Jesse Simonton's Post-Spring/Portal College Football Top 25 for 2024 (2024)

Analysis: Iowa went 10-4 in 2023 and hopes to get more consistent quarterback play this fall. The Hawkeyes won 10 games but finished with a point differential of just plus-nine last year after blowout losses to Michigan and Tennessee to close the year.

Analysis: Nebraska has been seemingly threatening to turn a corner since the second year of the Bill Callahan era but is yet to do so. Will year-two under head coach Matt Rhule finally start to change the tide for the once powerhouse program?

Analysis: Texas A&M has recruited as much talent as seemingly anyone in recent years but failure to turn it into wins cost Jimbo Fisher his job. How quickly can new head coach Mike Elko (above) turn the tide? A week one home test against Notre Dame will tell us much about the new-looks Aggies.

Analysis: Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels has been among the nation’s best at the position the last couple of years. The problem has been keeping him on the field. If the Jayhawks are able to you could be looking at a viable threat in year-one of the new-look Big 12.

Analysis: Arizona was one of the nation’s biggest surprise teams in 2023 and looks to grow on that. How much was Jedd Fisch and how much was the talent he brought to Arizona? New head coach Brett Brennan has the chance to make a bang as the Wildcats head to the Big 12.

Analysis: Just how competitive will the Big 12 be in 2024? This is the third-straight Big 12 team listed by Simonton. Oklahoma State will rely heavily on Ollie Gordon who returns as one of the best running backs in the nation.

Analysis: Kansas State loses quarterback Will Howard to Ohio State via the transfer portal but in steps Avery Johnson who has the potential to make 2024 a magical year in Manhattan.

Analysis: Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack are counting on a slew of offensive transfers to help make a run at the ACC in 2024. Former Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall will help lead the way for North Carolina State this fall.

Analysis: Oklahoma gets no break from the SEC as their first year in the conference brings no favors in the schedule. They also have to replace quarterback Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby who left to become the head coach at Mississippi State. Year three has potential but won’t come without big obstacles for Brent Venables.

Analysis: LSU‘s offense was the best in college football last year but their defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed. Offensvie coordinator Mike Denbrock is off to Notre Dame while Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jayden Daniels is off to the NFL. Like for Venables, year-three for Brian Kelly has potential but won’t come without significant obstacles.

Analysis: Miami has recruited extremely well under Mario Cristobal but has struggled mightily to turn those recruiting and transfer portal wins into actual game wins. They hype around Miami is the highest its been in years. Can Cristobal and the Canes rise to the challenge of competing for an ACC crown and possible College Football Playoff appearance this fall?

Analysis: Tennessee took a step back in 2023 after quarterback issues kept them from being a real threat in the SEC. Nico Iamaleava brings a load of potential to the quarterback position for Tennessee while edge rusher James Pearce will be in contention to be the first pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Analysis: Clemson still recruits at an elite level but can the Tigers do enough with “homegrown” talent to overcome not being active in transfer portal pursuits? The Tigers appear to be a real threat in the ACC but also appear to have a limited ceiling in 2024.

Analysis: Penn State has had a limited ceiling with both Ohio State and Michigan peaking. 2024 could be a year Penn State finally makes the College Football Playoff but it will require quarterback Drew Allar to take a step – and perhaps his coaching staff to let him.

Analysis: Utah has been the most consistent performer in the now defunct Pac 12 and enters 2024 as the likely favorite. Quarterback Cameron Rising returns, this time with perceived full health after being up and down most of 2023.

Analysis: Missouri took a giant leap in 2023 and returns quarterback Brady Cook along with junior receiver Luther Burden who put up over 1,200 receiving yards last year. After a down few years, expectations are high in Columbia as the hopes are for the Tigers to make the first 12-team College Football Playoff.

Analysis: After going a perfect 13-0 last fall, the College Football Playoff committee left Florida State out of the playoff due to an injury to quarterback Jordan Travis. Few teams have been as consistently strong in the portal as Florida State, who loses talent but still enters 2024 as the ACC favorite.

Analysis: Notre Dame has seen an increase in talent since Marcus Freeman took over as head coach and with the addition of Riley Leonard at quarterback, the expectation in South Bend is for the Irish to be playing host to one of the College Football Playoff’s first round games in late-December.

Analysis: Michigan saw a staggering 13 players drafted off their 2023 national championship team but that’s not all they have to replace. The Wolverines turn to Sherrone Moore to replace Jim Harbaugh as head coach after Harbaugh returned to the NFL this off-season. Even with the losses the expectation is for Michigan to get back to the playoff in 2024.

Analysis: In order to win big in modern college football the transfer portal must be utilized. Lane Kiffin did a fantastic job of working the portal this off-season as the Rebels have upgraded talent to pair with star quarterback Jaxson Dart in what feels like a playoff-or-bust year.

Analysis: Oregon loses Bo Nix to the NFL draft but brings in quarterback Dillon Gabriel for their first year in Big Ten play. Dan Lanning has Oregon entering the conference as a real threat to challenge Ohio State and Michigan from day one and realistically compete for a conference and national championship.

Analysis: Replacing a legend is never easy and Kalen DeBoer has his work cut out Alabama and in the ultra-competitive SEC. DeBoer gets the help of Jalen Milroe at quarterback however as well as holding a 104-12 all-time record as a head football coach to hang his hat on.

Analysis: Texas returned to the big stage last year, winning in Tuscaloosa and ending up in the College Football Playoff. Steve Sarkisian brings the best quarterback room in the country to the SEC in the Longhorns first year in the league with Quinn Ewers set to make a Heisman Trophy run and all-time recruit Arch Manning waiting in the wings.

Analysis: Do you think those at Ohio State are sick of losing to Michigan? Nobody spent more resources this off-season than the Buckeyes who were as active as anyone in the portal and added Chip Kelly to call plays for the offense, right from the head coaching position at UCLA. You have to think anything short of a Big Ten championship and national championship game appearance will get Ryan Day on the hottest of seats.

Analysis: The standard is the standard. Sure, that’s a Mike Tomlin quote but Georgia has the best program going in college football right now as Kirby Smart has the Bulldogs poised to return to college football’s peak after a disappointing (by their standards, anyway) 2023 that saw them “only” reach the SEC Championship game and dominate the Orange Bowl.