2024 Way-Too-Early college football Top 25
Mark Schlabach (ESPN) — The curtain fell on the four-team College Football Playoff in Houston on Monday night, and it more than delivered in its last season with two nail-biting semifinals that weren’t decided until the final play and enough controversy to make even Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh raise an eyebrow.
The 2024 season will arrive with a seismic shift that includes even more conference realignment and a bigger (and supposedly better) 12-team CFP format. That will surely make everyone in Florida happy, right?
As we bid adieu to college football’s familiar landscape and embark on an even more uncertain future, let’s take a sneak peek at the inaugural edition of the 2024 Way-Too-Early Top 25.
USC Plays Five of ESPN’s Top 15 Teams in 2024:
#6 Michigan (Sept. 21, Ann Arbor), #10 Notre Dame (Nov. 30, Coliseum), #11 Washington (Nov. 2, Seattle), #12 Penn State (Oct. 12, Coliseum), #14 LSU (Sept. 1, Las Vegas)
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1. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Texas Longhorns
3. Oregon Ducks
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
5. Ohio State Buckeyes
6. Michigan Wolverines
7. Ole Miss Rebels
8. Missouri Tigers
9. Arizona Wildcats
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
11. Washington Huskies
12. Penn State Nittany Lions
13. Utah Utes
14. LSU Tigers
15. Oklahoma Sooners
16. Florida State Seminoles
17. Tennessee Volunteers
18. Oklahoma State Cowboys
19. Clemson Tigers
20. NC State Wolfpack
21. Kansas State Wildcats
22. Louisville Cardinals
23. Kansas Jayhawks
24. SMU Mustangs
25. Iowa Hawkeyes
espn.com
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Curious whether the folks here are confident that Miller Moss can take SC to a successful season next year. Clearly, we all loved what we saw in the Holiday Bowl. I personally thought he made some very sophisticated throws and looked well in command of the offense. But for that one INT, he played a very smart and efficient game. But the abused football fan voice in me is whispering another narrative: We had six weeks to prepare for that game, it was a neutral field but more like a home game, things went reasonably well all around, the weather… Read more »
What concerns me most about this upcoming season is the weather and travel and the toll it will take on the team. I spent a lot of time traveling to the Midwest and East Coast during my 40-year working career and the 2-3 hour time changes can be tricky. I often hit a “brick wall” in the afternoon in terms of focus. I’m looking forward to seeing what Moss can do this upcoming season. Fight On!
Just a reminder that Harbaugh didn’t get to the top of the mountain for 9 years. Along the way he had some lousy losses, endured torches and pitchforks, and had to rebuild his culture. It’s not easy to win a natty. Very few programs do. But after LR’s well documented spectacular regression and failure in year 2, I’m cautiously optimistic that the new defensive staff and focus on big bodies will get us pointed in the right direction. And I really hope we don’t have to wait another 7 years. I said last Summer that we would know if our… Read more »
Check out the story I just posted on D’Anton Lynn by Luca Evans (the excellent young reporter who publicly battled with Lincoln Riley early in the season). He’s an amazing winner.
Wow, thanks, very insightful. That’s a confidence builder in the direction for sure. Just hope we can keep him a few years.
Agreed……….IMO the reason for being patient is the fact that Riley came into a situation that even the most ardent USC fan must admit was horrible. Helton had not recruited very well for the team much less both lines for many years. In midwest speak…..the farm had been let go. As the years go by this reasoning begins to fade. In the 3rd year the coach should have his guys playing. In the 4th year….. Helton who. As we go forward, the schedule next year in terms of travel and level of competition reaches a level that the US of… Read more »
I wish LR were replacing S&C guy Bennie Wylie. Our team looked flat-out too small and weak in 2023. Some believe Bennie was just following orders from above, and maybe that’s true. You’ve got to do what your boss wants, especially if you can’t push back. And I know zilch about S&C myself. But it seems like the better programs place a lot of emphasis on how amazing their S&C staff is, and some on-line negative sniping about Bennie emerged from USC’s players last season. Hopefully, Bennie’s getting new instructions about player development this year and knows how to implement… Read more »
Final Coaches Poll Top 25
Others receiving votes: Liberty 98, Oregon State 90, Tulane 34, James Madison 24, Memphis 23, Troy 17, North Carolina 17, USC 9, Air Force 7, UTSA 5, Fresno State 3, Northwestern 3, Boise State 3, Wyoming 1, UNLV 1, Duke 1
I repeat, what a load of crap! Alabama takes Michigan to OT. Michigan wipes the floor with Washington. USC rolls over Louisville with a backup QB and depleted roster. Florida St. what a joke!
My Poll: Michigan, Alabama, Washington, Texas, Georgia.
Last year was a waste. Finishing 33rd with all that talent(behind 4 Pac-12 teams). I still believe in LR but I must admit, I thought we would be farther along than this b y now.
