The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast - Joel Klatt’s Preseason Top 25 Rankings for the 2024 Season

Episode Date: August 5, 2024

FOX Sports’ lead college football analyst Joel Klatt kicks off the new college football season with his Preseason Top 25 Rankings for 2024. Klatt reveals who he selected as his #1 team heading into the season between Georgia and Ohio State. He also breaks down how he evaluated Michigan and Alabama following their offseason head coaching changes. Texas, Oregon and Notre Dame make his Top 10 along with a team out of the Big 12 that could surprise. Klatt also discusses how he ranked Florida State and Miami and why USC could be a team to keep an eye on in the new Big Ten this season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens if they beat Texas? What happens if they beat Texas? Could happen. College football has never been better. Interest has never been higher. Believe that we are at the dawn of the golden age of college football. It was an epic day of college football. It was one of those days where you fall in love with the sport all over again.

Hey, welcome back in, everybody. It is a new season of the Joel Clad show. And as always, this show is presented by Ham, Hampton by Hilton. Big thanks to Hampton by Hilton for coming back in. Huge fans of the podcast, and we are huge fans of theirs. I also have big news before we get to the top 25.

This is the preseason top 25 episode. And because it's basically de facto beginning of the year for the Joel Clatch Show, I got a new notebook. How about that new news right here? We all know about the notebooks. I got my brand new big pin here. That's going to be used all the way down. I've got a brand new notebook.

The only thing in it, is the year, first of all. I see I write the year in it because I'm a weirdo. And my preseason top 25, but you can't look at it. You can't look at it just yet because we're about to reveal it right now. But that's the only thing in the notebook, which I'm very excited about. So let's jump into it right away. This is going to be a really great year of college football. You should be as excited as I am about what we're about to witness in the 24 season in college football. The changes that have been made, the schedules that are now in front of us, the new playoff format with 12 teams rather than four, the amount of quality games that are

going to be played in November, and the amount of fan bases, you out there, you're sitting there and you're listening, and you've got hope. You've got hope in your heart for your team, and there's more fans that will be engaged later in the season than ever before. And for that reason I am over the moon excited about this college football season, as I know you are. So let's get to it right away. We've got my top 25 as I see it here in the preseason. You know how I feel about preseason polls, but they're fun. So here we go. I'm going to start at number 25 with a team that I like to give a lot of grief to over the years, but they're a team that I do believe in and I like the direction that they're going. Let's go Texas A&M at 25.

He also begins his era there after the six seasons under Jimbo Fisher. What did six seasons and $76 million in buyout money get you? A top 25 spot. Well done. That's good money spent. Here we go. He's familiar with College Station. I like him long term.

I question what they will be this year, but they still have talent, even with all the departures that they've had in the transfer portal. I just think that there's a real opportunity here for this fan base, which is completely committed. And here's the thing. I'm tongue in cheek about the Aggies. You Aggie fans, you deserve a winner. You have stepped up to the plate in the modern era of college football,

like few fan bases, and you deserve a winner. I am rooting for the Aggies. I am rooting for Aggie fans because I think they're one of the best fan bases in the country. They did lose some talent, like I said, in the transfer portal, but they also brought a few in. And then one big addition that I really like, their new offensive coordinator. This was a great hire, a year, youngster who a guy who's I actually known since his high school days, Colin Klein, comes from Kansas

State. Now it's going to be the OC at Texas A&M, and I really like him as a coach. Let's go 24. I'm going to go with Iowa at 24. Iowa is just so steady. And then when you take a closer look at them, what you realize is they're going to be rock solid on defense again, shocking to nobody. and they should be, I'm going to rue the day. They should be better on offense. I said it, and I said it publicly into a microphone, and we'll see if that happens. I'm a big believer in Kirk Ferrence. I think that if you look at this team realistically,

and you see the addition of Tim Lester as the offensive coordinator. You see Cade McNamara that should be healthier now. Hopefully you can get through the preseason and maybe play the entirety of the season. that'll be an upgrade at the quarterback position. Their defense is going to be incredible. It's a team that won 10 games last year, and 17 starters are back. By the way, they had the worst offense in the country. And so you're able to pair a veteran defense with what should be an improved offense,

and then you look at the schedule and you realize that they have a very Big Ten West-ish schedule. Even there, there's no more Big Ten West. They get the Sihawk game against Iowa State at home. They've got to play at Ohio State. That's a tough one, obviously. But they avoid in the Big Ten, check this out. Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, and USC. Very favorable schedule, so watch out for Iowa.

