Predicting every team capable of winning the 2024 national championship

Monday night, Michigan and Washington will square off with a national championship on the line. It means the 2023 college football season is coming to an end — but it’s not too early to talk about who could win it all next year, right?

The 2024 college football season will see a wave of change. A groundbreaking wave of conference realignment takes effect, and perhaps most importantly, the College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams. That gives more teams a chance to compete for a national title, and it means there’s a longer list of teams capable of winning it all.

On3’s Andy Staples and The Athletic’s Ari Wasserman made their predictions for which teams can bring home the hardware next season on Andy Staples On3. Let’s take a look.

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Alabama

Alabama saw its 2023 season come to an end at the Rose Bowl on Monday against Michigan, snapping a streak of 11 straight victories. The Crimson Tide have some notable returning pieces in 2024, though, headlined by quarterback Jalen Milroe.

Alabama also had another successful year on the recruiting trail, landing the No. 2-ranked class in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. Nick Saban continues to prove he can recruit at a high level, and that’s why Staples and Wasserman put the Crimson Tide among the potential national championship contenders in 2024.

Ohio State

Ohio State might have missed out on the College Football Playoff this year, but the Buckeyes still have one of the top rosters in the country. The Buckeyes are still trying to replace their quarterback after Kyle McCord departed, but they also made some big splashes in recruiting.

Next year’s Ohio State roster is headlined by Five Star Plus+ wide receiver Jeremiah Smith — the No. 1 overall recruit from the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Once the Buckeyes figure out the quarterback situation, they could find themselves squarely in the mix for a national title with the expanded CFP.

Georgia

For the first time since 2020, Georgia will be watching the national championship from home. The two-time defending national champion Bulldogs missed out on the CFP this year, but they could easily find themselves in the running to get back to the mountaintop in 2024.

Carson Beck will be back in Athens for another go-round after an impressive first season as the starter in 2023. Georgia is also welcoming a top-ranked recruiting class — there’s a trend here — that could make an impact as the new-look SEC looks to return to the title game.

Texas

Fresh off its first-ever CFP appearance, Texas looks to build for the future. With a top-five recruiting class under his belt, Steve Sarkisian has the Longhorns in strong position with the jump to the SEC looming.

This past year was a special one for Texas, which won the Big 12 for the first time since 2009. While some key playmakers are moving on to the NFL Draft — notably Xavier Worthy — Sarkisian’s recruiting success could be a recipe for another national championship run in 2024.

Ole Miss

The Portal King is back — and just like that, Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss are national championship contenders in 2024. The Rebels have been rolling through this transfer portal cycle, bringing in two of the top three players to hit the portal, according to the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings.

Ole Miss is coming off its first-ever 11-win season and the second 10-win campaign in three years under Kiffin’s watch. Now, the Rebels are injecting some high-caliber talent onto the roster, which means they’ll likely be even better with the expanding CFP helping create a path to a title.

Michigan

While Monday’s game against Washington is the focus, questions swirl about what’s next for Michigan — more specifically, Jim Harbaugh — with a national championship on the line. It’s hard to project what 2024 will look like for the Wolverines, but Staples argued it might not matter if Harbaugh wins up leaving for the NFL because of who’s on staff.

“Honestly, I don’t care if they lose Jim Harbaugh, if they promote Sherrone Moore,” Staples said. “I feel like they’re the same program if Sherrone Moore’s the head coach. So I would put them in here.”

Arizona

One of the more intriguing teams in the next wave of conference realignment is Arizona. The Wildcats have completed an impressive turnaround under Jedd Fisch’s watch, capped by a 10-win season after an Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma.

If Arizona can repeat this season’s success, the Wildcats could find themselves in the newly expanded College Football Playoff field. Noah Fifita looks like the quarterback of the future, which bodes well for a sustained run as Fisch continues to build the program.

Utah

Making the move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 could bolster Utah’s chances of bringing home a title. Kyle Whittingham remains one of the top coaches in the country, and despite a Las Vegas Bowl loss to Northwestern, will likely keep the Utes toward the forefront of the landscape.

Utah put together an 8-5 record this season, but will get Cameron Rising back for one more season in 2024. The Utes are sure to generate some sort of buzz in the Big 12, and it’s hard not to count out a Whittingham-coached team.

Oregon

Oregon is one of the pillars of the new Big Ten, and the Ducks just bolstered their quarterback position. Bo Nix is off to the NFL, which led Dan Lanning to find a current solution in Dillon Gabriel and a future star in Dante Moore out of the transfer portal.

That sets Oregon up for a solid follow-up to this year’s 11-2 campaign, which saw both losses come to Washington — once during the regular season and again in the Pac-12 Championship. With a new conference and an expanding playoff, don’t sleep on the Ducks when it comes time to crown a national champion in 2024.

Washington

In just two years, Kalen DeBoer has Washington on the doorstep of a title. The Huskies are a perfect 14-0 just a couple seasons removed from a 4-8 record, and they have plenty of momentum as they head to the Big Ten.

Michael Penix Jr. is leaving after the season, but DeBoer has his future at quarterback in Will Rogers. Suddenly, Washington looks to be a top team in the new Big Ten, and the Huskies will try to pull off a perfect season Monday night against future conference foe Michigan.

LSU

While 2023 didn’t go the way LSU necessarily planned, the Tigers — from a pure talent standpoint — have a national championship-caliber team, according to Staples and Wasserman. But Brian Kelly has some big decisions to make on the staff.

Wednesday, LSU fired defensive coordinator Matt House and the rest of the defensive staff, meaning Kelly has another vacancy to fill after Mike Denbrock departed for Notre Dame. But even with those two openings, the Tigers could have a path toward contending for a national championship in 2024 because of the level of talent in Baton Rouge.

Florida State

Florida State became the center of many a conversation about the College Football Playoff ahead of expansion. The Seminoles are losing some key production, but Mike Norvell’s ability to use the transfer portal is likely to keep them atop the ACC and right in the mix for a national championship in 2024.

At quarterback, Jordan Travis will be out of the picture after suffering an injury that ended his season prematurely. Now, it will be DJ Uiagalelei taking the reins of Norvell’s offense, and that means FSU will try to keep its place in the college football landscape.

Missouri

Missouri will look to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of an expanded CFP. After all, the Tigers looked great during the season, which ended with a massive New Year’s Six bowl victory to cap off an 11-win season.

Eli Drinkwitz is also recruiting at a high level, landing Five Star Plus+ EDGE Williams Nwaneri — the No. 1 overall player in the On300 Rankings — to help bolster the defense. Mizzou is losing Cody Schrader, but Drinkwitz has the program in a strong standing with plenty of momentum on the heels of this year’s monster campaign.

Oklahoma

The SEC awaits for Oklahoma, and the Sooners will see some young talent emerge as they make the transition. Of course, the headliner is quarterback Jackson Arnold, who struggled in the Alamo Bowl but still looks to be one of the top young players in the country in 2024.

OU took a big leap forward in Year 2 under Brent Venables on both sides of the ball — a welcome sight after an up-and-down first season in 2022. While the SEC will present more of a challenge, the Sooners might be able to forge a path to a national championship with a 12-team CFP.

Notre Dame

Year 2 under Marcus Freeman featured some high highs and some low lows with Sam Hartman at quarterback for Notre Dame. But the Fighting Irish still won 10 games — and they made some big moves this offseason, as well.

Notre Dame again dove into the transfer portal and secured former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard, but the biggest splash came at offensive coordinator in Mike Denbrock. That could set the Fighting Irish up for a huge step forward in 2024, and the 12-team CFP could present an opportunity to get back to that national championship stage.