The 2025 college football season is already shaping up to be wild—maybe the most unpredictable in years. Top-ranked teams keep falling, and schools that used to sit in the middle of the pack are suddenly making noise.
There’s a real sense that the sport is shifting. Revenue sharing and the transfer portal have started to level things out, making the whole landscape a lot more interesting.
Revenue Sharing and the Transfer Portal: Game Changers in College Football
Revenue sharing and the transfer portal didn’t just tweak the system—they basically flipped it. Schools pay players now, and athletes can transfer as many times as they want.
That’s led to a much more even spread of talent. Suddenly, you don’t have to be a blue blood to land a star.
The Impact of Revenue Sharing
With more money in the mix, programs that used to lag behind can finally offer real incentives. That’s helped them attract recruits who might have gone elsewhere before.
The old powerhouses don’t have a stranglehold on talent anymore. Now, teams that used to be stuck in the middle are bringing in top-tier players.
The Role of the Transfer Portal
The transfer portal gives players the freedom to chase playing time and exposure. If you’re buried on a depth chart, you don’t have to stay there.
Take Damon Wilson, for example. He left Georgia for Missouri, and now Missouri looks like a real threat.
Advanced Analytics: A Closer Look at Parity
Advanced metrics like ESPN’s SP+ ratings dig deeper into how this parity actually plays out. These ratings measure team efficiency and predict success over a season.
You get a much clearer view of which teams are closing the gap and how quickly things are changing.
Comparing SP+ Ratings Over the Years
Stack up the SP+ ratings from 2017 to 2025, and the gap between the best and the rest has shrunk. In 2017, the difference between No. 1 and No. 25 was 17.6 points.
By 2025, that gap is way smaller. The middle tier is catching up, and the games are getting closer.
For example, in 2025, the gap between No. 2 and No. 25 is just 9.5 points, compared to 16.4 in 2017. That’s a huge shift, and it means you can’t just pencil in the same teams every week.
Recruiting and Talent Distribution
Five-star recruits aren’t all flocking to the same handful of schools anymore. The 247Sports Composite rankings show that more programs are landing top talent than ever before.
You can thank revenue sharing and the transfer portal for that, too.
Five-Star Recruit Distribution
Look at the 2026 recruiting class: 19 five-star recruits are spread out across a bunch of programs. Back in 2018, only 10 teams landed a five-star.
This wider distribution means more teams have a shot at the top.
Team Talent Composite
The 247Sports Team Talent Composite rates rosters based on recruit rankings. In 2025, 22 teams have rosters with 800-plus points.
Compare that to just 16 teams in 2017, and it’s clear: more teams are building championship-caliber rosters.
The SEC: A Microcosm of Parity
The SEC is basically a snapshot of what’s happening in college football as a whole. It used to be all about a couple of dominant programs.
Now, there’s a deeper pool of teams that can actually compete week in and week out.
SEC Scoring Margins
Through Week 7 of 2025, SEC games have an average scoring margin of just 10.7 points. That’s the second-lowest this century.
It shows how tight things are—anyone can win on any given Saturday.
Depth of Talent in the SEC
Teams like Ole Miss and LSU used to be good, but not great. Now, with more resources and transfer portal pickups, they’re right in the mix.
The league feels more balanced, and you see it in the number of SEC teams cracking the top 20 in SP+ rankings.
The Future of College Football
With so many teams now able to compete at a high level, the sport just feels more exciting. Games are closer, upsets are everywhere, and honestly, it’s way more fun to watch.
Implications for the Playoff System
The 12-team playoff, which started last season, really highlights this new era. None of the top four seeds made the semifinals.
The title game? No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 8 Ohio State. Lower seeds going deep just adds to the madness—and the fun—of the postseason.
Challenges for Top Programs
Top programs like Ohio State and Alabama are staring down some real challenges as the landscape gets more competitive. They can’t just hoard talent anymore, since players are chasing playing time and fresh opportunities somewhere else.
These programs will need to adjust and figure out new ways to stay on top. Nobody said dominance was easy, right?
The 2025 college football season really shows how much the sport keeps changing. With more parity thanks to revenue sharing and the transfer portal, fans should get a wilder, more unpredictable ride every week.
If you want to dig into the numbers and trends behind all this, the full article on CBS Sports has you covered.
- Schools Covered
- College Football Articles
- Men's College Basketball Articles
- Men's College Soccer Articles
- Women's College Basketball Articles
- Olympic Athlete Articles
- Men's College Baseball Articles
- College Sports Media Professionals Articles
- Hall of Fame Member Articles
- Former College Player Articles
- Game Previews