At number 23, another former West team in the Big Ten, excuse me. Nebraska, I'm high on this program. It's one of the reasons why I sat down with Matt Rule over the offseason for a big noon conversation. Remember, those still live on the YouTube. page, go back, check those episodes out. It was a really great conversation with Matt Rule, and he said in our conversation that he feels like he's ahead of schedule at Nebraska. It's a team that went five and seven last year. Now, just on its face, that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. However, if you just dig a little bit on what Nebraska and Matt Rule was last

year, you'll see that they lost four of those games by exactly three points, and they turned it over 15 times in those games. Think about that. Those can easily become wins, easily. Now you're talking about an eight-win team in his first year, and don't we feel a whole lot different about that? By the way, of those 15 turnovers, 13 of them were by the quarterback. So now you're going to get a new quarterback, and let's just for sake of argument, say it's Dylan Royola. I understand it's a true freshman that you don't know exactly how he's going to play, but man, this guy is talented. And doesn't he, look like, I mean, this is, I shouldn't say this either. He looks like Patrick Mahomes.

Now, I don't know if he's going to play like that, but he's like a clone of Patrick Mahler. The way he moves, the sleeve on his arm. I'm like, wow, that looks a lot like Patrick in college when he was at Texas Tech. If he plays like that at all, watch out for Nebraska. Entire offensive line is back, by the way. If they get those turnovers fixed, then I think the Huskers could be pretty good. Schedule sets up nicely. for them if they get by Colorado, they should be minimum 8 and 1 after a trip to Ohio State. So watch out for them. At 22, this was an interesting one. I'm going to go with Clemson at 22. And I understand this might seem like it's a low ranking for Clemson. But I know Davil was bullish on this team.

After their four and four start, they won their last five. But in the last few years, they finished 14th, 13th, and then 20th in the final AP poll. So they're trending in the wrong direction. Clubneck has got to step up. Garrett Riley's offense has got to step up. And then I looked at this schedule and I just thought to myself, I don't like it. I don't like it. I don't like the fact that they haven't brought any transfers in. And I get it.

But it's more than that. It's more about the fact that they aren't what they were four years ago. And now you look at their schedule and there is a real chance. I don't know how likely, but a real chance, that this team could be two and three in their first five games. They've got Georgia and Atlanta, App State at home might be the best group of five team in the country. They've got North Carolina State at home,

NC State likely a top 30 team. They've got at Florida State, which is their former quarterback, DJU, Uyonga Lele. They've got road games at Virginia Tech and South Carolina later in the year. like it's just a bad schedule for them. So you're telling me, like, they're going to need to either upset Georgia or Florida State

to be considered in an at-large situation or even get to the ACC championship game. I don't know if they've got that in their bag this year. 21, a team I'm high on, Arizona. What a year they had last year. And then Jedfish, boom, he goes to Washington. Now, you felt like after that exodus from their head coach that there might be an exodus from the players.

Didn't happen. They've got the best wide receiver quarterback combination, maybe in the country and Noah Fafita and McMillan on the outside, both All-American last year. Or McMillan was an All-American last year. They've played together since like, seems like birth, certainly since high school. So they're on the same page.

I'm a big fan of Brent Brennan, their new head coach. And so then you look at it and you're like, hey, I tell you what, Arizona in this new Big 12 conference, I think that they could make some. waves. I'm high on them. Now, they do have to play at Kansas State and they do have to play at Utah. Those two games are in the first four games of the year. They're going to need to win one of those games and we'll see if they do. The rest of the schedule is very manageable. At 20 is Kansas. I think that we all need to be prepared for the fact that if Kansas has their

quarterback healthy all year, Jalen Daniels, then they could not only have the Big 12 player of the year in Daniels, but they could be competing for a Big 12 championship game spot, which means if they win that, they would be competing for a playoff spot. I don't think that that's out of the question. I love Devin Neal. They're running back. He's one of the best in the country, 1,200 yards a year ago.

Lance Leipole is one of the great coaches in the country. I think I would love it if he, listen, I would be a big fan if he stayed at Kansas and built something similar to what Kirk Ferrence has done at Iowa or what Kyle Whittingham has done at Utah or what Mike Gundy has done at Oklahoma State. You don't have to leave all the time. You can have a great program if you just stay there. And I think Kansas is on their way to that.

Don't be surprised if this team is 7 and 0 in October as the schedule sets up pretty well for them early. At 19, I like LSU. This might be low in some rankings, but look at everything that they lost from a year ago. in some ways this is, you know, me believing in Brian Kelly, that he can replace that. They lose the Heisming winning quarterback in Jaden Daniels. They lose a top 10 pick in Malik Neighbors, a first rounder in Brian Thomas,

number one scoring offense in the country. They lose their offensive coordinator, Mike Dimrock. He leaves to go to Notre Dame. That's a lot to overcome if you're LSU. So what do I believe in? well, I believe that they're going to have a really good offensive line, get their two tackles back, and I believe in Coach Kelly. This guy is as good as they come in college football.

