Texas QB Arch Manning and LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier are the early favorites to take home the 2025 Heisman Trophy.

Smith and Manning are among the rising superstars who not only helped their teams get to the 2024 postseason but also figure to define the race to the 2025 national championship. They will be household names next fall as two of the biggest figures in the entire sport.

The longest college football season is in the books, but it is not too soon to look ahead. Arch Manning will start, Bill Belichick will coach and Jeremiah Smith will continue to dominate.

The Texas Longhorns are heading into a new chapter under quarterback Arch Manning, after back-to-back trips to the College Football Playoff. Texas had a successful 2024 college football season, finishing the year with a 13-3 record and a 7-1 mark in SEC play.

Notre Dame asked Riley Leonard to carry the rock against Ohio State. Texas fans want to know why Steve Sarkisian didn't do the same with Arch Manning.

But Manning has done everything his way through his recruitment and since he got to Texas. And now, finally, with Ewers announcing for the NFL Draft on Wednesday, the keys are in Manning’s hands to run the Longhorns’ offense. He’s being handed a Lamborghini and Manning should make it purr.

This year, Boise State was the non-power representative for the College Football Playoff. Next year, it will be Tulane, but it will be a very different situation than the Broncos'. Boise State got a bye and was actually ranked inside the top-12. That won't be the case next season.

After making it to the CFP semifinals, Texas saw its season come to an end at the hands of Ohio State. A few days later, quarterback Quinn Ewers declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, handing the keys to the offense over to Manning.

The Ohio State Buckeyes bounced back from what seemed like a catastrophic loss to the Michigan Wolverines to go on a four-game push through the first 12-team College Football Playoff and win the national championship. Now that the confetti has been cleaned up, here is Sports Illustrated ’s way-too-early Top 25 rankings for the 2025 season.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning (16) runs against Ohio State during the first half of the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. Credit: AP/Gareth Patterson Ewers' departure sets the stage for ...

According to several national media networks, Texas will enter the upcoming season as one of the top two teams in the country. Here's where a few publications rank Texas in their way-too-early Top 25 ahead of 2025. The Athletic: No. 2