Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge, and Kathryn Tappen Return to Call Big Ten Saturday Night and Select Primetime Games, Beginning with No. 14 Michigan Hosting New Mexico on Aug. 30, on NBC and Peacock

Smith, Leonard Moore and Ryan Williams quickly established themselves as stars during elite freshman campaigns in 2024, but it's a nearly impossible task to predict which first-year players will break out in 2025.

It is true that most teams that landed in the preseason AP Top 25 have plenty of reason for optimism. They were good enough to get ranked after all and, in the 12-team era, that puts a program squarely in the race for the College Football Playoff.