Final 2023-24 AP Top 25 Poll 1. Michigan Wolverines (15-0) 2. Washington Huskies (14-1) 3. Texas Longhorns (12-2) 4. Georgia Bulldogs (13-1) 5. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-2) T6. Oregon Ducks (12-2) T6. Florida State Seminoles (13-1) 8. Missouri Tigers (11-2) 9. Mississippi Rebels (11-2) 10. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2) 11. Arizona Wildcats (10-3) 12. LSU Tigers (10-3) 13. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-3) 14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-3) 15. Oklahoma Sooners (10-3) 16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-4) 17. Tennessee Volunteers (9-4) 18. Kansas State Wildcats (9-4) 19. Louisville Cardinals (10-4) 20. Clemson Tigers (9-4) 21. North Carolina State Wolfpack… Read more »
What a load of crap!
We need to chill out on where SC is ranked in ANYTHING until we see a game between next year’s team and a quality opponent – and I mean QUALITY opponent. That, of course, happens right away in the 2024 schedule, with LSU on deck for our next game. We’ll have a new QB, revamped defense, and lots of changes. Nobody can rank SC meaningfully at this time, during Spring, or after Fall Camp. Giving any energy to any ranking is silly before we see what we look like in this next chapter. And that is a nice get in… Read more »
Rock, Totally agree. SC should not be ranked in the top 25. We are a total rebuild. And, we have no idea how well either the O or the D will perform. We will find out really quickly next year after the first three games. We open with LSU, then play a scrimmage at home against Utah State, and then to the Big House to play MI. Go 3-0 against that schedule and we are legit. But until we play them, we have no idea what type of team we have. I also agree that getting Raikes is a step… Read more »
Agree! I am sad when I think of the linebacker tradition we had going at SC and how significantly it has eroded. We need real linebackers – not guys that we have such low expectations of that we get excited when they make a play once in a while.
Rumor is now that the DL coach from the Rams is coming in.
Just a rumor, nothing of any real substance.
Both ‘backer coaches have been tossed. Have you been in touch with LR? 😉
Were I an NFL GM, I would take a much harder look at my evaluation of Michael Penix, Jr, after last night’s dismal performance.
It’s undoubtedly not fair to focus on one game so much, but I now think he’s a great-throwing QB who needs a much cleaner pocket to be successful. You could say that about a lot of good QBs, but his stock definitely dropped IMO. Caleb’s NFL potential is way better.
True, but I thought Penix was let down by his receivers and the officials. He was let down by his o-line too, but he’ll probably be dealing with a bad o-line wherever he is drafted. To my eyes, that failed long throw to a wide-open receiver that would have been a TD was the receiver’s fault, who realized he was so wide open that he stopped running his route. The ball was thrown where he was supposed to be. They do say that, when you have a guy that wide open, you underthrow it with air underneath just to assure… Read more »
Rock, I agree there were a lot of bad calls, almost all in favor of MI. Penix, IMO, simply played a lousy game. He missed at least two wide open receivers. I did not see him hit a narrow window even once. He was hitting them regularly against TX. Penix’s primary skill, IMO, was his ability to see the narrow window and hit it regularly. Just did not happen last night. I am not certain why. But, as this was a solid D (as he will face weekly in the NFL), if I were a GM, I would be very… Read more »
Allen, Totally agree. IMO, Penix destroyed his draft status last night. He needed a clean pocket and even when he had one, he was missing open receivers or he failed to see them. Given his injury history, he probably is going in a later round.
Failing to see open receivers was an issue for him – I agree with that. I have seen him play so much better, but I guess that was just our vaunted and now vaulted Pac12 defenses at work!
Question for TDBers — Who here would rank USC in the Top 25 heading into 2024? Personally, I would not, not now at least. USC deserves more of my patience going forward. Jim Harbaugh was on his butt at MICH in 2020 when he went 2-4 during the Covid-shortened season, and he had lost to OHIO ST five straight years, often by blowouts. He got his contract extended in 2021, yet had to beg for his job and take a $4 mil reduction in salary down to only $4 mil per year. But Harbaugh fired a bunch of people (especially… Read more »
I heard that Harbaugh went to his brother John asking for one of his D-coaches to rebuild the Michigan defense.
But yes, we need to be patient the beginning of this season as there is no clue what the 2024 team will look like. The coaching staff will have its hands full hoping to put together not only a fundamentally sound team but build needed depth. The next NSD in February and whatever can be recruited out of the Portal will be crucial.
The big thing is to see who enters the portal in May. The Feb signing day is going to be very slim, just not a lot of big guys out there, nor any top of the line Qbs either.
I would say USC needs to show me they are a Top25 for 2024 with some wins and a defense.
