Joel Klatt reveals post-spring Top 25 rankings for 2024

The 2024 college football season is one of the most highly anticipated to date. Highlighted by conference realignment changes, the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff, and a multitude of the nation’s top teams looking different thanks to the transfer portal and various coaching changes.

The season is still several months away, but it’s never too early to forecast what the first top 25 rankings of the season will look like. Which FOX college football analyst Joel Klatt did on his show this Monday.

Check out Klatt’s post-spring top 25 rankings below along with breakdowns behind the rationale of his top 10 teams ahead of the 2024 season.

1. Ohio State

The Buckeyes have had one of the most impressive offseasons in recent college football history in every possible metric. From hiring former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly as their offensive coordinator, to retaining a slew of impact players that could have declared for the recent NFL Draft, to adding slam dunk transfer portal additions like Caleb Downs, Quinshon Judkins, and Will Howard.

A quarterback competition is still underway in Columbus, but Klatt believes Ohio State’s strength in other areas, including on the defensive side of the ball where they can be one of the best units in the country, can set them up for national championship success better than any other team in the nation.

“It means the quarterback does not have to be elite, so whether it’s Will Howard, or Devin Brown, or one of the young guys, the quarterback’s not going to have to go out there and be the centerpiece of this team or this offense,” Klatt explained. “And that’s an important part of trying to break in a quarterback, in particular in Columbus where expectations can weigh heavy in particular on the head coach and on the quarterback.”

2. Georgia

Georgia was a close call to be crowned as Klatt’s top team ahead of the season, especially with the return of quarterback Carson Beck. But a tough schedule that features road games against Texas, Alabama, and Ole Miss paired with the Buckeyes’ prowess in the transfer portal gave them a slight edge over the Bulldogs.

“I’m looking at that schedule. I get it their quarterback is back, I get it the way they’ve recruited, and you know what? Kirby Smart has a couple of rings on the mantle and they no doubt will be there in the end, there’s not a doubt in my mind,” Klatt said. “But the offseason that Ohio State had and the roster that they’re going to put on the field to me makes them number one.”

3. Texas

The Longhorns occupy the No. 3 spot following their most impressive season since 2009 after winning the Big 12 title and making their first College Football Playoff appearance. Texas joins the SEC and has some key pieces to replace from last year, but Klatt believes their quarterback gives them a great chance to sustain their success.

“Texas is going to be damn good folks,” Klatt admitted. “Quinn Ewers back for his third season as a starter, so he’s going to be more developed. And I was there in the spring … Quinn Ewers is firmly entrenched as their starting quarterback. I know from the outside people are going to talk about Arch Manning, Quinn Ewers he in a larger sense is the reason and the epitome of this resurgence back to the top of college football.”

4. Oregon

Klatt believes his top four teams are separate from the rest in the country and would be shocked if any others won this year’s national championship. A tier rounded out by the Oregon Ducks after having another impressive offseason recruiting at the high school level and in the transfer portal. Highlighted by adding veteran quarterback Dillon Gabriel along with potential quarterback of the future Dante Moore.

“Lanning is building a powerhouse. If I had to buy stock in one coach in America it would be Dan Lanning,” Klatt said. “He’s young, he’s going to win, he clearly likes where he’s at because he had opportunities to go to some of the biggest places in the country, i.e. Alabama, and he didn’t. He stayed in Eugene which means he likes it there, his family likes it here, and he has the resources to win.”

5. Ole Miss

On paper Ole Miss has one of the most talented rosters across college football, thus the Rebels cracking Klatt’s top five following an impressive transfer portal haul by head coach Lane Kiffin. Brining in 20 players so far this offseason including seven from within the SEC with proven production like Juice Wells, Princely Umanmielen, and Walter Nolen.

“They don’t have to run through the SEC gauntlet like lets say Oklahoma does. So their schedule I think is beneficial, that’s a really talented team, they recruited at a high level, they’re coming off a big season last year,” Klatt explained. “I’ve got Ole Miss in my top five.”

6. Utah

Utah was decimated by injuries last season, highlighted by not having quarterback Cam Rising under center. Who returns as one of the most experienced quarterbacks across college football after winning back-to-back Pac-12 titles when healthy as the team’s starter. Not to mention the Utes may have the new best home-field advantage in the conference as they enter the Big 12.

“Utah is going to be an elite football team, this team is the class of the Big 12,” Klatt forecasted. “They got killed by injuries including Brant Kuithe, the wide receiver group, they had guys playing out of position. Kyle Whittingham is going to be back, they’ll be healthier, Rising will be at quarterback, and their schedule sets up for success.”

7. Alabama

Klatt admitted that Alabama was the hardest team to rank on his top 25 given their massive roster turnover and the departure of the greatest college football coach of all time Nick Saban. But with former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer taking over the reins of the program, the Crimson Tide still have a chance to maintain their sky-high standards.

“Kalen DeBoer is a home run, the guy has won everywhere that he’s been. If any other program would have hired Kalen DeBoer I would have been like oh, they’re going to be better right away, because Kalen DeBoer does that,” Klatt explained. “But it’s Nick Saban and it’s Alabama, it’s hard to get better when you’ve been the standard in college football for the better part of a decade.”

8. Michigan

The reigning national champions have had a massive amount of turnover since their title win, starting with head coach Jim Harbaugh departing for the Los Angeles Chargers and 18 players that were invited to the most recent NFL Combine (nine selected in the draft). But Klatt believes their consistent culture will still make them one of the top teams in the nation this upcoming season.

“It doesn’t feel all that different, everything is the same, and yet everybody is different,” Klatt said. “I get it, new head coach, new coordinator, new strength coach, new quarterback, all these things. And yet it’s just kind of business as usual because all of those people are promoted from within, running the same systems.”

9. Penn State

Penn State cracks into the top 10 after finishing within the top 12 of the final CFP rankings for the sixth time under head coach James Franklin last year. That paired with a fairly favorable Big Ten schedule and offensive and defensive coordinator changes that Klatt supports could have the Nittany Lions poised for the College Football Playoff.

“This was the year that Penn State has circled for a long time. Drew Allar, third year. Nick Singleton, third year. Kaytron Allen, third year. Abdul Carter, third year,” Klatt explained. “This was a recruiting class that they felt like could get them back to the playoff. Now that was a playoff that they thought was going to be four teams, now it’s 12, and I think most assuredly that they are a playoff-contending team.”

10. Missouri

Rounding out Klatt’s top 10 are the Missouri Tigers, fresh off of an impressive and unexpected 11-2 season that was capped of with a Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State. And despite losing some key pieces from last year’s squad, Klatt believes Mizzou will continue their dominance in 2024.

“Missouri’s coming off that 11-win year and I don’t think that they’ll slow down, although they do lose a lot of players. They lost a lot of draft picks in night one and night two in the NFL Draft,” Klatt said. “They do have Brady Cook, he’s entering his third year as a starter and Luther Burden is maybe the best wide receiver in all of college football.

11-25 of Klatt’s post-spring rankings

11. Notre Dame
12. Florida State
13. Clemson
14. LSU
15. USC
16. Tennessee
17. Oklahoma
18. Miami
19. Oklahoma State
20. Kansas State
21. Arizona
22. Nebraska
23. Kansas
24. Iowa
25. Texas A&M