The first full weekend of November is here, as a good coach once told me, “Win stands for Win In November.” The stakes are getting higher as the end of the regular season nears. Here’s what you need to watch for in the season’s final month.
Rankings, Rankings and more rankings
We just had our first edition of 2025’s College Football Playoff rankings. There were some surprises and maybe, depending on who you root for, some omissions. However, we have three more regular-season rankings after games played in November. This is only the start of rankings-watching fun on Tuesday nights.
FIRST CFP TOP 25: Ohio State, Indiana top the first College Football Playoff rankings
Who will be the fifth conference champion?
The first CFP rankings added a new element to it — what happens if there aren’t teams from five conferences ranked? We were told the committee ranks teams until they reach a fifth conference, and in the first rankings, that team was Memphis out of the American.
Memphis is 5-1 in American play. The conference has six total one-loss teams in it. There could be chaos there.
That chaos may leave room for a team from another conference to earn an auto-bid to the CFP. James Madison out of the Sun Belt or San Diego State out of the Mountain West
While everyone’s focused on the top of the playoff picture, the race at the bottom could be just as exciting.
LOOKING AHEAD: 2025-26 College Football Playoff schedule, dates, TV channel, sites
Does anyone pull away in the Heisman race?
Who’s your pick to win the 2025 Heisman trophy? If you ask five people, you might get five different answers.
Julian Sayin leads the nation in completion percentage and passing efficiency. His 80.7 percent completion rate is higher than Joe Burrow's in his 2019 Heisman-winning season and higher than Bo Nix, Mac Jones, and Colt McCoy during their Heisman finalist seasons. Sayin also plays for the nation’s best team, No. 1 Ohio State.
Speaking of undefeated teams, Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed adds a rushing element to the Heisman quarterback conversation, and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza has a 25:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
MOMENTS MATTER: When Heisman moments could come for 2025's top contenders
Then there’s the rest of the quarterbacks. Alabama’s Ty Simpson might be the leader in the clubhouse with only one interception, Oregon’s Dante Moore would’ve likely been the Heisman winner after September, Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss has gone from DII start to leading a playoff contender, and Georgia Tech’s Haynes King just went for 400 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a loss.
20 of the last 25 Heisman winners have played quarterback, meaning 80 percent of 21st-century Heisman winners were from the position.
However, will a running back like Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy or Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love crash the quarterback party? Maybe elite wide receiver Jeremiah Smith makes some noise late?
The 2025 Heisman race might come down to the wire.
HEISMAN HISTORY: Top three finishers all-time | Closest voting finishes | Teams with most winners
Will a player separate himself as the future No. 1 NFL draft pick?
There’s no clear frontrunner for the top overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft as we enter November.
A quarterback has gone with the first pick in seven of the last eight years, but no signal-caller has set himself apart this fall.
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza has looked good during an undefeated start for the Hoosiers. Ty Simpson has taken command of the Alabama offense since a season-opening loss to Florida State. Oregon’s Dante Moore has also shown flashes in his first year starting for the Ducks. We can’t forget about the athletically gifted LaNorris Sellers at South Carolina either.
Yet, there’s a problem. Each of the aforementioned quarterbacks could go back to school for another year. That means, in addition to any questions about NFL-readiness, there are also questions about whether they will be a prospect.
UNDEFEATED TRACKER: Here's a look at all of the undefeated FBS teams
Meanwhile, the defensive positional players might be the most talented. Miami defensive end Reuben Bain could be the top overall prospect, while Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Arvell Reese also look like potential top-five prospects. Defensive tackle Peter Woods has looked the part despite Clemson falling off a cliff as a team this year, too.
Could we see a defensive player go No. 1 overall? What about a wide receiver? It’ll mark 20 years since the New York Jets took wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson No. 1 overall out of Southern California. Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and Ohio State’s Carnell Tate are the top prospects out wide to break the 20-year drought.
It’s been 13 years since an offensive lineman went No. 1 overall. The Kansas City Chiefs took Eric Fisher out of Central Michigan in 2013. In 2026, Miami’s Francis Mauigoa and Utah’s Spencer Fano look like the top prospects.
As you can see, there’s plenty of elite talent that could set themselves apart over the season’s final month as the top NFL draft prospect.
🗓️ SCHEDULE: Weekly FBS TV schedule and times | College Football Playoff schedule | Bowl schedule
The team to watch — Pittsburgh
No team has the potential to impact the College Football Playoff race more than the No. 24 Pittsburgh Panthers. Pitt has three ranked opponents in its final three games: vs. No. 10 Notre Dame, at No. 17 Georgia Tech, and vs. No. 18 Miami.
Could Pitt rise up the rankings into a playoff contender if it wins out? The Panthers only have one ACC loss after all. Will victories over Pitt help boost other teams up the rankings? Pittsburgh is a true wildcard team this November.
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