Way-too-Early Top 25 for 2024: Will the Dawgs Reclaim Their Throne?

By Luke Brumm

Near the beginning of every offseason, I like to look ahead and try to come up with a way-too-early top 25. I do one now, one after spring ball, and one last one before the season starts. I always like to go back and see how right or wrong I was. Today, I will be releasing my first top 25 rankings for the upcoming 2024 season. A lot, and I mean a lot, will change before the season starts, but here are my rankings as of now.

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh holds the National Championship Trophy as he celebrates after winning 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game against the Washington Huskies at NRG Stadium.

21-25

25. Boise State Broncos

24. Miami Hurricanes

23. Kansas State Wildcats

22. Clemson Tigers

21. North Carolina State Wolfpack

I expect the ACC trio I have ranked here to be competitive in the conference. I like the addition of Cam Ward for the Hurricanes. Kansas State is a team that could be ranked top ten or unranked by the end of the year, depending on the growth of sophomore QB Avery Johnson. I like Boise State right now as my best G5 team.

Oct 21, 2023; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (5) drops back to pass during the first quarter against the TCU Horned Frogs at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium.

16-20

20. Utah Utes

19. Kentucky Wildcats

18. Washington Huskies

17. Louisville Cardinals

16. Kansas Jayhawks

Utah is finally getting QB Cam Rising back, so I look for them to improve from last season as they head to the Big 12. Kentucky grabbed QB Brock Vandagriff from Georgia to be their starter, so I expect them to have another good season. Washington will fall off a little, but I still expect a top-25 team up there. Louisville may have overachieved in 2023, so Jeff Brohm and staff will be looking to build off of that success in 2024. Kansas has one of the easiest schedules in the country and returns almost all its talent. I can see them making a run for the 12-team playoff if Jalon Daniels can stay healthy.

Oct 8, 2022; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) gets ready before the snap against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

11-15

15. Arizona Wildcats

14. Tennessee Volunteers

13. Oklahoma Sooners

12. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

11. LSU Tigers

I really like Nico Iamaleava at Tennessee and think he can be special in that Josh Heupel offense. The Wildcats had a huge season under the now-departed Jedd Fisch in 2023, so it will be a bit of an uphill battle to match those expectations but they are still talented across the board. Jackson Arnold will not get his chance to shine at OU, and I know they are excited about him. Notre Dame grabbed another top QB transfer in Duke’s Riley Leonard, and he should be even better than their last ACC transfer Sam Hartman. Former four-star Garrett Nussmeier will take over under center for LSU. He has played well in limited snaps, so that will be interesting to see as well.

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) warming up for the Citrus Bowl NCAA College football game on Monday, January 1, 2024 in Orlando, Fla.

6-10

10. Florida State Seminoles

9. Missouri Tigers

8. Penn State Nittany Lions

7. Michigan Wolverines

6. Ole Miss Rebels

Florida State went and got DJ Uiagalelei from Oregon State, which will make up for the loss of most of the quarterback room from last season. Missouri had their best season in a long time in 2023 and ended it with a win vs Ohio State. I like them to be good again this season. Penn State and Michigan will be battling in the new-look Big Ten. Right now, I have them both below Ohio State. Ole Miss probably had the best transfer portal class. Maybe Ohio State’s compares, but not many others. They lost running back Quinshon Judkins to the Buckeyes, but Ulysses Bentley IV is more than capable of being RB1.

Sep 30, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; LSU Tigers defensive linemen Jacobian Guillory (90) and defensive back Major Burns (8) tackle Mississippi Rebels running back Ulysses Bentley IV (24) during the second half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Top 5

5. Alabama Crimson Tide

4. Oregon Ducks

3. Texas Longhorns

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

1. Georgia Bulldogs

Obviously, Alabama will look completely different, but I still expect a lot of good from the Crimson Tide under new head coach Kalen DeBoer. Oregon has been trending up ever since Lanning got their and had a great portal class as well. Texas returns some stars, such as QB Quinn Ewers, as well as adding more via the portal like WR Isaiah Bond. Ohio State had one of the best recruiting and transfer portal classes. They got Caleb Downs and freshman quarterback Julian Sayin from Alabama. They added top RB Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss, and added the number one high school receiver Jeremiah Smith. Not to mention, they got quarterback Will Howard out of the portal. This leaves them behind just one team, and that is Georgia. The Dawgs were a few plays away from beating Alabama and making the Playoff. And if they did, I’m not too sure that they wouldn’t have won it all. They return a ton of production and also don’t have to worry about Nick Saban anymore. Since 2021, nobody other than Saban has beaten Kirby Smart and Georgia. I’m very excited to see their trips to Tuscaloosa and Austin this year.

Dec 4, 2021; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart greets Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban before the SEC championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.