2025 SID Sports Week 14 Top 25

Ranking the top programs after Week 13's action

Nov 24, 2025

Yeah, there predictably wasn’t much shaken up last week. Well, outside the ACC (Coastal Chaos is eternal!) at least.

Still, heading into Rivalry Week and the end of the regular season, it’s time to take one last look at college football as a whole and stack up the 25 best teams right now. And, since it’s almost the end of the season, let’s shine a light on one unheralded star on each team that is going to be the biggest factor in the postseason push.

Also, with this being Thanksgiving week and all that, we’re going to mix up the publishing schedule some. Tomorrow will still have our coaching update, with Cal now open. Wednesday will be Bracketology. Games of the Slot will come Friday, per usual. Now, you can talk playoff scenarios with your uncle and show off your knowledge. And point them to SID Sports so they too can upgrade their ball-knowing skills.

2025 Week 14 Top 25

Ohio State (11-0) LW: 1
Underrated Star: CB Davison Igbinosun. I come from an Ohio State fan family, so I’m familiar with the whole arc of Igbinosun’s career: talented freshman to penalty magnet to now lockdown corner. He hasn’t gotten any turnovers or interceptions quite yet, but he has a team-leading six passes defensed and can take a receiver out of the gameplan entirely.
Indiana (11-0) LW: 2
Underrated Star: S Amare Ferrell. The Indiana defense is great, but the attention goes to D’Angelo Ponds and Aiden Fisher and Mikail Kamara and Louis Moore. Time to keep an eye on Ferrell. The safety is playing great in the center field coverage role. He’s tied with Ponds with six passes defensed for the team lead, and second behind Moore with three picks. He’s not a big tackling presence, but Ferrell is a nightmare in coverage.
Texas A&M (11-0) LW: 3
Underrated Star: WR Ashton Bethel-Roman. The transfer additions of wideouts Mario Craver and K.C. Concepcion take a lot of the eyes, but Bethel-Roman has been the Aggies’ true big-play threat. He often lines up on the outside along with Concepcion, which should mean he’s more a possession guy. Not the case here. The freshman is averaging a whopping 24.5 yards per catch and his five scores are behind only Concepcion on the roster.
Georgia (10-1) LW: 4
Underrated Star: EDGE Quintavius Johnson. Yeah, Kirby’s got another. The sophomore is still a rotational piece, but he’s already shown a knack for making big-impact plays. He’s fourth on the team with 1.5 sacks and already forced a fumble. Expect him to get a bigger role moving forward.
Oregon (10-1) LW: 7
Underrated Star: RB Jordon Davison. Oregon’s focus will always be on their quarterback and defense. But the Ducks have a very good rushing attack. Davison is actually the number two back, but the big-bodied bowling ball is punishing defenses. His 13 rushing scores are tied for 11th in the nation. And he’s not even the lead back.
Texas Tech (10-1) LW: 5
Underrated Star: RB Cameron Dickey. You would think that a dude with nearly 1,000 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns and 5.6 yards per carry would get more attention, wouldn’t you? Dickey is still pretty unknown in the national zeitgeist, but he’s a major piece of the puzzle. Especially as the Red Raiders need Dickey to take some pressure off of quarterback Behren Morton to keep him healthy.
Ole Miss (10-1) LW: 6
Underrated Star: DT Will Echoles. Ole Miss isn’t known for their defensive prowess, but Echoles is a major problem for offensive coordinators everywhere. He’s one-half of a seriously disruptive interior rush, with 3.5 sacks and two passes batted down at the line
Oklahoma (9-2) LW: 8
Underrated Star: LB Kip Lewis. He’s one of the nation’s most impactful weak-side linebackers. Lewis shows up all over the statsheet. He’s leading the team with 68 tackles and has also added three sacks and two passes defensed. This kid can play at all levels on an elite Sooner defense.
Notre Dame (9-2) LW: 9
Underrated Star: S Adon Shuler. Most of what I’ve seen about Notre Dame is about the offense. Once again, the Irish secondary is among the nation’s best with Shuler leading the way. The safety is second on the team with 50 tackles and has been elite in coverage with five passes defensed and two picks. Oh, and he notched a sack.
Alabama (9-2) LW: 10
Underrated Star: TE Josh Cuevas. Whenever the Tide offense gets in trouble, it seems like Cuevas is the one that bails them out. He’s a solid blocker, but it’s his receiving skills that land him here. 341 yards and four scores are very solid numbers for an in-line tight end.
BYU (10-1) LW: 11
Underrated Star: WR Chase Roberts. This dude is legitimately explosive. He leads the team with 713 yards and his 16.2 yards per catch are the best on the team by far among players with at least five receptions. If you’re looking to see Bear Bachmeier’s safety net, it’s Roberts. Although safety net might be selling him short.
Vanderbilt (9-2) LW: 12
Underrated Star: S C.J. Heard. Yes, I’ve decried the state of the Vanderbilt secondary on this newsletter. But Heard is very good. He’s primarily a box guy in a hybrid safety/linebacker role and he’s thriving. Heard is second on the team with 57 tackles and has two sacks. He doesn’t neglect coverage either, with three passes defensed and a pick.
Miami (9-2) LW: 15
Underrated Star: EDGE Ahkeem Mesidor. Rueben Bain Jr. deserves his flowes, but how is Mesidor so underrated? Bain has three sacks, Mesidor has a team-high seven. Bain has 32 tackles, Mesidor 44. Yes, Bain has more turnover production, but Mesidor is an elite talent in his own right.
Virginia (9-2) LW: 17
Underrated Star: RB J’Mari Taylor. Chandler Morris is the engine for this offense, but it doesn’t run this smoothly without Taylor’s play. The senior has 917 yards, 4.9 yards per carry and 13 scores on the ground. He’s also a factor in the passing game, with 35 receptions for 185 yards.
