The Worst College Football Take of 2025?... And What We Learned | College Football 2026

2025 Big Ten predictions, Oregon Football, Illinois Football, and the lessons that can help us make better 2026 Big Ten predictions are all discussed in this breakdown of what I believe was the worst college football take of 2025. In this video, I revisit a CBS Sports 2025 Big Ten Power Rankings segment from last summer, focusing on one prediction that stood out immediately: ranking Illinois ahead of Oregon. I break down exactly why that prediction failed, where the evaluation process went wrong, and what it teaches us about projecting college football teams. Along the way, I explain how to identify the traits of a true breakout program and why programs like Indiana Football under Curt Cignetti can, rarely, rise into the sport's upper tier while others fall short. Whether you're making Big Ten predictions, evaluating preseason rankings, or projecting College Football Playoff contenders, this video explores the principles that separate great predictions from bad ones. College Football with Sam's goal is to give you joy and mold you into the most educated fan. Make sure to LIKE the video, SUBSCRIBE to the channel, and CLICK THE NOTIFICATION BELL so you can help yourself by being notified when we release new content and go live. Comment your thoughts so we can have a fun and productive conversation! My email (for sponsorship opportunities or questions): [email protected] Special thanks to Brycen Moore (contact: [email protected] ), Jacob Schnieder (contact: [email protected] ), and Jack Williams (contact: [email protected] ) for helping with graphic design! Discord:   / discord   Twitter:   / cfbwsam   TikTok:   / collegefootballwithsam   Instagram:   / collegefootballwithsam   Patreon:   / cfbwsam   Merchandise Store: https://cfbwithsam.threadless.com/ Spotify Page: https://open.spotify.com/show/4yYwJCR... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/348... 0:00 Why I'm Making This Video 2:00 Brief Review of CBS Sports' 2025 Big Ten Power Rankings 5:30 The Myth of "Close games are good actually" 11:00 Illinois Was Not A "Physical" Team In 2024 & 2025 13:00 This Same Logic Is Underrating Washington Football This Year 14:15 My Atrocious Takes 16:15 Returning Key Units / Production Does Not Guarantee Success 19:00 Insane Take: Oregon Is "Volatile" 21:25 Why Oregon Was NEVER Going To GO 8-4 25:15 Only Use Returning Production In Combination With More Important Data 27:10 Running Backs (With Rare Exception) Do Not Matter A Lot 29:15 Why Illinois Could NEVER Overcome Oregon's Advantages 32:30 McFadden THANKFULLY Makes Good Points 34:50 Why Dan Lanning Getting Blown Out By Ohio State & Indiana Does Not Matter Much 40:53 Giving Flowers To McFadden 41:23 Oregon's 2024 Season Was An ELITE Coaching Job 45:23 No Preseason Research Said Illinois Would Be Favored Over Oregon 47:53 Why Illinois Ahead of Oregon Is BAD 49:53 Bringing Back A Mediocre Team Does NOT Make Them A Contender #collegefootball #oregonfootball #illinoisfootball #indianafootball #ohiostatefootball #bigtenfootball #collegefootballwithsam