How Each Team will Fare in their New Conference in 2024- Part 2
Recently, on July 1, many long-anticipated conference realignment moves finally became official. Texas and Oklahoma are now members of the SEC, SMU has joined the ACC, and several other moves, like Washington and Oregon to the Big Ten, will become official in August. With these new moves and a reimagined college football landscape, how will each of these teams fare in their first season in their new conferences? After looking at the ACC and Big 12 last week, we now look at the Big Ten and SEC.
Big 10:
Oregon
Photo by Sean Meagher
Going into 2024, the Oregon Ducks have nothing short of National Championship expectations. After a very successful 2023 that saw them finish 12-2, with their only two losses coming to Washington who made the National Championship game in January, Oregon is poised to take yet another step forward in the Dan Lanning era. Offensively, there’s an argument to be made that they have the best offense in the country this season. Bringing in quarterback Dillon Gabriel from Oklahoma who threw for over 3600 yards and 30 touchdowns (TD), along with former five-star quarterback Dante Moore from UCLA, the Ducks are not only set for this year, but for the future as well. They also have countless weapons on the outside, returning receivers Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, Gary Bryant, and tight end Terrance Ferguson. Additionally, they brought in the extremely talented Evan Stewart from Texas A&M, who is poised to start and boost his draft stock. Defensively, the Ducks may even be improved from last year, bringing in talented transfers like defensive backs Kobe Savage (Kansas State), Kam Alexander (UTSA), and Jabbar Muhammad (Washington). This secondary may be the best in the country and leads a defensive unit that should be just fine transitioning into the Big 10. Schedule-wise, there is one game everybody will be watching. While they do have tough road games like Wisconsin and Michigan, the home game against Ohio State will undoubtedly be one of the games of the year for college football and will likely determine who will be playing in the Big 10 Championship.
Ceiling: 12-0
Floor: 10-2
UCLA
Photo by Luis Sinco
After former Head Coach Chip Kelly left UCLA to become the next Offensive Coordinator at Ohio State, it set in motion a new rebuild for the Bruins, now led by former Running Backs Coach Deshaun Foster. Honestly, the hire of Foster was something that confused me as he has no head coaching experience and a Big 10 job like UCLA is a tough way to start that career. Nevertheless, he is the man in charge of leading UCLA into their new conference and has a tall task ahead of him in 2024. Offensively, I think the Bruins will be similar to last season. They brought in Eric Bieniemy from the NFL to lead the offense and they return quarterback Ethan Garbers. Garbers played really well last season, and the Bruins were clearly better with him in the game compared to the other quarterback, Dante Moore. They also return their leading rusher in TJ Harden and most of their receiving production from last season as well. The defense is where I find more questions about this team. Last year, this defense was very good and, for the most part, carried UCLA to their 8-5 record. However, losing their Defensive Coordinator to rival USC and a lot of their production to the NFL or the transfer portal puts them in a tough spot. The defensive line is inexperienced and their pass rush consists of transfers from lower tier schools like Navy and Yale. Overall, I think the Bruins can make a bowl in 2024, but it will require the offense to take a step forward and the defense to not take too much of a drop-off, which seems unlikely to me.
Ceiling: 6-6
Floor: 3-9
USC
Photo by Allen J. Schaben
Going into year three of the Lincoln Riley era, USC moves into the Big 10 after a disappointing 2023 season. Following an 11-win season in 2022, the Trojans massively disappointed last year, finishing 7-5 despite having the best quarterback in the country, Caleb Williams. A large part of that disappointment was the defense, which was absolutely horrendous, something that has plagued Riley throughout his entire career. However, Riley did address the defense in the offseason. He hired UCLA’s Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn who also brought a lot of his defenders with him to USC. The defensive line looks solid, returning Bear Alexander in the trenches and Jamil Muhammad off the edge. The linebacker core may be the strength of the defense, bringing in Easton Mascarenas from Oregon State, who logged over 100 tackles last season, and returning last season’s leading tackler Mason Cobb. The secondary was also infused with talent from the portal, and I think this defense will be the best USC has had under Lincoln Riley. Offensively, I do have some question marks about Miller Moss at quarterback and the weapons around him. Zachariah Branch showed flashes of greatness but wasn’t consistent enough and a lot of the other receivers are transfers that didn’t put up elite numbers at their old schools. With that being said, it is usually a safe bet that a Lincoln Riley-led offense will be great, and I think the Trojans offense will be just fine in 2024. However, the schedule is brutal. They have LSU and Notre Dame in the non-conference and conference games against Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, and more. I think the Trojans could be great in 2024 but a lot will depend on defensive improvement and the success of Miller Moss.
