Official Preseason Top 25 College Football Rankings | College Football Rankings 2024

welcome back to another episode of rock boys football deal we've officially made it the first day of the 2024 college football season in a very fitting day to release our official top 25 rankings heading into 2024 now this is a consensus ranking between the two of us we sat down for what about two hours last night went back and forth on a lot of these teams kind of came to a consensus top 25 rankings really excited to get into this one we'll probably go back and look at these top 25 come late November see how the boys did now I think the most important part about this episode is hearing from you guys in the comment section there's going to be some disagreements with some of our takes Dy I'm sitting here I don't even know if I love our top 25 there are a lot of questions about a lot of these teams so would love to hear from you guys in the comment section that is always the best part and just a quick shout out to everybody who's been rocking with the boys in the middle of the summer it takes a special breed of a college football fan to be talking ball in June and July and so many of you guys were in the comment section talking aboutall with us we we can't thank you guys enough if y'all do enjoy the content consider subscribing to the channel let it fly in the comments section deal without further Ado let's let's start at the top and we don't have to spend that much time in these top four teams because I think this is a consensus I think if you pull most college football fans who follow the whole college football landscape pretty closely you're going to see this top four kind of segment emerge right Georgia Oregon Ohio State Texas now the question is how you stack those teams we go with Oregon over Ohio State I know you don't totally agree with that but that's kind of what we came to and for me it comes down to quarterback play I look at Oregon and say I have a lot more confidence in Dylan Gabriel than I do with Will Howard at Ohio State and I think secondly you look at Ohio State and say on paper this is the most talented team we've seen in college football in you know quite a long time this is a silly loaded team this Ohio State team is going to want to run the football a lot I think my biggest question mark is do they have the offensive line that Elite offensive line to rely on the Run game as much as they are going to in the 2024 season and they got it on the left side I'm really comfortable with that side of line of scrimmage I'm really comfortable with Seth mlin at Center I to me I'm looking at that right side they didn't really add anyone to that unit and they didn't play great last year at that spot so that to me will be the question because if that's good that defense is going to be unbelievable and why I probably Le in Ohio state is I just think from a physicality standpoint I see them being able to beat up Oregon possibly a little bit on both sides of the ball I just think I I think the way like Michigan was able to kind of manhandle Washington a little bit I see Ohio State possibly being able to have that sort of recipe against Oregon just because I mean that Ohio State team is just like top to bottom on that defense really that defense has it's full of NFL talent I mean most of those guys in the 2D of the Ohio State Defense are going to be playing on Su Sundays I probably have a little bit more confidence in Oregon and what they did especially in the transfer portal on the defensive line to probably handle that I think Dan Landing has that team from a line of scrimmage standpoint where it needs to be that's why I'm a little bit higher on Oregon but look if you wanted to go Ohio State certainly would not be dying on that hill now I think the the more interesting conversation is you know kind of that five through realistically 20 and this is going to be a conversation we have throughout the college football season where we weren't used to debating the number 10 team versus the number 12 team because it didn't matter in the college football playoff race for a college football fan this is about to be an extremely exciting season you see some of these National media kogent get up there and complain about the 12 team playoff I think it's going to be a blast I think so many fans are going to be engaged come early November because you're going to see legitimately 20 teams that have a shot to still play for a college football playoff BR what we have like Oklahoma at like 17 18 kind of in that range like you're really telling me they're that much different than maybe a Tennessee Penn State Miami I think again you can hit the nail in the head we never really had to think about that it was always about that like four five and six of thing that was always where the argument centered around and whatever happens with the bottom rankings happens now it's going to matter that 12 team's GNA matter and I think you're gonna have possibly 10 teams looking out being like we probably deserve and there probably realistic uh arguments to be made there like I I you kind of said it Oklahoma Missouri neutral site I I'm not sure I'm like banging the table for Missouri over Oklahoma like that's how close the margins are let's dive into some teams that are probably like the biggest talking points and I want to start with Notre Dame where you were higher on them you kind of had them in that six through eight range I had them through that like 10 through 12 range we kind of settled that I believe that's 10 D the biggest question mark I have for Notre day is the offensive line you see a lot of teams across country have really good football teams but if you can't pass protect you can't win on the offensive line of scrimmage it's really hard to kind of reach that Elite tier of college football programs for this Notre Dame team we're gonna find out real quick they get they go on the road to College Station and play one of if not the best defensive line we see in the country if Notre Dame goes on the road to College Station week one blocks up Texas A&M and wins that football game my opinion on Notre Dame is going to sign signicantly change the rest of the 2024 season I I mean I kind of look at comparing them to like Michigan let's say I I mean both are going