A few college football experts, including one who knows the Alabama Football program well, predict the Crimson Tide to be one of the SEC's most improved teams. Eight ESPN college football experts picked the teams they expect to improve enough in the 2025 season to make the Playoffs. Chris Low, a close observer of Alabama Football, chose the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Kyle Bonagura agreed with Low, writing, "Alabama is the obvious answer." Two of the other ESPN experts picked the LSU Bengal Tigers, with one of them, Andrea Adelson, adding Alabama Football, and possibly Texas A&M.
In choosing LSU, Max Olsen wrote, "LSU is the one that stands out for me, too. The Tigers added an impressive amount of premium, proven talent via the portal in December and their lineup is going to be loaded with newcomers at wide receiver, tight end, cornerback and along offensive and defensive lines. Winning all those recruiting battles wasn't easy and certainly wasn't cheap."
Olsen is right. It is a new day in Baton Rouge. A year ago, Brian Kelly stated, "We're not in the market of buying players." Not only did Kelly reverse direction, but the Bengals Tigers are believed to have one of the highest player acquisition budgets in college football. LSU has added a bounty of talent, resulting in little or no need to add more transfers from spring Portal entries. Olsen stated LSU has "added an impressive amount of premium, proven talent via the portal in December and their lineup is going to be loaded with newcomers at wide receiver, tight end, cornerback and along offensive and defensive lines.
An improved LSU must battle Alabama Football in T-Town
Maybe LSU will be much improved, but their schedule is tough, including a trip to face the Crimson Tide in Bryant-Denny.
The ESPN experts also projected college football's most improved teams for 2025. Two teams most frequently mentioned were Florida State and Oklahoma. Alabama opens with FSU in Tallahassee, and gets the Sooners in Tuscaloosa, a week after hosting LSU. The Seminoles could have a huge improvement over last season and be nothing better than average, especially early in the season.
Jake Trotter projects South Carolina as a threat to win the SEC if LaNorris Sellers "takes another step off from last year's breakout season." Alabama Football travels to Columbia on Oct. 25.
ESPN offered many sound predictions, but in the NIL-dominated era of college football, the fortunes of teams change so rapidly, surprises abound.