Editor’s note: Saturday Tradition’s annual Top 25 week begins with our official ranking of the Top 25 teams in America.

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We’re doing things a little bit differently this year.

Usually, I come out with a preseason Top 25, and you can tell me how dumb I am. It’s not that I’m shying away from that, but we decided to make this more of a collective effort with our Saturday Tradition team.

The rankings you’ll see here are our consensus rankings. We’ll update that each Sunday throughout the season. If you’d like to treat them as more informed than the AP Top 25 or the Coaches Poll, I’d encourage that. That’s your call.

Also, I’d like this to be a positive space. I’ll simply be listing 1 thing I like about each team because let’s be honest. You don’t care why I think team No. 13 is ranked higher than team No. 14.

So with that, here’s our preseason Saturday Tradition Top 25:

25. Louisville

One thing I like — It’s a 10-win team that ranks No. 47 in FBS in percentage of returning production. Yeah, you can argue that Jeff Brohm overachieved a bit in Year 1, but with the ageless Tyler Shough coming in to run his offense in Year 2, I wouldn’t be convinced that regression is imminent.

24. NC State

One thing I like — Grayson McCall is entering his 12th year of college (not really but it feels like it), but his first at NC State. The 3-time Sun Belt Player of the Year has someone quietly been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the sport during the 2020s, and now he’s joining a team that’s got established skill players with Duke running back transfer Jordan Waters and KC Concepcion.

23. USC

One thing I like — Alex Grinch is no longer employed, and D’Anton Lynn is. At UCLA, Lynn led a defense that was No. 8 in FBS in yards/play allowed and No. 2 in FBS in rushing yards/game allowed. Lincoln Riley actually hiring a competent defensive coordinator could be the reason USC doesn’t get its teeth kicked in as a new Big Ten member.

22. Texas A&M

One thing I like — Nic Scourton and Shemar Turner on a Mike Elko-coached defensive line? That’s going to be a problem. That group will allow A&M to have a chance to be competitive in every game, and if you told me that both were first-team All-SEC guys at season’s end, it wouldn’t surprise me.

21. Iowa

One thing I like — Brian Ferentz is no longer employed, and Tim Lester is. It just can’t be worse than the past few years. It’s impossible. Mind you, we’re talking about a 10-win team that made us rethink what was possible for inept offensive football.

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T19. Arizona

One thing I like — Noah. Fifita. Yes, it’s a new coaching staff. No, I’m not worried about Fifita falling off a cliff after he was a revelation in Tucson once he took over the starting job. You can do a lot worse than starting fresh with 1 of the top 5 returning quarterbacks in the sport.

T19. Oklahoma State

One thing I like — It’s a 10-win team that ranks No. 3 in America in percentage of returning production, most notably with the best returning running back in the sport in Ollie Gordon II. Need I say more?

18. Miami

One thing I like — The Miami preseason buzz is a bit much, but it’s hard to push back on Cam Ward optimism. Ward needs to improve his efficiency, but better surroundings should help with that. If Miami can protect him, Ward can be everything Miami thought Tyler Van Dyke could be.

17. Kansas State

One thing I like — We need to talk more about how Chris Klieman averaged 9 wins over the past 3 seasons. In that stretch, he’s 4-5 against ranked foes even though he’s had 4 different starting quarterbacks. He’s closer to being a top-10 coach than the casual fan might realize.

16. Clemson

One thing I like — In addition to coordinator continuity, Clemson has 68% of last year’s production back, including QB Cade Klubnik and RB Phil Mafah, who just missed a 1,000-yard season (965 yards, 13 TDs). If you’re not gonna use the transfer portal, you had better rank among the nation’s better teams in returning production (No. 32).

15. Oklahoma

One thing I like — Forget the schedule for a preseason ranking. Not enough people are talking about a Year 3 Brent Venables defense with a pair of All-Americans in Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman. If this isn’t a top-20 scoring defense that takes another step forward — even in the SEC now — I’ll be stunned.

T13. Tennessee

One thing I like — Nico Iamaleava is running an offense led by someone (Josh Heupel) with top-8 scoring offenses in 5 of the past 6 seasons. That combination should yield a bounce-back year for the Vols’ offense, especially if Bru McCoy can stay healthy with Squirrel White and Chris Brazzell II.

T13. Utah

One thing I like — Cam Rising’s knee is intact. Duh. At least that’s what we’ve been led to believe after he was mysteriously sidelined last year. As long as Rising is leading Kyle Whittingham’s squad, you can talk me into Utah competing for a Big 12 title and being a thorn in any contender’s side.

