College Football 2023-24: Top 25 End-of-Season Predictions

Dude...

Saturdays with the most chaotic football you can imagine with the loudest atmospheres in

America are almost here. This year there are many coaches in new places of top programs and a

minimal disparity of talent between each of the best teams (outside of number one) and this

could 100% look totally wrong by the end of the season. Follow along through the rankings of

what teams I believe will finish in the top 25 at the season’s end along with individual player

predictions between each tier.

Above the Average but Not the Best

#25: UCLA

This team has lost a group of good players on the offense from Dorian Thompson-Robinson,

Zach Charbonnet, and a few of their starting offensive linemen from last season. The good news

is that Chip Kelly ran a team that both record-wise and on the field looked the best we have seen

in his tenure and gets to start with the highest-rated recruit in UCLA history coming to campus in

quarterback Dante Moore. Along with some transfers they’ve received is former Ball State

running back Carson Steele who will be a very explosive run threat who has enough power to

run over all kinds of PAC 12 defenders. The biggest concern to what gained very little help this

offseason is the defensive unit and seeing how new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn works

out in his first season is important after they allowed nearly 30 points a game last season. The

good news is that there were nearly no losses from last season’s starters on that side of the ball

and there’s a high ceiling but a lower floor compared to the other teams on this list.

#24: Iowa

Unlike the last team covered this team almost can’t do any worse on offense than what we saw a

year ago as they averaged 17.7 points a game and there is a lot at stake for the coaching staff to

get back to the top of the Big Ten. The good news is that in terms of players, the offense has

gotten improved talent on paper including the graduate transfer from Michigan in quarterback

Cade McNamara. Although losing his starting job and only played in blowouts last season he’s

an experienced and composed QB who can’t do worse than Spencer Petras who threw more

passes straight to the ground than to his receivers, and there’s also a former four-star recruit he’s

got from his former rival Ohio State in receiver Kaleb Brown. The run game and the defense are

two units that seem like they’re consistently great and that shouldn’t change this year as

sophomore Kaleb Johnson could be the next great Iowa Hawkeye running back with signs of an

incredible burst from the backfield. The defensive unit also once again has multiple draft

prospects even after losing some and the defensive coordinator who has been there since some of

his players were born in Phil Parker.

#23: TCU

With a team that it seemed like it was the one year they could win it all things went from great to

miserable in a span of two games after one of the worst blowouts to ever occur in a national

championship game ended their season to a dominant Georgia team. The players that made their

offense so special a year ago have gone on to the NFL and second-year head coach Sonny Dykes

has a new unit from the transfer portal and the starting quarterback who began the season last

year in the same role Chandler Morris. Formerly the best-ranked high school running back in

Trey Sanders is the most intriguing transfer from who came over as the former Crimson Tide

player has had two season-ending injuries early on and buried him in a loaded Alabama

backfield, but he can be a huge X factor led by Dykes and the new offensive coordinator playing

a similarly quick pace that Garrett Riley had in Kendal Briles. The defense was very inconsistent

but showed signs all year of being talented under pressure and having a lot more experience

together than the offense, so bringing this team with little familiarity to anything above this spot

would be a huge boost to Sonny Dykes already impressive resume.

#22: North Carolina

With arguably the best quarterback prospect in the 2024 draft class there is a lot to like about this

North Carolina team between a good group of transfers and Drake Maye. From a terrible end to

the season losing their last four games it seemed that Drake Maye was gonna be in a similar

predicament to former Tar Heel Sam Howell having to go into his junior year with a lot less

talent. Thankfully, they have added two receivers who were among the best on their previous

teams in Nate McCollum and Devontez Walker along with a backfield filled with rushing talent

including one of the fastest running backs in the country Elijah Green. The two worries is the

offensive line and defensive unit who were amongst the worst in sacks allowed and THE worst

in the ACC for most points allowed per game with 30.8. The promise for that to improve this

season is that both groups are older and amongst the oldest in their conference which mixed with

some transfer portal depth is positive and a special junior year for the potential All-American at

quarterback.