No chance. SC should not be ranked pre-season. If this is a quality team, we will know after the first three games – until then, we have no way to know how this team will perform. It is almost a totally rebuild, particularly on D.
Tough to say……I’d have them in the top 30. If we pick up a few folks at LB and a few other spots…..anything could happen. I think our OL is going to be much better next year. Our DL should be much better. QB play, down slightly……I’am not referring to raw ability…..play. Coaching improved….being optimistic. The key to me is the OL…..if our QB, whoever it is…..can run a normal offense with some time to throw…..like against Louisville…..we should be much better. I don’t expect better than 8-4 because our schedule will be tougher than USC has faced for a… Read more »
I’m a rankings guy. Love that stuff about bragging rights, stature, top 10, top 5, etc, blah, blah, blah. If you follow a storied program like USC, rankings are often a blast. But this year’s upcoming USC team has me much less concerned and intrigued about their pre-season rank than I can remember. USC has so many unanswered questions. So much change going on, and so much still more to be done. And after last season, where so much smoke and mirrors turned out to be exactly that, I’ll have to see it before I believe it from LR in… Read more »
I’am with you. If we deserve it we’ll get it. I like how the lines are shaping up…..we still need a rush end on D. Got the big plug in the middle next to Bear…..which was big…..pun. OL…..liked the Louisville game performance.
This is an interesting set of rankings. Michigan, who just stomped the exclamation point of demise to the PAC 12, isn’t even ranked number one. I wonder if this reflects the almost constant buzz that their coach is heading to the NFL? I would think, given the schedule for next year he would stay for a chance to beat USC again. Then there’s Louisville. I thought we beat them, so does that make us better than they are? The word “Rank” has many uses in speech. It is a noun by nature and can be a verb when it wants… Read more »
Per ESPN — The Wolverines could lose their coach (looks like a strong possibility to me — seems like a good time to split), and will need to replace a lot of very experienced talent Expected key losses: QB J.J. McCarthy, RB Blake Corum, RB Donovan Edwards, OT LaDarius Henderson, G Trevor Keegan, G Zak Zinter, C Drake Nugent, WR Roman Wilson, LB Michael Barrett, CB Mike Sainristil Expected key additions: QB Jadyn Davis, LB Jaishawn Barham, TE Brady Prieskorn, LB Jaden Smith, RB Jordan Marshall 2024 outlook: After returning to the CFP for the third straight year, there will be a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Michigan program heading into the offseason. Will coach Jim Harbaugh sign… Read more »
The way players leave early for the NFL draft, go to the Portal if they don’t start when they think they should and look for NIL money as the basis for who they play for, it will be hard for any program to maintain the starters & the depth they try building in a succession of two-three years. I don’t see a program with too many 2 & 3-star players who might stay in one program, handling top competition. The days of one program (Georgia, Bama, Ohio St., etc.) repeating as National champions will be very hard to accomplish anymore.… Read more »
How do you prefer your eggs? Scrambled, over easy, over hard, poached, deviled, hard boiled, or pickled? 😉
Over hard or scrambled with spinach and onions. Runny eggs leave me cold.
Just tryin’ to cook up some metaphors. My eggs away from home are scrambled. I don’t trust restaurants like ihop or Denny’s to make eggs.
God, I hate eggs! And eggplant. Its brain damage from my youth! I won’t get into details, no need to air that laundry….
Smashmouth MICH’s running game was absolutely awesome this year, as well as last night. So they were able to rush for over 300 yds against shellshocked UW, which was massively overmatched on both sides of the trenches. Against PSU, whom MICH mauled for 227 yds on the ground in State College on Nov. 11, the Wolverines never threw a single pass in the entire second half while Jim Harbaugh wasn’t even on the sidelines. This upcoming season, the Trojans travel to Ann Arbor on Sept. 21 in only the 3rd game of the year — after a bye week. MICH… Read more »
Iowa makes top 25 and we do not? Louisville? Sad state of affairs. Not by bias, but because we were not good last year. It’s a tough schedule, but winnable. If we can go 3-2 in our toughest games we will most likely make the playoff. 2-3 gives us slim hopes. Anything else would be another rough year.
We are ranked in other way to early polls but this one is espn so what would you expect. If USC were in the NC at home espn probably would barely cover it. I think we have a couple of very tough games, but I agree with you, we could show the world we are better than what espn ranks us. I am still not going with any hype, they are going to have to show me this year. My expectations are low.
Guys, relax. I have no idea how good this team will be next year. Not a clue. Team is a total rebuild. And, we are playing the toughest schedule I can recall. But, we will find out in a hurry if this team in legit. Remember, we open with LSU in Vegas; then play a scrimmage against Utah State at home, and then travel to the Big House to play MI. After the first three games, we will know what type of team we will have. Personally, I put the team at 6-6 to 8-4. But, that is a total… Read more »
Have you seen Michigans 2024 schedule? wow.