There is just over a week left until the start of the 2024 college football season. Week 0 starts on August 24th with the meeting of the Florida State Seminoles (No. 10) and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland.
The long offseason is finally coming to an end, which means fans can soon get back to arguing about the actual college football being played on the field rather than how teams stack up on paper or how the preseason AP Top 25 poll turned out.
Here are five thoughts on the early-season rankings.
The Big Ten and SEC account for eight of the top 10 teams in the first preseason poll, with the Georgia Bulldogs (No. 1), Texas Longhorns (No. 4), Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 5) and Ole Miss Rebels (No. 6) representing the SEC and the Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 2), Oregon Ducks (No. 3), Penn State Nittany Lions (No. 8) and Michigan Wolverines (No. 9) all entering the team as media darlings.
Michigan’s placement seems to be a fluke thanks to last season’s national championship, while Penn State and Ole Miss will have to prove they can beat the top teams in their respective conferences. Alabama remains a wild card in the first year of the Kalen DeBoer era, and many are curious to see what the post-Nick Saban era will actually look like in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Of the top four teams, there is a good chance that at least two will reach the semifinals of the College Football Playoffs at the end of the season. Georgia and Ohio State enter the season as favorites to win the national championship.
For much of the 2023 season, Michigan looked (and played) like the best team in the country. Sure, critics pointed to a loose schedule and the fact that the Wolverines’ entire season came down to two regular-season games: away at No. 13 Penn State and at home against No. 10 Ohio State.
The Wolverines passed both of their regular-season tests, crushing an underdog Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten title game and then surviving a CFP semifinal against Alabama in the Rose Bowl – a game decided by a goal-line stoppage in overtime.
Any Michigan skeptics outside of Columbus, Ohio, were silenced when the Wolverines capped a perfect 15-0 season with a 34-13 victory in the national championship game against the Washington Huskies, claiming the school’s first title in more than two decades.
But that was last season.
Entering 2024, Jim Harbaugh is no longer with the team, as are quarterback JJ McCarthy, running back Blake Corum and wide receiver Roman Wilson. The Wolverines also lost six offensive linemen who played key snaps and nine defensive contributors.
New head coach Sherrone Moore has his hands full across the roster, and his schedule includes Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and the No. 23 USC Trojans.
The Wolverines have recruited well, but there are far too many questions early in the season, from the coaching staff to the roster, to justify the program being a top-10 team in 2024. Considering that Washington, the opponent in the national championship game (which is in a similar situation with a new coaching staff and roster), didn’t make the initial top-25 poll, you get a ranking for Michigan that is questionable at best.
The future of the ACC is uncertain and the subject of numerous legal disputes over the league’s rights, as two of the conference’s top programs, the Clemson Tigers and Florida State, are planning a possible exit within the next few seasons.
But as far as 2024 goes, the ACC looks as strong on paper as it has in a long time. Sure, the league may not have a true national title contender this season. Florida State, Clemson and the Miami Hurricanes all have the talent to make the CFP, but it doesn’t look like any of the ACC’s top three squads have what it takes to compete with the top teams in the Big Ten or SEC.
But that doesn’t mean the ACC can’t have multiple contenders for a CFP spot at the end of the season. Florida State, No. 14 Clemson and No. 19 Miami will all have a say, but the next generation of teams is strong, too. The No. 24 NC State Wolfpack was the only other team to make the preseason top 25, but the Louisville Cardinals, Virginia Tech Hokies and SMU Mustangs all stand out as three of the top four teams in the “others receiving votes” category.
By the end of September, as many as five or six teams in the league could be in the top 25, making for one of the most competitive seasons in the ACC in quite some time.
As the season begins, there are a lot of questions for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
How will veteran quarterback Riley Leonard fit in? How well will the offensive line gel together, especially after the loss of left tackle Charles Jagusah, who was supposed to replace departing star Joe Alt on offense? Will the Irish improve their deep passing game?
Despite the questions, Notre Dame will be in a CFP-or-bust situation in year three under Marcus Freeman. Considering how high the Irish are ranked in the first AP poll, public perception of the program remains high heading into a crucial season.
For Notre Dame, the path to the CFP is clear.
Win three of the four toughest games on the schedule: at the No. 23 Texas A&M Aggies in the opener, a home game against Louisville in late September, a game against Florida State in early November and a road game at USC in the season finale. Then take care of the other eight games.
With a record of 11-1, Notre Dame is in the playoffs; with a record of 10-2, Notre Dame still has a good chance but could use some help.
That’s because the preseason AP Top 25 doesn’t include a single Group 5 school.
The Boise State Broncos are expected to be in the running for the title of Group 5’s top-ranked school at the end of the season, which will earn them a spot in the CFP. The Broncos begin the season ranked third in the category of others receiving votes. The Liberty Flames are not far behind, ranking sixth in the category of others receiving votes.
How does this compare to previous years? Last season, only the No. 24 Tulane Green Wave was ranked in the initial AP Top 25. In 2022, three teams made the poll, with the No. 23 Cincinnati Bearcats, No. 24 Houston Cougars and No. 25 UCF Knights all making the jump. All three schools are now in the Big 12.
We live in a college football realignment world where playing in a power conference has never been more important, and that’s no clearer than in the first preseason poll, which didn’t include any Group 5 schools.