Look at his track record. They have to improve on defense. They have to improve on defense. Even if they're able to just be, you know, maybe not the number one offense like they were a year ago in total offense. Even if they maintain their firepower on offense, they still have to. improve on defense. They were 108th in total defense. So they bring in Blake Baker from Missouri, did a great job as the coordinator at Missouri, and now he's in there. Got to have more from Harold Perkins. He's got to show up and be a factor. 18. I know that this is going to upset

some on our crew here, but I've got Tennessee at 18. Now, some people have them higher, and that's fine. I don't love their schedule. And they're a bit of a question mark for me. Admittedly, I think this is a high ceiling, low floor team. They could be either. They could lose four or five games. They could lose two games and compete. A lot of this has to go and will go as their quarterback goes. I'm going to try this and I'm going to continue to try. it. Nico I'm going to say I'm going to say I'm going to say I'm going to say I'm Leiva. I believe that's that's close enough until someone corrects me. He obviously could be a star. I love the way that he played in the bowl game. Everyone talks about the NIL stuff

and everything. But listen, you look at the film and you watch him play in the bowl game, the guy's a player. The offense led the SEC in rushing last year, which you wouldn't always suspect, but they'll have to replace Jalen Wright. Dylan Simpson is a guy that I think can do that. The defense has to replace nine starters and one of the best in the country. I think that he's going to be there James Pierce, Jr. I like Pierce. But again, like high ceiling, low floor. Like Tennessee, don't know how much I like Tennessee. At 17 is a team that I think

is Taylor-made built for the modern day of college football because they got a ton of veteran players. And that's okay. Oklahoma State. They've got 18 starters back. They're my 17 team, nine on each side of the ball. Ollie Gordon is back as the reigning Doke Walker Award winner from last year after leading the country in rushing. Their offense returns their quarterback. They're running back. Their top two wide receivers and their entire offensive line. You think Mike Gundy's not going to be salty with a team that's that veteran? The last time they had a veteran team, they won the Big 12. They had that veteran defense a couple of years ago,

and they went ahead and they won the Big 12. Their defense this year is the big question mark. Last year, they were 89th in the country in scoring defense. That has to improve. Has to improve. That's where the big question mark is for me. And the reason why I didn't put them above this next team, also from the Big 12, that's Kansas State at 16.

Kansas State is tough as nails. They're developing now this reputation like they had under Bill Snyder and now they've got under Chris Climman where they're just going to be tough as nails. They're going to be difficult to beat. Should have really beat Texas last year in a game that Gus and I called in Austin. Didn't get it done. And then now this year, they've got a lot of talent. So now you pair up the talent and the toughness.

And Climans got a team that can compete for and potentially win the Big 12. If they win the Big 12, they would obviously be in the playoff. They're going to go with Avery Johnson at quarterback. He's a very talented big-time recruit who replaced. is Will Howard. He shined in the bowl game against NC State, and I think that the run game for Kansas State is going to be dynamic this year. Think about this. Avery Johnson, they say he runs in the four-threes, very athletic. DJ Giddens is back. He ran for 1,200 yards last year, and they add transfer from Colorado, Dylan Edwards, who was a dual threat, perfect Kansas State back.

He's like a Sprouls type of guy, runs it really well out of the backfield, but catches it even better out of the backfield. So Edwards joins them. And now all of a sudden, this could be one of the best run games in all of college football. The defense has been in the top three in the Big 12 each of the last two seasons, and Kansas State is going to be a factor. Now we move into the top 15. OU. I really love OU. So why are they 15th? Well, let's go through it. Venables now entering year three at a nice jump last year with 10 wins. going to the SEC, the defense has veteran talent. I think that the defense can be better and they need to be better.

They gave up far too many big plays a year ago. They've got Billy Bowman in the back end. They've got Stutzman who comes back. They need to keep improving. Jackson Arnold is going to take over at quarterback as Dylan Gabriel goes on to Oregon. Now, just the same as Kansas State, what we have to do is start trusting these programs. So Avery Johnson at Kansas State and Jackson Arnold at Oklahoma, within those programs, they are thought to be better than the options that they had.

