How quaint... 136 teams to preview (2025 CFB preview thread)

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Akron

Preview segment: The Akron Zips

Last season: ...Well, it IS getting better at Akron, as they doubled their win total from last year (from 2 to 4). Baby steps, I suppose. And coach Joe Moorhead is still here? Maybe Akron can continue to get better!

Good news: QB Ben Finley actually did OK as the Zips' head man, and he's back. The defense is filled with new faces ready to help- Wait. My dark side's telling me something.

Bad news: ...Wait. Akron is ineligible for a bowl game because they fell below the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate? Ouch! Way to poke a hole in the balloon.

Key games:
9/6 @ Nebraska (On the positive side, the schedule is nicer than it was last year; this trip to Lincoln looks like the only "impossible" game for the Zips in 2025.)
9/27 @ Toledo (It's not impossible for Akron to win this game! But MAN is it gonna be hard; Toledo will remember the 21-14 OT upset Akron sprung on them last year.)
11/4 vs. UMass (November is filled with winnable games for Akron! They'll start off with the Minutemen...)
11/11 vs. Kent State (...and then they'll look to beat up Kent again before finishing with Bowling Green.)

Bottom line: You gotta give Joe Moorhead credit for staying and trying to give Akron a better future. But the bowl ban, and the two-deep being filled with freshmen, could equal a VERY rough year for the Zips in 2025.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Ohio

Preview segment: The Ohio Bobcats

Last season: At this time last year, we expected Ohio to struggle and get only 6 wins. And just look how they responded! They fielded both a offense AND a defense that ranked in the Top 10 of the FBS. And they got their first-ever 11-win season! Most importantly, they FINALLY got their first Mid-American Conference title since 1968! It was so awesome to see, and I was so happy for those guys!

2025 X-factor: New head coach Brian Smith (But sadly for the Bobcats, their renaissance man Tim Albin is now gone. He has left to be the new head coach at Charlotte [a move that personally baffles me]. So Ohio looked internally for their new head man: Brian Smith in his first head-coaching job. We'll see how this move goes.)

Good news: Here to help Brian Smith out is their star QB Parker Navarro, back for one more year in Athens. The O-line looks deep, and RB Sieh Bangura is back from a cup of coffee at Minnesota. Plus, you can't deny the culture that Ohio has built over the last 20 years.

Bad news: Ohio will be hard-pressed to replace Coleman Owen and Tre Tyus (who are both now in the NFL) on offense. And the defense got gutted in the portal, as the D-line has no starters coming back.

Key games:
8/28 @ Rutgers (The Bobcats and their new head coach will get tested right out of the gate; after this winnable opener in New Jersey, they'll host West Virginia and visit the defending national champions in Columbus.)
10/18 vs. Northern Illinois (A pretty important MAC game for both Ohio and NIU.)
11/4 vs. Miami-Ohio (These two rivals fought twice last season, with the Redhawks winning in Oxford and the Bobcats winning in the MAC title game. Time for the rubber match!)
11/28 @ Buffalo (This game could decide a spot in the 2025 MAC championship game.)

Bottom line: The departure of Tim Albin and some offensive stars will hurt the Bobcats, but for now they've earned the benefit of the doubt in the MAC. How fast the new coaching staff adapts will determine if Ohio will challenge for a repeat conference crown in 2025. Good thing Parker Navarro is still here.

 

[Justin Tyme]

I guess now there is a Group of 6. I don't see any way the Pac 12 can be called anything but a Group of 6 conference.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

I guess now there is a Group of 6. I don't see any way the Pac 12 can be called anything but a Group of 6 conference.

...Well, at least the PAC-12 will be back soon. I don't care what kind of capacity it is in; just having the PAC-12 around just... feels right to me.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Bowling Green

Preview segment: The Bowling Green Falcons

Last season: Don't let the 7-6 record fool you. 2024 was still a good year for the Bowling Green Falcons, as they came close to making the MAC title game and almost defeated strong teams like Texas A&M and Penn State. What a great job the coaching staff did over there.
But then, a shocker! Coach Scot Loeffler left to be the QB coach for your defending Super Bowl champions in Philadelphia. And the replacement BSU hired was... Eddie George?!

2025 X-factor: New head coach Eddie George (To be fair to Eddie, he was coaching at Tennessee State for the last 4 years. And he was doing OK over there [24-22 including a playoff appearance last year], so let's see how he adjusts to coaching in the big time... in his home state.)

Good news: The defense returns more experience than at first glance; watch for the secondary to be nasty. Special teams are looking good, and the O-line looks strong.

Bad news: Depth could be a problem at QB [there's nobody behind former Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne] and at RB.

Key games:
9/13 vs. Liberty (Bowling Green has another tough non-conference slate; Cincinnati and Louisville replaces Penn State and Texas A&M. Oh, and Liberty isn't really a slouch either.)
10/11 vs. Toledo (In the 90th edition of the "Battle of I-75", the Falcons will look to upset the Rockets for the 2nd year in a row.)
10/18 vs. Central Michigan (A swing game for Bowling Green's postseason chances.)
11/8 @ Eastern Michigan (See above game.)

Bottom line: This is a tough team to forecast. Scot Loeffler's shocking departure left the team scrambling, and they did make a splash by hiring Eddie George. But Eddie needs to show us if he can handle coaching at the FBS level. The Falcons could struggle to make a bowl in 2025, but they should be better than the dregs of the MAC.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Miami-Ohio

Preview segment: The Miami-Ohio Redhawks

Last season: Miami-Ohio continues to be a consistent threat in the MAC, as they recovered from a 1-4 start in 2024 to finish with a 9-5 mark and a Arizona Bowl trophy. And they made the MAC title game again! ...Trouble is, they lost that game 38-3 to a hated rival.
I guess that will be the goal for the Redhawks in 2025: To finally get over the hump and get their first league title since 2019.

Bad news: There are QUITE a lot of new faces on this team, as the offense has NO starters returning from last year. This means an all-new offensive line, which could spell trouble. The D-line also took a hit thanks to graduation.

Good news: Luckily, one of the new guys on offense is QB Dequan Finn (who was at Baylor last year but got sidelined by injury.). His freaky abilities should help the Redhawks out immensely. On defense, watch for an experienced secondary to kick some @$$.

Key games:
9/20 vs. UNLV (After starting with road games at Wisconsin and Rutgers, Miami-Ohio will have a bye week to prep for their home opener. And, oh dear, it's against a strong program in UNLV.)
10/4 @ Northern Illinois (Can the new Redhawk offense break a hard NIU defense here?)
11/4 @ Ohio (The month of November will be a hard one for Miami-Ohio. First, they'll visit the bitter rivals who humiliated them last year in the MAC title game.)
11/12 vs. Toledo (Then, they'll host the preseason MAC favorites...)
11/19 @ Buffalo (...before they visit the other favorites in the conference.)

Bottom line: Don't count out coach Chuck Martin; he has built a consistent winner in Oxford, Ohio. And by snagging Dequan Finn away from Baylor, Miami-Ohio will still have a chance to win the league. But all of the new players have BETTER step up, especially that new O-line that we have here.