Phil Steele: Ranking the toughest conferences ahead of 2024 college football season

Conferences across college football are going to look drastically different in 2024. Texas and Oklahoma are in the SEC, four West Coast teams are in the Big Ten, plus there is no Pac-12, as such, anymore.

And that means how the various conferences stack up going into the season is worth re-examining, as preview magazine maven Phil Steele did in his annual publication for 2024. While the leagues at the very top aren’t surprising, the overall stacking of the conferences is worth noting, especially for lower-level leagues that were shuffled as knock-on effects of realignment in the SEC and Big Ten.

Check out the full 2024 conference rankings from Steele below.

1. SEC

Unsurprisingly, the SEC holds the top spot for 2024. Already the top conference in the sport from year-to-year by virtue of both the top-end teams and general depth of the league, the additions of Texas and Oklahoma make the SEC, somehow, an even more daunting football gauntlet.

And in 2024, the league should have at least a handful of teams in contention for College Football Playoff spots in the new 12-team playoff. And the top-to-bottom strength helps the SEC take the No. 1 spot from the only other real contender.

2. Big Ten

The home of the reigning national champion and national runner up for the 2024 season, the Big Ten is currently the only real rival to the SEC for the top spot as a college football conference. The addition of four schools from the former Pac-12 helps the league flesh out a stronger upper-middle class to match the SEC.

And with the likes of Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Washington, USC and more, the Big Ten will likely rival the SEC in putting several teams in the CFP each year. How the former Big Ten West schools fare in the new division-less league remains to be seen.

3. ACC

The ACC sits in a tenuous position with respect to its long-term future, as both Florida State and Clemson are actively taking the league to court over media rights and other schools have clamored along similar lines. But for the 2024 football season, the league is in solid shape.

The addition of SMU is a nice add for the depth of the league, and Florida State appears poised to be a consistently national contender going forward. The upcoming season will be a big test of Clemson’s long-term staying power atop the league, especially as teams like Louisville and Miami seek to push for league titles.

4. Big 12

Texas and Oklahoma are gone, but in come Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and the high-wire act that is Deion Sanders and Colorado. And while Colorado commands much of the attention, Utah joins as an immediate contender to win the league.

The Utes will have to grind past the likes of Oklahoma State and Kansas State to win the crown, though. And with programs like Kansas, UCF and the Arizona schools potentially on the rise, the Big 12 could be one of the most wide open leagues in 2024.

5. Mountain West

With the dissolution of the Pac-12, the Mountain West is set to take over the West Coast as the main college football conference. And the top of the league should have a handful of hopefuls to snag the Group of 5 bid for the College Football Playoff.

Boise State looks to be the class of the league as summer rolls along. However, the likes of Fresno State, Wyoming and San Diego State, among others, should present real challenges. Now there just needs to be a hashtag for Mountain West games kicking off late on the East Coast.

6. Sun Belt

The Sun Belt had been dominated by James Madison the past two seasons, but that might be about to change as the Dukes lost head coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana. As such, the league should be rather wide open.

Appalachian State, James Madison, Texas State and a few others should be primed to compete for league titles. And there’s always the possibility to an unexpected team running through the league.

7. American

Gone from the American is 2023 champion SMU, paving the way for the likes of Tulane or Memphis to win the American, something both schools have already done. As a matter of fact, of all the champions in the 11-year history of the league, only Memphis, Tulane and Temple still remain in the American.

And with a high rate of turnover in the league of late, the conference has slumped down the rankings. The top handful of teams could be quite competitive, but the back half of the league will potentially struggle to be competitive outside of the league.

8. MAC

The MAC, outside of adding UMass next summer, has been one of the least-affected leagues by conference realignment. And the Midwestern-centered league has done well for itself carving out a niche as one of the lower-level conferences in college football.

Toledo has been the class of the league for the past few seasons, but teams like Miami (OH), Ohio and Bowling Green could be poised to make a run for the league this year. Especially as Toledo does some notable roster re-tooling from a loaded 2023 team.

9. Conference-USA

Conference-USA, much like the American, has seen lots of turnover in recent years with conference realignment (and it might see more in the near future.) But for now, the league remains steady but one of the lesser leagues in college football.

Of current league members, Western Kentucky and Liberty have had the most recent success both in the league and on a national scale, making bowl games getting ranked in the Top 25. The rest of the conference, however, has some catching up to do.

10. Independents

There are only officially three independent teams for the 2024: Notre Dame, UMass and UConn. And while they’re technically still competing under a Pac-12 banner of sorts for the time being, Oregon State and Washington State are, functionally, independent.

On its own, Notre Dame might slot in at No. 3 in this ranking, behind the Big Ten and SEC but ahead of the rest of the field. And the two teams in the Pacific Northwest have been feisty in football of late. But the additions of UConn and Umass, two of the least successful modern FBS programs, in the grouping drags it down.

And given there’s still a good ways until the season arrives, there’s plenty of time to debate these rankings before the football begins and it can be settled — mostly — on the field.