Next weekend marks the beginning of a new and exciting season for our Crimson football team as they face off against the Stetson Hatters. With 30 new recruits, an emerging FBS coach replacing the legendary Tim Murphy, and the number one kicker in the country, we believe it isn’t too early to predict a 10-0 record and an Ivy League championship. Since the script for our perfect season has already been written, this week’s Indy Sportsbook will instead turn to the more mainstream FBS level, analyzing what team has what it takes to become national champions in the new 12-team playoff format.
If you are unfamiliar with college football, NCAA Division 1 schools such as Harvard can be placed into one of two conferences: FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) or FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision). Harvard has been a member of the FCS since 1982, and due to academic requirements, scholarship opportunity, and the emerging NIL landscape, we don’t see this changing anytime soon. Meanwhile, FBS is composed of the most elite 134 football teams in the country, all vying for the title of national champion.
Due to factors such as the NFL draft, transfer portal, and incoming freshman classes, it has never been more difficult to predict who will emerge victorious come the end of the season. That being said, we at the Indy Sportsbook can confidently say that Boston College, Northeastern, and UMass will not be among the 12 playoff teams competing in Atlanta this January. Don’t be fooled by Boston College’s current top 25 rank; we all know the true best football team in Massachusetts already aced their BC exam in high school.
If you have ever watched any collegiate football, you will know the powerhouse that is the SEC. This is the conference in the Southeast region of the United States that has dominated every football category imaginable for the last several decades. From NFL potential to National Championship winners, the SEC is the true juggernaut of the NCAA, and we don’t see this status changing. This year, the clear frontrunner of the division is the number one ranked Georgia Bulldogs, with other SEC giants like Alabama, Tennessee, and Oklahoma all hoping to cause some upsets. That being said, with current odds of +300, Georgia is the safest pick you could possibly make to win the championship. Georgia has won 50 of their last 54 games over the past four seasons, winning back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022. Head coach Kirby Smart will be looking to extend this record with returning senior QB Carson Beck destroying the number 22 ranked Clemson Tigers 34-3 in their week one matchup. You simply can’t discuss the 2025 college football playoffs without mentioning the Dogs.
If any team can upset the SEC hierarchy, it may just be Coach Ryan Day’s Ohio State. With heavy investment into the transfer portal this offseason, adding talents including quarterback Will Howard, safety Caleb Downs, and running back Quinshon Judkins, there is a reason Ohio State is only +325 to win their 9th national championship. It seems like this year will be make or break for Day, as Ohio State has failed to beat their rivals and reigning national champs, the University of Michigan, for Day’s entire tenure. The Buckeyes need to take advantage of a struggling Michigan after the losses of coach Jim Harbaugh and key players to the NFL. That being said, if they do manage to emerge victorious, it could finally be Ryan Day’s year to prove his many doubters, me included, wrong.
Unfortunately in college football, it has become more and more rare for an underdog to compete at the playoff level. The effect of NIL appears to be only furthering this disparity. However, if you’re looking for an entertaining team that will definitely cause headaches, look no further than the Ole Miss Rebels. The Rebels have had an electric start to their season with Hiesman candidate quarterback Jaxson Dart throwing for 795 yards and 6 TDS without throwing an INT in two games. It’s truly too early to tell with this team. Ole Miss’s schedule has an absolutely brutal stretch coming up with games against South Carolina, LSU, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Georgia, which make +1500 odds look far too conservative.
If Ole Miss’s schedule is too daunting a task, look no further than the ACC for another team that could make some noise this year: the Miami Hurricanes. Quarterback Cam Ward currently leads the country in QBR (a rough system which measures overall quarterback performance) with 11 touchdowns and over 1,000 passing yards in only three games. The Miami offense is raising eyebrows with odds of +1600 after putting up unreal numbers. Miami is favored in every game for the rest of the 2024 season. With an easier ACC schedule, the number eight Hurricanes will likely make the 12 team playoffs, but will they be prepared to take on SEC and Big Ten opponents come January?
Make sure to come out this weekend and show some love for our Crimson team, with the rest of your Friday and Saturday reserved to watch what is shaping up to be one of the most exciting seasons of college football in recent memory.
Vincent Honrubia ’27 (vincenthonrubia@college.harvard.edu) excluded the number 2-ranked University of Texas in this article because his ex-girlfriend goes there, so he has no choice but to actively pray on their downfall year in and year out.