And now what you're going to have is two teams that will be in my top four in Oregon and Ohio State that took those quarterbacks, Will Howard, who was cast off by Kansas State and Dylan Gabriel by Oregon, and those teams are placing hopes on those guys' shoulders. Now, maybe less so at Ohio State than Dylan Gabriel at Oregon, but shouldn't that lead us to believe that there are upgrades behind them at Oklahoma and Kansas State? That's what I believe in Jackson and Arnold. And so I think that they could be and should be much better than what they were even a year ago when they won 10 games. Another thing that I would say about Arnold is I do think that Arnold is a better fit schematically in what he brings to the table and then what their wide receivers and their talent can do on the outside.

I made this point a year ago. They've got Nick Anderson as a wide receiver, Andrew Anthony, transfer from Michigan from last year. Jaden Gibson, Jalil Farooke, they're going to bring in a transfer of this. This year, Dionne Burks. And that's a downfield passing team and a wide receiver core that is best downfield. Dylan Gabriel is a point guard. He wants to throw the ball short, be accurate, and get the ball out of his hands. That's not what they had last year.

So I felt like they were not quite optimized with what they had on the field a year ago. And now moving forward, I think that they can be optimized. Now, what's the main point with Oklahoma? Why are they 15? Joel, you love them, you love all this stuff. Their schedule is brutal. Brutal. I'm just going to give you the six toughest games that they have. They're going to face Tennessee, Texas, and that neutral at Ole Miss, at Missouri,

Alabama, at LSU. That's just their six toughest games. They have some other ones that are also tough. Like, they play Auburn. The schedule does them. no favor. So think about this now. If you just play it out and you play out the math, they have to take care of business in every other game outside of these six and split those six and go three and three. If they can go three and three in those six games, I believe that

they're going to be a playoff team and should be a playoff team. I'll state it right now in the preseason. If they split those six games, three and three, they should and will go to the college football playoff. I'll list them again. Tennessee, Texas, Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama, LSU. Two teams that I've already talked about here in the top 25, four teams that I will be talking about later in my top 25. Brutal schedule. They win three of them. They'll go to the playoff. At number four team, a team that I'm more bullish on than most, and that's USC. I think USC is going to be really good. I think that USC is going to surprise some people. I think that this is the perfect type of team for Lincoln Riley.

They should be, oh gosh, now it's like Iowa all over again. They should be better on defense. I said that about the Iowa offense, but Lincoln Riley brings in DeAnton Lynn. They also bring in from North Dakota State head coach Matt Ince. He won two national titles there. He'll be an assistant on the defensive side. They bring in Eric Henderson to coach the Diantonton.

defensive line. He just coached Aaron Donald with the Rams. Guys, they should be better on defense. They were awful on defense, and it wasn't just the players' fault. The scheme, the gap soundness of their front last year was atrocious. It just was. I mean, you can't watch the film and call it anything else. That's not a shot at anybody individually, as much as it is, just a shot at the schematics of what was going on on the field. They should be better just by playing fundamentally sound from a structure standpoint.

That's it. If that's all they do, they're going to be better on defense. Then you move to the offensive side. You can make the argument that with potentially Miller Moss at quarterback that USC should be and will be just fine. I think Lincoln Riley is going to really thrive with Miller Moss. We saw him thrive in the holiday bowl game that I called six touchdowns. He's going to be more predictable than Caleb Williams.

was, not that he's going to be better than Caleb Williams. He's just going to be more predictable. He's going to use the system a lot more than Caleb Williams used the system, and that system has been pretty damn good to quarterbacks. Lest we forget, folks, what Lincoln Riley has done with quarterbacks his entire career. Look at what happened at Oklahoma. It didn't matter who has taken the snap. The offense thrived.

Why is that going to be any different this year? It's not. It's not. So that's why I'm a big fan of what you have. SC is. Now, pretty tough schedule. They're going to open with LSU and Vegas. Their third game is at Michigan. I'm just going to throw this out there. If they win those two games, watch out. Then we're talking about potential national title contender. Now, I don't know if they're going to win those two, but if they split those two, they're certainly going to be in the race for a playoff spot. And certainly if they beat LSU, they're immediately a playoff contender. So that's something that I'm really looking forward to, at least in that first week of the season, as they play LSU in Vegas. All right, these next two teams I wanted to group together, because it kind of goes in conjunction here, 13 and 12. It's going to be Florida State in Miami, and we'll start with Florida State at 13. Now, they're replacing a lot from that team that was undefeated and left out of the playoff.

