The College Football Playoff national championship will feature two teams unaligned with the SEC for the second consecutive season. From 2006 to 2022, the SEC secured all but three national titles, but the introduction of NIL and revenue sharing has shifted the power balance in college football. On Monday, one prominent media outlet revealed a way-too-early top 25, featuring this year’s two remaining teams, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes, near the top.
With the publication of an opinionated piece like a top 25 for the 2025 season comes its fair share of criticism. Following CBS Sports’s decision to release their 2025 top 25 from analyst Brad Crawford, many fans bashed the reporter for his heavy inclusion of Southeastern Conference teams.
CBS Sports Personality Bashed By College Football Fans For SEC Bias
According to CBS Sports via Twitter:
@BCrawford247 dropped his way-too-early top 25 for 2025. Who would y’all have higher heading into next season?
Sitting atop Brandon Crawford’s way-too-early top 25 for 2025 is the Texas Longhorns, followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes, despite the latter beating the former in last weekend’s College Football Playoff (CFP) semi-final. Crawford’s top seven ranked squads feature teams from this year’s 12-team CFP. However, the Alabama Crimson Tide clocked in at eight despite significant questions at the quarterback position, a four-loss season in 2024, and fresh off an embarrassing bowl loss against the worst Michigan Wolverines team in recent memory. The CBS Sports personality also opted to position LSU, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Florida all above the Arizona State Sun Devils despite the former Pac-12 team taking Texas to overtime in the CFP.
Ten Southeastern Conference teams cracked CBS Sports’ way-too-early top 25. Among them, the South Carolina Gamecocks and Alabama lost their bowl games this season despite being double-digit favorites. Meanwhile, the Auburn Tigers, Crawford’s 22nd-ranked team, did not finish the season at .500, failing to qualify for bowl eligibility. The apparent SEC bias frustrates football fans, with many flooding the replies in anger.
10 SEC teams? Are we doing this again 🤦🏼♂️
— 🦅 Brian Cutchen 🦅🌵🏴☠️ (@briancutchen1) January 13, 2025
Alabama in the top 10 pic.twitter.com/0Gx31T4hZu
— Vawl Father (@98_Voluntarios) January 13, 2025
Didn't learn a damn thing about the ACC this season did you? And it looks like we get the same narrative of the SEC is just better despite NIL leveling the playing field.
— JC (@The_John_C) January 13, 2025
Here we go with the SEC again. Rank all of their teams and say, “look at all our ranked wins, we should be in the Playoff!”
— Mike Scatena (@MikeScatena) January 13, 2025
10 teams from the SEC!!
I was told that the SEC is done.
— Andrea Katherine (@AndreaKatSTL) January 13, 2025
Super lazy list
— N8 Go-Giver🌎🌺☔🇵🇭🇺🇸🌴 (@hapatraveler) January 13, 2025
Have to assume based on the number of SEC teams this is an early basketball poll?
— LVI-Barry B the Duck God 🦆 (@THEbarretBohn) January 13, 2025
Why would South Carolina be ahead of Illinois? Illini returns 17 starters(whole offensive line and maybe best QB in the Big Ten) and beat them a week ago.
— tom disanto (@tommydisanto) January 13, 2025
This is also how the SEC fools everyone. Start with 9 in the top 25. They beat each other up and it looks like they are that much better than one another.
Don’t rank anything til week 8.
— Fish1893 (@Fish_1893) January 13, 2025
Illinois just slapped South Carolina and has most players returning and SC is 8 spots ahead of them 🤣
— Ryan Douglas (@ryandouglas0410) January 13, 2025
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