5 college football dark horse teams that are big-time contenders for a playoff spot in 2025 ft. USF Bulls

The 2025 college football season has its share of dark horses that could cause a major shakeup in the coming weeks as we approach the second half of the regular season.

These teams have bubbled under or just inside the AP Top 25 charts and are gaining recognition with their excellent performances at the end of the week.

With this in mind, here are the five college football dark horses that could become big-time contenders in the college football playoffs:

#1. USF Bulls

South Florida (5-1, 2-0 in the American) showed it's a team to watch in the FBS after upset wins over No. 25 Boise State (34-7) and No. 13 Florida (18-16). Although the Bulls' run was halted by a resurgent Miami squad in Week 3, they came back with a bang, demolishing South Carolina State (63-14), Charlotte (54-26) and North Texas (63-36).

South Florida's offense revolves around Byrum Brown, who has scored 18 touchdowns (13 passing TDs and 5 rushing TDs) this season and accumulated 1,803 yards (1,439 passing yards and 364 rushing yards).

He is supported by wide receiver Chas Nimrod, who has gained 466 yards from 20 receptions with 3 TDs this season. South Florida running backs Sam Franklin, Alvon Isaac and Cartevious Norton have chipped in as well, combining for 609 rushing yards and 5 TDs.

The Bulls still have unbeaten conferencemates Memphis (Oct. 25) and Navy (Nov. 15) on their remaining schedule, so the verdict is still up if they're a real college football playoff contender or not.

#2. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech (6-0, 3-0 in ACC) has surprised everyone in the conference by being one of the two ACC teams that remain unbeaten this season aside from No. 2 Miami.

The Yellow Jackets' claim to fame was their 24-21 win over preseason favorites Clemson and against Deion Sanders' Colorado (27-20). Haynes King has been effective as a run-first quarterback for coach Brent Key, rushing for 440 yards and scoring nine touchdowns this season.

His passing stats aren't too shabby either, accumulating 971 passing yards on 71.2% completion percentage with four TDs and one interception.

Running backs Malachi Hosley and Jamal Haynes have also been efficient for Georgia Tech, combining for 764 yards and eight TDs. Georgia Tech's advantage (and possibly a disadvantage, too) is its strength of schedule in the coming weeks.

The Yellow Jackets will be facing weaker teams in Duke (4-2), Syracuse (3-3), NC State (4-3), Boston College (1-5) and Pittsburgh (4-2) before concluding their regular season schedule against No. 9 Georgia (5-1) on Nov. 29.

#3. Utah Utes

Devon Dampier has proven to be the real deal in the Big 12 Conference despite his small stature. He's stood tall against taller quarterbacks and overcame them with his heady plays to guide Utah to a 5-1 record (2-1 in the Big 12).

The 5-foot-11 dynamo has scored 16 combined touchdowns (11 passing TDs and five rushing TDs) and has passed for 1,131 yards and run for 378 yards.

Other than the Texas Tech loss on Week 4, Utah has stormed past its opponents, winning over UCLA (43-10), Cal Poly (63-9), Wyoming (31-6), West Virginia (48-14) and No. 21 Arizona State (42-10), to raise its flag as one of the perennial playoff contenders this season.

However, Utah's second-half schedule will be more challenging as it will take on No. 15 BYU, Colorado and No. 24 Cincinnati in three weeks, starting on Oct. 18. This will test its ability to sustain its run going into the big stages.

#4. Missouri Tigers

The Missouri Tigers (5-1, 1-1 in SEC) opened a lot of experts' eyes despite losing 27-24 to No. 6 Alabama last Saturday. Missouri's top players, Beau Pribula and Ahmad Hardy, are capable of carrying the team on their shoulders and producing big plays to win the game.

Though Pribula had two interceptions and was 16 of 28 in pass completions against Alabama, he kept his composure and passed for two touchdowns and scored another for the Tigers. Hardy may have had a quiet 52 yards against the Crimson Tide, but he was able to pound the defense with his running game.

Missouri will take on Auburn as its next opponent on Oct. 18 before setting its eyes on No. 17 Vanderbilt (Oct. 24) and No. 4 Texas A&M (Nov. 7) in a make-or-break attempt to impress selectors picking the teams that will compete in the playoffs.

#5. USC Trojans

The USC Trojans (5-1, 3-1 in Big Ten) bounced from a 34-32 heartbreaker to Illinois with a 31-13 statement win over No. 15 Michigan. Quarterback Jayden Maiava and running back King Miller torched the Wolverines with a combination of aerial wizardry and running prowess to outclass the Bryce Underwood-led Wolverines.

Maiava went 25-of-32 for 265 yards with two touchdowns and one interception and allowed walk-on Miller to heat up against the Wolverines' defense, rushing for 158 yards in 18 carries and one TD.

USC's defense was also outstanding in holding Underwood to negative rushing yards by closing down on the rushing lanes that forced the highly-touted freshman to focus more on passing.

The Trojans will visit No. 13 Notre Dame (4-2) on Oct. 18 for their toughest test yet this season. The Fighting Irish have recovered from two straight losses in the first two weeks and are now on a four-game winning streak.

Edited by Geoff