Tuesday was a holiday in certain sectors of the college football world. It was Team Talent Composite Day.
Since 2015, 247Sports has attempted to quantify talent across college football with something more than human opinion. Is it perfect? Of course not. But it's clearly the best tool we've got to put a landmark between recruiting rankings and our own Selection Points formula each NFL draft.
And this year, the numbers are in agreement with human opinion on how the 2025 season will go. The preseason AP poll was the closest since 1998, and the Team Talent Composite is the closest ever.
Off the top, it's the sixth straight year Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State have gone 1-2-3 atop the standings, and the eighth straight year that those three schools have occupied the top three in some order. Alabama has been the Team Talent Composite's most talented team every year except one since its 2015 inception; that one exception was 2018, when Ohio State was No. 1, Alabama No. 2, and Georgia No. 3.
However.
Alabama leads the TTC with a score of 992.22. Georgia follows at 992 even. That's a difference of 0.022 percent. Last year's Alabama team was the most talented in TTC history with 1,018.28 points. The Tide counted 17 5-stars and a whopping 50 4-stars on last year's roster, this year's outfit has a mere 14 5-stars and 49 4-stars. Alabama's 14 5-stars are tied with No. 4 Texas for the most in the nation. In all, 27 teams will suit up at least one 5-star this fall.
PAST CHAMPIONS RANK IN TEAM TALENT COMPOSITE
Astute readers will note that the most talented team in TTC history did not win the national championship. In fact, they didn't even make the field in the biggest College Football Playoff bracket ever (so far). As we said, TTC is not perfect, but it's much better than the empty room that serves as the alternative.
Here are how past champions ranked in the Team Talent Composite.
2015: Alabama (1st)
2016: Clemson (9th)
2017: Alabama (1st)
2018: Clemson (6th)
2019: LSU (5th)
2020: Alabama (1st)
2021: Georgia (2nd)
2022: Georgia (2nd)
2023: Michigan (14th)
2024: Ohio State (3rd)
THE NATIONAL CHAMPION WILL BE ONE OF THESE TEAMS
Given that no champion has ever ranked lower than 14th, here are the teams in the running to hoist the the trophy on Jan. 19:
1. Alabama -- 992.22 total points (14 5-stars)
2. Georgia -- 992.00 (12)
3. Ohio State -- 973.69 (11)
4. Texas -- 973.54 (14)
5. Oregon -- 933.23 (5)
6. LSU -- 920.05 (4)
7. Clemson -- 918.15 (7)
8. Texas A&M -- 913.38 (5)
9. Penn State -- 910.42 (4)
10. Michigan -- 907.22 (4)
11. Notre Dame -- 905.04 (2)
12. Auburn -- 891.50 (3)
13. Florida -- 889.16 (3)
14. Oklahoma -- 872.47 (5)
Of course, 2023 Michigan was constructed in a way TTC didn't adequately grasp. The Wolverines were 25-3 with back-to-back Big Ten championships in the two seasons preceding 2023, and in the spring of 2024 they had 13 players drafted. Again, no one said TTC was perfect. This year's No. 14, Oklahoma, has finished below .500 in two of the past three seasons. The numbers tell us OU has the requisite talent to win a national championship, but I think we're all forgiven in waiting for Brent Venables's team to prove us wrong.
The Team Talent Composite clearly shows there are a cluster of teams in the top four that recruit at a different level than everyone else, then there's the next group, and then there's everyone else in the sport.
In other words, if you had to bet your life on the 2025 national champion and I gave you Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas in one bucket and the field in another, who are you taking?
WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL?
There's more to this sport than the national championship, and the Team Talent Composite offers insights below the top 10.
Here are the five most talented teams in each conference, per TTC.
American
1. Memphis -- 668.28
2. South Florida -- 666.89
3. UTSA -- 661.43
4. Tulane -- 650.87
5. East Carolina -- 611.55
ACC
1. Clemson -- 918.15
2. Miami -- 868.26
3. Florida State -- 828.45
4. SMU -- 766.67
5. North Carolina -- 753.20
Big Ten
1. Ohio State -- 973.69
2. Oregon -- 933.23
3. Penn State -- 910.42
4. Michigan -- 907.22
5. USC -- 847.53
Big 12
1. Texas Tech -- 757.49
2. Colorado -- 755.20
3. TCU -- 745.01
4. Arizona State -- 738.52
5. Baylor -- 726.30
Conference USA
1. Liberty -- 599.12
2. FIU -- 562.61
3. Western Kentucky -- 561.36
4. UTEP -- 551.88
5. Middle Tennessee -- 520.55
MAC
1. Toledo -- 620.13
2. Miami (Ohio) -- 592.10
3. Eastern Michigan -- 572.90
4. Akron -- 537.21
5. Western Michigan -- 534.35
Mountain West
1. UNLV -- 700.54
2. Boise State -- 610.65
3. San Diego State -- 594.27
4. Fresno State -- 586.84
5. Colorado State -- 579.97
SEC
1. Alabama -- 992.22
2. Georgia -- 992.00
3. Texas -- 973.54
4. LSU -- 920.05
5. Texas A&M -- 913.38
Sun Belt
1. Texas State -- 612.16
2. Georgia State -- 611.97
3. Appalachian State -- 611.31
4. Coastal Carolina -- 610.88
5. Southern Miss -- 602.53