College Football Playoff: The biggest question each 2024 CFP team faces in 2025

The 2024-25 college football season is complete and a national champion has been crowned so naturally it is time to look ahead to next year. With the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff ending in a rousing success (albeit needing some slight tweaks), the future of the sport's postseason appears to be bright.

As the Ohio State Buckeyes revel in their championship laurels, the other 11 participants in the CFP will be preparing for a 2025-26 campaign to overthrow them. However, will next year's playoff even feature the same field and if that is to be so, what will each program have to improve on to get there?

The biggest question facing every 2024 CFP team as we approach 2025

Ohio State Buckeyes: Can they beat Michigan?

Head coach Ryan Day may have staved off the angry mob of fans looking to have him dismissed after the regular season, but everyone in Columbus seems to have a very short memory. Four straight losses to arch-rival Michigan and no Big Ten title since 2020 still has the fanbase uneasy even with a national championship trophy. The biggest to-do for Day now will be conquering the Wolverines before defending the team's title.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: What now?

The boys from South Bend, Indiana pulled off what many felt was an unlikely playoff run. Head coach Marcus Freeman took advantage of a favorable path in the CFP bracket but was ultimately outmatched by Ohio State in the final. Now, with defensive coordinator Al Golden departing for the Cincinnati Bengals and several key players declaring for the NFL Draft, how will Freeman build upon 2024's success in preparation for what will be an even tougher 2025 season?

Texas Longhorns: Can Arch Manning deliver a title before he goes pro?

With Quinn Ewers headed for the NFL after a run to the CFP semifinal, Texas will now turn to rising sophomore sensation Arch Manning under center. He showed flashes of brilliance in three starts and 10 total appearances this season but with a full season approaching at the helm, can he deliver a championship before ultimately leaving for the NFL himself? His own family has been clear about not fast-tracking him to the pros but the clock is ticking in Austin if head coach Steve Sarkisian wants to take full advantage of his skills.

Penn State Nittany Lions: Can James Franklin win the big games?

Penn State can finally say it was amongst the final four teams in the CFP but unfortunately, that's not as big a deal as it used to be the last 10 seasons. Head coach James Franklin had a rather cushy path to the Orange Bowl semifinal and ultimately lost three massive games this season. However, he will have veteran quarterback Drew Allar back under center in 2025. If the Nittany Lions are going to ever lift a national championship trophy they're going to have to figure out how to beat the likes of Ohio State and Oregon when it matters most.

Georgia Bulldogs: Is Gunnar Stockton the answer at quarterback?

Many will speculate whether Georgia would've been a national title contender in 2024 if quarterback Carson Beck did not get injured in the final minutes of the SEC Championship. Backup Gunnar Stockton was serviceable at best in relief but can he be any better than the turnover-prone Beck - who is now getting a massive payday after transferring to Miami. Head coach Kirby Smart appears to still have something to prove in Athens despite winning the conference yet again. Whether he has the talent to do it is a whole other question entirely.

Oregon Ducks: Who can replace Dillon Gabriel?

Despite completing an undefeated regular season and claiming a Big Ten title in the program's first year as a member, the Ducks came up short in the CFP as the No. 1 overall seed. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a Heisman Trophy finalist, was a major factor in Oregon's highlight year. However, with Dillon's declaration for the NFL Draft expected, filling his shoes in Eugene will be a critical pivot for head coach Dan Lanning to nail. Gabriel himself believes the program is "in a great spot" with rising sophomore's Dante Moore and Austin Novosad expected to compete for the starting job in the spring. Only time will tell if he's actually right or just being cordial on his way out the door.

Arizona State Sun Devils: Was it all just a fluke?

Absolutely nobody saw Arizona State's miracle season coming. Picked to finish 16th out of 16 teams in the Big 12 Conference prior to the season, the Sun Devils defied expectations to the extreme and played lights out with house money all the way to the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in the CFP. In the Peach Bowl, ASU took Texas to double-overtime before falling heartbreakingly short of its first New Year's Six title since 1986-87. The departure of star running back Cam Skattebo will leave a huge hole to fill in 2025 but sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt could become Heisman-worthy himself with all eligible starters returning for head coach Kenny Dillingham. Was this year's magic just a fluke or is there something bigger cooking in the desert?

Boise State Broncos: Can they survive losing Ashton Jeanty?

The Heisman Trophy-finalist running back came within just a few yards of breaking the great Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record this year and was practically the entire offense for the team. It will be tough to ask the returning players to pick up Jeanty's slack once he's assumedly drafted in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Will head coach Spencer Danielson be able to scheme effectively enough to replace Jeanty's production or will another Group of Five team emerge from the shadows to claim a spot in next year's bracket?

Tennessee Volunteers: Will Nico Iamaleava become an elite passer?

If there was ever a team that ended up being the biggest disappointment in the CFP, the 10-3 Volunteers would have a pretty good case. Three wins over Top 25 opponents including a No. 7 Alabama squad mid-season had many pundits thinking Tennessee could make a deep playoff run. Unfortunately, the luck of the draw was not on the Vols' side and they ran into the national title-winning juggernaut that was Ohio State in the first round. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava will be at the top of most early Heisman watchlists but his sub-par performance in Columbus proved there's still a lot of room for him to develop. Evolving into an elite passer will be a requirement if Tennessee wants to be more than an also-ran in 2025.

Clemson Tigers: Will Dabo Sweeney ever need to evolve?

From Week 1, fans and pundits buried Clemson after being stomped by Georgia. Head coach Dabo Sweeney's very public refusals to evolve his coaching and recruitment tactics to match the modern NIL era were laughed at until his team snuck into the CFP by squeaking out an ACC title. While losing to Texas in the first round is not the kind of success Clemson fans are accustomed to when their team makes the CFP, it was better than a trip to the Pop-Tarts Bowl which is where Miami ended up after leading the conference for all but two weeks. With quarterback Cade Klubnik returning in 2025, Sweeney may be able to continue getting away with his old school ways until it all really does come crashing down around him.

Indiana Hoosiers: Was Curt Cignetti's success just one-and-done?

The Hoosiers lost just two games this year after recording just two winning seasons in the last seven years. Head coach Curt Cignetti was instrumental in that success but will it be sustainable? He won't have quarterback Kurtis Rourke in 2025 and many of his star transfers from James Madison, his previous employer, will be heading for the NFL. The Big Ten Conference will just get harder and harder to conquer, leading many to believe the Hoosiers may have been a one-hit wonder.

SMU Mustangs: Can Kevin Jennings deliver under pressure?

Winning the ACC Championship Game in your first year is not an easy task and SMU proved that. Quarterback Kevin Jennings threw four interceptions in his two postseason starts, less than ideal for an upstart program looking to show the rest of the sport it belongs in a Power Conference. The Mustangs will need Jennings looking better than his regular season form in 2025 if they want to return to the CFP and truly threaten for a championship.