ESPN releases College Football post-spring Top 25
The 2024 spring college football slate is wrapped up, and now less than 100 days separate us from the beginning of the regular season.
Quarterback battles are underway, the spring transfer portal window has closed and depth charts are beginning to mold as teams enter the summer portion of the offseason.
With the offseason well underway, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach has updated his post-spring top 25 rankings. Georgia, Ohio State, Texas and Oregon remain No. 1-4 — but who else moved up and who moved down in his latest list?
1. Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia is not only looking like the best team coming out of the spring slate, but its schedule reflects that. Kirby Smart’s squad will take on Clemson in Atlanta to begin the season and will play true road games against the likes of Kentucky, Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss.
Of course, the Bulldogs have won 46 of its last 48 games and have back-to-back College Football Playoff National Championships to prove it. Almost no task has been too tall for the Bulldogs over the last three years, and similar success is expected in 2024.
Georgia returns quarterback Carson Beck, who many analysts have as the top quarterback in next year’s NFL Draft, and is expected to have one of the toughest offensive lines in the country to back him up.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State went all-out in the transfer portal this offseason, snatching up a new quarterback in veteran Will Howard, a star tailback in Quinshon Judkins and a budding superstar safety in Caleb Downs, among other incoming and returning talent on Ryan Day’s squad next season.
The Buckeyes will be looking to get over the hump that has been the Michigan Wolverines over the past three seasons. Not only that, but the Big Ten has added the likes of Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA to the mix to increase the stiffness of Ohio State’s schedule.
They’ll get an easier start to the schedule against the likes of Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall, giving the Buckeyes more than enough time to fully adjust to the offense of new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and his new weapons.
3. Texas Longhorns
Head coach Steve Sarkisian took Texas to heights they hadn’t seen since the mid-2000s. Leading the Longhorns to a 12-win season including a win over Alabama on the road, a Big 12 Championship win and a first-ever College Football Playoff berth — expectations remain the same heading into 2024.
The Longhorns will enter the SEC alongside Red River rival Oklahoma, and many have questioned whether either team could maintain long-term success in the SEC. This season they have road matchups against Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Texas A&M but will also play, OU, Georgia, Florida and Kentucky during the regular season.
They’re returning quarterback Quinn Ewers, who threw for nearly 3,500 yards to go with 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions during his sophomore campaign. They also added transfers Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, Silas Bolden and incoming true freshman Ryan Wingo to aid Ewers in leading the Longhorns to success in the SEC this season.
4. Oregon Ducks
Oregon’s offense is once again expected to be one of the highest-scoring in the country in 2024. Replacing Bo Nix with Dillon Gabriel and providing him with Evan Stewart alongside the returning Tez Johnson out wide — the Ducks have their sights set on their first-ever Big Ten Championship.
In two seasons as head coach, Dan Lanning has established a 22-5 record with consecutive bowl victories. However, the Ducks haven’t made a College Football Playoff under Lanning and with the playoff field expanding this season — it’s looking more like a safe bet that the Ducks will find themselves somewhere in the field of 12.
Of course, joining the Big Ten only strengthens their schedule further as they’ll have to battle the likes of Ohio State on Oct. 12 in Eugene. November will also prove to be a make-or-break part of their schedule as well with road games against Michigan and Wisconsin and home matchups against Maryland and Washington.
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Year three under Marcus Freeman comes with the most expectations. Notre Dame has its quarterback in Riley Leonard and with new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock leading the unit, hopes are understandably high in South Bend ahead of the 2024 college football season.
While fans didn’t get to see much of Leonard in the spring thanks to him undergoing a follow-up surgery on his previous right ankle injury, transfer wide receivers like Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell will figure to be a couple of his favorite targets this coming season.
Notre Dame will have to fill the holes left by Joe Alt and Blake Fisher on the offensive line, but it’s the defensive unit that has the Irish in pre-season championship contention. From Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills on the defensive line to Benjamin Morrison and Xavier Watts in the secondary, the Fighting Irish are stacked on the defensive side of the football.
6. Ole Miss Rebels
Lane Kiffin continued his success in the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in the likes of SEC-experienced veterans such as EDGE Princely Umanmielen, defensive tackle Walter Nolan and wide receiver Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells Jr. into the program.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart is back for another season and looks to lead the Rebels into becoming one of the top offenses in the SEC, and the nation.
Losing Judkins to Ohio State was a massive blow for Ole Miss out of the backfield, but Henry Parrish Jr. is back with the program after playing for Miami for the last two seasons. Kiffin also added the likes of Jacory Croskey-Merritt from New Mexico. He rushed for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns last season.
7. Alabama Crimson Tide
Everyone is curious to see how the Alabama Crimson Tide will fare in the post-Saban era in 2024. Kalen DeBoer has won everywhere he’s gone as a coach — assuming that continues in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is right back in the mix ahead of the 2024 season.
Alabama retains Jalen Milroe at quarterback, but questions surround the running back room and offensive line heading into the new season. Young running backs Jamarion Miller and Justice Haynes will see increased workloads this season and returning Kadyn Proctor after his stint in the transfer portal has been huge for the offensive line efforts this offseason.
Two Washington standouts, offensive guard Parker Brailsford and wideout Germie Bernard, followed DeBoer from Seattle and will look to provide some help to them offensively.
8. Missouri Tigers
The Missouri Tigers were the SEC’s biggest surprise one season ago. Finishing the season with double-digit wins and finishing it off by defeating Ohio State 14-3 in the Cotton Bowl.
Brady Cook and Luther Burden III figure to be one of the SEC’s top quarterback-wide receiver combos in 2024 as the Tigers look to be a legitimate contender in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. Adding the likes of Corey Flagg and Darris Smith to the defensive unit has the potential to be a disruptor to the bigger names in the SEC like Georgia, Alabama and Texas.
9. Utah Utes
Cam Rising‘s return after missing over a year with injury remains the biggest storyline coming out of Utah‘s early offseason. Leading the Utes into their first season as a member of the Big 12 Conference, Rising has two straight Pac-12 Championship wins under his belt and is coming along nicely with his new receiving corps.
Rising completed 15 of his 19 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns during the Utah spring game. Transfers Dorian Singer, Damien Alford and Taeshaun Lyons all figure to be some of his favorite targets this upcoming season. That’s not even including Money Parks and tight end Brant Kuithe.
10. Michigan Wolverines
Michigan’s coaching and roster turnover is something the Wolverines have had to navigate throughout the offseason — but it appears that the reigning national championships will still be in the mix in 2024.
Sherrone Moore has to decide who will replace JJ McCarthy (Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle, or Davis Warren), and will likely rely on the likes of running back Donovan Edwards to carry the offensive load this season. Meanwhile, the defense returns five starters and has loaded the cornerback position from the transfer portal.
Notably, the Wolverines host Texas in Ann Arbor during Week 2. It’ll be interesting to see how Moore and his Michigan squad fare during its first real test of his head coaching tenure.
No. 11-25:
11. Florida State Seminoles
12. Penn State Nittany Lions
13. NC State Wolfpack
14. LSU Tigers
15. Tennessee Volunteers
16. Clemson Tigers
17. Kansas State Wildcats
18. Oklahoma Sooners
19. Oklahoma State Cowboys
20. Arizona Wildcats
21. Virginia Tech Hokies
22. Kansas Jayhawks
23. Iowa Hawkeyes
24. Miami Hurricanes
25. USC Trojans