College Football Coaching Changes That Will Impact Scoring More Than You Think

The coaching carousel in college football is crazier than in any other sport, in part because of the massive scope and size of the game. 

Coaches in college football also impact the game probably more than any other level. So, getting the right guy with the right system is a must for schools. 

With that in mind, here are my college football predictions for which coaching moves will affect scoring the most in 2025. 

Country roads can take you home again, as Rich Rod tries to rebuild magic in Morgantown 

Coaching retreads don’t always work in college football, but it’s been 17 years since Rich Rodriguez led the West Virginia Mountaineers to three consecutive 10-win seasons and two conference championships (the now defunct Big East). 

Rodriguez departed WVU for Michigan, which did not go so well. But since then, he’s been a big part of turning around the programs at Arizona and Jacksonville State. He took the Wildcats to the Pac-12 Championship game and then prepped FCS Jax State for the FBS with multiple conference titles. 

Rich Rod runs a spread option offense and the Gamecocks were one of the top rushing teams in the country last season. Now, he’ll bring that offense back to West Virginia and he’ll have some great personnel to run it. 

Speedster Jahiem White is one of the best running backs in the Big 12, rushing for 1,668 yards at 6.6 yards in his first two seasons with the Mountaineers. 

West Virginia should see a boost in scoring under Rodriguez this season and with a defense that is still a little suspect, country roads could lead to more Overs in Morgantown. 

The Sooners could see a boom on offense with new OC-and-QB combo from Wazzu 

The Brent Venables era in Norman got off to a rocky start and the transition to the SEC didn’t make it any easier. But there were signs things were starting turn in the right direction for the Oklahoma Sooners last season. Mostly with Oklahoma starting to resemble those defenses we saw with Venables at Clemson for all those years. 

But Venables needed an offense that could match his defense. Well, he gave it his best shot this offseason. 

Venables went out and brought in up-and-coming coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State. Arbuckle led one of the most prolific offenses in the country with the Cougars scoring 36.6 points per game. 

Bringing in Arbuckle was a tactical move as well, because the other man responsible for that scoring was quarterback John Mateer. Mateer threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns while adding another 1,057 yards and 15 scores on the ground. 

On top of that, Venables brought in Cal star running back Jayden Ott. 

While the competition in the SEC will be tougher, there’s no doubt Boomer Sooner’s offense will improve in 2025. And with a stout defense, Oklahoma could cover a lot of spreads this season. 

Matt Rhule is another guy who has seen his tenure at a new school get off to a slow start but was almost to be expected with the situation he was walking into. That includes having a true freshman, albeit a highly touted one in Dylan Raiola, as your starting quarterback. 

Raiola and the Nebraska Cornhuskers started 2024 strong, but the frosh QB looked a little tight when Big Ten conference play started. He went through a six-game stretch where he threw just three touchdowns to eight interceptions while completing 60.6 percent of his passes. 

Then on November 11 Rhule made then special assistant Dana Holgorsen the offensive coordinator. Raiola finished the season completing 77.4 percent of his passes and Holgorsen was given the gig full time heading into 2025. 

Holgorsen has spent the offseason talking about consistency which should lead to more explosive plays. Which is something Nebraska needs this season. Combine that with a defense that could take a little step back and the Cornhuskers could cash a lot of Overs this season.