They shouldn't have been left out of the playoff. They were left out of the playoff. You know what? More than anything, it was just such a flawed system. I mean, they got screwed by the system. They continue to hit the transfer portal hard. They brought in DJU, DJ Uyungalele to be the quarterback. Now he's got 40 starts under his belt for Mike Norvell,

and they've got five players coming from Alabama. Roydell Williams, Malik Benson, like, they're going to be good. They just have to replace a lot. Jordan Travis, they're doing everything quarterback. Keon Coleman, Jared Verse. They lost a lot of really talented players. I think we need to start believing of what Mike Norville is building and what his strategy is on a year-in-year-out basis because it's worked.

He's now going into year five and they've improved every year in terms of total wins each year. Now the test is whether they can stay, I'd say, in that top 10 level. Right now I've got them at 13. Miami then on the flip side, why do I have them above Florida State? Well, they didn't lose quite as much as Florida State did, and they did work in the offseason. This roster is talented. I like what Mario Cristobal has built. Stop me if you've heard that before.

Now it becomes execution. That's always been the question for Miami. I look at this team and when Cam Ward is your quarterback and his experience and talent level, great transfer addition there. He's going to be a huge difference maker. Then maybe the bigger difference maker and a guy that I think is maybe one of the biggest wins in the transfer portal as just a totally under the radar player, Damien Martinez from Oregon State.

part of it is that we just didn't watch Oregon State as a college football community. Jonathan Smith, their head coach, who's now at Michigan State, did an amazing job with Oregon State, and Damien Martinez was outstanding for them. I think he's going to be a big contributor for that Miami team. He's one of the most underrated backs in the country. Three players have been first team all conference in the Power Five each of the last two years. Blake Corum, Quinchan Judkins, and Damien Martinez. All right, so that's the company he's rolling in.

I love that. And then their schedule, Miami schedule, it's built for them to be right in the mix in the ACC and potentially the playoffs. They open in the swamp. That's not a very good Florida team. They get Virginia Tech at home at the end of September in a Friday night game. They go to Louisville in October and they get Florida State at home in October. This is a schedule that they should be 11 and 1 in. If it's 10 and 2, I think it's disappointing. You heard me right. I'm all in for Miami here right now. Mario Cristobal has got to prove that he can be a quality, game coach and execute four wins. That has to happen. It has to happen right now. With this roster and this schedule, this is an 11-1 team all day long, and that's giving them a loss in a game that they probably shouldn't lose. And 10-2, I think, is underachieving. 10-and-2, they don't go to the playoff with the schedule that they have. 11-1 and winning the ACC, you're in the college football

playoff. So Cristobal's 12 and 13 in his two seasons. All the pressure is on Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes. This should be an 11-1 team all day long. I'm going to group my next two together as well. I was kind of debating between these two, and I landed at Missouri at 11 Penn State at 10. Okay. So Mizzou brings back a third-year starter and Brady Cook, like him a lot, one of the best wide receivers in the country, Luther Burden. They've got to replace their All-American running back, Cody Schrader, Georgia State transfer, Marcus Carroll, could be another small school to SEC. star, just like Schrader. Carol was the Doke Walker semi-finalist last year and all Sunbelt.

So that's something to watch out for Missouri. They did lose that defense coordinator. I talked about it earlier when I talked about Blake Baker going to LSU to help out Brian Kelly in the off season. Now Corey Batoon comes in from South Alabama. The program's got momentum. I thought that was a big win for them over Ohio State, even though Ohio State was totally depleted. I think all of us understand that. that's still a big win for Missouri. You've got to notch those wins. They signed a top 20 class, two of the last three years. I'm a fan of Missouri.

And Missouri and Penn State, when you look at their league schedules, get advantageous schedules, really advantageous schedules. They miss a lot of the big boys. So when you're looking at teams that could potentially wind up in an SEC or a Big Ten championship game, even if they're not one of the two best teams as we would subscribe them, it could be Missouri or Penn State. They avoid Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, and LSU.

So their toughest games are going to be at Alabama in October and a home game against Oklahoma. They've got to go to A&M, but what's A&M going to be? I'm not sure. I'm not sure. Remember, though, I'm rooting for you, Aggies. I'm rooting for you. Now you go to Penn State.

It's a very similar conversation as Missouri. They get a new offensive coordinator. That should pay dividends for them because their offense was not very good and it was far too predictable a year ago. Andy Kodalnicki comes in from Kansas, a guy I've really admired from the outside looking in. He's charged with bringing out the best

from what is a really talented class, including their quarterback, Drew Aller. Those backs are incredible. We all know that. They get a nice boost on the offensive side when Tyler Warren a tight end that could have gone to the draft decided to stay at Penn State. And the defense should be really good.