12. Florida State

One thing I like — FSU had 10 players selected in the NFL Draft from a team that started 13-0, and 9 of them were transfers. Mike Norvell has quickly moved into the exclusive category of the “don’t worry, trust me to find dudes” group of coaches. That’s why I’m not predicting some massive fall from an FSU team that only ranks No. 89 in percentage of returning production.

11. LSU

One thing I like — Year 3 has typically been when Brian Kelly has taken that jump. At Central Michigan, he led a 9-win regular season at a place that had 1 such season since 1980. At Cincinnati, he earned an Orange Bowl berth. At Notre Dame, he earned a BCS National Championship berth. What will Year 3 at LSU include? That’s tough to say because Kelly never had to replace a Heisman Trophy winner after Year 2. But now is the time when Kelly’s identity — a disciplined team with elite offensive line play — should take shape.

10. Michigan

One thing I like — When I think about all the questions I have about Michigan’s offense (starting with a new quarterback), I remind myself that Sherrone Moore gives the Wolverines a much better chance at maintaining their identity than an outside hire would have. I don’t think Michigan would have broken through and won a national title without his offensive acumen, so any preseason acknowledgment of a new-look Michigan team has to mention Moore as the biggest strength.

T8. Notre Dame

One thing I like — We underestimated the schematic transition that awaited Sam Hartman going from Wake Forest to Notre Dame, but it’s hard not to be optimistic about what a healthy Riley Leonard could do in South Bend. With Mike Denbrock on board after helping Jayden Daniels win the 2023 Heisman Trophy, Leonard can be the face of a Playoff program, especially if he gets the boost of a Year 3 Marcus Freeman defense.

T8. Penn State

One thing I like — I loved, loved, loved James Franklin’s decision to bring Tom Allen in to lead Penn State’s defense. While I still have questions related to the offense with Drew Allar and yet another new coordinator, I’m optimistic that the Lions will have a top-5 defense that can handle the heavy lifting that awaits in the new Big Ten.

7. Mizzou

One thing I like — The offensive continuity should yield a top-10 unit in the sport. Dare I say, a Luther Burden-led Mizzou offense has top-5 upside, especially if Brady Cook can stay healthy. What about the loss of Cody Schrader? What about replacing the Mizzou legend with a pair of former 1,000-yard rushers from the Group of 5 level? Everything I like about Mizzou is related to that offense with Kirby Moore back to run the show.

6. Ole Miss

One thing I like — Lane Kiffin finally has a defensive line. Adding Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen to a group that already included JJ Pegues and the underrated Jared Ivey was monumental for Ole Miss’ ceiling. The “portal king” addressed the biggest weakness on his team, which should be even better after a historic 11-win season.

5. Alabama

One thing I like — In a post-Nick Saban world, Alabama could have been hit even worse by the 30-day transfer portal window. But returning Jalen Milroe, AKA the guy who finished higher in the 2023 Heisman Trophy voting than any returning player, will allow Kalen DeBoer to produce a top-flight offense in Year 1. Even if it takes some growing pains early, the Tide are still set up to have an elite interior offensive line, a top-notch running game and the most dangerous quarterback in the sport.

4. Texas

One thing I like — A team that finally broke through with its first Big 12 title in 14 years with an average scoring margin of +17 in conference play returns 67% of last year’s production, including a leading Heisman Trophy candidate in Quinn Ewers. Four-team Playoff invitees rarely return that type of experience. If that’s not a national title contender, I don’t know what is.

3. Oregon

One thing I like — Dan Lanning. Oh, besides the fact that he stepped in and lifted Oregon to a higher ceiling than Mario Cristobal did? OK, how about the fact that in addition to adding Dillon Gabriel, AKA the guy who is 31 touchdown passes from the career FBS record, he added elite Texas A&M receiver Evan Stewart to pair alongside Tez Johnson? Or what about the fact that the Ducks are No. 25 in percentage of returning production, which is easily the highest preseason ranking of the Lanning era? Oh, one thing. My bad.

2. Ohio State

One thing I like — For all the talk about Ryan Day’s future, the guy is undefeated against non-Michigan teams in the Big Ten. With the estimated $20 million roster that the Buckeyes put together with Draft-eligible players who returned and splashy transfer portal additions like Caleb Downs and Quinshon Judkins, all signs point to this being the most talented team that Day has had.

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1. Georgia

One thing I like — Just one? Fine. With Nick Saban retiring, there’s not a single active coach who beat Kirby Smart at the school they’re at now. For example, Gus Malzahn beat Smart, but that was at Auburn. Tom Herman beat Smart, but that was at Texas. Jim McElwain beat Smart, but that was at Florida. Derek Mason beat Smart, but that was at Vanderbilt, and Hugh Freeze and Butch Jones were also at different schools. Call me crazy, but that sounds like it’s Smart’s world and we’re just living in it … until further notice.