to have really really great defenses both all all levels are really really good and led by some real stars I mean guys like Howard cross and Mason Graham and then you look will Johnson and Benjamin Morrison like those guys are all like Premier Premier first round kind of caliber guys I just think you look at Riley Leonard I don't think people are giving him the credit he probably deserves for the upgrade he is over Sam Harman I mean just his ability to gut games out be a bit more of a winner be big and big moments I mean you go to that 2022 season in Duke when he was kind of fully healthy and at the height of his powers he was really good that Notre any team wins a lot of games and you look at Michigan I mean they got to replace a quarterback that's a huge huge thing I think that again and and that will Michigan could be a top four team frankly and I'm a Michigan fan so like maybe there's a bit of bias if Alex orgy plays really pretty good Michigan's right up there with anyone in the country but that's such a big if that passing attack needs to take some steps forward I think again you have the recipe you've always said this they have the recipy to win the way they've always won but I think it's really hard to sustain that without especially when you lose the amount of talent yeah I think it all comes down to if Alex orgy allows this offense to be two-dimensional you know what I me and Michigan fans have been saying this in the comment section all summer I completely agree with it if Alex orgy he doesn't need to be this prolific pocket passer but he needs to be capable of doing now if he's not capable of doing it it's really hard to beat those Elite teams in college football with the one-dimensional offense but if he's good enough it makes this Michigan team one of the most dangerous teams in the country I think another team that we might be a little bit higher on is the Missouri Tigers you start on the offense I think this offense on paper is a top 10 offense in the country I was the 12 months ago I thought Brady cook shouldn't have been the starting quarterback in 2023 massive massive whiff I've been Rong about a lot that was probably one of my worst takes that I've had as a college football fan Brady cook took a massive step in 2023 what not enough people are talking about is how good this offensive line is going to be I think the big question we have with Missouri and all these teams have like things you like a lot about them and then there's also some question marks you want to see get answered for Missouri it's how good can that front seven be there's Smith going down with the injury we were extremely high on him you look at all the best teams in college football those teams that are top 10 in the country they have Elite front sevens they're able to stop the run get after the quarterback we're not sure if Missouri has that Elite front seven on defense if they do this is going to be a really dangerous team they'll be Off to the Races and they again I'll have them right with Old Miss Alabama get probably not ready to put them there yet because you do have those questions about what that front seven is going to look like losing that amount of talent and not probably not being quite at the recruiting stage for the past like five years let's say to build the depth through that unit like again they do a really good job in the portal they brought some good guys in obviously the Florida defensive lineman might be a good player for them he still needs to kind of prove it so there's a lot of guys who I think need to prove it for this Missouri team but again if those guys make the jump that we think they can and frankly Missouri's done with other guys they're not that far away from an Alabama or an Old Miss because just looking right now those two teams I think are quite complete I think you look at Alabama yeah maybe you have a couple questions about the thinness in the secondary but it's really really talented those young kids are really really good the defensive line like line backing units for Alabama should be great I think so I think Alabama I'm really comfortable with having them at five and then old misses there's a real wild card because they could be like as high as two and they could also be close to 10 that's kind of where I see I don't think they drop too much further than that but they still gotta prove it on their line toage I know we're talking all this like portal Acquisitions but a guy like Walter Nolan still needs to put dominant football on the field consistently he had the flash that an I'm you got Prince Le U he's sh some really good things I think he's kind of the guy you look for look for to be the game wer for Miss I'm looking more at the offensive line for Miss I still think you want to see that when they go play a Georgia when they go play in Alabama they hold their own more it's really hard to build that through the portal and that's obviously what they're trying to do but we've had we've had that conversation with ol miss all offseason and why why we're high on Miss have him as the number six team in the country is you know they have Elite difference makers on offense that team is going to put up so many points can they look like Georgia and Alabama along the lines of scrimmage we think they've done that in the transfer portal but again there is an element of we we want to see it manifest itself We Trust Alabama and Georgia a little bit more to year in year out have Elite line of scrimmage play canol have that in 2024 and if they do again talked about a very dangerous team Dill Tennessee I'm not going to spend too much time we're higher on Tennessee the most everybody wants to talk about Nico I don't think enough people realize how good that Tennessee front 7 is how good the offensive line is the wide receivers that they either have coming back healthy or they've gotten through the transfer portal there's a lot of other aspects around this Tennessee team that we feel really good at about outside of just Nico and then Miami coming in over Clemson and Florida State that's gonna be a very hot take I don't even know how I feel I don't I can't parse those three out because Miami hasn't really played really good football in the fields League forever but they're so loaded I look at a great offensive