Joel Klatt’s preseason top 25: Ohio State or Georgia at No. 1?

A new season of college football is upon us.

The season officially starts in less than three weeks, and it’s going to be a really great year of football. You should be as excited as I am about what we’re about to witness in the 2024 season of college football.

The changes that have been made, the schedules that are in front of us, the new playoff format with 12 teams rather than four, the amount of quality games that will be played in November — for all these reasons, I am over the moon excited about this college football season. 

So let’s get to it. Here’s my preseason top 25:

Here’s a team that I’ve given a lot of grief to over the years, but it’s a team I do believe in, and I like the direction they’re going. Mike Elko begins his era there after the six seasons under Jimbo Fisher. What did six seasons and $76 million in buy-out money get you? A top-25 spot. Good job, that’s money well spent.

Elko is 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 they’ve had in the transfer portal. 

One big addition that I really like: their new offensive coordinator. This was a great hire, Collin Klein, coming from Kansas State, and I really like him as a coach.

Iowa is just so steady. When you take a closer look, you realize it’s going to be rock solid on defense again — shocking to nobody — and it should be better on offense. I said it, publicly here and into a microphone. We’ll see if that happens.

I’m a big believer in Kirk Ferentz. It’s a team that won 10 games last year and has 17 starters returning. By the way, Iowa had the worst offense in the country. So if the Hawkeyes are able to pair a veteran defense with what should be an improved offense, and looking at a very favorable schedule, watch out.

I’m high on this program. Matt Rhule told us on “Big Noon Conversations” that he feels like he’s ahead of schedule at Nebraska. It’s a team that went 5-7 last year. On its face, that doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. However, if you dig a little bit, you’ll see that the Cornhuskers lost four of those games by exactly three points, and they turned it over 15 times in those games. Those could easily become wins, and then you’re talking about an eight-win team in its first year, and don’t you feel a whole lot different about that? 

[Related: Best of ‘The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations’ Season 2]

By the way, 13 of those 15 turnovers were by the quarterback. So now they’re getting a new quarterback, and maybe that’s Dylan Raiola. I know he’s a true freshman, and you never know exactly how he’s going to play, but this guy is talented. He looks like Patrick Mahomes. I don’t know if he’s gonna play like that, but he’s a clone of Mahomes. The way he moves reminds me of Mahomes in college when he was at Texas Tech. If he plays like that at all, watch out for Nebraska.

I understand this might seem like a low ranking for Clemson, but it’s been trending in the wrong direction. Cade Klubnik has got to step up. Garrett Riley’s offense has got to step up. I look at this schedule and I don’t like it. It isn’t what it was four years ago, and looking at its schedule, there is a real chance that this team could be 2-3 in their first five games. It’s just a bad schedule for them. You’re telling me they’re going to need to 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 that the Tigers got that in them this year.

This is a team I’m high on. What a year the Wildcats had last year. After the exodus of their head coach, you might think there would be an exodus of players, but that didn’t happen. They might have the best quarterback-wide receiver combination in the country with Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan. I’m a big fan of Brent Brennan, their new head coach. 

Arizona could make some waves in the new Big 12. Now, the Wildcats do have to play at Kansas State and at Utah within the first four games of the year. They are going to need to win one of those games. If they do that, the rest of the schedule is very manageable. 

I think we all need to be prepared for the fact that if Kansas has its quarterback, Jalon Daniels, healthy all year, then it could not only have the Big 12 Player of the Year, but it could be competing for a Big 12 championship game spot. Which means if Kansas wins that, the Jayhawks would be competing for a playoff spot. I don’t think that’s out of the question.

Don’t be surprised if this team is 7-0 in October, as the schedule sets up pretty well for the Jayhawks early.

This might be low in some rankings, but look at everything the Tigers lost from a year ago. In some ways, this ranking is me believing in Brian Kelly, that he can replace that. They lost the Heisman-winning quarterback (Jayden Daniels), another top-10 pick (Malik Nabers) and another first-rounder (Brian Thomas Jr.). That’s a lot to overcome.

So, what do I believe in? I believe they’re going to have a really good offensive line, and I believe in Coach Kelly. He is as good as they come in college football. 

They have to improve on defense. Even if they can maintain their firepower on offense, they still have to improve on defense. They were 108th in total defense. They brought in Blake Baker, who did a great job as the defensive coordinator at Missouri. They also need more from Harold Perkins.

Some people have the Volunteers higher, and that’s fine. But 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 lose four to five games, or they could lose two games and compete. A lot of their season will go as their quarterback goes. Nico Iamaleava could be a star. I love the way that he played in the bowl game.

Like I said, high ceiling, low floor. I like Tennessee, but I don’t know how much I love Tennessee.

