Tyler Stearns |
The college football season begins soon, with week zero upon us. As we near the start of the year, TheTake has released its own "AP Poll":
Georgia
The Bulldogs are the best team in the nation. They didn't make the playoffs last season because Alabama beat them in the SEC Championship. They didn't lose too many players to the draft but had some depth players enter the portal. But their physical brand of football will win them games as it always does. They are the favorites to win the national championship.
Oregon
The Ducks are going to be good. They did nothing but improve in the offseason through the transfer portal and high school recruiting. They had a good year last year but lost twice to the eventual National Championship runners-up. Oregon will be back this year and win the B1G.
Texas Texas lost a few good players last season, notably at wide receiver and defensive tackle. Their only poor position group was the defensive backs, who gave up a few chunk plays the previous year. But the team locked and reloaded. They added serious depth across the entire roster and filled departures with arguably better players. The Longhorns have only improved under Sarkisian and nothing is stopping them from continuing that trend.
Alabama Alabama's offseason has been slightly disappointing for Crimson Tide fans. They lost their coach, Nick Saban, the greatest of all time, to retirement. But their hopes remained alive when they hired Kalen Deboer, a proven winner in the Power 5. They were able to keep some important recruits and only lost a few key players to the portal. The Tide will be as good, if not better, than last season.
Michigan The 2023-24 National Champions faced a similar predicament to Alabama, losing their head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL due to his supposed ties to the Connor Stalions scandal. But the Wolverines had chosen their guy before Harbaugh had even left in offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore. Moore will provide stability in the program and will maintain the hard-nosed, run-heavy offensive scheme that Michigan has been so good with in recent years. The only question for this team is if they can still be as dominant on defense after losing so many players to the draft and portal.
Ohio State Sixth? Really? Yes. Ohio State is unproven under Ryan Day after Justin Fields left. The Buckeyes have lost to the team up north three years in a row and it doesn't look like much will change this upcoming season. Will Howard is considered to be a massive improvement at the QB position, but his numbers weren't even near Kyle McCord's. The runningback position is certainly stacked and Caleb Downs will handle the secondary, but does Ohio State have the mentality to beat their toughest opponents? Instead of just one powerhouse in Michigan, they have to play a second in Oregon this season. This will be Ryan Day's last chance year.
Ole Miss Lane Kiffin has done an amazing job this offseason. The Rebels will keep most of their roster from last year including QB Jaxson Dart. But they also added some serious talent to the defensive side of the ball headlined by Walter Nolen. Their offense won't need any catching up to do, but the Ole Miss defense certainly wasn't spectacular last season. But Kiffin should be able to put the team together and create a good product.
Notre Dame The Fighting Irish have a similar situation with Ryan Day's Buckeyes. Marcus Freeman hasn't proven himself yet as a solid coach, so this season will be a big test. They added Riley Leonard to the QB position which will help, along with some wide receivers and defensive players that will be sure to make a positive impact. But again, like Ohio State, it will depend on whether the team can have a winning mentality and beat some of the harder programs on their schedule.
Florida State Florida State had a disappointing finish to an amazing season. The Seminoles were 13-0 going into playoff selection season. But the committee unfairly chose Alabama to go instead of undefeated Florida State and the team lost all passion. They got killed by Georgia in the Orange Bowl after nearly a third of their roster opted out of the game. This season though, they will be back to their winning ways. They added QB DJ Uiagalelei and several other important portal players. Their recruiting class was solid too, loaded with defensive back talent. Mike Norvell will rebuild the culture this season.
Missouri The Tigers bring back the majority of their playmakers from last year and their only major loss is defensive coordinator Blake Baker. QB Brady Cook and WR Luther Burden will lead the offense this season, the only issue will be the defense. If they can play like they did versus Ohio State in their NY6 bowl game, then they will succeed, but if they perform like they did throughout moments in the season, then it may be difficult for them to make the playoffs.
Penn State Penn State is an interesting team. They always win ten games with losses to their two biggest games on their schedule: Ohio State and Michigan. This year, they play USC and Washington instead of Michigan, but they still have to face the Buckeyes. Their schedule is difficult, but the 12-team playoff favors them because they never lose more than two games.
Utah Utah brings back Cam Rising and some other important players. They are also moving to the Big 12, a conference that will likely be easier to win than the PAC-12. If all things go well, Utah can go undefeated and find themselves in the top eight of the CFP.
