Joel Klatt ranks the top five college football teams he's buying stock in for 2025 season

The 2025 college football season is less than two months away. Ahead of that, analyst Joel Klatt dove into several teams that he’s excited for and buying stock in for the 2025 season.

Klatt explained that he’s buying stock for teams going into next year. That doesn’t necessarily mean picking a favorite to win coming into the season. It means picking teams that he believes are going to take some great strides from where they were in 2024 to where they’ll be in the 2025 season.

It was on The Joel Klatt Show when Klatt broke down all the teams he’s buying stock in. That list of five teams is below.

1. Clemson Tigers

The Clemson Tigers struggled with their consistency during the 2024 regular season. However, they were able to make the ACC Championship Game, win it, and go to the College Football Playoff. So, there is only so much room to improve, potentially making them a national championship contender in Klatt’s mind.

Klatt explained, “Clemson is just really, really good. I think they’re going to have an outstanding year.” In particular, Klatt would emphasize that Clemson is returning 16 starters, including an experienced quarterback in Cade Klubnik. That combined with a relatively easy schedule should make for a good situation in Death Valley.

2. Michigan Wolverines

Two years ago, Michigan won a national championship. After a step back in 2024, now Klatt expects them to march forward again. He explained, “Michigan went 8-5 a year ago, several close games, coming off that national championship run the year before. Think about the way that they ended their season. You could make an argument that outside of Ohio State winning the national championship… of the teams not in the Playoff, Michigan had the best, easily, last month of the season of anybody in the country.”

The major question for Michigan is the quarterback. After struggling to replace JJ McCarthy in 2024, the Wolverines brought in some interesting options for 2025. That includes veteran transfer Mikey Keane and five-star true freshman Bryce Underwood. If one of them steps into the job quickly, Michigan will be in good shape.

3. Utah Utes

The Utah Utes were a major disappointment in 2024. After transitioning to the Big 12, they dealt with injuries, particularly at quarterback. Klatt explained, “This is a team that I think is primed for a bounce-back buy list. Here we go. Stock up. Year 21 for my man, Kyle Whittingham, at Utah.”

In what could be one of the last years for Kyle Whittingham as the head coach at Utah amid rumors of his retirement, the Utes restocked. That included bringing in a new offensive coordinator, Jason Beck. On top of that, incoming quarterback transfer Devon Dampier is expected to take over the offense. If it all clicks, the Utes should compete for a conference championship.

4. Washington Huskies

The Washington Huskies are another team that transitioned to a new conference and struggled in their first year. With Jedd Fisch at head coach, though, Klatt isn’t concerned. He said, “This one is also, maybe a bit under-the-radar. But, I love the track record of their head coach. He kind of did this at a previous stop. He’s quietly built their roster… a team that went 6-7 last year in his first year, and they basically had to replace their whole team from the previous year.”

Klatt also took the time to highlight new Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters. He struggled at a head coach but has thrived as a coordinator before. If he hits the ground running, and quarterback Demond Williams shows some improvement in his second season starting, then the Huskies could easily take some strides in the Big Ten.

5. North Carolina Tar Heels

Joel Klatt wrapped up his top five college football teams to buy stock in with one of the most talked about programs this offseason — North Carolina. With new head coach Bill Belichick, it’s hard not to see what he likes about them, but there are two reasons for the selection, as he explained, “I landed on this one for two reasons. Trust and schedule. My buy is North Carolina because I trust their coach and they play a really favorable schedule.”

Bill Belichick remains one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. He won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, and another two as a defensive coordinator with the New York Giants. It’s hard to say how he’ll transition to college, but he’s proven on the field. After that, Klatt highlighted the schedule, which does include Clemson but otherwise appears manageable within ACC play.