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Urban Meyer says that Texas, Ohio State, and Oregon would be his picks to win the 2025 national championship if he placed futures bets. But all 3 carry a bit of risk as all 3 of them are replacing veteran, experienced quarterbacks. And if the 2024 College Football Playoff showed us anything, it’s that experienced signal-callers can pay dividends in the postseason.
But Meyer also provided a dark horse team to win it all during Wednesday’s episode of The Triple Option podcast — Tennessee.
“Nico (Iamaleava), the quarterback at Tennessee,” Meyer said. “I remember when I first started studying them last year and I called Brady Quinn and Matt Leinart and said, ‘What am I missing here? This guy looks like a bonafide… he looks like Aaron Rodgers.’ The ball comes out of his hand like a tennis ball.”
Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, leading the Vols to a 10-win regular season and their first College Football Playoff appearance. Tennessee lost in the first round of the Playoff to eventual champion Ohio State.
In what was Iamaleava’s first season as the full-time starter, there were ups and downs. He threw for 698 yards and 6 scores in his first 3 games as the UT offense steamrolled weaker competition. But he was held under 200 yards passing in his first 4 conference games and in 6 of his first 7. He cooked Vanderbilt’s secondary with 257 yards and 4 scores on 26 passes, but was limited to just 104 yards through the air by the Buckeyes in the final game of his season.
“He got really inconsistent and that team around him got a little bit inconsistent,” Meyer said. “They still had a heck of a year. If that kid grows as a quarterback… I asked the question after watching, and I know he wasn’t playing great teams, but just his physical ability, his size, speed, athleticism, and (the way) the ball comes out, I saw him as a high first-round draft pick. Now, it remains to be seen, but I’ll pick Tennessee.”
The Vols are +2000 to win the national championship at BetMGM. Alabama (+1500), Notre Dame (+1400), and Penn State (+900) all have shorter odds. Georgia (+650) is also among the favorites.
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Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
