March is a busy month on the sports calendar, with college basketball jumping headlong into tournament season, the NBA and NHL hitting their playoff pushes and baseball getting ready for Opening Day.
It also provides college football coaches, players and fans with their first look at what could be in store for the 2025 season as teams conduct spring practices.
Our college football reporters explored the key storylines, positions of intrigue and players to watch for all the power-conference teams entering the spring.
SEC
Spring ball is nearly here, and we’re breaking down everything in the SEC, where the storylines are always interesting.
How will Kalen DeBoer fare in Year 2 in Tuscaloosa? DeBoer led the Tide to a 9-4 record last season, but it wasn’t enough to reach the College Football Playoff, which will certainly be the expectation come this fall. Can Florida’s DJ Lagway find some dependable receivers? And of course, how will Arch Manning do as he takes over the Texas offense at QB1?
Big Ten
It has been less than two months since the Ohio State Buckeyes raised the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy, but teams in the Big Ten conference, which has won the past two titles, are already preparing for the 2025 season. Several could contend for the CFP title again, including the defending champs.
Big Ten writers Max Olson, Adam Rittenberg, Jake Trotter and Paolo Uggetti look at the players — old and new — and coaches to watch, as well as the teams that could keep the Big Ten’s title streak alive. Will Dante Moore reach his potential as Oregon’s new QB? How will Ohio State fare with two new coordinators? And what team could be this year’s Indiana, taking everyone by surprise?
Big 12
There’s no conference quite as unpredictable as the Big 12.
Two seasons ago, TCU was coming off a 5-7 season, was picked to finish seventh in the league, then went undefeated in the regular season and beat Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl before losing to Georgia in the national title game, finishing 13-2. The next season, they finished 5-7 again.
Last year, Arizona State, coming off a 3-9 season, was picked to finish 16th in its first year in the league, then won the conference title and took Texas to the wire in a 39-31 loss in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Peach Bowl. Utah, the preseason favorites and another newcomer, finished 5-7, its worst season since 2013. Entering Week 14 of the 2024 season, nine teams were still in mathematical contention for the league title.
None of them was Oklahoma State, which finished 10-4 in 2023 and fell to 3-9 and 0-9 in conference games in 2024 despite returning Ollie Gordon II. Baylor, which was 3-9 in ’23, finished 8-5. TCU bounced back to 9-4 last year.
You get the idea. Anyone can show up at any time. Even the league’s two new coaches are returning to past glory, as Rich Rodriguez took the winding roads back to West Virginia and Scott Frost returned from orbit to UCF.
If last year is any indication, nothing we think between now and December will matter. That’s why it’s exciting to start spring practice, when everyone is undefeated and anything is possible. Don’t disappoint us, Big 12.
ACC
There is no shortage of compelling storylines in the ACC.
How will Georgia transfer Carson Beck fare at Miami as Cam Ward’s replacement as the Canes’ starting quarterback? Can Clemson’s defense deliver as the Tigers seem poised for big things? What does SMU do for an encore after ripping through the ACC unbeaten in its first season in the conference? How does Florida State pick up the pieces from a 2-10 campaign in 2024?
And then there’s North Carolina, which opens camp with Bill Belichick in charge after one of the most shocking coaching hires in recent memory.
