With the 2023 college football and NFL seasons now both concluded, fans all across the country are getting prepared for next year. It’s been an extremely interesting off-season, with the transfer portal and coaching carousel being in full effect, which should no doubt create another exciting college football season in 2024. Today, I’m going to break down my way too early predictions for the top 10 teams in the country next season.

#1. Ohio State Buckeyes

After bringing in both a star-studded transfer portal and recruiting class, as well as returning many of their best players, the Buckeyes look poised to make a run for the national championship in 2024-25. The addition of quarterback Will Howard and running back Quinshon Judkins should bolster an already solid offensive unit for Ohio State, while safety Caleb Downs will improve their experienced secondary. If this Buckeyes roster can find a way to make their new and existing talent mesh and stay healthy, we could be looking at Ohio State’s first national title since 2014.

#2. Georgia Bulldogs

After not making the college football playoff in 2023 as back to back defending national champions, this Georgia team should be back with a vengeance. Kirby Smart has proven himself to be one of the most capable recruiters and play callers in the nation, and for the first time in the past few seasons, he is retaining most of his talented roster. Losing some of the talented playmakers on offense such as Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey will likely slow down the Bulldogs slightly, but their roster is chock-full of young talent looking to make a name for themselves in Athens. 

#3. Texas Longhorns

Having suffered a heartbreaking loss to Washington in the college football playoff, Texas looks to make another run at a national title with star quarterback Quinn Ewers coming back to school. Ever since Steve Sarkisian took over as the head coach for the Longhorns, we have seen consistent improvement by Texas in both recruiting and on-field results, and with Texas’ hype being the highest it’s been in years, the Longhorns may be back with a vengeance in 2024-25. Several key starters on both the defensive line and in the wide receiver room will surely be missed as they head to the 2024 NFL draft, but incoming transfers such as former Alabama receiver Isaiah Bond and former UTSA edge-rusher Trey Moore look to fill those gaps as smoothly as possible.

#4. Penn State Nittany Lions

Retaining a large portion of their talented 2023-24 roster, including up and coming quarterback Drew Allar, Penn State looks to make a run for the number one spot in the newly expanded Big 10. The Nittany Lions boasted one of the best defenses in the country this past season, and if the offense can make strides to get onto the same level, this team will be extremely tough to beat. With a couple of key additions in the transfer portal such as A.J. Harris and Julian Fleming coming in to help replace their off-season departures, the sky's the limit for Penn State in 2024.

#5. Oregon Ducks

With star quarterback and receiver duo Bo Nix and Troy Franklin headed to the NFL draft along will several other key starters, continuing to be top-tier program in 2024 will be easier said than done; but in his time so far as Oregon’s head coach, Dan Lanning has proved to be one of the best coaches in the country at recruiting and developing talent. The biggest story this offseason for Oregon football has been who will win the starting job now that Nix is moving on to the NFL, and with both former Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel and former UCLA quarterback Dante Moore transferring in, this question still is yet to be answered. Whichever option the Ducks decide to choose, they will still have a fantastic supporting cast with the likes of receiver Tez Johnson, running back Jordan James, and incoming transfer receiver Evan Stewart. Overall, the main reason I have so much confidence in Oregon in 2024 is due to Dan Lanning, and I’m hoping he proves me right. 

#6. Ole Miss Rebels

After bringing in an excellent transfer portal class and returning several star players, Ole Miss looks to pick back up where they left off and potentially make their first college football playoff appearance in 2024. Ole Miss had one of the best offenses in the country in 2023, and with star quarterback Jaxson Dart returning as well as running back Ulysses Bentley IV, not to mention incoming transfers such as receiving ‘Juice’ Wells, and tight end Daequan Wright, they should be an explosive unit once again. But the primary reason why I think that the Rebels will do so well in 2024 is the massive improvements they made to their defense this offseason. The Rebels brought in 9 defensive players in the transfer portal, highlighted by former Florida defensive lineman Princely Umanmielen and former Texas A&M defensive lineman Walter Nolen, that should balance out this Ole Miss roster to being excellent on both sides of the ball.

#7. Colorado Buffaloes

Now I know that a lot of fans are going to think that this ranking is too high with Colorado imploding over the second half of the season last year, but with most of their talent returning in 2024, as well as an exceptional transfer portal and recruiting class, massive improvements should be made. The lion's share of Colorado’s problems last season came in the trenches, where both blocking on offense and pass rushing and defending the run were issues on defense, but with 6 new offensive linemen and 10 new defensive linemen coming in, things are bound to improve to some extent. This prediction could totally come back to bite me and show that I’m falling for the ‘Coach Prime’ hype, but I think the Buffaloes can shock a lot of people in 2024.

#8. Alabama Crimson Tide

With the retirement of Nick Saban shaking up the whole college football landscape, former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer looks to take over the reins and continue to field dominant football teams in Tuscaloosa. The departure of many talented players in the transfer portal and NFL draft will certainly not help ease DeBoer’s transition, but plenty of exceptional players and resources should keep the Crimson Tide in the college football playoff conversation. Quarterback Jalen Millroe heads into his second year as the full time starter, and if he can continue his elite level of play that we saw at the end of the season, DeBoer could find himself right back in the national championship game. 

#9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Over the past decade or so, Notre Dame has shown that they can consistently be a nationally relevant team, but that they struggle to make a real run for a national title; and while I think that Notre Dame will certainly be a formidable team in 2024, I’m expecting more of the same. The offense will undergo some major changes with Sam Hartman leaving for the NFL draft and former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard coming in to replace him, however many feel that this will be a change for the better that can make the Fighting Irish offense more versatile with a truly mobile quarterback. Several other key transfers should help rejuvenate the offense as well, such as receiver Beaux Collins from Clemson, receiver Jayden Harrison from Marshall, and receiver Kris Mitchell from Florida Atlantic. The defense should also remain steady for the Irish in 2024, with few turnover from this past season, where they fielded a very solid unit. If all of the moving pieces come together for Notre Dame, they could end up being a much higher ranked than ninth, but I think that history will repeat itself once again.

#10. Michigan Wolverines

Michigan may be the biggest hit or miss team on this list, with us having no way of definitively predicting how the departure of Jim Harbaugh will affect this team; however, with Sherron Moore getting promoted from within and likely maintaining most of the systems Harbaugh put in place, things may keep running fairly smoothly. The main question of how well this Michigan team will perform in 2024 lies on their ability to replace key offensive starters such as quarterback J.J. McCarthy, running back Blake Corum, and receiver Roman Wilson, but with capable backups and highly touted incoming recruits, this process could be easier than expected. The battle for the starting quarterback spot should be an interesting topic of discussion for college football fans, with Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal looking like the top two potential candidates. If Moore can get this young roster on a roll early in the season, this Michigan team could perform much better than this prediction.