Welcome to Top Sports College Football Online Franchise. I personally want to thank everyone who has expressed interest in our league. Please understand that there were a lot of sign ups and we had to make tough decisions on who to include. I want to thank those who signed up but do not have immediate spot in the cycle. Know that you have been added to the waitlist, and that should you choose to participate in the Madden league, there still is a way into Top Sports this year. Out of respect of not having you read an entire article just to not see your name, you have been contacted prior to this article release. If you do not have that message from me, then you have made the team. Remember that. You were chosen for a reason over your peers. Don’t squander it. And finally, big shout out to Grid for doing the images.
That being said, welcome to College Football 25. Here’s the lineup.
Michigan State Spartans – Danny
Danny leads the Spartans revamped offense with the addition of QB Aidan Chiles and other transfers from the Oregon St. Program featuring two high level interior OL and tight end Jack Veiling. Chiles is a talented dual threat quarterback that is sure to bring the Spartans back a top the college football realm.
The Ohio State University Buckeyes – GridironGuru
The first true elite team off the board goes to the Ohio native Grid. A long time user in top, Grid is known for his stifling run defense but can he figure out offense this year as he surely will compete for the CFP Championship. Led by Will Howard the transfer from Kansas State, this offense is star studded with Emeka Egbuka (good luck broadcast team) and TreVeyon Henderson.
NC State Wolfpack – K1NG
Coach K1NG comes to the Carolinas to take over an offense led by 9th year senior Grayson Mccall. McCall had a 3 year span at Coastal Carolina where he threw 77 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions. Look for him to dish it to Kevin Concepcion the true sophomore receiver who tallied 839 yards and 10 scores as a freshman.
Cincinnati Bearcats – Harpdaddy
This cycle will feature a few returning members to the league, one of those is Harpdaddy who joins the CFB CM team. Harp takes over his alma-mater Cincy for the cycle to wield some great talent, the first being senior safety Deshawn Pace. On offense the Indiana transfer Brendan Sorsby will have an elite downfield target in Xzavier Henderson and FAU transfer Tony Johnson
Florida State Seminoles – Pest
Pest is dedicated to writing the wrong that was 2023 for Florida St. The Seminoles have some great transfer portal talent that will make them early favorites for the CFP. DJ Uiagalelei is the second of Oregon St QBs to have new homes as he will come back to the East Coast for 2024. He will get a chance to throw to Alabama transfer Malik Benson and LSU’s Jalen Brown this season. While the offense looks like there’s potential, the defensive side of the ball features Marvin Jones Jr and Patrick Payton who will be your quarterback’s worst nightmare.
Colorado Buffalos – Digga76
Digga will give his best prime time impression this cycle taking over the Sanders and Co Buffalos. What obviously jumps off the screen will be NFL prospect QB Shedeur Sanders, elite two way player Travis Hunter, and safety Shilo Sanders. This team features a lot of transfer portal pieces and its unknown on how much that talent can plug and play, especially when it comes to protecting their QB.
Pittsburgh Panthers – Pittjas
When they are loyal, they are loyal. It was hard to find optimism for the Panthers who wen 3-9 last year. Nate Yarnell returns to the helm in 2024 after finishing the season. I asked for a scouting report on him and I was told “well he’s tall” The defense is led by their tackle demon Donovan McMillon who will be active in the secondary.
Liberty Flames – Hofinator
Hof claims he’s not republican, but takes Falwell’s team. Stay away from the pool boy Hof. Kaidon Salter returns after a fantastic 2023 campaign with 3,900 all purpose yards and 44 touchdowns. (1k on the ground). Also returning is the 1k back Quinton Cooley to complete an electric offensive backfield for LU.
Florida Gators – HoopGodWill
Willie loves him a QB he can dish the ball with. One of the leagues better passers in history, Willie is paired with senior quarterback Graham Mertz. Rocking the the famed 15 in blue and orange, Mertz threw 3 interceptions the entirety of last season. Another senior in the backfield, Montrell Johnson Jr. will help keep the team balanced.
Oklahoma State Cowboys – Volhar
Maybe the best player in the game, Ollie Gordon II will be an absolute demon for all. Coming off a 2k all purpose yard (1,700 rushing) and 22 touchdown season, Ollie will rule the ground while Brennan Presley will rule the skies. With Volly always creative, this may be the most interesting offense in the league year 1.
