The Big Lead

Which 2025 College Football Playoff fan bases would a national title be most meaningful for?

By Sam Westmoreland

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with players at the end of the game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with players at the end of the game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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6. TENNESSEE

Josh Heupel and Tennessee have fans feeling like 1998 again.
Josh Heupel exits the field after winning a game between Tennessee and Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. / Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee reached the mountaintop in 1998, and anytime the Vols have been good in recent years, you hear fans say "feels like '98." You heard it in 2022, and you're hearing it more this year. This fan base is more excited than they've been in a long, long time, and with good reason. A title would be the return to glory they desperately want.

But here's the thing about Tennessee: this fan base is as diehard as they come, and they root for a program who has tried awfully hard to kill them over the last 20 years.

It wasn't an Indiana death of terrible football; no, the Vols slid into something that might be worse: mediocrity. They were seldom awful, but they were even more rarely good enough to be anywhere near the national conversation.

Now, under Josh Heupel, they're back, and while they would love a title, they're still largely basking in the glow of a return to relevance. As of right now, they're also just enjoying the ride, which keeps them from the top 5.

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