Spring ball across the country has now come and gone and now college football teams are moving into the realm of summer conditioning and recruiting.
It’s difficult to somewhat glean just how good (or bad) teams may be after spring ball because intrasquad scrimmages can only tell you so much, but given the rosters that teams currently have (which will assuredly change before Week 1) and those who perhaps have emerged during the winter and spring months, we start to get an idea of just how good teams may be.
USA TODAY Sports is taking a stab at predicting who the best teams in the country will be in 2024 with its new too-early top 25. Where is Michigan football coming off of a national championship win? What about Big Ten rivals like Ohio State and Oregon, both of which loaded up via the transfer portal this offseason in hopes to finally come out on top?
You can find the rankings below along with our thoughts on each, whether they’re ranked too high, too low, or just right.
Ranking thoughts? Just right.
Michigan may have been the best team in the country last year and while it didn’t have to play Georgia (a team that lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game), the Wolverines had their sights on the Bulldogs all offseason with the ‘Beat Georgia drill.’ 2023 may have been just an off-year, and one with just one loss — but it happened to be in the biggest game of the year. With Carson Beck returning at QB, UGA should be considered the team to beat in 2024.
Ranking thoughts? Just right.
If there’s another team that should be considered among the best of the best in 2024, it’s Texas, which narrowly lost in the College Football Playoff semifinal to Washington last year. The Longhorns return quarterback Quinn Ewers and much of their team from last year. The trouble is that UT is joining the SEC and has a Week 2 road trip to Ann Arbor, which could provide more stumbling blocks compared to last year.
Ranking thoughts? One too high.
This might not be a popular sentiment on a Michigan site, but Ohio State is ranked correctly here. The Buckeyes went all-in via the transfer portal, bringing in big players like Alabama safety Caleb Downs and Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins. Chip Kelly takes over the offense and relinquishes Ryan Day of his playcalling duties. But, there are still some major questions. Is Will Howard an upgrade on Kyle McCord? Was there any tangible improvement along the offensive or defensive lines? Can OSU actually be more physical and beat Michigan at its own game? The ranking is accurate for the moment, but it could change by late-season. The schedule is reminiscent of Michigan’s last year in that there aren’t a lot of tough games coming up in 2024.
Ranking thoughts? One too low.
It’s difficult to project a team to come into a loaded new conference and run it (Nebraska thought it would in 2011 and was surprised) but Oregon has all the components to do just that. Washington, which was the Ducks’ kryptonite in 2023, has completely been upended with personnel losses and a coaching change. Oregon, however, has reloaded with multiple high-level transfers including former Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel. The schedule is difficult, but with the College Football Playoff expanding, the Ducks have everything they need to make a deep run.
Ranking thoughts? Too high.
Alabama is certainly talented and it felt like it was on a solid trajectory but with Nick Saban gone, it’s difficult to predict just how good (or not) the Crimson Tide will be. Kalen DeBoer is perhaps the best coach in the country and has an incredible track record, but Alabama hasn’t endured a coaching change in a decade-plus, and it lost a lot of entrenched players. It will be among the nation’s elite, but it’s too soon to put the Tide in the top five at the moment.
Ranking thoughts? Too high.
Lane Kiffin was aggressive in the transfer portal, but lost his best player in running back Quinshon Judkins. The Rebels keep improving but it still appears that the high-powered offense can’t hack it against the elite defenses and Ole Miss hasn’t fielded a defense that can contend with elite offenses. So, too high until it can prove otherwise.
Ranking thoughts? Too high.
Notre Dame has appeared to be on the ascent under Marcus Freeman but does not have the record to show for it. With more roster upheaval this offseason, it’s difficult to ascertain whether or not the Irish will be much better than a year ago. For now, we’d say that ND should be hovering in the 10-13 range.
Ranking thoughts? Way too high.
Brent Venables did see improvement in his second year at the helm but with another new quarterback and a move from the Big 12 to the SEC, this feels like another year where the Sooners could take a big step back.
Ranking thoughts? Too low.
Missouri may not have a lot of star power but Eli Drinkwitz has the team quietly moving in the right direction and working as a team. You could see, even in 2022, that the Tigers were starting to find a way to contend with the best of the best in the SEC. With a win over Ohio State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Mizzou can use that as a springboard to continue to coalesce and string together wins.
Ranking thoughts? Too high.
Yes, Clemson was one of the elite teams of the 2010s but the Tigers have not rekindled the glory years of the program in recent memory. In fact, Dabo Swinney’s team has been more likely to disappoint than not. It’s difficult to ascertain if this is the year where Clemson could look like it did five years ago but the constant backsliding doesn’t bode well. It’s a program that appears to be good, but no longer elite.
Ranking thoughts? Too low.
A Michigan site saying Michigan is ranked too low? Surely not!
Yet, here we are. The Wolverines deserve some benefit of the doubt despite the personnel and coaching losses. Yes, the new QB situation is concerning, as is the wide receiver room. But U-M is projected to have four first-round NFL draft picks still on the roster and are loaded on defense. Donovan Edwards is being underrated at running back after a disappointing season but could have a big bounce-back year. Sherrone Moore got some great on-the-job learning last year as interim coach and should be able to continue the culture and the vision established in 2021.
