in the front six, including its top two linebackers and defensive end Elijah Roberts. The schedule includes Baylor and TCU in non-conference as well as Clemson, Miami, and Louisville in conference. 

5. BAYLOR BEARS 

The offense is loaded with the return of quarterback Sawyer Robertson, running back Bryson Washington, wide receiver Josh Cameron, and four starters along the offensive line. The defense took a step forward with Dave Aranda calling plays in 2024, but it needs to take another one for the Bears to contend for a Big 12 title. We won’t need to wait long to know if Baylor is a true contender this season thanks to a Week 1 game against Auburn and a Week 2 trip to SMU. Week 4 is a home game against Arizona State. Baylor could be 1-3 by the start of October or a Top 15 team in the country with a 4-0 start. 

6. TCU HORNED FROGS 

TCU feels like the forgotten team in the Big 12. Head coach Sonny Dykes believes this is his best roster in four years leading the Frogs, which says something because the 2022 squad played for a national title and sent a handful of players to the NFL. They won six of their last seven to end 2024 and the lone loss was by three points on the road against a hot Baylor squad. Quarterback Josh Hoover and an experienced offensive line headline the offense. Devin Deal, Bud Clark, and Namdi Obiazor lead the defense. The Horned Frogs face a tough schedule but possess a real shot at surprising the league and reaching Arlington. 

7. HOUSTON COUGARS 

Year 2 must feel a lot like Year 1 for head coach Willie Fritz because everything is new. He hired two new coordinators in the offseason, signed 30 transfers, and moved into a new facility. Texas A&M transfer quarterback Conner Weigman arrives in Third Ward and will be one of seven or eight new starters on the offensive side of the ball for a Cougars squad that scored the fewest points in the Power Four last season. The defense lost star cornerback Jeremiah Wilson and All-Big 12 safety A.J. Haulcy after spring ball. Still, Fritz is one of the best coaches in America and a bowl game is the baseline expectation. 

8. UTSA ROADRUNNERS 

Life in the G6 is tough and keeping a star quarterback is nearly impossible. Fortunately for the Roadrunners, head coach Jeff Traylor and quarterback Owen McCown’s family go back decades and that relationship helped keep their emerging star QB in San Antonio for another year. UTSA also brings back leading rusher Robert Henry, the best tight end room in the AAC, and wide receivers like David Amador II and Willie McCoy. The defense is the question mark. Improve on that side of the ball and UTSA is an AAC championship contender.

9. NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN 

Eric Morris was forced to replace his leading passer, rusher, and receiver for the second straight offseason but it was a different replacement – Skyler Cassity as new defensive coordinator – that will determine how high the Mean Green can fly in 2025. North Texas has sported one of the best offenses in the FBS in Morris’ first two seasons but an equally bad defense kept the program from competing in the AAC. Cassity hopes to hit the ground running by bringing over five potential starters with him from Sam Houston. A favorable schedule makes the Mean Green a dark horse in the AAC. 

10. TEXAS STATE BOBCATS 

The transfer portal wasn’t kind to the Bobcats. They lost four defensive linemen to Power Four programs. Running back Ish Maudi (Arizona), offensive tackle Alex Harkey (Oregon), wide receiver Kole Wilson (Baylor) also bolted for greener pastures. Graduation didn’t help, either, as the offense lost quarterback Jordan McCloud and wide receiver Joey Hobert. Texas State is also replacing offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich. The 2026 move to the Pac-12 is exciting, but the 2025 campaign could go in a lot of different directions. 

11. UTEP MINERS 

Scotty Walden enters Year 2 as the head coach in Sun City with a fascinating team. Former five-star quarterback prospect Malachi Nelson arrives after short stints at USC and Boise State, yet there is no official word on if he’ll even start. Defensively, UTEP hired a new coordinator and hit the portal after losing some young stars to bigger programs. Walden & Co. have signed the best recruiting class in CUSA for two straight years and Sam Houston proved last year that a large jump is possible in the conference. 

12. RICE OWLS 

The Owls will be fun to watch thanks to new head coach Scott Abell’s option attack that he brings from the FCS ranks. But will that turn into wins? Probably not right away. Rice isn’t the type of school that can overhaul its roster in one offseason and a specific type of player is required for Abell’s offense to run on all cylinders. The defense could be the early strength because of continuity. Former Galena Park North Shore state championship coach Jon Kay is now the defensive coordinator. 

13. SAM HOUSTON BEARKATS 

Phil Longo was hired to lead a Sam Houston program amid a huge transition. The Bearkats won’t play a single home game on campus in 2025 as Bowers Stadium receives an upgrade. Instead, they’ll bus 70 miles into Houston to play at Shell Energy Stadium. The road games include trips to Oregon State and Hawaii. Quarterback Hunter Watson is back to lead what should be an improved offense, but Sam Houston lost every major contributor on the defensive side of the ball and that’s hard to overcome.