Reports indicate that the Big Ten has given the SEC an ultimatum before agreeing to make any changes to the College Football Playoff format.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq as Ranking college football's surprise teams in 2025, per Phil Steele. With the historic expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams, the race for the national championship has opened up in a way it never has been before.

Four years without a national championship feels like a severe drought for veteran Alabama players. Similarly, one year of missing the College Football Playoff has second-year coach Kalen DeBoer feeling the pressure to restore the Crimson Tide's status as one of the nation's top teams in 2025.