By Jack Stewart
The second year of the twelve-team college football playoffs is upon us, and if last year proved anything, it’s the importance of conference champions. The current system gives automatic bids to the Power Four conference championships, adding extra emphasis to both conference matchups and the conference championship game. With the current college football season coming into full swing, here are my predictions for this year’s conference champions.
ACC – Clemson
It’s no secret that Clemson has dominated the ACC in recent memory. The Tigers have been crowned conference champions nine times since 2010, including six titles in a row from 2016 through 2020. Despite a shaky start to the season, it’s going to seemingly be another great year for Dabo Swinney’s squad. The Clemson offense is led by senior quarterback Cade Klubnik, who is looking to build off of his impressive 2024 campaign. As a junior, Klubnik finished 10th in passing yards and 3rd in passing touchdowns, with a significant increase in production from his sophomore year. His time at Clemson has shown a steady progression, with 2025 shaping up as the year where he takes that final leap to being a top-tier quarterback. On the defensive side of the ball, the Tiger front seven is anchored by T.J. Parker and Peter Woods and the secondary by Avieon Terrell. Parker and Terrell were both named Second Team All-ACC in 2024, and a return to greatness is expected from both of them this year. That being said, this year’s ACC is looking to be one of the most competitive iterations in recent history. Teams like Miami, Florida State, and Georgia Tech should all also compete for a conference title this year, and it’s extremely likely that at least one of those three will make the college football playoff alongside Clemson. What gives the Tigers the edge, however, is simply their star players. They have a lot of talent on both sides of the football, and it’s those players who give Clemson that edge to be my ACC conference champions.
Big 10 – Penn State
Penn State has been arguably the most divisive college football program in the last ten years. While they’re always seemingly at the top of the college football world, they can never quite get over the hump. The Nittany Lions have been coached by James Franklin since 2014, and his time in Happy Valley has been extremely disappointing. In his 11 seasons at Penn State, Franklin is 1-18 against top 10 ranked teams, and his reputation as a choker is stronger than ever. Despite all of that, 2024 showed genuine promise for Penn State. The Nittany Lions secured two playoff wins before narrowly losing to Notre Dame in the semi-finals. With that playoff experience under their belt, Penn State looks to come back stronger this year and make a genuine case for the Big 10 championship. For 2025, Coach Franklin is returning fourteen of his starters, including quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton. This Penn State offense is looking to be extremely competitive in 2025, and it may finally be the squad to get the job done. The biggest thing standing in Penn State’s way, however, is clear, and it’s been the same thing for the last 30 years. The Ohio State Buckeyes are by far the biggest roadblock for Penn State, defeating them in 20 of the last 25 matchups. The Nittany Lions can seemingly never get it done against the Buckeyes, and defeating them will be Penn State’s biggest challenge this season. Even with the Buckeye’s historic dominance and Franklin’s inability to win when it matters, something about this year’s Penn State team feels different than before, and the signs are pointing to 2025 finally being the year for the Nittany Lions.
Big 12 – Kansas
One of the biggest impacts of conference realignment has been the power vacuum formed in the Big 12. Three schools—Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma—have historically dominated the conference, but with their departures to the SEC, the winner of the Big 12 has become a lot more unpredictable. A powerhouse has yet to emerge from the Big 12, and the winner of the conference seems to be up in the air year to year. While this team is my biggest dark horse champion pick, I truly believe that Kansas will emerge on top of the Big 12 by the end of 2025. Kansas is a basketball school through and through, never quite breaking into football the same way, yet 2025 looks to be the year where they finally take that next step. While unproven, this Kansas offense has an extremely high ceiling, especially senior quarterback Jalon Daniels. Coach Lance Leipold has transformed a historically bad Kansas football program into a decently strong one, and he’ll likely improve again in 2025. Despite a recent loss to rivals Missouri, Kansas still looks to stay competitive in the Big 12, especially in a year without a clear favorite. Utah, Texas Tech, and Iowa State have all looked solid at this point into the season, but no school has become a clear favorite for the conference. The Big 12 is easily the most unpredictable power conference, and it feels like almost any team could win the conference this year. Amidst all the chaos, it’s looking like it may finally be the year for Kansas to secure their first Big 12 championship.
SEC – LSU
The SEC is by far the greatest conference in college football, filled with historic programs throughout the conference. It feels like any given year that 10 or more SEC teams can go and compete for a national championship, with talent stacked top to bottom of nearly every single squad. The competitive nature of SEC football punishes teams and rewards longevity more than anything else in college football, and it’s the ultimate proving ground for the nation’s best teams. While there are probably close to seven or eight teams in contention for the SEC championship this year, my pick is ultimately LSU. The Tigers started off the season strong with a statement win over Clemson, and they’ve become one of the most intimidating opponents in college football. At the helm is Garret Nussmeier, who is arguably the best quarterback in college football and my prediction for this year’s Heisman. Nussmeier enters this year coming off of a 4000-yard 2024 campaign, and he will seemingly get even better in 2025. The defensive side of the ball features an elite secondary, which should give opposing wide receivers trouble throughout the entire season. More than anything else, the narrative feels set for Nussmeier and the rest of the LSU squad. Historic powerhouses like Alabama and Georgia look to be having a down year, and a shaky start from Texas quarterback Arch Manning negates the confidence many had in that Longhorn team. More than any other squad in the SEC, LSU looks the most composed, and it looks like 2025 will finally be the Tigers’ return to glory