College football rankings: Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama top spring Top 25

Trevor Lawrence and the Clemson Tigers remain on top of the 2020 college football rankings for May but which teams are nipping closely at their heels?

Once everyone recognized that Joe Burrow and the LSU Tigers were for real last season, they shot up the college football rankings and never truly relinquished their reign at the top. Ed Orgeron’s group completed a perfect 15-0 campaign and captured a National Championship for their trouble. But now that Burrow — along with almost all of the LSU offense from 2019 — is in the NFL, the 2020 college football crown is up for the taking.

While Burrow may be gone, there is still plenty of star power left in college football for the 2020 season, even at quarterback. Wunderkind Trevor Lawrence will be back for his third season with the Clemson Tigers after two straight appearances in the National Championship Game. Meanwhile, Justin Fields is back for the Ohio State Buckeyes after leading them to the College Football Playoff last year.

Given all that Clemson and Ohio State have brought back, it feels safe to say that they are the favorites in the early 2020 college football rankings. However, there are plenty of teams nipping at their heels. Lincoln Riley has put the Oklahoma Sooners in the mix perpetually for the CFP, the same of which can be said for SEC powerhouses like the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs.

But with spring practices canceled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, how do the top teams in the country stack up as we sit in May, some four months away from the start of the season — assuming it starts on time? Let’s check in on our top 25 college football rankings to figure that much out. First, though, some quick honorable mentions to the teams who just missed out on the top 25.

Honorable Mention: Indiana Hoosiers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Utah Utes, Boise State Broncos, Washington Huskies, Florida State Seminoles, Northwestern Wildcats