Utah (9-2) LW: 16
Underrated Star: ATH Byrd Ficklin. Byrd is definitely the word in Salt Lake City. Ficklin is all over the offense as a gadget quarterback who’s completing two thirds of his attempts and has tossed three touchdowns. He’s also third on the team with 496 rushing yards and 10 scores.
Michigan (9-2) LW: 18
Underrated Star: LB Jaishawn Barham. Defense is the ticket to success in Ann Arbor and Barham is the unheralded guy here. He’s an all over the field guy with four sacks and four passes defensed. Not to mention a forced fumble.
Pittsburgh (8-3) LW: Next Five Out
Underrated Star: LB Rasheem Biles. The linebacking duo of Biles and Kyle Louis may be the nation’s best. And Biles is outplaying Louis. The junior has a team-high 76 tackles alongside 2.5 sacks, three passes defensed, two picks - both of which went for six - and a forced fumble. He’s a big reason as to why Pitt is somehow, someway, alive.
Georgia Tech (9-2) LW: 12
Underrated Star: G Keylan Rutledge. Time to show the big boys some love up front. Rutledge has been a massive part of this Georgia Tech offensive line that earned a semifinalist spot for the Joe Moore Award, annually given to the nation’s best offensive line unit. Rutledge is also one of five guards to be named to the midseason Lombardi watchlist.
James Madison (10-1) LW: 21
Underrated Star: S Jacob Thomas. JMU’s defense got gutted when Cignetti took the team and the floorboards with him to Indiana. That didn’t matter, as a new crop of stars have taken over, headlined by Thomas. The safety is all over hte place, with 56 tackles for third place on the team, two sacks, five passes defensed, two picks and a forced fumble.
Tulane (9-2) LW: 19
Underrated Star: DB Javion White. This year in New Orleans is all about the Green Wave offense. But the defense will have to step up in order to get Tulane through the American gauntlet and into the playoff. White is a big piece of that. He’s a big-play threat in the secondary with five passes defensed and three picks and a fumble recovery as the Green Wave’s top corner. He’s going to get called on a lot down the stretch.
USC (8-3) LW: 13
Underrated Star: RB King Miller. The passing game is always the focus in a Lincoln Riley offense, but Miller has put up solid numbers in a two-back system. He’s averaging 6.6 yards per pop with 749 total rushing yards and five scores. None of the Trojans backs are major receiving threats, but the threat of balance helped USC a ton.
Texas (8-3) LW: 20
Underrated Star: WR Ryan Wingo. This one’s a more obvious good player pick, but I didn’t expect Wingo to be the Longhorns’ top receiver as a sophomore. He had a solid freshman showing, so maybe that was me just overlooking him. But still, 736 yards, six scores and a 16.0 yards per catch average are nothing to sneeze at. He will remain Arch Manning’s top target heading into Hate Week.
North Texas (10-1) LW: 22
Underrated Star: RB Caleb Hawkins. So much has been written about how great the passing attack is behind Drew Mestemaker and how he’s the key to getting the Mean Green into the playoffs. Did you know North Texas also has a 1,000 yard rusher? Didn’t think so. Hawkins is putting up video game numbers through 11 games with 1,030 yards, a 6.1 yards per carry average, and a nation-leading 19 rushing scores. Oh, and that’s in the same offense that Mestemaker ranks first in the nation in passing yards in.
SMU (8-3) LW: 25
Underrated Star: S Ahmaad Moses. You’re going to be hard-pressed to find a safety with better stats than Moses. A team-leading 81 tackles. One sack. One pass defensed. A team-leading five interceptions, including one going back for six. Two fumble recoveries. Moses has his stamp on almost every defensive snap for the Mustangs.
Navy (8-2) LW: Next Five Out
Underrated Star: WR Eli Heidenreich. Heidenreich is really a hybrid running back/wideout in the snipe role of Drew Cronic’s offense that’s tearing up the nation. He’s got 396 yards, three touchdowns and a whopping 7.1 yards per carry on the ground. More impressively in this triple option attack, Heidenreich has 741 yards and four receiving scores with a 19.5 yard per catch average. He’s also Navy’s all-time leading receiver after last week’s win over South Florida.

The coaching carousel stops for nobody. To stay up to date on each job opening, take a look at our Coaching Shortlists!

Next Five Out: Tennessee, Arizona, UConn, Arizona State, San Diego State

Unfortunately for the Vols, not beating literally anyone of substance gets you out of the top 25. They can salvage the season with a win over Vandy, but I’m not counting on it. Arizona is one of the big surprises on the season, with the Wildcats one overtime loss to BYU away from playoff contention. Noah Fifita and the offense are back on track as Brent Brennan has orchestrated a complete 180 from last year’s disappointing results. UConn has arrived! Their regular season is complete at 9-3, which should earn the independent Huskies a solid bowl bid. UConn’s offense was great behind Joe Fagnano and Cam Edwards and the defense was good enough. Arizona State looked cooked when they lost Sam Leavitt for the season, but Jeff Sims of all people has made the Sun Devils respectable, rattling off three straight wins. Having Raleek Brown running the ball helps, but hats off to Sims. Finally, the San Diego State defense deserves to get its flowers. They’re limiting opponents to just 11.6 points per game, behind only Ohio State this year. These Aztecs are seriously good and could be a problem in the postseason.

2025 SID Sports Week 14 Top 25

Ranking the top programs after Week 13's action

2025 Week 14 Top 25

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