Penn State Nittany Lions – Corey
New blood in Top, welcome Fourth and 1 bass player and avid CFB fan, Corey! Corey enters his first CFM experience with his favorite team and a solid offense led by Drew Allar the junior QB who threw for 25 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in 2023. He won’t be limited to just throwing, as both Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton return this year as each eclipsed 750 rushing yards last year and 17 scores between them.
Virginia Tech Hokies – SoleDrive
Khalil returns to Top this cycle to take on the Hokies. Many remember a time where Khalil took an elite dual threat QB and won 3 super bowls. That may be the case here as Kyron Drones is just different. 800 rushing yards, to go with 2,000 passing and great efficiency at 17 TDs to 3 picks. Drones is joined in the backfield with Bhayshul Tuten, the senior coming off a double digit touchdown season. All of the VT skill positions are upperclassmen, so expect VT to make their run early in the cycle.
Tennessee Volunteers – NotJoey
NotJoey heads to Rocky Top and will join the No 1 recruit of 2023 Nico Iamaleava. The 6ft6 freshman has all the tools to be an elite outside hitter, but vols isn’t short for volleyball. He’s joined by Dylan Sampson the running back who averaged 5.7 ypc last season and of course, on defense, James Pearce Jr is coming off a 9.5 sack season and looks primed for a top 5 pick.
Nebraska Cornhuskers – Bogeyexpress
Dylan Raiola will be one of the few true freshman I expect to see lead their team on Saturdays in Top this cycle. With Comps to Matthew Stafford, he’s a pure pocket passer with a big baseball arm. Expect many deep balls to the big 6ft4 transfer Jahmal Banks from Wake Forest. Banks has back to back seasons with 600 receiving yards and will be relied on early.
Texas Longhorns – xOrangePunchx
Punch gets his real Top Sports debut taking the final four Longhorns. Led by cover athlete Quinn Ewers, Punch will have to keep this offense floating after the departure of Worthy, Brooks, and Mitchell. Texas will be no stranger to its share of 4 and 5 star prospects, so Punch is in perfect position to make the CFP this year.
Ole Miss Rebels – Warren
During out time in Top, little is know of Warrens football fanship outside of his love Steelers and hate for wearing Jerseys. His college team was listed as “any” and I don’t if its because he doesn’t watch college football or if he genuinely is so confident that I could give him coastal carolina and he would make the CFP, or both. The Rebels feature a dynamic offense led by three seniors Tre Harris, Jaxson Dart, and Ulysses Bentley. Expect early dominance from Ole Miss in the powder blue but can Warren’s scout team keep him in the hunt after the offense graduates.
Boise St Broncos – Ricky
Ricky returns to Top. We snagged him but not before Pitt was claimed. Ricky takes the blue turf Broncos in a surprise pick at first, but my sources tell me that Ashton Jeanty is… a fucking problem. I’m ready to dub him “FedEx” cause you can get it through the air (569 receiving yards a 5 TDs) or by ground (1,300 yards and 14 TDs). Ricky is known for his unique offense and running game, so expect him to use FedEx and transfer freshman QB Malachi Nelson extensively in the rebuild.
California Bears – PTown
One thing college football is not short on, is dominant running backs. Jayden Ott ranked 14th in 2023 with 1,300 rushing yards and 12 scores and expect Ptown to use him to the limits of the wear and tear system. David Reese the edge with 6.5 sacks last year returns as well, but he will need to step up as well as the rest of the defense if they plan to be competitive.
North Carolina Tarheels – Gruff
I admit I didn’t expect Gruff, a resident NY fan, to take the carolina blue. Max Johnson, son of SB champion Brad Johnson, leads the Tarheels on Saturday after a shakey few seasons at A&M. Expect the pressure to be taken off him with their rushing attack as Omarion Hampton ranked in the top 10 is rushing yards and touchdowns. They have top 5 jerseys in the game, will they be ranked in the Top 10?
Georgia Bulldogs – Hordan
In defense of Hordan, this was the 4th team on his list. So lets get that out there before we might possibly crown him back to back to back champion of Tops first NCAA cycle. The big challenge will be how Hordan handles the amount of attention UGA offers and only 85 scholarships a year. Hordan had a great cycle with Trevor Lawrence last year, can he get Carson Beck to the Heisman finals?
Syracuse Orange – Derek
The Ohio State Transfer Kyle McCord heads to New York to prove that it wasn’t just the Ohio St WR room making him relevant. Interesting enough it will be a pair of Georgia pass catchers transferring to join him upstate as well. The Orange will have a good amount of talent for an underdog squad.