I understand Manny Diaz moves on, but they bring in a former head coach. Those eyes are always good, at least in my estimation. Tom Allen, the former head coach at Indiana, comes into Penn State, and that's a defense that still should be very aggressive and very good. Abdul Carter is one of the best players in the country. They've got Kevin Winston in the back end. And then like Missouri, their schedule sets up favorably for them in the Big Ten.

They avoid Michigan, their worst matchup and Oregon. They get Ohio State in Happy Valley. So that's a team to watch out for right there at, Penn State. Now we get into the top 10. Number nine, Utah. Death taxes. Utah football. This is my pick in the Big 12. Utah is really good, really tough. And I know the Big 12 teams are not going to want to hear this. And I understand that some of those places are tough to play in. Salt Lake City and Utah is now the toughest place to play in the Big 12. Period. Period. Period. That home field advantage is real.

They are incredible at home. And when healthy, this is one of the best teams in the country. Cam Rising back at quarterback. Keithy, back at Tide End. These guys, when they're on the field, what do they do? Win the conference. That's what they've done each of the last two times that they've been on the field and healthy.

They've won the Pac-12 and gone to the Rose Bowl. What should make us think that this will be anything different in the Big 12? It won't. It won't. Kyle Whittingham is one of the top three or four coaches in all of college football. This might be his last year. We don't know that for sure. They've named a coach in waiting. Morgan Scally, their defensive coordinator. This could be a swan song for a guy that has been as good as any in the country. You think that team's not going to play hard for him? You think that defense is not going to play hard? They're aggressive. They've got a great home field. They've got a veteran quarterback. Watch out for Utah. They are my pick in the Big 12.

My next two, eight and seven, I kind of thought about them together as well. So it's going to be Alabama and Michigan. And here's the conversation with Alabama and Michigan. A lot of unknowns for two programs that we expect a lot out of. Obviously, we expect a lot out of Alabama. They have been on a run under Nick Sabin that has been totally unprecedented. And now they're going to change head coaches to a guy that I firmly believe in. Kalin-Dabor will work in Tuscaloosa.

This guy is a star. He wins. Please go listen to the conversation from this off-season. I sat down with Kalin-Dabor in Tuscaloosa, and we talked about these issues, these things, his philosophy, what he said to these players, how he's going to try to mix what he brings to the table with a culture that is clearly a premier culture in college football.

Go check out that conversation. It was very good. This is a team that has a lot of table. talent based on the way that they've recruited, but they are changing. They are changing. This is an outside culture. This is going to be difficult. This is not a schedule that sets up very favorably for Alabama. I'm very interested to see how this all plays out. I cannot wait to see Kalin DeBoer with Jalen Milro. By the way, DeBoer has had dual threat quarterbacks in the past. He had one at Sioux Falls, won a national championship with him. It will,

and can work. There's no doubt. So why do I have Michigan ahead of Alabama? Well, actually, I think it's actually pretty easy. They're both changing head coaches, and yet one went from within and is not changing their culture. You see, when you go to Alabama, you have this understanding that everything is different. Everything is different. Names, culture is going to be a little bit different. They are going to operate a little bit differently. At Michigan, you go to Michigan, and you walk in and you're like, oh, man, so everything's different? They look at you cross-sides. They look at you. because they're like, no, nothing's changed. Every one is different, but nothing has changed.

That's a difference from Alabama, plus Michigan just beat Alabama. That's why I've got Michigan at number seven. They're going to have to figure out the quarterback position, and I think that's the biggest question mark. There's no doubt. But I will say this, for whoever takes the snaps, they're going to be able to run the football really well, especially under Sharon Moore.

And he proved that in his job. as acting head coach late last season. Defense is going to be outstanding. Defense is going to be one of the top two or three defenses in all of college football. Their interior defensive line is the top interior defensive line in the country hands down. So that will give them a lot of runway to bring along a quarterback.

Now, their schedule doesn't. They've got to face Texas in week two. They're going to have USC coming in in September. So they're going to have to be good right away. But I'm just going to throw this out there. Just throw it out there. I don't think anybody is expecting it except for them. What happens if they beat Texas?

What happens if they beat Texas? Could happen. What if they run it 50 times? We've seen them do that. We've seen them do that. I think they'll lean on that run game. It might be Alex Orgy, but Donovan Edwards, Kalil Mullings,

those defensive tackles, they're going to be outstanding. So Alabama and Michigan at 8 and 7. At 6, the team that the more I study the season, the more I watch film, the more that I get ready, I'm like, you know what, this team is going to be really good. I actually probably should have put them at five, but I didn't. That's Notre Dame.

