The 2024-25 college football season wasn’t just historic on the field—it was a seismic shift in how the sport was covered, consumed, and surfaced in Google’s mobile News Boxes. From the final season of the Pac-12 as we know it to the last hurrah for the 4-team College Football Playoff format to off-field headlines ranging from NIL developments to coaching rumors and viral moments, this year delivered a perfect storm of narrative, controversy, and cultural relevance.

This analysis explores which keywords, programs, matchups, and figures drew the most search visibility in the US mobile News Boxes from August 18, 2024, through January 25, 2025. It then examines which publishers and platforms were most successful in capturing that attention across the top 50 most ranked keywords during this period.

By breaking down the keyword landscape into four thematic categories—Teams and programs, General terms, Players and coaches, and Matchups—we uncover not only what topics worked particularly well in the News Boxes, but also how the rhythm of the season and the structure of college football itself influenced those patterns.

And in the second half of the analysis, we take a closer look at who came out on top: from legacy publishers to emerging platforms, and from video-first outlets to those specializing in real-time updates, you’ll see who managed to dominate the News Boxes during one of the most media-heavy seasons in NCAA history.

Whether you’re a publisher, SEO strategist, sports editor, or just a fan of the game, this breakdown offers valuable insight into the intersection of news visibility and college football’s evolving media landscape.

Let’s go!

The 50 most-ranked college football keywords (Aug 18, 2024 – Jan 25, 2025)

To understand which topics dominated US college football coverage in Google’s mobile News Boxes during the 2024-25 NCAA season, we analyzed the 50 most visible keywords from August 18, 2024 (one week before Week Zero) through January 25, 2025 (the week following the National Championship). The dataset captures keyword rankings in the visible positions of the News Box, measured at 15-minute intervals throughout this entire period.

Together, these 50 keywords generated a total of 106,002 rankings, offering a rich overview of which programs, players, games, and narratives shaped the editorial season. The keywords have been grouped into four thematic categories: Teams and programs, General terms, Players and coaches, and Matchups.

Let’s take a look at what stood out in each.

As expected, team and program names made up the lion’s share of keyword rankings—more than 60% of the total across the top 50. Household names like Ohio State (6,071), Notre Dame (5,760), Texas (4,616), and Georgia (3,798) led the way. This category didn’t just reflect athletic performance but the gravitational pull of historic legacies, loyal fanbases, and media-savvy programs.

Ohio State, with 6,701 keyword rankings, underscored how their national relevance translated directly into visibility, with coverage peaking around their CFP National Championship win. Notre Dame’s 5,760 rankings reflected similar momentum, as its independent brand and path to the title game ensured steady prominence in the News Box throughout the season.

But perhaps the biggest storyline—both on and off the field—was the continued spotlight on Colorado, led by head coach Deion Sanders. The program accounted for multiple keyword entries: “colorado” (2,439), “colorado buffaloes football” (2,091), and “colorado football” (1,018), totaling more than 5,500 rankings. Despite a rocky season on the field, Colorado’s media presence remained outsized, thanks to Coach Prime’s cultural relevance and the fascination surrounding his leadership and player development.

Another notable pattern is the persistent performance of full program names—e.g., “georgia bulldogs football,” “usc trojans football”—alongside or instead of shorthand team names. Unlike the NFL, where brevity dominated, college football still relies heavily on extended naming conventions, perhaps due to SEO differentiation and the need to clarify between schools with overlapping identifiers (e.g., “georgia” vs. “georgia tech”).

The general terms category, though small in keyword count, carried serious weight—contributing nearly 18% of total rankings. At the top was the foundational term “college football” with 8,025 rankings, followed by “college football playoff” (6,632) and its abbreviation “cfp” (1,044).

The high visibility of playoff-related terms reflects the significant attention surrounding the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff format, which debuted this season. With more teams competing for a national title and additional high-stakes matchups on the calendar, interest peaked during the closing weeks as rankings, selection debates, and bowl placements dominated the headlines.

Two keywords tied to broader themes also made a strong showing: “pac 12” (1,951) and “cotton bowl 2025” (1,310). The Pac-12’s farewell season—marked by the realignment of teams and the dissolution of the conference as we know it—was a historic media storyline. Meanwhile, the Cotton Bowl wasn’t merely a marquee postseason matchup—it served as a CFP semifinal between Ohio State and Texas on January 10, 2025, and became the most-watched Cotton Bowl Classic on record, drawing approximately 21 million viewers and cementing its relevance.

This category reveals a key truth: the structural and strategic aspects of college football (e.g., playoff formats, bowl games, conferences) are just as newsworthy as the teams themselves—especially when institutions face historic transitions.

Though players and coaches only made up 10% of the top keywords, their presence was anything but marginal. This year’s list reflects both expected stars and surprise entrants—and in some cases, crossover attention from the professional ranks.

