No matter how we go about setting our preseason expectations for the 2025 college football season -- polls, computer projections, pure gut instincts -- we're going to end up mostly right. We're going to assume that the teams that were the best last year...

NFL^[1] teams don't need young talent to be serious contenders, but having it helps indicate their potential for long-term success. Blue-chip players are cornerstone assets from whom teams will likely derive their biggest future value.

For the third straight...