Ranking thoughts? Too low.
Utah had a step-back year with Cam Rising being out for the season but he’s returned and should be poised to lead the team back to greatness. Utah also has an easier schedule now that it enters the anemic Big 12 and it would be no surprise if the Utes went undefeated or close to it this upcoming season.
Ranking thoughts? Just right.
Garrett Nussmeier takes over from the Heisman Trophy winner in Jayden Daniels which should be a step down. But, at the same time, LSU has been stabilized after a couple of down years following the national championship. It’s difficult to say more about the Tigers other than they’re a very good team but probably not elite. Until the defense can find some oomph, LSU is probably just outside of the top 10, but has the talent to beat almost anybody.
Ranking thoughts? Just right.
There’s a lot to like about what Dave Doeren has done with the Wolfpack and though there’s some new faces at QB and WR, considering the declining nature of the ACC, NC State could potentially beat anybody in the conference. This is a good spot.
Ranking thoughts? Too low.
Many are underestimating the job that Mike Norvell has done in Tallahassee. Florida State was in shambles and shocked LSU two-straight years before going undefeated in the regular season last year. Bringing in former five-star QB D.J. Uiagalelei should make up for Jordan Travis’ departure and though there are other big names leaving like Jared Verse, Norvell has completely reformulated what FSU is doing since he took over. This should be a top 10 team.
Ranking thoughts? Too low.
While Drew Allar didn’t end up being a game-changer last year, the Nittany Lions were very good last year. Yes, they lost to the teams with a pulse, but with Allar returning, and the formidable running back duo of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, this is a team that could do some damage this year — especially since the schedule isn’t as loaded as some other Big Ten teams. Though Manny Diaz’s departure hurts the defense, there’s still a lot of talent on this team and it could be a breakout year for Penn State.
Ranking thoughts? Just right.
Nico Iamaleava might be a game-changer at quarterback but the Vols have an excruciatingly difficult schedule. This doesn’t feel like 2022 where Tennessee manages some big upsets en route to the best season in memory, but it feels more like one that looks quite similar to last year. UT could win some surprising games but it’s difficult to see less than three losses given the schedule.
Ranking thoughts? Too low.
Oklahoma State looked awful to start the season last year before rattling off an insane amount of wins. Mike Gundy still has his finger on the pulse of the Cowboys and now that the Big 12 has been upended with Texas and Oklahoma going to the SEC, there’s a big opportunity for OSU to make some damage in the regular season. Don’t be surprised to see the Cowboys finish the regular season with two or fewer losses.
Ranking thoughts? Too low.
Lance Leipold is like Kalen DeBoer in that he’s quietly one of the best coaches in America. Jalon Daniels’ return at quarterback should bolster the Jayhawks and Kansas has been aggressive in the transfer portal. The Big 12 is there for the taking and it wouldn’t surprise to see Kansas among the best teams in the conference by years’ end.
Ranking thoughts? Too high.
Arizona caught lightning in a bottle with Jedd Fisch leading the charge. But now that Fisch is off to Washington and the team has seen a bit of turnover, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see something of a step back this upcoming season.
Ranking thoughts? Just right.
While we underestimate Kansas State at our own peril, this is an appropriate ranking due to Will Howard’s departure to Ohio State. Chris Kleiman has been incredible overseeing this team and without Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12, the conference is wide open. But we have questions, and still think there needs to be a little more consistency before we move Kansas State up.
Ranking thoughts? Too high.
Yes, USC is a very talented team and Lincoln Riley is a solid offensive mind. And the Trojans brought in D’Anton Lynn to oversee the defense, but that defense has been bad for some time. And moving into the Big Ten and having some tough matchups doesn’t help. We saw USC, with an enigmatic QB in Caleb Williams, get throttled by the most Big Ten-like team in Notre Dame last year, and without Williams, we’re not sure that this is currently a team on the rise.
Ranking thoughts? Don’t know.
This is the only ‘don’t know’ on this list because, honestly, Virginia Tech has been invisible over the past decade. Brent Pry appears to have the Hokies moving in the right direction and the ACC is an amenable conference to be in if you’re rebuilding. But going from 7-6 into the top 25 — that’s a move we’re not sure about. We’re not not sure about it, too, thus, we don’t know. The better ACC team to be here is Miami which has an easy schedule and is truly loaded with talent.
Ranking thoughts? Just right.
With Cade McNamara returning at quarterback and a new offensive coordinator in Tim Lester, this should be a year where it’s not just the defense controlling things for the Hawkeyes. But with Ohio State and Washington on the schedule, it won’t be simple. This is probably too low for a team that will likely, despite personnel losses, still has one of the best defenses in the country, but given that Iowa usually finishes around here, we’ll say it’s about right for now.
Ranking thoughts? Just right.
The only team on Memphis’ schedule, unless things go horribly wrong, is Florida State. As a Group of Five team, the Tigers should finish the season, at worst, should be 10-2. This is an apt ranking.