line you bring in cam Ward you have a lot of good exciting wide receivers and then the defense that defensive line is going to be great again if their secondary can just kind of maintain itself I think at least in part obviously they got to replace a lot of guys but a bunch of young talented players they've recruited the spots pretty well Miami is kind of the wild card because they can go play with anyone if that's the field but you still have the questions about what Mario crystall like can do as a in-game coach agreed I I think on paper what what really this is this is I say this all the time this is the exact same conversation we had with Texas last year where it's like all right we've heard the Texas hype what separated Texas last year was the line of scrimmage play I think that's what separates Miami kind of similar conversation with Tennessee everybody wants to talk about Nico everyone wants to talk about cam Ward though the line of scrimmage play I think could be elite for Miami and that's kind of what makes me a believer in them now Clemson's an interesting story where if that offense K Club Nick year two with Garrett Riley if it just takes a marginal step in the the right direction that defense is going to be sick Florida State you have to replace a lot of NFL talent but we probably have the most trust in Mike norell to replace that Talent we're gonna find out in I think people perennially doubt or not or underestimate that Mike norvell's kind of got his winning culture in place took him a little while and people maybe can't get rid of the stink that they were more of that eight to nine win team that's what they were going to be that's what Mike noral is a head coach I think he's kind of broken through that point once you do it everyone's got a replace guys everyone who's good loses guys the NFL that's why they were good but they can reload it I think Florida State that's kind of my X Factor for them is a they work the portal really really well they identify guys good and it all comes or it has come together in the past couple years but also they kind of got their Foundation they're starting to pick their recruiting up they're starting to build their pipelines a little better that's kind of where I see Florida State right now so that and that's probably why they'll look at this ranking if I'm a seminal fan I'd be like well he's are idiots because because we're we got the call we're beating these teams now that's just what we do we line it up and we beat them yeah I I again I don't feel great about it I mean Florida they're not wrong because they have to and one thing that we can Overlook Mike Norville hits in the portal now you talk about teams there's a difference between teams just grabbing as many bodies in the portal as they can and then hitting on the players you get the hit rate for Florida State Mike noral I don't know what they're doing in the Personnel Department Elite at at getting guys from the transfer port and having them be difference makers LSU I think we're on consensus Utah we're on consensus Oklahoma probably on consensus maybe a little bit higher than most but I think we have a little bit more confidence in the offensive line than some other people do Texas A&M in USC probably a little bit higher I'll go defend the USC Trojans first because that's where you were a little lower on them than I was they're the fifth best team in the Big 10 right now in our rankings I think I feel comfortable with that you look at USC and everybody wants to talk about the question marks on defense my argument with that would be we just saw Dan Lynn turn over defense in UCLA in one year now am I saying USC is going to have a top 15 defense like UCLA did last year no but they don't need to to be a consensus top 20 team I look at the offense and say that is one of if not the best offense that we see in the Big 10 I think everybody wants to ask the question about how can USC come into the Big 10 and hold up along the lines of scrimmage the question I'd ask people is how does the other big 10 teams in this conference deal with the Firepower that USC has on offense are these other big 10 teams like Iowa and Nebraska Minnesota are they able to hang with USC in the speed and the Firepower and the weapons they have on offense that's a question that nobody wants to talk about but I think a very important question about USC heading into the Big 10 yeah and I don't I I'm kind of with that I don't disagree inherently with USC being the fifth team in the the Big 10 because I look at Iowa Wisconsin Nebraska League both teams can't score with USC I I think I feel pretty comfortable about that and I'm not sure they're like gonna be able to smother the way in Michigan can or the way in Ohio State can like those teams that even a I shouldn't leave out Penn State because Penn State's very much in that realm where they're just so much I think so much more welldeveloped on the lines scrimmage especially on the defensive lines where I look at USC I they still have so much work to do on the defensive side of the ball and I I get the D Lyn argument I also think people kind of underestimate the fact that D Lynn had like five Pros on that defensive line at UCLA and I look at USC I don't know that we know for sure that there is more than one in be Alexandri would I I think that's very true I think probably he's probably one too but I'm not sure he's certainly not what those UCLA guys were I think that that's a I think that's fair you look at UCLA last year I mean lau lau was probably the best peer pass rusher we saw in the country last year the Murphy Brothers who actually ended up not getting drafted to the NFL but they were I know but they I wouldn't I wouldn't argue with those were two really good football players does USC have the Personnel in the front seven to be difference makers like UCLA was probably a question but I again I think I'm I'm a Believer in the talent level on that defense I go I we spent a lot of time talking USC and going back and watching those games in 2023 I'm not score a lot of points I don't disagree I'm not a Football Genius D I ain't a Football Genius I only play Madden that being said that defense was so poorly coached last year like when you see a true freshman Edge rusher trying to run with wide receivers