Thus, consider all of this to be speculative.
However, don’t assume that the schedule’s strength in the future is based in any way on these rankings. That is absurd. This isn’t a ranking based on my projections for these teams’ 2024 results. This is a rating of where I think they should be ranked, given what we know now and in the future.
Easy enough, huh?
My much-too-early top ten for 2024 is as follows:
10. Arizona
One thing I enjoy: You can guess where I’m headed if you tune in to The Saturday Down South Podcast. It’s Fifita, Noah. similar to the player that took over Jedd Fisch’s offense and led Arizona to seven consecutive victories to end the season with ten wins. Five of those victories, incidentally, came against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of the match. The three quarterbacks that advanced to New York were the only FBS players with more touchdown passes versus Power 5 opponents than Fifita (25) did. That guy is him.
One thing that bothers me: Arizona only had one AP Top 25 finish in the twenty-first century prior to 2023. Thirty years ago was the last time the Wildcats accomplished it in back-to-back years. This team felt like a motley crew of misfits, as my colleague Cole Cubelic pointed out, and it only came in at No. 42 on the 247Sports talent composite. Maybe the buzz from the offseason won’t fit in with the 2023 underdog mentality that was so well received.
Mizzou 9.
One thing I like: Eli Drinkwitz took the self-aware decision to fire himself or hire someone else as his primary play-caller. Kirby Moore will now lead the Mizzou offensive once again. This resulted in an adaptable attack that could compete with any squad it faced. Although replacing Cody Schrader will be challenging, the passing game, which features the improved Brady Cook and most likely preseason All-American Luther Burden, should be enhanced by the addition of two former 1,000-yard rushers: Marcus Carroll (ranked sixth in FBS rushing in 2023) and Appalachian State’s Nate Noel.
One thing bothers me: it was difficult to accept Blake Baker’s defeat by LSU during the first week of January. After elevating the Tigers’ defense to a new level for two years, the Mizzou defensive coordinator was a revelation. We fail to remember just how big of a doormat the run defense was in 2021 under Steve Wilks. Mizzou’s defense, which won’t be among the best in the SEC, needed the proper scheme to play to its full potential.
8. LSU
One thing I like about LSU avoiding that step back in 2024 is, of course, Blake Baker. Losing him was the one thing about Mizzou that I didn’t enjoy. He had a significant effect on Mizzou’s defense. The same ought to hold true at LSU, where Harold Perkins, the best returning pass rusher in the country, will collaborate with the blitz-happy coordinator. Perkins will likely play more than 12 pass-rush snaps each game, as he did under Matt House, who oversaw a dismal squad that kept Brian Kelly’s best-ever club from making the playoffs.
One thing I dislike: I have a lot of Garrett Nussmeier intrigue (I also have AJ Swann-away-from-Vanderbilt intrigue), so it doesn’t feel fair to argue that the passing game is a cause for concern. However, LSU is replacing a quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy—the player who led the country in receiving touchdowns and who ought to have won the Biletnikoff. That is a huge loss of productivity. Although there is a sense of internal assurance that the world after Mike Denbrock won’t be as terrifying as some may predict, there may still be some adjusting to the new arrangements.
7. The Oregon
One thing I enjoy: Is it strange if I mention Dan Lanning alone? Say, the head coach who is 22-5 and has only two defeats to teams that didn’t compete in the national championship? Alright, alright. Not just the head coach, mind you. Instead, I’ll choose Dillon Gabriel, who is ageless and made that crucial advancement in Oklahoma in 2023. Will Stein, the Oregon OC, assisted Bo Nix in moving forward, and he ought to be able to do the same with Gabriel, an accomplished signal-caller.
One thing I dislike: Oregon’s pass defense was barely in the top half of FBS in passing yards per game allowed, leading one to believe that it was a weakness as a result of the two defeats to Washington. However, despite losing three starters in the secondary, most notably former Alabama transfer Khyree Jackson, they were among the top 10 in the nation for passing efficiency defense (6.1 yards per attempt allowed). Even though Lanning signed Kobe Savage from Kansas State, a critical addition, there are still concerns regarding that group’s depth. Oregon will fortunately be able to handle that shift in the Big Ten, where passing attacks haven’t exactly been spectacular.
6. The University of Ohio
One thing I like: Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins’ portal additions affected my ranking of the Buckeyes. Though Judkins is the best tailback the program has had since Ezekiel Elliott, I would have preferred them to be closer to the 8–9 range. Adding the established Kansas State transfer would assist at the most crucial position in the game. Judkins is quite talented. In Columbus, he will provide the Buckeyes with a reliable weapon to relieve some of the strain on their revamped passing attack in the wake of Marvin Harrison Jr.
One thing I dislike: Ohio State may not have had this much offseason momentum in more than ten years. Although the Mizzou defeat did not help, there were valid concerns regarding the offensive line’s lack of progress. I’m not sure whether adding Alabama center Seth McLaughlin, who is under scrutiny, gives one the impression that the situation is handled. We had Ryan Day’s word that he had a real football team. I don’t doubt that when it comes to the ball’s defensive end. There is certainly room for improvement on the offensive end of the ball, which could limit the offensive potential of the Buckeyes.