#21: Ole Miss

The offseason of 2022 treated the Rebels well with transfers as they were amongst the best in the

country going undefeated in their first seven games, unfortunately, that took a big turn as they

proceeded to lose 5 of their last six games including a close defeat in the egg bowl which

summed up the late game collapsing of their defense. The good news is that they won big again

in the transfer portal this offseason and gained multiple Group of Five players who should

contribute big for Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin also brought in some solid talent at the quarterback

position with Spencer Sanders from Oklahoma State and Walker Howard who once was looked

at as a future LSU star as well, so even though it looks like Jaxson Dart will start the season once

again his room for error may be very small once the season begins. My favorite player on this

team is Quinshon Judkins who is one of the scariest open-field running threats in the country and

after a stellar freshman year could be all-around the best running back in the SEC either this year

or the year after.

*True Freshman of the Year Prediction: Zachariah Branch

There’s a lot of talent in this past class and a few I could put in this category may not start all

season, so for someone who I think will make a name for themselves at least from very early in

the season I’ll go with wide receiver Zachariah Branch. The USC Trojans’ newcomer is a player

that could be the most electric player at the position we’ve seen in years and he may be someone

who doesn’t even need a coach like Lincoln Riley to be special. He made some of the top high

schools along the west coast seem like they were being slowed down and even from the snap his

route running is incredibly advanced from any high school prospect coming into this year.

Branch is expected to take a big role in the punt return game at least this upcoming season and

that alone could create a whole highlight reel alone with his speed and burst from the first step. I

don’t know how many targets he will get compared to other receivers on the team from Caleb

Williams but I do know that Zachariah Branch will take the internet by storm if he stays healthy

and continues to do what he did at Bishop Gorman High School in Nevada.

New Year’s Six Intentions

#20: UTSA

Only losing 5 games in two seasons and being brand new to the AAC this team could be bound

for a New Year’s Six bowl game, mainly because quarterback Frank Harris is back for his sixth

(!) collegiate season not counting his redshirt year and has improved every season he has gone

through. The receiving core is still solid even with the loss of Zakhari Franklin to Ole Miss and

in terms of players there isn’t a single weakness that is of concern for the Roadrunners.

Meanwhile, both offensive coordinators that help run the unit last year have left for Purdue and

Oregon and they made a call from within the organization for a replacement in Justin Burke.

Outside of the uncertainty there, the defense is returning nearly everyone and the defensive line

could be one of the best and most underrated in the country with how good they are at getting

past the offensive line so fast. In a new conference with a couple of very difficult opponents on

their schedule it’ll be the most important year yet for the school to make themselves nationally

recognized.

#19: Notre Dame

The beginning of the 2022-23 season for the Irish was a nightmare where everyone was

immediately calling for the firing of Marcus Freeman after their stunning loss to Marshall and to

Stanford in the middle of the season. They ended on a solid note taking down Clemson, winning

the Gator Bowl against South Carolina, and now their team is boosted in one of their weaker

points at QB with Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman being under center. There was a huge loss

for passing weapons meanwhile as Michael Mayer is now playing in Las Vegas and a weak

receiving core didn’t change, so the amount of development will be interesting to see what new

offensive coordinator Gerad Parker can get out of the returnees. Their incredible talent on the

offensive line and defensive unit, aside from defensive edge Isaiah Foskey, remains their best

assets with now more experienced players along with a potential breakout season under a new

offense for the Irish’s power running back in Audric Estime. A new-looking offense around the

o-line will be very intriguing to see how they can make a difference this season as Marcus

Freeman looks to put the past behind him and get the program on the path Brian Kelly previously

directed them before.

#18: Tulane

Two teams from the same Group of Five conference in the AAC is crazy to think about

especially so close to each other in these rankings but I think both UTSA and the team who was

in a New Year’s Six bowl AND beat USC will be at the top of their game this year. Their biggest

obstacle is their schedule with two early non-conference battles against South Alabama (another

New Year’s Six contender) and Ole Miss. The offensive playcalling remains the same as coaches

return and quarterback Michael Pratt does so as well coming off of a sensational 2022 along with

a solid group of running backs even after a loss of Tyjae Spears. Outside of that and an

unchanged defensive line is the linebackers, defensive backs, and majority of receivers going

elsewhere with only a few transfer replacements which is why they aren’t ranked higher. The

lack of experience in some areas in concerning, but this coaching staff and Michael Pratt are so

talented that they should be unfazed by most of AAC play and be in for what should be a war

against UTSA in New Orleans come November.

