Preseason College Football Ranking 2024: B/R's Super-Early Top 25

The 2023 college football season officially came to a close on Monday evening when No. 1 Michigan upended No. 2 Washington by a lopsided 34-13 score in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

For everyone outside of those two teams, the focus had already shifted to the 2024 season, which will bring with it significant conference realignment and the expanded 12-team playoff format.

With early signing day completed and plenty of shuffling already done through the transfer portal, rosters have started to take shape for 2024, though NFL draft decisions and some late transfers and recruit commitments still provide opportunity for shakeups.

Working under the assumption that a lot can still change between now and the start of the next college football year, here's a look at B/R's Super Early Top 25 rankings for the 2024 season.

Let the debate begin.

B/R's Super-Early Top 25

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Carson Beck, Georgia Bulldogs

1. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Alabama Crimson Tide
3. Michigan Wolverines
4. Texas Longhorns
5. Ohio State Buckeyes
6. Oregon Ducks
7. Ole Miss Rebels
8. Missouri Tigers
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
10. Clemson Tigers
11. Penn State Nittany Lions
12. Utah Utes
13. Arizona Wildcats
14. Oklahoma Sooners
15. LSU Tigers
16. Washington Huskies
17. Kansas State Wildcats
18. Oklahoma State Cowboys
19. Florida State Seminoles
20. NC State Wolfpack
21. Tennessee Volunteers
22. Kansas Jayhawks
23. Liberty Flames
24. USC Trojans
25. Miami Hurricanes

The Quarterback Carousel

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Dillon Gabriel

Once again, the transfer portal is having a significant impact in reshaping the college football landscape, especially at the quarterback position.

Here's a quick rundown of the most notable quarterback transfers, relative to our Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings:

• No. 5 Ohio State: Will Howard (via Kansas State)
• No. 6 Oregon: Dillon Gabriel (via Oklahoma), Dante Moore (via UCLA)
• No. 9 Notre Dame: Riley Leonard (via Duke)
• No. 16 Washington: Will Rogers (via Mississippi State)
• No. 19 Florida State: DJ Uiagalelei (via Oregon State)
• No. 20 NC State: Grayson McCall (via Coastal Carolina)
• Other Notables: Max Brosmer (New Hampshire to Minnesota), Aidan Chiles (Oregon State to Michigan State), Dequan Finn (Toledo to Baylor), KJ Jefferson (Arkansas to UCF), Kyle McCord (Ohio State to Syracuse), Maalik Murphy (Texas to Duke), Malachi Nelson (USC to Boise State), Chandler Rogers (North Texas to California), Kurtis Rourke (Ohio to Indiana), Tyler Van Dyke (Miami to Wisconsin), Brock Vandagriff (Georgia to Texas)

After Cam Ward announced he is going to the NFL and Kaidon Salter withdrew his name to return to Liberty, Jordan McCloud is now the top name still looking for a new home in the portal. The James Madison standout threw for 3,657 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2023, and Miami, Oklahoma State and Washington State are among his potential landing spots.

Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa is another name to watch after he recently entered the portal, but he will need to be granted an additional year of eligibility to play in 2024.

Quick Hits

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Cam Rising

The SEC leads the way with eight teams in our Top 25, including newcomers Texas and Oklahoma, followed by the Big Ten (6), Big 12 (5) and ACC (4). All told, there are seven teams that are changing conferences in 2024 among the Top 25.

One thing that might stand out when glancing at the Top 25 rankings is the Utah Utes penciled in at No. 12 following an 8-5 season that ended in a Las Vegas Bowl loss to Northwestern, and a healthy Cam Rising at quarterback is a big reason for optimism.

He threw for 3,034 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions while leading the team to a 10-win season in 2022, but he missed the entire 2023 season with a knee injury. He will turn 25 years old in May and gives the team a wealth of experience under center.

The only Group of Five team to earn a spot in our way-too-early Top 25 is Liberty, fresh off a 13-1 season and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl. Breakout quarterback Kaidon Salter is back after withdrawing his name from the transfer portal, and he tallied 2,876 passing yards, 1,089 rushing yards and 44 total touchdowns during the team's first season in Conference USA.

If you're looking for teams to keep an eye on that fell just outside the rankings but have Top 25 potential, the "just missed" group includes Colorado, Iowa, Louisville, SMU, Texas A&M and West Virginia.

Previewing the Top 5

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Jack Sawyer

Can the Georgia Bulldogs return to the top of the college football world after missing the College Football Playoff with their SEC championship game loss to Alabama?

They will have stability at quarterback with Carson Beck returning after a 3,941-yard, 24-touchdown season in his first year as starter, and running back Trevor Etienne (via Florida) could be one of the most impactful transfers in the nation.

The Bulldogs will also welcome the nation's No. 1 recruiting class, headlined by cornerback Ellis Robinson IV, linebacker Justin Williams and safety KJ Bolden, who are all 5-star additions to the roster.

The Alabama Crimson Tide received a major boost when quarterback Jalen Milroe announced he will be returning in 2024, while the Michigan Wolverines and Texas Longhorns continue to wait on official decisions from J.J. McCarthy and Quinn Ewers, respectively.

Rounding out the top five, the Ohio State Buckeyes plugged a major hole at quarterback by landing Kansas State transfer Will Howard in the portal. On the defensive side of the ball, the return of Jack Sawyer is a huge boost to their 2024 outlook.

All five of those teams are loaded with high-level recruits ready to step into expanded roles during the upcoming season, with a talent pipeline that simply churns out talent on a yearly basis.

That makes it easy to pencil those five teams in at the top of the rankings, but a lot can still change this offseason, and there are always more than a few surprises along the way as the season unfolds.