The Nick Saban effect changes everything. The retirement of the former Alabama head coach is changing our college football predictions and appears to be changing another.
College football analyst JD PicKell shared his Top 12 poll for the 2024 season on Thursday. The significance of the number is that 12 programs will make the College Football Playoff. At least one Group of Five team will be included, but one would still like to finish within the Top 12 among Power Five teams.
PicKell’s ranking goes as follows.
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Texas
- Oregon
- Ole Miss
- Michigan
- Alabama
- Penn State
- Notre Dame
- Missouri
- Florida State
- Utah
Notably from the list, Alabama and Michigan are given plenty of credit for their reputation despite losing their head coach and not returning much from either squad. Penn State is given a high ranking as well, although the Nittany Lions do not seem to have won a big game in a long while.
Outside of the above potential areas in question, the Top 5 should probably be widely agreed upon among college football analysts. Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon and Ole Miss all seem like teams you can trust in 2024. The rest of college football is anybody’s guess.
CFB's Top 12 after Portal Madness and Nick Saban's retirement pic.twitter.com/B6FZcAXYN5
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) January 25, 2024