#17: Oregon State

It was to the shock of many to see the Beavers back among the top teams in the Pac 12 finishing

with a 10-3 record and dominating Florida to cap off what the fans of Oregon State would say

was a huge success under 2022 conference coach of the year in Jonathan Smith. The team

outside of the QB position is loaded with talent and the offensive line unit may arguably be the

best in the country. Not to mention Damien Martinez could be bound to be one of the first

running backs off the board during next year’s draft as it’s nearly impossible for any collegiate

defensive player to take him down alone as he is relentless on the run. The main question the

Beavers’ season relies on is the new quarterback in town Clemson transfer DJ Uiagalelei who at

one point was in some very lowkey talks for Heisman last season, that was until his

inconsistencies came back to haunt him and he was benched in the ACC Championship game for

being unable to make big-time plays when needed. The potential is there for another huge year

and possibly even reaching the Pac 12 title game late in the fall if their new QB plays like the

ceiling he was once thought to have and a defensive unit that has lost a chunk of players yet a

coaching staff talented to develop the new starters.

#16: Kansas State

I think this team’s season could have a lot of different possibilities for how it ends, and by that I

mean they’ll either contend to be one of the top teams in the Big 12 or be a very inconsistent

group after the loss of skill position talent around Will Howard. Chris Klieman has been one of

the more successful coaches in college football between his time at Kansas State and previously

at North Dakota State, so saying he won’t do well with a team that still had a top-tier group in

the trenches (offensive line and defensive line) is something I personally don’t believe will

happen. The large issue as said before is that Duece Vaughn is gone and the defense away from

the front line is very different, especially in the backfield both top corners and safeties have

moved on so we’ll see what was solid depth from a year ago can do being in the starting position.

With their play on both sides of the ball at the line of scrimmage I don’t think a team with any

weakness upfront will be able to beat them without a fight so the Wildcats may very well be back

at the top of the conference if they prove to fill in the holes of a stout defense from last season.

*Breakout Star Prediction: Luther Burden

The funny thing is if the sophomore receiver was at any other school I feel like this would be a

layup of a pick, but Mizzou was so lackluster in the passing production from their QB last season

that I think this is the season that he makes his name known. Burden is now at the top of the

depth chart for receivers on this team and now having an open QB battle to decide this season

who is the best guy under center is huge because the Missouri Tigers need something. Whether

he sticks around for the future in Columbia, Missouri is unknown but this is a receiving talent

where he’s too good to think he can’t have a good season with the physical skills he possesses.

Anything Outside of New Year’s Six Bowl = Failure of a Season

#15: Wisconsin

The two biggest parts of this upcoming Wisconsin season being successful is Luke Fickell being

in town and outside of Ohio State and Iowa at home their schedule should be lightwork. Most of

the roster from last season is back and they have a new offensive play-caller from North Carolina

in Phil Longo who can bring something the Badgers haven’t done for a while in being an Air

Raid system. New quarterback Tanner Mordecai transferred from SMU and had quietly one of

the best statistical seasons in the country, but the Big Ten is a very different conference from

anything in the Group of Five defensively. The transfer portal also made a huge impact in the

receiving core which could be the boost this badger team is missing, but what will be completely

different outside of running back Braelon Allen could end up being a rough start if things can’t

click for the Badgers offensively. The defense also showing a large sign of inconsistencies last

year has to get fixed for a run at the top of the conference this year, but this is the perfect

schedule with one of the best coaches in the country to ever have a time and turn a corner as a

program.

#14: Texas

A conference champion in the Power Five to be listed this low is not enlightening and more so

when it comes to the Big 12, but honestly every team in the Big 12 has flaws, and the team I

believe with the smallest ones along with a talented roster than most are the Texas Longhorns.

Archie Manning went to one of the only schools where he wasn’t going to get the job day one off

his name alone and quarterback Quinn Ewers is someone who will be making millions playing

on Sundays. Before he messed up his collarbone against Alabama, Ewers looked incredible

throwing the ball and making the plays after just becoming a full-time starter last year and the

team around that position made Texas seem like they could’ve done big things in 2022 and for

this season the only thing they’ve lost is the monster run game of Bijan Robinson. The

linebackers take a huge blow in losing Demarvion Overshown, but the defense took a large step

in the right direction from 2021 cutting down the average points allowed each game by nine

points. I don’t think they will have the best playcalling and depth to make a playoff run, but

unless the team collapses on themselves as they have for years this should be a really good

season for Steve Sarkisian’s group before going into the SEC.