in man coverage like that's when you know that was a problem last year with Alex I'll be honest though I look at like I don't disagree with USC in terms of the Big 10 I I look at teams like Kansas State NC State even a Kentucky or or a Kansas like I don't I those are the maybe not Canada I probably shouldn't I think I can get with those other three schools I said those three teams I think are quite a bit more complete I look at NC State I think they kind of have the Firepower to compete with big dogs now I almost think they might be a little low on this list I like the I like the way they just coach and develop defense at that school they've haven't had a quarterback who's really particularly great in like it feel feels like almost 10 years this this is NC State's best team under day I I might be higher on NC State too I maybe should probably be above usfc in my mind Kansas State same thing because Kansas state now also has a quarterback who's really good so NC State very much believer my my question where NC State is I said they have the most Talent da doran's ever had I still don't know if it's at that level that we're starting to talk about but you talk about difference makers on offense with the insertion of Grayson McCallen and obviously Casey and Noah Rogers like that is that's so a massive step in the right Direction NC State team is dangerous Kansas State you're higher on Kansas State than me that's very clear I just have winning the Big 12 I I I still I still have question marks one you replacing some legitimate dudes on the offensive line in Cooper BBE Avery Johnson am I am I maybe sleeping on Avery Johnson absolutely we saw Avery Johnson coming in like spot Duty and play some really good football we haven't really seen Avery Johnson play and kind of show that he's a consistent thrower of the football at a very high level see you're making the argument people made about JJ McCarthy in 2021 oh he's just a runner he came in and spot Duty and and you saw him fumble and do all this and then I mean he W he was ranked really high like somebody thought he could throw the ball obviously when he came out of high school we knew the talent was there he just wasn't the guy taking the rout I mean it's really hard to be look like a great passer when you're not taking the Reps you're not building the chemistry they have really good wide receiver play I just believe in the the factory that is Kansas State offens wide really good wide receiver play I mean Quin that might have been a stretch I think they have a talented enough room to be better than what they were last year yeah and I think for Avery Johnson too there's an element of hey they went with Aver Johnson over will Howard they they kind of told Will Howard from what it sounds like to hit the transfer portal he ends up going to Ohio State and so they might have something for real with Aver Johnson I'm I'm a huge Aver Johnson guy I just want to see it a little bit more consistently before I put them because if Kansas State's going to be a top 15 team in the country they got to have a dude at quarterback I think Avery Johnson could be that might be an element of just wanting to see it a little bit it's gonna be a fun one deal kind of rounding this list out Auburn is probably the last team that we are significantly higher on than most I don't think you see a more improved team in the country than auburn yeah I think pton Thorne gets better going into year two Hugh frees is going to have a little bit more of a heavy hand on the offense the reports from Spring practice in Fall Camp pton Thorne looks significantly better people forget that oh pton Thorne came in late in the summer last year and they were just cobbling together this roster they still won six games I think they get significantly better in the offensive playmaker situation revaldo Fairweather was their pass catcher one last year now you have kandre Lambert Smith and cam Coleman I think the defense is certainly getting there you can see Hugh fre compiling that talent I think Auburn takes a massive step in the right direction again I think Payton Thorne is not a good enough quarterback back to put them in the top 15 that roster is quickly becoming one of the more talented rosters we see in college football and then Arizona Kansas and then Kentucky to round it out any teams that you want to dive into on that back half year no I'm comfortable with where we have Arizona Kentucky or Kansas I should say I think those two teams like they have really good elements I mean both really good offenses I just I mean just talent to Talent they don't seem like they're that close to the big dogs yet I just like the way they've recruited the way obviously Arizona kind of had some turnover I mean they do have McMillan and obviously the quarterback I'll say no a Fe and I'll say this like Arizona is a team that I think we might the country might be just too high on and I yes they have no fed in T-Mac and that's going to make you such a dangerous team but that rest of that roster is it's really turning over they're losing especially along the line of scrimmage so I have question marks about especially going into the Big 12 where you're going to see a little bit more physic C along the line of scrimmage my question is can Arizona kind of hold up against some of those teams in the Big 12 Kansas has just a ton of offensive production return and Kentucky with Brock Vandergriff if he is if he can kck's another xfactor team that if Brock Vandergriff plays really good I mean they had bad quarterback play with Devon ly that was like Preposterous what they were getting out of him last year I was really disappointed in what his season was just given what he saw the flashes you thought he could be good obviously just didn't work but well we really didn't see the flashes of that like Devon Le was a solid quarterback in the AC probably just looked at it in comparison to other NC State quarterbacks like they AB yeah yeah I thought I thought Devon Le and not again I'm not right on a lot but we were we had question marks about Devon Le last year teams to watch Nebraska they if they get good quarterback play that's an elite defense Virginia Tech returns pretty much their whole roster of a team that you can kind of feel turning the page Louis