Week 1 college football rankings: Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame among best college football teams

National expectations might not always be high for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, but Mike Gundy typically delivers. He’s recorded double-digit win seasons in two of the last three years and he had three consecutive 10-win campaigns from 2015-’17. There’s a Heisman candidate at running back (Ollie Gordon), a solid quarterback and this tends to be a well-coached team. At the very least, that’s good enough for the No. 25 spot.

We like head coach Mike Elko and quarterback Conner Weigman certainly offers the skill set, when healthy, to carry this team to multiple victories. Those are the headliners of a few pieces on this team that give you reason to believe this can be a turnaround year for Texas A&M. We tend to side with history, however, believing it will take Elko a few seasons to truly turn things around.

At long last, the Iowa Hawkeyes have a new offensive coordinator and perhaps a quarterback who can provide them with some semblance of positive play. It’s been quite some time since the Hawkeyes have provided that for their fans, yet they’ve won 28 games in the past three seasons. We know Iowa’s defense will be elite, so just marginal improvement by the offense should keep them in the college football rankings all season.

There might be an opportunity for the NC State Wolfpack to win the ACC in 2024. Grayson McCall, a superstar quarterback at Coastal Carolina, came over in the transfer portal this offseason and his go-to target will be wide receiver Kevin Concepcion, the ACC Rookie of the Year. Plus, you can typically rely on the Wolfpack to field a quality defense that keeps them in games.

Putting the Miami Hurricanes this low in our Week 1 college football rankings isn’t a knock on the talent. Miami brought in quarterback Cam Ward this offseason, along with fellow impact starters Damien Martinez and Tyler Baron. The Hurricanes roster boasts more quality and a quantity of talent than it has in the past two seasons. With that said, we’re not bought in on Cristobal as a great coach.

For as bad of a coach as he was in the NFL, Matt Rhule knows exactly what he’s doing in college football. The Nebraska Cornhuskers were obviously held back by their quarterback last season, hence the program going all-in on Dylan Raiola. The five-star freshman quarterback’s tools are intoxicating and he has a Cornhuskers defense that will make his life easier. Nebraska gets this spot for its upside, but there’s a very realistic scenario where this is a development year before a 2025 breakthrough.

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USC Trojans fans love the Miller Moss story and for good reason. He wasn’t going to be Lincoln RIley’s starting quarterback in 2024, but a six-touchdown performance in the Holiday Bowl changed everything. USC is confident it has its new stabilizer at quarterback who might not have Caleb Williams’ playmaking but there will be fewer mistakes from hero ball. Our favorite story at USC, though, is Riley’s complete overhaul of the defense. Trojans defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is one of the best in the nation and his work will be on display early.

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Fans have every reason to be excited about the Kansas State Wildcats this year. On pure physical ability, quarterback Avery Johnson could be even better than former starter Will Howard. Adding to K-State’s offense is the tandem at running back of DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards, an exciting and complementary 1-2 punch. We are putting the Wildcats lower in our Week 1 college football rankings than other outlets, but they could rise quickly, especially with games in September against Arizona and Oklahoma State.

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We were unimpressed by DJ Uiagalelei at Clemson and Oregon State, so we see no reason why it would’ve been any different for the Florida State Seminoles. He’s a limited quarterback who needs a lot to be right around him to perform like an above-average starter. While a one-game sample size is far too little to evaluate the Seminoles, it’s not disputed that their roster and offensive line are worse entering this season. What Florida State will get this year is a team that just tries to hang around inside the top 20.

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The good news for the Oklahoma Sooners is that Brent Venables has the best defense he’s gotten to work with since coming to town. That unit includes true freshman Jayden Jackson, a potential breakout starter on the Sooners defense in 2024. Jackson Arnold is a very capable starter, but what drops Oklahoma in our Week 1 college football rankings is a schedule that includes Tennessee, Texas, Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama and LSU. There could easily be five losses in there.

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We would’ve been even higher on the Arizona Wildcats had they managed to keep Jedd Fisch as head coach. Even without him, the Wildcats offense is going to put up wild numbers thanks to standout quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. It’s a combo that, as long as the Wildcats defense is reasonably effective, can get at least eight wins on this schedule and stick around at the top of the Big 12 standings all season. It’s a long shot, but there is a best-case scenario where the Wildcats sneak into the College Football Playoff.

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Until Dabo Swinney changes his approach to the transfer portal and recruiting in the modern era, the Clemson Tigers likely won’t be one of the 5 best college football teams in the nation. On top of that, Swinney’s Tigers without NFL-caliber quarterback play have been a fringe top 10 team. We love the Tigers’ defense, but Clemson’s quarterback and offense don’t exactly scream national title contender.

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The Penn State Nittany Lions roster is very good and even if quarterback Drew Allar never lives up to his prospect hype, this can still be an excellent team in 2024. With that said, let’s not forget that James Franklin is 12-26 versus ranked teams and 3-17 against top-10 opponents. We’ve seen this story before, Penn State will lose decisively to the best teams in college football, it’s just the Franklin way.