Bill Belichick (4,290) topped this category, driven by speculation about a potential move to college coaching following his departure from the Patriots. Off-field attention also played a role—particularly headlines surrounding his relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson, which fueled tabloid interest and boosted overall visibility surrounding his name.

In the college world proper, Deion Sanders (1,956) and Travis Hunter (1,879) remained in the spotlight, thanks to Colorado’s outsized media narrative. Both have become central figures in the new era of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness), media access, and recruiting flash.

Cam Skattebo (2,306), a standout running back for Arizona State, earned his place on the list thanks to a breakout season that combined dominant on-field performances with viral moments. His explosive stats, MVP showing in the Big 12 Championship Game, and a top-five finish in Heisman voting made him one of the most talked-about players in college football—driving significant search visibility across the season.

Rounding out the list was Kyren Lacy of LSU (1,304), whose one-handed catch during the Alabama game became one of the most replayed highlights of the season—proving that breakout moments still hold weight in search performance, even for less nationally known players. The player sadly passed away in April 2025, which, due to the examined time frame only reaching until January, would not have been reflected in the rankings.

Matchup-related keywords captured more than 10% of the rankings—a strong showing considering how concentrated these keywords are around individual games.

The most-ranked matchup was ‘Ohio State vs. Notre Dame’ (2,427), underscoring the outsized visibility of their College Football Playoff National Championship showdown. Other headline games that drove strong keyword rankings included ‘Notre Dame vs. Georgia,’ ‘Notre Dame vs. Penn State,’ and ‘Tennessee vs. Ohio State’.

What’s also noteworthy is that these matchups tend to cluster around the same programs—especially Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Georgia—further reinforcing their centrality in college football media. Whether it’s the actual schedule or playoff hypotheticals, certain teams dominate the national conversation by virtue of reputation alone.

While the keywords reveal which teams, players, games, and themes captured the most attention during the 2024 college football season, they only tell part of the story. To understand who successfully capitalized on these topics in the mobile News Boxes, we need to look at the publishers and platforms behind the coverage. Let’s dive into the second part of this analysis!

Top performers in the News Boxes

The following chart shows which news publishers and content platforms were most visible in Google’s mobile News Boxes across the 50 most-ranked college football keywords between August 18, 2024, and January 25, 2025. This visibility reflects not just presence but sustained performance over time—driven by a mix of timely reporting, smart headline targeting, and strong domain authority.

Unlike in our recent NFL analysis, the focus here is on overall performance across all 50 keywords, without breaking them down into categories. Given the smaller dataset, a category-specific publisher breakdown would risk overemphasizing isolated spikes. This approach offers a more reliable overview of who consistently surfaced in front of readers during one of the most dynamic NCAA football seasons in recent years.

Top 10 publishers and platforms on the College Football season 2024/25 in US mobile News Boxes