#13: Clemson

Last season was a weird shock in seeing Clemson looking so vulnerable and mediocre in a poor

conference which has many people thinking if Dabo Swinney the Tigers’ run is officially over,

but instead a new start for the offense may be what keeps them going and winning. Now 13 is

not a spot Clemson fans may want to see in being back, but many teams after the season had last

year are lucky to find themselves not trending out of the top 25 and their recruiting class from

2022 might keep them afloat to contend next season. Cade Klubnik did not have the greatest

bowl game yet he still showed a lot of potential for what talent he has in the fact that he can

move the ball with his feet and make some nice throws with time in the pocket. Garrett Riley is

the best offensive coordinator get in the country after running play calls for national champion

runner-ups in TCU and with weapons like Klubnik and star runningback Will Shipley this

offense could very well progress faster than expected and dominate the ACC. I think there are

also a couple of teams like Florida State and North Carolina that will make the season tough for

Clemson, and the Tigers still have many questions for their offensive line and receiving core to

confidently say they can outperform those teams. I still like the new look for them going forward

and although the defense underwent no changes or transfer help a big step for linebacker

Jeremiah Trotter can bring the same powerful unit we’ve seen out of the Tigers from South

Carolina for the last decade.

#12: Oregon

After disaster ensued in their opening game and finished the regular season with a loss to their

in-state rival in the Beavers it seemed as if there were some questions with the path of the

program losing two key defensive talents and Bo Nix’s status in the air, but the college elder in

Bo Nix is back for a fifth year and as much as it hasn’t panned out for him overall in his career

he can’t be any worse being older than 95% players on his team. The Ducks’ offense was

consistently strong under now second-year HC Dan Lanning and the skill players on offense rank

with the top in the Pac 12 as Troy Franklin is a receiver who could make a huge splash across

media outlets covering the college level. Besides that, there are questions for the defense as a

unit that is losing out on their top players and returning players who allowed over 27 points a

game last season along with major concerns for their offensive line who will have four new

starters to begin the season. Those two factors shouldn’t be a large issue as the rest of the team

around them is very experienced and can make for an even better season it what was a good start

to Dan Lanning’s tenure.

#11: Tennessee

I am very split on this team’s outlook this year because the Volunteers could continue just from

where they left off last season taking down Alabama and being a South Carolina slip-up from

potentially making the playoffs. The team this season fills a lot of those holes though with

younger players now being the ones in charge with Bru McCoy and potential breakout star

Squirrel White filling the lost gaps of two draft prospects at receiver. New QB who flashed

highly after Hendon Hooker went down with an injury is former transfer Joe Milton who has an

absolute cannon out on the field, yet the accuracy concerns could mean he has little room for

error with five-star Nico Iamaleava waiting for his shot on the bench. The biggest problem for a

while has been the Volunteers’ defense which still not great improved last year, but the key

contributors to the group with Trevon Flowers and Byron Young gone could be scary for the

signs of improvement. Still, with a lot of change the talent coming up has shown major flashes of

continuing to take the country by storm and stay at the top of the SEC East.

*Best Defensive Player Prediction: Harold Perkins

If you have two eyeballs and watched any bit of the second half of LSU’s season you are way too

familiar with this man’s name. Harold Perkins was a true freshman last season who put the fear

of God in the eyes of Alabama and got pressure on the QB more than anyone in his class did

around the country. Perkins strived in the biggest games of the season and with more help

coming for the Tigers defensively he can be even more scary if not paid attention to coming after

the QB. The sophomore edge rusher almost single handidly won a football game against

Arkansas last year and with only room for improvement under former Chiefs linebacker coach

Matt House leading the defense at coordinator. I am a fan of Mykel Williams to claim this spot as

well, but with how much Perkins changed the defense at LSU last season with now the return of

Maason Smith he can be even scarier with that duo working together in 2023.