The more I look at it, folks, the more I'm just convinced that Notre Dame is going to be really strong. I think it's an intriguing opening game because they've got to go to a difficult place to play in what will be hot weather, Texas A&M, tough environment, fan base, desperate for a big win. they're going to be fired up under Mike Elko. But Notre Dame is going to have a dominant defense. You know that's going to happen under Marcus Freeman, but that side of the ball, they returned several star players, including the Nogerski Award winner from last year,

Xavier Watts, Benjamin Morrison, Howard Cross, all back on the defensive side. Then they get a really solid offensive coordinator and Mike Denbrock. So he comes back to Notre Dame after going with Brian Kelly to LSU. And now you're looking at this, you're like Riley Leonard with his experience, Mike Denbrock, that defense, well, hold on, hold on.

They're going to be pretty good, right? So what's that schedule look like? Well, they get A&M in the opener. And then you start rolling through the games and you're like, win, when, when, when, when, eyebrows go up, when, when, and then you're like, wait, hold on a second. They're going to be 8-0. If they beat A&M, they'll be 8-0 when they host Florida State at home. You think that's not going to be a raucous environment?

And then you start to look at it. And because of some of their neutral site games and games they play, they only go to a true road game three times. Three times. There are only three true road games. A&M to start the year, Purdue and USC and the season finale. So the middle of the year, so they go on the true road game week one and then to end things with USC. and in the middle of the year, they only go on a true road game once. Watch out for Notre Dame. I know people are going to roll their eyes. Oh, Notre Dame.

They're always so hyped. Okay. I'm just saying they feel a lot like Washington from last year. They just do. They just do. And I had Washington last year at this point, I put him fifth. And I should have had the courage to put Notre Dame fifth, but I didn't because I put Ole Miss F5.

Ole Miss is really talented. Lane train coming in the portal, like just an absolute, freight train. They have Jackson Dart back. They just won 11 games. They've got it figured out with NIL. They're building a great roster. Darts going into his third year. So they've got this experience factor. I just, I know that they have to replace Quinchon Judkins, but man, like Ole Miss feels really good. And now they don't have to win the conference. They don't have to beat the best teams in the SEC in order to go. So now all of a sudden you look at a playoff berth

and you're like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I can absolutely happen. A reasonable schedule by SEC standards. They have to play Georgia, but that one's at home. They get a home game versus Oklahoma and a road game at LSU. That's not bad in that conference. So Ole Miss is a team that I've got at five.

If I had courage, I would have put Notre Dame at five, but I didn't. Top four. Everybody's going to have the same top four. different order. Here comes my top four. Number four, Oregon Ducks. I've said it many times. if I had to buy stock in a young head coach, it would be stock in Dan Lanning. I'm really bullish on landing, what he's doing in Eugene. He had an opportunity to leave for some of the biggest jobs and maybe the biggest job in all of college football and didn't. Why? Because he's got the resources in the

culture to win at Oregon. And not just like, yeah, I win some games. I think Dan Langing will win a national championship at Oregon. I don't know if it's going to be this year, but I'll tell you what, this team is damn good. They are physical at the line of scrimmage. Of all the teams going into the Big Ten, the new Big Ten teams, so all these West Coast teams, Oregon is going to be the one that all the Big Ten teams are actually surprised with their physical nature. I really believe that. I understand they lost twice to Washington and they couldn't get over the Pinnock's hurdle. I get that. I really do. But boy, this roster is fantastic. Dylan Gabriel with their offensive coordinator, Will Stein, is a good fit. I think Gabriel is going to be better for Oregon than what he was

for Oklahoma because of what I had described earlier. Their fit with their personnel was just not the same. And what you're seeing from an odd standpoint in terms of a Heisman trophy favorite for Dylan Gabriel is a lot of that stylistic play. What he's going to be asked to do for Will Stein and Dan Laning and that Oregon offense is right up his alley. That defense is incredible. They've got blue chip recruits everywhere in the defensive front seven.

They only allowed five sacks at 14 games last season. That's the best in the country. So Oregon at number four, I'm a big fan of. Number three is Texas. Texas is, you know, we can stop with the Texas is back and question marks and everything. Texas is just one of the best teams in the country. We understood that last year. They came out there and rolled it up. I mean, they played great. Sark has built a top tier upper echelon team regardless of conference. This whole like, whoa, how will they do in the SEC? Fine. They're going to do fine. They are really good. Did you not see them roll into Tuscaloosa

and beat the tide in Alabama last year, they're going to be fine. Sark has gone from five wins in his first year to eight in his second to 12 last year. That just is going to continue. This is a playoff team. This is a team that can win the SEC. Quinn Ewers is back for his third year as a starter. This is a guy that could win the Heisman trophy if he plays well at all.