Tennessee Tennessee's issue is that they are young and a bit inexperienced. They have some veteran guys, but at the QB position in Nico Iamaleava, they are starting a player who only played one full game. James Pearce will be great for the defense, but he can't be the only one. The team has size and speed, it just depends on whether the veteran leadership can carry the team to success.
Clemson Clemson could be great, but they just don't dip into the portal at all. For some reason, HC Dabo Swinney is against it. And it is the bane of the team's existence in the modern-day CFB landscape. They were a dominant program for the majority of the 2010s, but once the transfer portal rules changed, they fell behind. Their roster is strong, but it may not matter. The Tigers dynasty seems to be ending but they have a chance to turn it back if they can make the 12 team playoff.
LSU LSU had a weird year last year. The offense was led by QB Jayden Daniels and WRs Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers, who each put up video game numbers. Daniels won the Heisman and all three were first-round draft picks. But the defense was abysmal, to say the least. They, like USC's defense, were holding them back from succeeding. The Tigers decided to fire their defensive coordinator and brought in Blake Baker from Missouri. The offense will not be as dominant as last season but still solid, however, it all depends on if Baker can turn things around on the other side of the football.
Kansas Kansas is now ranked inside the top 25 of the AP Poll for the first time in a long time. The Jayhawks have been teetering in and out of the rankings for the past couple of seasons now with Lance Leipold. Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal are two of the best in their position and will be a force to be reckoned with. And Cobee Bryant will dominate on defense too. The Jayhawks may just be back.
Arizona The Arizona Wildcats were a lot like USC's 2016 team last year. They lost their first couple of games but dominated the rest of their schedule. They also killed Oklahoma in their bowl game. Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan decided against transferring to Washington and chose to stay at the school. The only issue for this team will be coaching since Jedd Fisch moved to UW after last year.
Miami It may seem strange to rank the Hurricanes inside the top 20 considering how average they have been under Mario Cristobal, but it is hard to deny the talent they have. Cam Ward came over from Washington State and brings athleticism and playmaking ability to the offense. Damien Martinez moved over from Oregon State and will be one of the best backs in the nation. They also have Xavier Restrepo at receiver and a plethora of other stars. If Cristobal can get it right, he may have a superteam on his hands.
Oklahoma Oklahoma lost Dillon Gabriel to the portal last year but has Jackson Arnold to back him up. The team is very strong on defense for the upcoming year, especially at the linebacker and defensive back positions. The team has weapons too, with Jalil Farooq leading the team. But moving to the SEC will be a massive challenge and the Sooners may not be up for it.
Oklahoma State Oklahoma State made the Big 12 Championship game last year with Ollie Gordon's dominant ground attack. The Cowboys will improve this year, though the QB position is still a question mark. Alan Bowman is in his seventh year of college football and is just plain average. They can't win without exceptional QB play because of their weak defense and subpar offensive line. But nonetheless, Gordon himself puts them in the top 25.
Kansas State Avery Johnson is the new guy in Manhattan, Kansas and he looks poised to lead the Wildcats to a successful run in 2024. They are in the weakest conference in the Power 4 and don't have a particularly difficult schedule. Expect them to contend for a conference title.
NC State NC State lost Payton Wilson to the draft, but the team keeps most of their best players. They also brought in Grayson McCall from Coastal Carolina who will provide experience for the team. This is the time for NC State to win.
Virginia Tech Kyron Drones will lead the Hokies into 2024 with higher expectations. The team finished well last season in comparison to previous years. But with new talent from the portal and high school recruiting classes, it may be time for Virginia Tech to have a great year. Drones is a dark horse Heisman candidate and the defense looks solid. Tech will be good.
SMU SMU is making the move from the Power 4 to the ACC, where they find themselves in a somewhat favorable position. They finished first in the AAC in their last year in the Group of 5 and showed CFB fans that they can hang with bigger teams. They were close with teams like Oklahoma and Boston College. Their offense is explosive and their defense is solid too. The Mustangs may be a dark horse for the playoff.
Iowa Iowa's defense is never an issue. And neither is the special teams. Their offense is just plain bad. The team couldn't break 1700 passing yards in twelve games and the run attack wasn't much better. Cade McNamara was injured for the entire year and should be an improvement to Spencer Petras, but it won't be much better. Their offense won't be improved too heavily this year, but like every season, their defense will give them another nine to ten-win season.
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