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Eli Drinkwitz is back as head coach and the Missouri Tigers have the Brady COok-Luther Burden III combo for another run. That’s what matters most to us when projecting Mizzou. We’re also buying all the stock in Missouri’s defense and there aren’t many SEC defenses of this caliber. Put it all together and there’s at least a path for the Tigers to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

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Jayden Daniels is gone, but we see no reason to believe that Garrett Nussmeier can’t step in and provide above-average quarterback play for the LSU Tigers. So, while the offense in the Bayou is almost certain to take a step back this season, the changes made defensively should lead to a much-needed improvement in how this defense performs in 2024. LSU would’ve been a top-four team with Daniels and this defense. Instead, they’ll have to settle for 11th in our Week 1 college football rankings.

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The Michigan Wolverines defense alone earns it a spot in the top 1 of our Week 1 college football rankings. Complementing that suffocating defense, which can shut down the run and create havoc in the pocket, is an electric run game led by Donovan Edwards. The one thing that gives us serious pause when comparing Michigan to the other top teams, the quarterback. Barring an unexpected breakout, signal-caller could be the Wolverines’ glaring weakness in 2024.

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We’re bullish on the Tennessee Volunteers this year, especially quarterback Nico Iamaleava. While Tennessee won’t have one of the best defenses in the nation, edge rusher James Pearce is a superstar and freshman defensive back Boo Carter could be a revelation this year for the Vols’ defense. As for the offense, we have no doubt Josh Heupel can do with Iamaleava what he did with Hendon Hooker. This confidence in Tennessee could certainly backfire, but Iamaleava gives the Vols a chance to be one of the best college football teams this season.

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We’ve been writing about Utah Utes quarterback Cam Rising in our college football rankings since 2021, which makes it wild that he’s returned for another season. It’s truly a testament to Kyle Whittingham’s coaching ability that the Utes clawed their way to 8 wins last season with a backup quarterback and a litany of injuries. Now, Rising is back and there are more standout players on the Utes defense. This team has a legitimate shot at being one of Utah’s best football seasons in years.

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The Alabama Crimson Tide have one of the best college football coaches in the nation (Kalen DeBoer), a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback (Jalen Milroe) and one of the deepest rosters in the country. With that acknowledged, this team lost Nick Saban and his departure even caused a few key players to depart in the transfer portal. We do expect Alabama to be one of the best college football teams in 2024, but it will be a step back from the Saban era.

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Lane Kiffin is the king of the transfer portal, as his haul this offseason demonstrated. The Ole Miss Rebels have one of the best rosters. Best of all, quarterback Jackson Dart gets to pepper Tre Harris, Juice Wells and Jordan Watkins with targets. While the Rebels’ backfield lost QUinshon Judskins, Ulysses Bentley is primed to thrive in an expanded workload. Ultimately, how far this Rebels’ team can go will come down to the defense’s ability to generate a few big stops against marquee opponents.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish finally have the quarterback to make this one of the best college football teams in the country. Riley Leonard has first-round tools and he’s walking into an excellent environment to elevate his game. Outstanding play from the signal-caller will be even more likely because of the pass-catchers assembled on the Fighting Irish offense. Plus, they have an excellent defense to pair with it. We wouldn’t necessarily bet on the Fighting Irish to win a national title, but Notre Dame should win a playoff game.

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Quinn Ewers returns to a Texas Longhorns offense that will look very different in 2024. Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Jordan Whittington are all in the NFL. That leaves Texas without its four top pass-catchers from last season. Likewise, leading backs Jonathon Brooks (NFL) and CJ Baxter (surgery) are gone. However, the Longhorns’ receiving corps this year feels like college football’s version of the Green Bay Packers receiving corps with outstanding depth. We’re also believers in the Longhorns defense. All that talent should put Texas in the playoffs.

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The Oregon Ducks might’ve upgraded at quarterback in transitioning from Bo Nix to Dillon Gabriel, which says a lot about this team’s ceiling. Gabriel should be the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy this season, especially with the skill group surrounding him. What really elevates Oregon this year and puts them in the same tier as the best college football teams in 2024 is a top-10 defense that head coach Dan Lanning can maximize.

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Needless to say, the Ohio State Buckeyes took consecutive losses to the Michigan Wolverines pretty hard. So, in a make-or-break year for head coach Ryan Day, the Buckeyes threw everything they had into winning a championship. Freshman Jeremiah Smith is a generational talent, with a legit threat to become one of the best receivers in college football quickly. The Buckeyes roster might be the most stacked in the nation, with the only real question being quarterback Will Howard. If he can just replicate his success at Kansas State, the Buckeyes will coast into the College Football Playoff.

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The Georgia Bulldogs are the best team in college football. At quarterback, Carson Beck boasts the talent that could make him the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Even if he doesn’t play at that level all season, the Bulldogs defense is one of the nastiest in the nation and there is both depth and blue-chip talent at every level. Pair an elite defense with an All-American caliber quarterback with these offensive weapons and the size of Georgia’s offensive line, those are the ingredients for a national champion.

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