Playoff Appearance Intentions

#10: Washington

This offense could very well be the best in the country and it wouldn’t be anywhere it is today

without Kalen DeBoer and the transfers that’ve been brought in the last two years. Michael Penix

came in after a rough 2021 at Indiana and absolutely blew away the expectations set for him in

2022 and his redshirt senior season could be great with the weapons he has around him. Wide

receiver Romeo Odunze could be the best receiver in the 2024 draft class not named Marvin

Harrison Jr. and he may be very special in a conference that doesn’t have many good defenses to

cover such a player and the rest of the unit is the same from last year along with Michigan State

transfer Germie Bernard. The offense only changes in the offensive line which have to handle the

loss of three starters and the defense was not up to par last year as it once was having UCLA find

any receiver they wanted to throw to. The anchor should definitely be the majority of the

linebackers and defensive line coming back, and with the way their schedule looks having home

games against two of the top Pac 12 teams in the country could have them destined for

conference title contention.

#9: Utah

Following off the talk of Utah having to go to Washington that doesn’t mean that the Huskies

would be guaranteed to be favorites in that game. The Utah Utes have the best trenches in the

country and they may have only gotten better on offense in skill positions with 2021 star tight

end Brant Kuithe coming back from a season-ending injury early 2022, also their new star in

runningback Ja’Quinden Jackson is getting a full year to start and be at the top of the running

back leaderboard. The main issue with the Utes came in the Rose Bowl after star QB Cameron

Rising tore his ACL and is scheduled to be back by the start of the season. This could be good

news especially if he’s back to how he played a year ago it wouldn’t shock me if this team made

the CFP, but Rising is a huge star to this team in which the QBs behind him at the very worst

should have to fill in for him are not experienced enough to compete with the best as far as we

know. I think the spot of #9 is the safest place to put what should be such a talented team and

they have a high ceiling if everyone remains healthy and pulls off some difficult road wins at

USC, Oregon State, and/or Washington.

#8. Ohio State

After the loss of CJ Stroud and the lack of crunch-time coaching from Ryan Day this is the

highest I felt comfortable with putting the Buckeyes. With the skill position players on this team

including the best receivers in the country Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka along with

TreVeyon Henderson leading the run game those players alone usually would put teams in

playoff talks, that’s all they have as the offensive line unit is a glaring concern and the QB

position is a mystery whether Kyle McCord or Devin Brown is truly up to the task. The bright

side is that Ohio State has a really good defense with a few players such as defensive lineman JT

Tuimoloau, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, and defensive back Lathan Ransom all being

projected first-team defense players in the Big Ten. The players lost by the Buckeyes on defense

were filled in by a few transfers they received headlined by true sophomore formerly from Ole

Miss in cornerback Davison Igbinosun starting in 10 of his first 13 college career games. It won’t

be the season that Ohio State saw a year ago with the growing pains in the offense, but this team

should still be amongst the top teams in the country let alone the Big Ten with the talent that is

still there within the roster.

#7: Florida State

With so many players returning to the team along with a few of the best athletes in college

football on offense it’s safe to say that Mike Norvell has brought this team back to the level that

Jimbo Fisher had them playing at in the 2010s. The Seminoles have so much underrated talent at

skill positions in running back Trey Benson and receiver weapons in Keon Coleman and Johnny

Wilson that it’s tough for QB Jordan Travis to have anything less than what he did last season.

With his career high in passing yards and his run game, Travis totaled for 3,631 yards and 31

touchdowns being a factor in every win they had last season finishing at 10-3 only finishing

under Clemson in the ACC Atlantic. The most noticeable issue with FSU is the defense of their

run game as they allowed 156.4 rushing yards a game last season putting them at 75th in the

country in 2022, but their secondary helps when they do slow down the run game and Virginia

transfer cornerback in Fentrell Cypress will hopefully mean that the defense overall can only go

up. It’s been awhile for a team in the ACC to dethrone the Clemson Tigers but the amount of

experience and talent this team has this year combined could have a lot of people talking about

them as contenders during the regular season.