Ceiling: 10-2
Floor: 7-5
Washington
Photo by Ronald Martinez
Washington might be the most intriguing team to watch in 2024. Not only are they moving into a new conference, but after a season that saw them go 14-1 and make the National Championship, most of their starters left for the NFL Draft, and their coach Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama. With Jedd Fisch coming in from Arizona, I think Washington will be great again eventually. How will they fare, though, in year one of the Big 10? Offensively, they bring in Will Rogers from Mississippi State to be their quarterback and while I don’t think he’s an elite NFL prospect, he certainly is a good college quarterback who will be serviceable for the Huskies. Jonah Coleman follows Fisch from Arizona at running back and should be solid. However, I do have questions about the positions where Washington excelled last year: wide receiver and offensive line. They lost all three of their starting receivers to the draft and two of their lineman as well. They brought in a variety of transfers to fill the holes on the offensive line and seem to be relying on a combination of returners and transfers at receiver so we will see how they matchup in the Big 10. Defensively, I like the linebackers they have returning in Carson Bruener and Alphonzo Tuputala and I think the secondary should still be solid. I have questions on the defensive line but with legendary football coach Bill Belichick’s son Steve coming in to run the defense, the Huskies should be okay. Overall, while I think they can compete in the conference and comfortably make a bowl, Washington fans should prepare for a drop-off from last year’s magical season.
Ceiling: 8-4
Floor: 4-8
SEC:
Oklahoma
Photo by Austin Stogner
I am very excited about Oklahoma in 2024. Fresh off a contract extension, Brett Venables has successfully molded the program with his players and culture, which comes at a perfect moment as they transition into the SEC. Offensively, they may lose Dillon Gabriel to Oregon, but I think the coaching staff was perfectly fine with this as they have the promising young star Jackson Arnold ready to take Gabriel’s place. They have also surrounded him with weapons like receiver Deion Burks from Purdue who, as a Big 10 fan, I can confidently say is a star in the making. Burks, alongside returners Nic Anderson and Andrel Anthony give Arnold plenty of weapons to work with on the offense. Defensively, I think this unit has potential to be one of the best in the country. Each level of the defense has stars with Caiden Woullard transferring in from Miami (OH) off the edge and Damonic Williams coming in from TCU on the defensive line. Star linebacker Danny Stutsman returns with his partner Kip Lewis. Finally, Billy Bowman anchors the secondary at safety, leading a group that boasts a majority of returning starters from last year. Not to mention, Brett Venables was a great Defensive Coordinator before he was a Head Coach and with this much talent, I expect him to make them elite. The only problem with Oklahoma in 2024 is their schedule. The Sooners are being thrown straight into the fire in their first season in the SEC. Games against Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee and more give the Sooners one of the toughest schedules in the country, but I believe if everything clicks, they have a shot of making a deep playoff run.
Ceiling: 10-2
Floor: 6-6
Texas
Photo by John Rivera
Last season, the Longhorns finally broke through in Steve Sarkisian’s third season, won the Big 12 and made the College Football Playoff. Now, Texas comes into the SEC with expectations of immediately competing for the SEC title and a National Championship. Quarterback and Heisman contender Quinn Ewers returns after throwing for over 3,000 yards and 20 TD’s. He also has an arsenal of weapons around him that should make this Longhorn offense one of the best in the country. Isaiah Bond (Alabama) and Matthew Golden (Houston) transfer in for a dynamic one-two punch at receiver and watch for five-star freshman Ryan Wingo to make an immediate impact as well. While they lose running back Jonathan Brooks, many fans (myself included) believe CJ Baxter is a promising young star who has the potential to be even better than Brooks this season. They also return Jayden Blue for what might be the best backfield in the country. Defensively, the Longhorns added some of the best guys you could get out of the portal. Edge rusher Trey Moore comes in from UTSA where he put up an astounding 14 sacks. Safety Andrew Mukuba joins from Clemson to elevate his draft stock after a slightly underwhelming 2023 season, and an underrated addition to watch is cornerback Jayvion Cole from San Jose State. With all these additions complementing returning stars like Jahdae Barron and Anthony Hill, the Longhorns boast another great defense, bolstering their National Championship hopes. Schedule wise, while Oklahoma got dealt a nasty hand, Texas got off relatively easy. Don’t get me wrong, they still play Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma, and renew their rivalry at Texas A&M, but with this schedule, expect to see Texas in Atlanta playing for the SEC Championship in December.
