College football season is approaching. Before the season starts, gamblers need to get their futures bets in for the year. Here are bets to place before the 2025 college football season.
Last season, California won six regular-season games with a freshman at quarterback. They found a star in Jaron-Keawe Sagaplute, who passed for 3,454 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 64.2 percent completion. He is back and several pass catchers were added in the portal to help him take a step forward. Only two starters return on defense, but head coach Tosh Lupoi should be able to get more out of a unit that does have guys returning from injury.
The schedule is decently manageable this season. They will have key games vs. Clemson, at SMU, at NC State and at Virginia. Cal defeated three bowl-eligible teams last season and might have to win a similar number to hit the over this season. The Golden Bears avoid conference frontrunners in Miami and Louisville, allowing them to take a step forward this year.
Boise State won nine games last season, including the Mountain West Championship Game. They are joining the new Pac-12 and are favored to win the league. They have 12 starters returning from last year, including quarterback Maddux Madsen. With three offensive linemen in front of him and some star running backs, Boise State should be able to move the ball. They have some stars on defense, including edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan, who can create pressure. The Broncos should improve defensively.
Boise can be the highest-ranked group of six team by the end of the year to qualify for the CFP. They will have a tough game at Oregon, as well as a tricky game against Memphis in the nonconference schedule. Even if they drop the game to Oregon, they could win out and make the CFP. They are favored to win the Pac-12 and get San Diego State, another favorite to compete in the conference, at home. Will they make the CFP? Time will tell. But the odds are too good to pass up given the situation.
Oklahoma won 10 games last season and made the CFP. Although they lost to Alabama, there is a lot to be optimistic about this season. Quarterback John Mateer returns after passing for 2,886 and rushing for 431 yards. He hurt his thumb last season and missed some time, so there is hope that he can be even better this season. The Sooners have 10 other starters returning on the team, including his top target Isaiah Sategna. The running game has plenty of room to grow, but Mateer helps with his legs. Defensively, Oklahoma ranked seventh in the country last season and has plenty of talent back. They will likely have NFL Draft picks at every level of the defense.
The schedule does feature a tough road game at Michigan, but the Sooners’ defense should be able to lead them to victory. In conference, they have tough games in these contests: at Georgia, vs. Texas (Dallas), at Florida, vs. Ole Miss, vs. Texas A&M and at Missouri. If they can go undefeated in the nonconference, they should be able to win games against Kentucky, Mississippi State and South Carolina, putting them at six wins. That means they just have to win two of the games from the earlier list of tough teams. The schedule is tough, but getting to eight wins is very achievable.
Delaware jumped up to the FBS last season and got things off to a hot start with seven wins, including one in the 68 Ventures Bowl. They have 12 starters returning and bring in some transfers to help the cause. Quarterback Nick Minicucci passed for 3,683 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season, his first as a starter. He has six other starters back on offense, including running back Jo Silver and star receiver Sean Wilson who had 68 catches last season. Defensively, they have five starters back, with linebacker Gavin Moul and safety KT Seay leading the way to a unit that should be improved.
Two losses will likely come in the nonconference schedule, as Delaware plays both Vanderbilt and Virginia. If they win their other nonconference games (vs. Merrimack and vs. Coastal Carolina), they just have to notch five C-USA wins, which would be one more than last season. With a conference that has teams struggling to retain players, Delaware brought back more than most. Improvement in the second season of FBS football isn’t out of the question and they could even compete for the C-USA Championship if things break their way.
Clemson had a disappointing 7-5 season as it seems they are sliding down from the peak they once reached. They have just eight total starters returning and haven’t been able to supplement their roster with the transfer portal as much as other programs. Some of the offensive line and weapons are back, but they have a new starting quarterback in Christopher Vizzina. On top of that, they struggled to run the ball last season and that may not be rectified this season. Defensively, they lost plenty of talent to the NFL. They still have talent, including edge rusher Will Heldt, linebacker Sammy Brown and cornerback Ashton Hampton, but it is hard to see them taking a step forward with how much was lost.
The schedule will be similar to last season in many ways. Clemson opens up the season with LSU, a team projected to compete for the CFP. If they lose that and their rivalry matchup against South Carolina, things will be very tough. Even if they split those, they have tough games in conference against Miami, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Duke. Dabo Swinney could get the program to bounce back, but getting to eight wins would take a lot of work.
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