#6: LSU

I have debated on this a lot and there is so little separating the talent between the SEC West foes

in Alabama and LSU going into this season, but the matchup being in Tuscaloosa this season

may be the deciding factor in their ranking and playoff hopes at the end of the season. Still, this

LSU team under the second year of Brian Kelly could be the best this LSU team has looked since

2019 and the second best in the last decade with the return of super senior Jayden Daniels in his

second season as well. What was a very young offensive line this year now has a year of growth

under their belt to only go up from what they were before and the receiving core is even stronger

to make an alternative for a strong run game, as Malik Nabers and tight end Mason Taylor are

two players who could be considered one of the best at their position by season’s end. The

addition of defensive tackle Maason Smith after missing just about all of the 2022 season will be

back which is huge to pair up with the linebacker Harold Perkins who both will be a nightmare

for offensive linemen, but the big worry is how the defensive backs will look this year after

losing a group of corners and a large replacement of transfers. That still makes for a very

well-built team who had everything go right for them in the offseason and they’re a tough

competition against Alabama away for them being in the playoffs this year for me.

*Offensive Player of the Year Prediction (Excluding Heisman Winner): Brock Bowers

Marvin Harrison Jr. is bound to have a huge third season, but he also will have other weapons

around him where he will not have to be the guy who is by far facilitating the offense which is

why I’m choosing Brock Bowers for this. The tight end from Georgia is coming up on his

draft-eligible year as well and being incredible in the receiving area for his position means that

he alone can make catches and scores in which their defense can get support. Bowers has been

All-American in his first two seasons and has been on draft boards for a reason with how

versatile he is. The Bulldogs use the tight end in both the passing game and the run game with

four rushing scores on his own last season on top of his ridiculous receiving stats for his position.

If the new transfers for Georgia don’t pan out as expected under Kirby Smart they still should be

solid just giving the ball to Bowers in any way that they are able to.

Honorable Mentions/Just Missed Out:

● South Carolina: Offensive tackle Jaylen Nichols being hurt going into the season is the

main reason they'll miss out in being ranked

● Texas Tech: A team that has a low floor but very high ceiling in the Red Raiders after

finishing 2022 strong could make for an exciting season, but the offensive line and pass

defense have a lot of improving to do.

● Duke: Their schedule is the worst part about them arguably having the toughest one in

the ACC alongside facing Notre Dame, but quarterback Riley Leonard could be in for a

huge breakout junior year behind one of the nation’s best offensive lines.

National Title Contenders

#5: Michigan

This situation is VERY similar to Alabama-LSU for the sole fact that they both can very well

make the playoffs, but with the huge jump expected for Penn State and being at home when they

face this Michigan team is my only reason on them missing the playoffs. Just because of me not

thinking they can win at Beaver Stadium doesn’t take away the fact that this team may only lose

that one game this entire season before championship week. JJ McCarthy had some struggles to

focus on improving in the offseason, but in his second full year of starting he can strive with his

experienced receiver room including seniors Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson along with

the best running back duo with Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. The defense line took a bit

of a blow losing pressure in the middle and on the edge, yet they still have playmakers there like

nose tackle Mason Graham to not worry about those losses there and cornerback Will Johnson is

arguably the best corner who isn’t draft eligible this year ti complement the level of talent on the

other side of the ball.

#4: Alabama

By now the whole country is aware that no matter how many large pieces of the team the

Crimson Tide seem to lose, they have been the best in the last decade when it comes to

reloading. Unlike what we’ve seen from past years there will be a QB battle going up into the

season after the loss of Bryce Young between late Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner, last

season’s backup Jalen Milroe, and Ty Simpson. Fortunately, Alabama has one of the best

offensive lines including the top offensive tackle in JC Latham and the duo of Jase McClellan

and Roydell Williams will help the transition of both a new QB and new offensive coordinator to

start the season. The loss of Will Anderson also is a big blow for the linebacker group along with

also having a new defensive coordinator in Kevin Steele, but a third-year cornerback Kool-Aid

McKinstry and defensive lineman Jaheim Oatis are two players that are talented enough to cause

problems. There’s a lot of chemistry that needs to be built for both the coaching staff and the new

starters for this year's team, but with having their most difficult conference games later in the

season and having LSU at home the time for development is in Nick Saban’s favor to get back

into playoff contention.

