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bretticus33 Ballot for 2024 Preseason

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Aug. 15, 2024, 12:16 a.m.

Rank Team Reason
1 Georgia Bulldogs At worst the 2nd most talented team in the country. Anything less than a national title run for Georgia is a failed season. The schedule this season is tougher though, starting with a season opener against Clemson in Atlanta.
2 Ohio State Buckeyes The Buckeyes are the 1B to Georgia’s 1A. The biggest reason why I have them below Georgia is I trust Carson Beck more than Will Howard, but the talent on this team is ridiculous. A loss to Michigan, no B1G title, and/or no natty run puts a lot of pressure on Ryan Day.
3 Oregon Ducks Oregon lost a lot, but then they instantly reloaded with a great transfer class and their talent accumulation the last few years has them as a firm contender in the B1G and the CFP. Welcome to the B1G Ducks.
4 Alabama Crimson Tide All eyes are on Kalen DeBoer as he becomes the first new Bama HC in nearly 2 decades. This is still a good Alabama team, and they’re probably a shoe in for the CFP. If they can maintain a top 5 ranking and look as good under DeBoer is a difference question.
5 Texas Longhorns There’s a lot of questions about replacing the guys Texas lost, but they still have a very talented team, a rising HC, and an experienced QB. Welcome to the SEC Longhorns.
6 Missouri Tigers I think Missouri is getting overlooked this season. The Tigers return a lot of last season’s out-of-nowhere team, including the star QB-WR duo in Cook and Burden. I still think Eli Drinkwitz is a good coach, and I think Mizzou can make some noise in the SEC as well as make the CFP.
7 Ole Miss Rebels Ole Miss is getting a ton of hype this season and for good reason. Ole Miss is coming off the best season in program history and nobody has mastered the art of the transfer portal better than Lane Kiffin. It’s CFP or bust for Ole Miss this season.
8 Oklahoma State Cowboys Another team I think is being overlooked. OKST returns the majority of their starters, including star RB Ollie Gordon, and they still have Mike Gundy. With OUT out of the Big 12, it’s a wide open conference that OKST is more than capable of winning.
9 Michigan Wolverines I feel uneasy about Michigan being #9. They lost so much from last season’s team that there’s an inevitable regression coming and the QB situation leaves me wondering just what Michigan’s offense will look like. On the flip side, there’s still enoug talent at Michigan that they can still be a fringe top 10 team and win 10 games this season.
10 Penn State Nittany Lions There’s no excuses for Penn State this season. They’ve had a lot of good defenses in the Franklin era, but their offense has always let them down and they can never quite get the wins to get into the CFP. Now they have Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas to reinvigorate the offense. It’s CFP or bust for James Franklin this season.
11 Utah Utes Utah being this high normally means they won’t live up to preseason expectations, but there’s a lot to like about this Utes team. If Cam Rising can stay healthy for his millionth season of eligibility, the QB situation should at least look better this season.
12 Florida State Seminoles I’m lower on FSU than most but it largely boils down to the sheer number of guys they’re replacing. I think DJU is a downgrade from Jordan Travis and FSU has relied heavily on the transfer portal for their players. I still think Florida State will be good, but they’re a fringe CFP team to me.
13 Tennessee Volunteers This season probably hinges on Nico Iamaleava. There guy comes in with a lot of hype and expectation, and if he can match it then Tennessee is probably in the CFP race.
14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish I don’t understand why we keep putting Notre Dame in the preseason top 10. A good team? Yes. A top 10 team? Doubtful. Until Notre Dame can actually live up to the top 10 expectations, let’s stop putting the Irish up there.
15 LSU Tigers The offense has a ton of change with new WRs and replacing a Heisman QB. There’s also a new DC to help fix a defense that killed LSU last season. The talent is there for LSU, can it all come together?
16 Kansas State Wildcats If there’s anything I learned the last few years, don’t doubt Chris Klieman. He’s done great at KSU since arriving. Avery Johnson is one of the more intriguing QBs in FBS, and if he plays as well as KSU hopes they should be in the Big 12 title race.
17 Oklahoma Sooners This is a huge season for Brent Venebles. Year 1 at OU didn’t go great, Year 2 went a lot better. Jackson Arnold has the reigns now and the defense should be the best it’s been in a long time. But the SEC slate could prove to be very difficult for OU. Welcome to the SEC Sooners.
18 Kansas Jayhawks When was the last time Kansas was a preseason top 25 team? Lance Leipold is a miracle worker for what he’s done in Lawrence and this should be the best team he’s had there. With a wide open Big 12, they’re a contender for the title.
19 Clemson Tigers I’m a lot lower than most on Clemson. They have a top 25 defense, like they’ve always had. The issue is the offense will probably continue to be their Achilles heel and the refusal to utilize the portal probably means nothing will change this season.
20 Memphis Tigers Memphis is my pick for the G5 rep in the CFP. The Tigers have a loaded offense that’ll keep them in any game, but the defense will have to improve this season. Memphis went 4-2 in one-score games last season, so seeing if the ball keeps bouncing their way in such games will be something to watch.
21 Virginia Tech Hokies I’m buying into the Hokie hype. I love what Brent Pry has done at Virginia Tech and I think they could play for the ACC title. However they’re in that second tier in the ACC.
22 NC State Wolfpack One of the more underrated transfers this offseason was Grayson McCall leaving Coastal Carolina to go to NC State. One of the best and most experienced QBs in FBS plays for the Wolfpack now, but we’ll see if he’s enough for NC State to break that 8/9 win ceiling.
23 Arizona Wildcats I think Arizona will regress this season, but I don’t think it’ll be awful. They still have Tet McMillian and Noah Fifita, and Brent Brennan was quietly one of the best G5 coaches (seriously, SJSU is a difficult job). Still, the offseason losses have Arizona as a fringe top 25 team for me.
24 Louisville Cardinals This season will determine if Louisville is more like the team that started last season 10-1 or the team that finished it 0-3. Brian Brohm exceeded expectations in year 1 at Louisville but now the question is if year 2 will have major regression or if he can keep up the momentum.
25 West Virginia Mountaineers WVU is flying a bit under the radar, and I understand why. They exceeded last season’s expectations by going 9-4 and return a lot of last season’s team. But given how just a year ago Neal Brown had one of the hottest seats in the country for a string of underwhelming seasons, it’s fair to be skeptical. Still, I think Neal Brown is a good coach that just took a few years to get going at WVU.

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