The defense is the question mark because that was where they struggled last year. I thought that their matchup against Washington was their worst matchup of any of the playoff teams because of their question marks. the secondary. Now they lose some of that beef up front on their defensive line. And what will be tested early when they travel to Ann Arbor is what? Their defensive line, their run defense. That's going to be something to watch for. They play Michigan, Oklahoma, Georgia, and their first seven games. Now we get ready for our final two. And everybody knows who the final two are. Almost every single preseason top 25 is going to have these two teams.

And so where should they be ranked? Where should they be ranked? It's Ohio State and Georgia. Where should they be ranked? Well, let's take a look at a little bit of a tail of the tape before I unveil exactly where I'm going to have them. Georgia and Ohio State were great last year, although underachieving. They both thought that they were going to have national championship aspirations,

did not do that. They both thought that they were going to have conference championship aspirations, did not do that. and they return a lot of starters. 12 stars for Georgia, 14 starters for Ohio State. Georgia's schedule is much tougher than Ohio State. And the odds makers are basically putting it right about the same deal. Georgia's a little bit better, the favorite to win the national title,

Ohio State, right there, right there. So what does this come down to? So for me, it comes down to this and it's roster construction. You can say that it's all about talent, but I think that in the last couple of years, it shifted from talent to veteran talent. You've got to add that veteran aspect. That's why we saw TCU in the national championship.

That's why we saw Washington and Michigan in the national championship. That's why Michigan won the national championship. And when you look towards veteran talent, then it's clear to me that the number one team in the country in the preseason should be and is for me Ohio State. So Ohio State is going to be number one and Georgia is going to be number two. Now I know what Bulldogs fans are going to say, they're going to think of this as a slight,

but I can just tell you right now, these two teams are upper echelon. They are my favorites. I feel like they're going to face off in the national championship game, and I hope that they do because that's a game that I would love to see. Georgia is excellent. Carson Beck is such a good player. They've won 46 of their last 48 games, which is just insane. Kirby Smart is right now the best coach in college football.

As Nick Saban rides off into the sunset, Kirby Smart is the best coach in college football. They'll have a Heisman caliber quarterback to go with a defense that should be really good, as they are always. Their roster includes 16 former five-star recruits, 15 of which are on the defensive side. Now, they've got to replace Brock Bowers, and on offense, I think that there are some question marks. But this team is going to be legit. Their schedule does them no favors. Last year, they had one of the weakest schedules in all of the country, now this year they're going to open against Clemson and Atlanta, and then how's this for a road start?

At Alabama, at Texas, at Ole Miss, plus a home game against Tennessee, those games are not going to be easy. And yet, if there's a team that can roll through there and be fine, it's Georgia. Now, the question will be, can they maintain a record through that schedule that gets them into the SEC championship game? Because I'm sure they're going to want the buy to get healthy and win the conference and be one of the four teams that have a buy. but this is absolutely, absolutely a playoff team. This team could lose three games and still go to the playoff. They're not going to lose three games, though. And my number one team is Ohio State.

Five straight, top five recruiting classes, means that there's no shortage of talent in Columbus. And then they brought in what I describe as the best transfer class in the country because of what they got. Caleb Downs at safety, Quinshawn Judkins at Running Back, Will Howard, and what they brought back. This is the most important part for Ohio State is that this feels eerily similar to what Michigan did last offseason, which is all of their important contributors who had a decision to make about the NFL chose to go back to Michigan. Guess what happened in Columbus?

Almost every single one of these guys that had a decision to make that wasn't a bona fide top two or three pick like Marvin Harrison Jr. Came back to Ohio State so they have not just the talent, but the veteran talent. They bring in Chip Kelly to run the offense. That run game is going to be insane with Trayvion Henderson and Quid Sean Judkins. And I think that Ohio State is going to have the best defense in college football. They've got a great front four. Their linebackers are athletic and it's the best secondary in all of college football. Not many people are scoring on Ohio State.

Not many. The number one thing that I think worries the Ohio State faithful, Michigan. Got to get over that one. Got to get over that one. And I would just say for just right here, can you imagine the anxiety in Columbus if Michigan actually beats Texas in September? That would be crazy.

That would be crazy. That's it. That's the top 25. God, I love college football. I know you do too. I'm so glad that it's back. I'm so happy to be back with you. I love going and talking with the coaches

and doing the conversations, but there's something about these shows where I'm just talking to you, the fans. I love this time of year. Remember to subscribe to the YouTube channel, download the podcast, leave us a comment, and then leave us a comment down below in the YouTube, and I'll try to get to those and converse with some of you along the way.

I will be back next week. More preview content as we get set for the 2024 college football season.