1. YouTube (9.30% visibility)
   YouTube topped the visibility chart, underlining the importance of video content in the context of college football coverage. Visibility peaked in week 51, 2024 (Dec 15–21) with a College Football Playoff reaction video by Josh Pate’s College Football Show. That week, YouTube hit a peak visibility of 16.35%.
   Across the season, YouTube racked up 11,875 keyword rankings, especially excelling with general terms like “college football playoff” (903 rankings) and “college football” (900), as well as team-centric keywords such as “notre dame” (860), “texas” (749), and “ohio state” (673). Its most visible video overall also came from Josh Pate’s account: “Penn State Beats Boise State – Josh Pate Playoff Reaction.”
2. ESPN (8.25% visibility)
   Just behind YouTube, ESPN held the second position with 8.25% visibility across the keyword set. Week 51 marked its peak too, when content forecasting every round of the CFP drew strong engagement. That period saw ESPN reach 17.53% visibility—the highest single-week value across all publishers and platforms. Over the course of the season, ESPN appeared prominently for keywords such as “college football” (1,203 rankings), “college football playoff” (881), “ohio state” (505), “bill belichick” (436), and “notre dame” (293), earning 6,985 rankings overall. The most visible article was “CFP semifinal first look: Previewing Notre Dame–Penn State and Texas–Ohio State”, underscoring ESPN’s edge in playoff-specific editorial content.
3. CBS Sports (6.96% visibility)
   CBS Sports landed in third place with 6.96% visibility. Its peak came in week 3 of 2025 (Jan 12–18), when its preview coverage of Ohio State vs. Notre Dame led engagement. Its strongest keyword performances included “college football” (1,038 rankings), “college football playoff” (686), “notre dame” (452), “ohio state vs notre dame” (442), and “cotton bowl 2025” (318), contributing to a total of 6,128 keyword rankings. The publisher’s most visible article overall, “Ohio State vs. Texas odds: 2025 Cotton Bowl spread, preview for College Football Playoff semifinal game,” showcases its strength in sports betting and game preview coverage.
4. Yahoo (5.83% visibility)
   Yahoo followed with a 5.83% share of visibility, peaking in week 2 of 2025 (Jan 5–11) with its coverage of the CFP semifinal between Notre Dame and Penn State. It earned 4,955 total keyword rankings, gaining traction with searches for “college football playoff” (639 rankings), “college football” (547), “notre dame” (310), “notre dame vs georgia” (203), and “notre dame vs penn state” (178). Its most visible article overall, “Georgia vs. Notre Dame score, live updates: College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl,” reflects how real-time game tracking remains a major traffic driver during the postseason.
5. USA Today (5.62% visibility)
   In fifth place, USA Today achieved 5.62% visibility, with its highest performance recorded in week 52 of 2024 (Dec 22–28) as the CFP gained momentum. Its top article that week explored Ohio State’s turnaround and fan tensions leading up to the playoff. USA Today generated 5,390 keyword rankings, centered around keywords like “college football playoff” (298 rankings), “college football” (473), “notre dame” (408), “ohio state” (224), and “georgia” (203). Its most visible article, “All-Access with Boise State at the Fiesta Bowl: Broncos proved they belong vs. Penn State,” highlights the publisher’s strength in feature reporting with a human-interest angle.
6. Instagram (4.93% visibility)
   Instagram ranked sixth overall with 4.93% visibility and showed an interesting skew toward player-focused and off-field content. Its peak occurred early in the season (week 37, Sep 8–14), driven by ESPN’s announcement of Pac-12 expansion. Across 7,187 keyword rankings, Instagram performed particularly well for “cam skattebo” (961 rankings), “kyren lacy lsu” (475), “ohio state” (474), “penn state” (426), and “colorado buffaloes football” (370)—a different pattern than most other platforms or publishers, which focused more on general or team terms. The most visible Instagram post was “Louisiana State Police said Lacy will be charged with negligent homicide…”, also posted by ESPN, showing that viral news stories with legal or emotional weight can shape platform-wide visibility.
7. Twitter/X (3.92% visibility)
   Twitter/X came in seventh with 3.92% visibility, peaking in week 44 (Oct 27–Nov 2) with strong reaction posts around big matchups, including a widely shared tweet by J.J. Watt about the Ohio State vs Penn State game. Across 6,590 keyword rankings, Twitter’s top performers included “ohio state” (895 rankings), “cotton bowl 2025” (477), “alabama crimson tide football” (363), “usc trojans football” (338), and “georgia bulldogs football” (338)—a notably different mix from editorial publishers, reflecting X’s lean toward fast commentary and team-specific sentiment. Its most visible post was what a finish. see you in the Cotton semis Longhorns. Own it. Take it. #hookem by actor Matthew McConaughey, showing how celebrity voices can amplify a moment.
8. Sports Illustrated (3.74% visibility)
   Sports Illustrated followed closely with 3.74% visibility. It peaked in week 46 (Nov 10–16) with live score updates from the USC vs. Nebraska game. The publisher totaled 3,890 keyword rankings, especially around terms like “college football” (401 rankings), “notre dame” (256), “college football playoff” (245), “nebraska cornhuskers football” (202), and “bill belichick” (193). Its most visible article, “Best College Football Bets for Week 1 (Bet Texas A&M to Cover vs. Notre Dame),” demonstrates how betting-focused content continues to perform well in the news.
9. On3 (3.04% visibility)
   On3 reached 9th place and peaked during week 45 (Nov 3–Nov 9), with high interest in its coverage of the CFP’s initial Top 25 rankings. On3 is a sports media outlet known for its in-depth recruiting coverage and team-based analysis, which sets it apart from more traditional publishers. Its 2,567 keyword rankings came primarily from terms like “college football playoff” (289 rankings), “college football” (241), “kyren lacy lsu” (167), “notre dame” (157), and “penn state” (118). Its most visible article, “Report: LSU WR Kyren Lacy wanted on negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run charges,” likely gained traction through its strong news angle.
10. Reddit
    Rounding out the top 10, Reddit earned 2.87% visibility. Its peak came in week 51 (Dec 15–21), where fan commentary on Notre Dame’s home win dominated visibility. Reddit collected 4,308 keyword rankings, with strong performance on “ohio state” (488 rankings), “bill belichick” (397), “college football playoff” (304), “notre dame” (285), and “college football” (229). The most visible post overall was “On fourth and goal, Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer strips Quinn Ewers and returns it for a touchdown…”, a highlight clip that captured one of the most dramatic plays of the postseason and that once again underlines the importance of video content in this context.

College Football Season 2024–25: Key Takeaways for News Publishers

If you’re looking for even more in-depth news SEO analyses, check out these articles:

• NFL in the News Box: What Drove Visibility for the 2024-Season?
• From Alaska to the White House: US News Box Insights on Trump’s Diplomatic Meetings in August
• Super Bowl LIX: Which Publishers Were Mobile News Box Champions?
• Super Bowl Betting: How US Publishers Ranked
• 2025 NFL Free Agency: ESPN Leads Early Visibility Race as Legal Tampering Heats Up
• 2025 NBA Draft: Top Picks and Publishers in US Mobile News Boxes

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