This team is tailor-made for the modern age of college football because it’s got a ton of veteran players. Oklahoma State has 18 starters back, nine on each side of the ball. Its offense returns its quarterback, running back (reigning Doak Walker award winner Ollie Gordon II), top two wide receivers and its entire offensive line. The last time it had a veteran team, it won the Big 12. 

The Cowboys’ defense this year is the big question mark. Last year, they were 89th in the country in scoring defense — that has to improve. That’s the big question for me.

Kansas State is tough as nails. The Wildcats are developing this reputation that they’re going to be difficult to beat. This year, they have a lot of talent. Pair up the toughness and the talent, and Chris Klieman’s got a team that can compete for and potentially win the Big 12, and then they would be in the playoff.

The Wildcats are going to go with Avery Johnson at quarterback to replace Will Howard. I think the run game is going to be dynamic for Kansas State this year. 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.

I really love OU. So why are the Sooners 15th? 

Brent Venables enters Year 3 and made 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 it needs to be better. It gave up far too many big plays a year ago. Jackson Arnold is going to take over at quarterback, but similar to Kansas State, we have to start trusting these programs. I believe in Arnold because Oklahoma was willing to move on from Dillon Gabriel in order to make him its starting quarterback. I think Arnold’s also a better schematic fit with what Oklahoma does and with its receivers.

I think that the Sooners could be and should be much better than what they were, even a year ago. So what’s the main point? Their schedule is brutal. Brutal. They’re going to face Tennessee, Texas, Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama and LSU. The schedule does them no favors. 

I think USC is going to be really good. I think USC is going to surprise some people. This is the perfect type of team for Lincoln Riley. 

The Trojans should be better on defense. Riley brought in D’Anton Lynn, Matt Entz and Eric Henderson to help coach the defense. They were awful on defense last year, and it wasn’t just the players’ fault — the scheme, the gap soundness of their front was atrocious. They should be better just by playing fundamentally sound from a structural standpoint. If that’s all they do, they’re going to be better on defense.

[Read more: USC QB Miller Moss ready to lead Trojans after bucking trend in transfer portal era]

Florida State is replacing a lot from that team that was undefeated and left out of the playoffs. It continued to hit the transfer portal hard. This team is going to be good, it just has to replace a lot.

I think we need to start believing in what Mike Norvell is building and what his strategy is on a yearly basis, because it has worked. He’s going into Year 5, and he’s improved every year in terms of total wins. Now the test is whether the Seminoles can stay at that top-10 level. 

Why do I have Miami above Florida State? Well, the Canes didn’t lose as much, 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. Cam Ward was a great addition at quarterback, but arguably the biggest difference maker and one of the biggest wins in the transfer portal is running back Damien Martinez. 

Miami’s schedule is built for them to be right in the mix in the ACC and potentially the playoff. With this roster and this schedule, this is an 11-1 team all day long. 

The program has got momentum. It brings back quarterback Brady Cook and one of the best wide receivers in the country in Luther Burden III. Running back Marcus Carroll could be another small-school-to-the-SEC star, just like All-American Cody Schrader was for Missouri last year. 

That was a big win for Eli Drinkwitz’s program over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl last year. They have an advantageous schedule. They miss a lot of the big boys. They avoid Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and LSU, so their toughest games are Alabama and Oklahoma.

The conversation with Penn State is similar to what it is with Missouri. The Nittany Lions have a new offensive coordinator, which should pay dividends because their offense was not very good and was far too predictable a year ago. They have a defense that still should be very aggressive and very good, even with Tom Allen replacing Manny Diaz. Edge rusher Abdul Carter is one of the best players in the country.

Like Missouri, the schedule sets up favorably for Penn State in the Big Ten. It avoids Michigan and Oregon. That’s a team to watch out for.

Death, taxes and Utah football. This is my pick to win the Big 12. Utah is really good, really tough, and I know the Big 12 teams are not going to want to hear this, but Salt Lake City is now the toughest place to play in the Big 12. Period. That home-field advantage is real; the Utes are incredible at home. And when healthy, this is one of the best teams in the country. They won the Pac-12 the last two times they were healthy. It shouldn’t be different in the Big 12.

The Utes are 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.

Obviously, we expect a lot out of Alabama. It went on a run under Nick Saban that was totally unprecedented, and now it changed head coaches to a guy that I firmly believe in. Kalen DeBoer will work in Tuscaloosa. This guy is a star.

This is a team that has a lot of talent, but the Crimson Tide are changing. This is an outside culture. This is going to be difficult. This is a schedule that doesn’t favor them. I’m very interested to see how this all plays out.

Michigan got a slight edge over Alabama because it promoted from within at head coach and isn’t changing its culture. It also just beat Alabama.

