Another commonality: Almost all of these players are on preseason top-25 teams. The Heisman Trophy winner is often a leader on a team that played for its conference championship or is bound for the College Football Playoff. The past two winners (Hunter in ’24 and Jayden Daniels in ’23) were rare exceptions.

The Heisman Trophy favorite has two career starts. That is one indicator of the Arch Manning effect at Texas. The redshirt sophomore quarterback is the odds-on favorite for the 2025 Heisman Trophy heading into his first season as a full-time starter.

Notre Dame is expected to contend for the championship again in 2025, and if they come close, it will likely mean Love is in the running for the Heisman. A couple of injuries limited Avery Johnson in his sophomore season in the Little Apple, but there was still plenty to love about the dual-threat quarterback.

Who our 28 college football staffers believe will win the national title (Texas?), the Heisman (not Arch?) and more, plus bold predictions.

Baylor fans are just nine days away from seeing the Bears take the field in Waco to face SEC's Auburn in a mega Week 1 clash. With the Big 12 Conference having