The release of the preseason AP Top 25 poll means that college football season is right around the corner. The 2024 campaign kicks off with No. 10 Florida State facing Georgia Tech in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland on August 24. Should the Seminoles be ranked that highly, though, especially with the departure of ACC Player of the Year quarterback Jordan Travis?
This is the type of question that fans of the sport will ask about several schools as Week 1 approaches. The full preseason AP Top 25 poll is below, with first-place votes in parentheses and total vote points on the right, via NCAA.com
1. Georgia (46) 1,532
2. Ohio State (15) 1,490
3. Oregon (1) 1,403
4. Texas 1,386
5. Alabama 1,260
6. Ole Miss 1,189
7. Notre Dame 1,122
8. Penn State 1,060
9. Michigan 995
10. Florida State 971
11. Missouri 927
12. Utah 887
13. LSU 804
14. Clemson 689
15. Tennessee 629
16. Oklahoma 566
17. Oklahoma State 538
18. Kansas State 526
19. Miami (FL) 492
20. Texas A&M 292
21. Arizona 237
22. Kansas 231
23. Southern Cal 172
24. North Carolina State 171
25. Iowa 140
Others receiving votes: Louisville 111, Virginia Tech 77, Boise St. 47, SMU 33, Iowa St. 33, Liberty 32, Washington 23, West Virginia 17, Memphis 16, Nebraska 16, Wisconsin 15, UTSA 6, Tulane 5, Appalachian St. 4, Kentucky 3, Auburn 2, Colorado 1.
While the top five isn’t surprising, there are a few questionable choices further down the AP Top 25 rankings.
Michigan, Florida State, and Clemson are overrated in the AP Top 25
Michigan football may have won the national title last season, but this program couldn’t have changed more than it did in the offseason. The Wolverines have a new head coach, coaching staff, quarterback, running back, and overall different roster. Key defensive contributors Braiden McGregor, Kris Jenkins, Jaylen Harrell, and Josh Wallace are all gone, while program legend Blake Corum won’t be around to lead the backfield anymore.
Michigan’s No.9 ranking is the lowest preseason position for a defending national champion on the AP Top 25 since Auburn debuted at No. 23 in 2011. However, it’s not low enough. While Sherrone Moore showed his coaching chops during Jim Harbaugh’s suspension last year, there may be a learning curve in the big chair, especially with a new-look offensive line. The Wolverines need to re-prove themselves due to their sweeping internal changes.
Meanwhile, Florida State’s defense will undoubtedly keep it in the playoff mix, but the departure of Travis hurts. The 2024 fifth-round NFL draft pick tossed 20 touchdowns compared to just two picks last year, in addition to seven scores on the ground. While fifth-year senior DJ Uiagalelei has two years of starting experience at Clemson, it’ll be tough for him to match Travis’ legacy as a Seminole. The program needs to prove it has a credible passing attack before ranking top-10.
Speaking of Clemson, the Tigers need to wash the stink off of last season before getting love nationally. Their 4-4 ACC record last year was their worst since 2010, and Uiagalelei’s transfer to a conference rival isn’t ideal. However, the program has the 11th-best incoming recruiting class, via 247 Sports’ composite rankings. The group includes five-star players Sammy Brown (linebacker) and TJ Moore (wide receiver), who should both be team-building blocks.
Clemson, though, is the only ACC team that landed no transfers in the offseason. While its incoming freshmen should keep them competitive, the program is not an ideal preseason top-15 pick in the AP Top 25.
USC, SMU, and Utah are underrated
There are reasons to not like USC, as last year’s defensive failures and the departure of former Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams are both major talking points. Redshirt junior Miller Moss may not be Williams, but his MVP-winning performance in last year’s Holiday Bowl provided a preview of where he could take the Trojans’ offense.
Also, new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is coming off a season where he led UCLA’s unit to a No. 10 ranking nationally. Couple that with an infusion of four-star recruits and three-star transfers joining on both sides of the ball, and the downtown Los Angeles-based school has a fighting chance of making noise in its first Big Ten Season.
SMU isn’t typically a headline-grabbing university, so maybe that’s why the AP Top 25 voters are sleeping on them. The Mustangs are returning most of their main contributors from last year’s American Athletic Conference-winning team, and 12 of their 21 incoming transfers came from other Power Four schools.
However, their transfer to the ACC this year will raise their level of competition, and last year’s 23-14 loss to Boston College in the Fenway Bowl was a sour way to end the season. The Mustangs, though, are worth betting on to end the season as a ranked squad.
Lastly, Utah is another team that may be getting underrated due to a conference switch. The Utes joined the expanded Big 12 after the disbanding of the Pac-12, which will provide a challenge. However, last year’s squad that beat the likes of Florida, USC, Baylor, and UCLA is mostly intact, except for star pass rusher Jonah Elliss. It also added several defensive transfers, as well as star receiver Dorian Singer to put the program squarely in the mix for a top-10 ranking nationally as the season plays out.
Follow Us
Subscribe