Alabama Crimson Tide – AllenB
Allen was hesitant to take an SEC powerhouse. But this isn’t the Bama that terrorized the 2000s under Nick Saban. With a lot of talent gone via Transfer Portal, can Allenbama remain competitive in a loaded SEC this year featuring 3 other Top Madden champions? He will have maybe 2 years with elite dual threat QB Jalen Milroe to get the job done early.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish- Juice
Juice loses out on Virginia Tech in one of the closest rolls I have ever seen. That being said his second choice is to be as close to Joe Biden as he can get and go to the Catholic mass known as Notre Dame. The yearly matchup with USC is going to be fun to broadcast. Riley Leonard from Duke and a stifling DB group will be crucial on if this fighting Irish team will be for real or just another Lennay Kekua.
Oregon Ducks – KingJordan
KingJordan made an appearance at the town hall and had a positive can do attitude. The Oregon Ducks also have a can do attitude, as in they can do whatever the fuck they want on offense. Dillon Gabriel transfers in with a rich offense . James Jordan averaged 7 yards per carry in 2023 and Tez Johnson put up 1,100 yards and double digit touchdowns as a WR2. Nasty Business for the sophomore Top user.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – Fin
The season will kick off with a show down of the Old Guard vs New Guard of Top head honcho as Pest and Fin head to Ireland. My name is Finley, so its basically a home game for me. Georgia Tech feels like a great build, Hynes King put up 27 Tds in the air and 700 yards on the ground and has 2 years of eligibility. He will need to lead this rag tag team of nerds to the ACC promise land.
Clemson Tigers – Chris B.
Chris has been a lowkey user since he has joined, but has improved more than maybe anyone has over his time in Top. Chris returns to South Carolina to land of Bojangles and Clemson football. The Tigers have fallen off quite a bit in the post Trevor Lawrence era, but the roster seems to be back to form. Returning RB Phil Mafah will expect to easily break the 1k mark without Shipley splitting the load and the defense is always full of talent. Will Chris make his first appearance in top playoffs this year?
University of Southern California Trojans – KingsKid
Kingskid takes the legendary USC Trojans to confirm the yearly ND/USC rivalry matchup. The question is, who will be the QB? Jyden Maiava the UNLV transfer will battle Miller Moss for the task to replace Caleb Williams. While the roster may not be in top shape, expect USC to land a majority of the west coast 5 star talent come recruiting season.
Hawaii Warriors – DV
New blood steps in to Top to take over the Warriors. Many remember the days of Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan (RIP) and DV will have a tough time bringing that back. Two seniors, Steven McBride and Brayden Schager will lead the offense but only have one year to make a difference.
Louisiana State Tigers – Nick
A friend from the navy joins Top and while he will beat anyone here in any racing game, football will be a challenge. The bayou boy takes his home team in what is shaping up to be a disgusting SEC. Garrett Nussmeier takes over the helm after a fantastic New Years day showing against Wisconsin. The offense will have to reset losing both their WRs and rushing leader, but there is rarely a Tigers team lacking talent. Welcome to Top, good luck.
Air Force Falcons – Hanso
Gonna be honest Hanso, I hope you enjoy the grind. Not many standouts on this offense at all, that being said Air Force ranked 6th in 2023 Total Defense and particularly strong against the run. Senior edge PJ Ramsey returns after an 8 sack season, so while Hanso has his work cut out for him, there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
Maryland Terrapins – Nekko
Its a hometown rebuild for Nekko who mans the Terrapins. Tai Felton at WR is probably the only established player on the offense and the defense has room to grow as well. Will be a fun team to track over the season as well as top tier Jersey combos.
Washington Huskies – Ahard
Will Rogers transfers to Washington after an injury shortened 2023 campaign at A&M, and will join a few other high caliber transfers, Jonah Coleman the bowling ball from Arizona and Jeremiah Hunter from Cal, to revamp the 2023 runner up offense. Ahard runs a very unique offense in his time in the Madden league often seeing him in empty formations. With the wide hashes in college, expect AHard to be a tough nut to crack on Saturdays.
Miami Hurricanes – Ezilla
Sometimes to revive something that once was great, you need new blood. I mean that in two ways, Ezilla is new to Top and an active user is paramount to the success, but also Miami. The great 2000s rostesr are a thing of the past, and new management is here to run the show.