[Related: With renewed sense of purpose, Michigan’s Donovan Edwards ready to seize opportunity]

The Wolverines are going to have to figure out the quarterback position, and there’s no doubt that’s the biggest question mark. But, they’re going to be able to run the football really well under Sherrone Moore. The defense is going to be outstanding, and it should be one of the two or three best in the country. Their interior defensive line is the top in the county, hands down. So that will give them a lot of runway to bring along a quarterback.

The more I studied for the upcoming season, the more I liked Notre Dame. I probably should have put Notre Dame at No. 5, but I didn’t. 

I’m just convinced that Notre Dame is going to be really strong. It’s going to have a dominant defense, which you expect under Marcus Freeman. But it returns several star players on that side of the ball, including last year’s Nagurski Award winner, safety Xavier Watts. 

Notre Dame only has three true road games this season, with only one of those games taking place between the regular-season opener and finale. I know people will roll their eyes, but watch out for Notre Dame. It feels like it could be this year’s version of Washington.

The Lane Train entered the transfer portal like an absolute freight train. 

Jaxson Dart returns at quarterback for a team that won 11 games. I know Ole Miss has to replace Quinshon Judkins, but Ole Miss feels really good. Now, it doesn’t have to win the conference and beat the best teams in order to make the playoff. This team has a reasonable schedule by SEC standards, with two of their toughest three games being played at home. 

Everyone’s going to have the same top four, just in a different order. Oregon’s at the bottom of the top four for me.

I’ve said it many times: If I had to buy stock in a young head coach, it would be Dan Lanning. I’m really bullish on what he’s doing in Eugene. He’s got the culture and resources to win at Oregon. I believe he’ll win a national championship there at some point. 

Will it be this year? I’m not sure. But this Ducks team is damn good. They’re physical at the line of scrimmage. Of the new Pac-12 teams, Oregon is going to be that team that the rest of the Big Ten is surprised by with its physicality.  

I know Oregon struggled to get over the hump last year, but this roster is fantastic. Gabriel’s a good fit with Oregon’s offense and I think he’ll be better in Eugene than he was at Oklahoma. 

[Related: Lamborghinis, Uncle Phil and inflatable ducks: Inside Oregon’s induction into the Big Ten]

We can stop with the “Texas is back” stuff. Texas is one of the best teams in the country. We saw that last year. 

Steve Sarkisian has built a top-tier team, regardless of conference. The Longhorns are going to be just fine in the SEC. Did you not see them beat the Tide in Tuscaloosa last year? 

Texas has improved each season under Sarkisian. It should continue. Quinn Ewers returns at quarterback for a team that should make the playoff and possibly win the SEC. He could win the Heisman if he plays well, too.

The defense is the question mark with the Longhorns. They got the worst possible matchup for them in the semifinal last year because of their secondary. They lost some of their beef on the defensive line from last year. 

Everyone knows who the top two teams are entering the season: Georgia and Ohio State. Both teams are coming off disappointing finishes to the end of the 2023 season, but are returning a lot of starters. Georgia returns 12 starters this year. The Bulldogs’ strength of schedule (third-toughest) is a bit tougher than Ohio State’s (16th-toughest).

I know Bulldogs fans will view this as a slight, but these two teams are my favorites to win it all and I feel that they play each other for the title. I hope they do. That’s a game I would love to see.

Georgia’s excellent. Carson Beck’s such a great player. The Bulldogs have won 46 of their last 48 games. Kirby Smart is the best coach in college football. Their defense should be really good again to pair with a Heisman-caliber quarterback. The roster has 16 former five-star recruits. There are some questions on offense, such as how will the Bulldogs replace Brock Bowers, and they’ve got a tougher schedule this year. Yet, if there’s a team that can roll through it, it’s Georgia. 

While Georgia has slightly better odds to win the national title, I’ve got Ohio State at No. 1 because of its roster construction. You can say it’s all about talent, but in the last couple of years, it’s shifted from talent to veteran talent. That’s why TCU, Washington and Michigan have made deep runs recently. Ohio State has the edge in that area. 

Ohio State has signed five straight top-five recruiting classes. It also brought in the best transfer class in the country with safety Caleb Downs, quarterback Julian Sayin, Howard and Judkins. 

But the Buckeyes also brought back a lot of talent. This feels eerily similar to what Michigan did last year, with nearly all of its top contributors deciding to hold off the NFL for one more chance at a title. That’s the veteran talent I’m talking about. Chip Kelly was also brought in to run the offense, so that run game should be even stronger with Howard and TreVeyon Henderson. 

[Related: ‘All chips in’ for Ohio State after unprecedented offseason of acquisition, retention]

I think Ohio State is also going to have the best defense in the nation. It has a great front four to go with athletic linebackers and the best secondary in all of college football. Not many teams are scoring on Ohio State. 

Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him on X/Twitter at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.

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