#3 USC:

For what looked like was gonna be an incredible season for Lincoln Riley’s first year of coaching

the Trojans turned out to be a tragic final two games of the season losing the conference

championship and bowl game to Tulane. The 2023-24 season should go just as fluent offensively

with the second-best receivers room in the country headlined by Brenden Rice and last year's

Heisman winner Caleb Williams making a case to be the number one pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

The biggest issue of this team was by far the atrocious defense forcing the offense to go on a race

to be the first team to score 30-40 points, but USC realized it and gained a solid group of

transfers including defensive lineman Bear Alexander from Georgia, linebacker Mason Cobb

from Oklahoma State, and cornerback Christian Roland Wallace from Arizona. The main key to

this team in what will be a tough Pac 12 conference comes down to this unit improving and it

will put the development of this unit to the test after keeping last year’s coordinator in Alex

Grinch. If the defense shows any improvement from the dumpster fire it was a year ago the

offense is well-built enough to bring the Trojans once again to the top of the conference and

finally into the College Football Playoffs.

#2: Penn State

I am putting A LOT of faith into their upside and where they left off last season (only losing to

Michigan and Ohio State led by Sean Clifford) with this placement in the rankings, but the

Nittany Lions can surprise a lot of people and make their first CFP appearance. I may be a year

ahead into the hype train for James Franklin’s squad, but Drew Allar seemed very intelligent as a

true freshman in the time he was on the field making the right throws and looked solid in the

spring game to have a massive boost for this season. The breakout talent is everywhere on this

team including true sophomore running back Nick Singleton, Kent State transfer receiver Dante

Cephus, offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, edge rusher Chop Robbinson, and cornerback Kevin King

all showing signs of possibly being the best at their position in the country if not now very soon.

Manny Diaz should have the defense at the top of the Big Ten as the coordinator, but the offense

is a question as the losses of receivers Mitchell Tinsley and Parker Washington to the NFL and

their best receiver on paper hasn’t played an official snap for the Nittany Lions just yet. The

reason I believe this year is the year Penn State becomes a contender is that Sean Clifford kept

them limited for multiple years on what this offense once was, and with two of the three hardest

opponents on the schedule being home games including Michigan could be just the path they’re

looking for at one of the greatest seasons in team history.

#1 Georgia:

To me this is one of those years where in the preseason it just seems like it’s Georgia...and then

everyone else in the country. They don’t have their QB from last season and a three-peat after

once again losing much of their starting talent to the NFL would be a crazy accomplishment, but

they still have so much talent on this team that shined from last season and they retooled even at

offensive coordinator where there should be no significant drop off anywhere barring injury.

After an incredible showing in his freshman season, defensive end Mykel Willams could be the

best defensive line prospect the Bulldogs have had in a while which is very high praise for who

has recently been a part of that group. The offense includes new QB Carson Beck who showed

out this past spring, and with the weapons around him including the nation’s best tight end Brock

Bowers, the return of once highly touted transfer in running back Tykee Smith, and two

underrated receivers in the SEC transfer additions with Dominic Lovett and RaRa Thomas. It

may be a bit of recency bias after winning back-to-back national championships and going

undefeated last season, but with the talent on paper that this team has under Kirby Smart there’s

no weakness large enough to show me that this team won’t finish at the top once again.

*Heisman Trophy Winner Prediction: Jordan Travis

It’s incredibly rare for someone to win two Heisman Trophies in a college career (not saying

Caleb Williams can’t do it but it’d have to be a remarkable season) so for this I’ll go with who

will arguably be the best in contributing to their team and go with Florida State quarterback

Jordan Travis. After last season everyone was blown away with how good Travis was and with

his skillset and talent surrounding him once again he can become even better. Florida State has

two early games in LSU and Clemson where at least most of the country will be watching in

primetime and winning just one of these games with incredible performances could already have

him nationally talked about by week 5. It may be worrisome if he struggles in one or let alone

both games for him to create any more Heisman tension, but from what everybody saw with his

speed to create as much time or yards with his feet as he can and the arm to get the ball down the

field in a hurry it’s tough to think him having any less of his impressive 2022 for this upcoming

season. It’s tough to tell if Caleb Williams himself can do even better than what he was doing last

season, especially from a statistical standpoint, but the running for him to repeat and Travis

competing to be at the top of the ACC and maybe even better could make for an exciting

Heisman race in the 2023-24 season.