5. Ole Miss
The portal features that were added to an 11-win squad are the one thing I enjoy. Juice Wells, Tyler Baron, Walter Nolen, Chris Paul Jr., and Princely Umanmielen are all players of all-SEC talent that Lane Kiffin went out and recruited. That was for a team that had JJ Pegues and Jared Ivey back in the defensive line and Tre Harris and Caden Prieskorn, two probable preseason All-SEC players, catching passes for a more capable Jaxson Dart in the offensive end. Even though Kiffin lost Judkins to the transfer portal, he is still as qualified as any coach in the country to locate other options for the ground game.
I’m not a fan of the off-season hype, though. I know it seems crazy, but bear with me. Kiffin hasn’t usually been successful here. As a head coach, he has only had one season when his team ended in the top 10, and that was the 2012 USC squad, which started the season ranked first. Indeed, a lot has happened since then. In the previous 50 years, Ole Miss has only had one preseason top-10 ranking. There will be incredible anticipation. In the eight months leading up to his breakthrough performance and splash in the first round of the 12-team playoff, Kiffin will be battling against that.
4. Michigan
The return of Mason Graham to lead that defensive line is one thing I favor. He made a huge impact on this Michigan defense, particularly during the postseason. His ability to prevail in those interior skirmishes gives Michigan, a team that will suffer heavy losses in the trenches on both sides of the ball, a big advantage. The Wolverines’ defense’s alpha player ought to face numerous double teams.
The fact that there is ambiguity everywhere is one thing I dislike. What lies next for Jim Harbaugh? What will happen to his assistants if he leaves for the NFL? What about McCarthy, J.J.? Is he also gone now? We are aware that a large number of Michigan players will be selected in the NFL Draft. Jim Harbaugh predicted the Wolverines would surpass that record. After losing fifteen players to the NFL Draft, not everyone can pull off a 2022 Georgia and win the national championship again. The Dawgs benefited from continuity at quarterback and within their coaching staff. If Michigan follows suit, it is still up in the air.
3. The state of Alabama
One thing I like: With Tommy Rees, Jalen Milroe will see a ton of first-team reps in Year 2. Despite the criticism directed at those two players for their last-minute play in the Rose Bowl, it’s important to remember that Rees came in February, well ahead of spring ball, and Milroe persevered through the fall to secure the starting position. Hell, after the season got underway, he didn’t even receive every first-team rep. In order to prevent taking so many sacks, he could benefit from having more experience and possibly a better mental clock.
One thing I dislike: Alabama still has a lot of unanswered problems, one of which is whether or not it will have a truly top receiver by 2024. That hasn’t existed in Alabama for the past two years. Although Amari Niblack, Kobe Prentice, and Isaiah Bond haven’t demonstrated a consistent ability to differentiate themselves, perhaps this group of Year 3 players will create one. Do I think Alabama opens the gate in the post-spring cycle and selects a highly regarded receiver? Indeed, I do. However, it appears that Alabama will have a number of complementing pass-catching possibilities this season rather than a real WR1.
2. Texas, second
One thing I like: It sounds really good to have Quinn Ewers back for a third season under Steve Sarkisian. Even though he wasn’t a Tier 1 quarterback, Ewers was nonetheless quite good. More remarkably, Ewers was No. 5 in QB rating versus teams that ended in the AP Top 25 (minimum of three games). He was ranked No. 14 among Power 5 quarterbacks in QB rating. Both the crucial Big 12 Championship and the road game versus Alabama featured Ewers at his best. He has a chance to be among the best quarterbacks if he can maintain his health, since he missed several starts in his first two seasons as a starter.
One thing bothers me: the loss of Texas’s top five pass receivers in terms of receiving yards. The Steve Sarkisian offense requires seasoned, proficient route runners, such as AD Mitchell and Xavier Worthy, in order to succeed. Along with them are the crucial Jordan Whittington and the game-changing Ja’Tavion Sanders, a tight end. Jonathan Brooks has also left for the NFL. As a result, backup tight end Gunnar Helm, who finished the season with 14 receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns, is Texas’ best returning pass-catcher. Although Texas was able to remove Houston wide receiver Matthew Golden from the roster and has made excellent recruiting acquisitions at the position, the team is still as strong as it was in 2023.
1. The state of Georgia
One thing I enjoy: Carson Beck and Trevor Etienne together may pack a powerful punch. Perhaps Kirby Smart’s strongest quarterback-running back combination in Athens to date. With the addition of Etienne from Florida, Georgia will have perhaps its most potent offensive threat since D’Andre Swift. With Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey leaving for the NFL, Etienne and Beck may alternate as the leading lights of a Georgia offense that clearly needs to find some serious replacements. However, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Beck and Etienne both blow up for first-team All-SEC positions by the end of the season.
One thing that bothers me is that we don’t often ask questions about Kirby Smart’s secondary characters. Perhaps Malaki Starks’s return will discourage some of us from doing so. However, with Nyland Green (Purdue) and AJ Harris (Penn State) leaving via the transfer portal, as well as players like Javon Bullard, Tykee Smith, and Kamari Lassiter going to the NFL Draft, it’s reasonable to question whether that will continue to be a strength in the manner that it has frequently been under Smart. But knowing Georgia, by the conclusion of the season, there will be a plethora of well-known names in the secondary.
