College football rankings 2024, Early Top 25 projections: No. 4-3
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (2023 Record: 11-2)
Full disclosure, I’m not sure how substantial of an upgrade Will Howard is at quarterback over Kyle McCord – and this is coming from someone who was highly critical of the latter throughout his first year as the Ohio State starter in 2023. Howard was successful and productive at Kansas State before transferring, but he wasn’t in the mold of what we’ve seen from quarterbacks in Ryan Day’s offense in Columbus.
Even still, the Buckeyes defense will again be their calling card as Jim Knowles worked wonders on that side of the ball. And though Marvin Harrison Jr. won’t be back, the Ohio State receiver pipeline remains extremely strong and we should see enough weapons to consistently make noise on offense if Howard isn’t a total bust. This feels like it a shaky foundation in some aspects, but the Buckeyes have earned the benefit of the doubt as a program.
3. Oregon Ducks (2023 Record: 12-2)
Dan Lanning may not have the complete roster that he had at his disposal when he was the Georgia defensive coordinator, but he’s getting closer year after year with the level he’s recruiting at for the Oregon Ducks. And despite losing Bo Nix at quarterback along with some stud offensive linemen, Troy Franklin, and others, things should only keep humming in Eugene as Oregon makes its move to the Big Ten.
Dillon Gabriel comes in as a win-now transfer from Oklahoma after a wildly productive career and seems like an ideal Nix replacement in Will Stein’s offense. He should thrive in that scheme, which will allow the offense to keep rolling. More importantly, though, the improving defense should continue to make strides, which makes the Ducks my early Big Ten favorite as they enter the conference.