2024 College Football Top 25 rankings: Athlon releases preseason poll
Athlon Magazine released its 2024 preseason Top 25 rankings ahead of the upcoming college football season and it’s time to debate!
It’s the best time of the year that’s not named football season. We have a clearer picture post-spring transfer portal window, thus we can make clearer evaluations and predictions. Teams also are dormant right now, mostly, until fall camp ramps up.
The top 25 from Athlon can be seen below.
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1. Georgia
The Bulldogs are ready to reclaim the throne after narrowly missing the College Football Playoff last year. Carson Beck is back at quarterback and well, the rest of the roster is loaded.
After getting through spring healthy, most are excited to see an elite defense and what Beck can do with transfer tight end Ben Yurosek. Three national titles in four years?
2. Ohio State
The Buckeyes had quite the 2024 offseason and that started on the coaching staff with Ryan Day adding Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator. Will Howard transferred in at QB, Quinshon Judkins added to the running back room and well, there’s more.
The biggest acquisition was safety Caleb Downs, an All-American as a freshman at Alabama in 2023. Ohio State is the favorite in the new-look Big Ten and anything short of a conference title would be vastly disappointing. This is a bonafide national title contender.
3. Oregon
Oregon has a new plug and play quarterback in Dillon Gabriel while adding UCLA transfer Dante Moore. Wide receiver Evan Stewart and corner Jabbar Muhammad also highlighted the transfer haul this offseason. Forget top 25, this is easily a top five team.
Sure, Oregon has its own prospects, but it didn’t stop there. The win-now Ducks also added Michigan State’s Derrick Harmon (DT) and safety Peyton Woodyard from Alabama. This is the top challenger to Ohio State.
4. Texas
Quinn Ewers is still the man at quarterback with Arch Manning waiting in the wings. The move to the SEC is the highlight for the Longhorns this year but this is certainly a national title contender.
Texas also added Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Bond and Houston pass catcher Matthew Golden. Not only that, the defensive line got better with Oklahoma’s Jermayne Lole and Arizona DE Bill Norton. It just means more.
5. Ole Miss
This could be the year the Rebels finally make the College Football Playoff and it does help that it’s a 12-team bracket. But Lane Kiffin had his best team in 2023 and ‘24 could be better.
Jaxson Dart is back at quarterback and the team added star transfers Walter Nolen and Juice Wells. Look out for another 11-win type of a season and potentially a playoff run for the Rebels.
6. Alabama
This is a new look Alabama team under Kalen DeBoer but still high quality like Nick Saban. DeBoer brings the goods after leading Washington to the national championship last season.
Jalen Milroe is a Heisman contender at quarterback and the Crimson Tide managed to get Kadyn Proctor back from the transfer portal to sure up offensive tackle. With other key players back and DeBoer giving fresh life to a CFP team last year, Alabama will be near the top.
7. Michigan
The defending champions also made a coaching change after Jim Harbaugh left for the Los Angeles Chargers. Sherrone Moore slid right up to head coach and maintained the Wolverines in the upper tier of the top 25.
There’s still an ongoing quarterback battle, but the team still has an elite defense despite losing pieces to the pros. Will Johnson, Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham will keep them in games and Donovan Edwards returns in the backfield.
8. Penn State
Drew Allar is a veteran quarterback at this point based on how much he’s talked about. Former Indiana head coach Tom Allen is the new DC, highlighting the big change on that side of the ball.
Penn State should be in position to make the playoff for the first time under James Franklin. The Nittany Lions didn’t add any players in the spring portal though and saw KeAndre Lambert-Smith (WR) leave for Auburn and safety King Mack go to Alabama.
9. Notre Dame
Head coach Marcus Freeman went out and got Duke quarterback Riley Leonard, he just has to fully recover from injury. The Irish also got wide receivers Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell.
Since Notre Dame didn’t join the world of conference realignment, the school is still independent in football. But, a preseason top 10 team means the College Football Playoff should be in reach.
10. Missouri
Missouri had one heck of a 2023 season with a Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State. Brady Cook is back at quarterback, Eli Drinkwtiz is on a roll and the team brought in some key transfers.
That included Georgia EDGE Eddie Kelly and offensive lineman Marcus Bryant from Houston. This is your sleeper in the SEC this fall and the world may love it.
Rest of Athlon’s Top 25 preseason poll
11. LSU
12. Florida State
13. Tennessee
14. Utah
15. Clemson
16. Oklahoma
17. Kansas State
18. Texas A&M
19. Oklahoma State
20. Miami
21. Kansas
22. USC
23. Arizona
24. Louisville
25. NC State
The preseason top 25 is in the books, at least from Athlon. As the summer progresses, we’ll see how this shakes out at On3 and other outlets. Again, it’s all guesswork until the games are finally played.