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Welcome to one of the top 25 Yahoo Sports preseason college football 2024.
Since the school football playoffs span 12 teams this season, we thought we’d reveal our top 25 a little more than usual. Below are previews of the teams ranked thirteen through 25 in our top 25 and we’ll post previews of We believe all 12 groups will make it to the playoffs in the coming days.
It’s important to note that we believe the teams ranked 13th and 14th in our Top 25 will finish above that in the final high school football playoff rankings. The CFP format includes the top five convention champions and seven overall nominations. From five conventions If the champions are automatically included, it is very conceivable (and perhaps even more likely) that a team in the top 10 of the final standings will miss the playoffs because they did not win the convention.
Let’s go to the ranking. (Last year in parentheses).
Miller Moss and Jayden Maiava are racing to upgrade Caleb Williams at quarterback in an offense that wants to upgrade a lot of talent. The Trojans are bringing back Williams, last year’s two most sensible running backs, MarShawn Lloyd and Austin Jones, and the two most level-headed. receivers, Tahj Washington and Brendan Rice.
We’re confident Lincoln Riley will start the offense and Moss happens to be the favorite to start at QB. The most important factor is defense. D’Anton Lynn comes over from UCLA and inherits a defense that brings back nine freshmen. . . and allowed roughly 35 points and over six yards per game in 2023. We’ll see USC’s defense in September. The Trojans’ first 4 games include games with LSU, Michigan and Wisconsin.
The Aggies are bringing back 18 starters and hope to get a full season out of QB Conner Weigman. He started the season well but only played in 4 games due to a foot injury. An offensive line that was young in 2023 sends back all five starters. and the Aggies are averaging more than the 3. 9 yards consistent with the average they averaged a season ago under new offensive coordinator Collin Klein.
New head coach Mike Elko has had a lot of good luck in his two years at Duke and knows Texas A well.
The Cardinals took advantage of a weak ACC schedule and a win over Notre Dame to start the 2023 season 10-1 before losses to Kentucky and Florida State before a Holiday Bowl loss to USC.
Quarterback Jack Plummer is no longer eligible and is replaced by former Oregon and Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough. He showed flashes when he was healthy, but Shough didn’t play more than seven games in his final six seasons of high school football.
The defense is sending back its two most sensible tacklers, TJ Quinn and Devin Neal, but the schedule is much busier in 2024. Trips to Notre Dame, Clemson and Kentucky are on the horizon, as well as a home game against Miami. The Cardinals’ final five games of the season will also be played on the road.
Brent Brennan comes to Tucson from San Jose State and has nothing to do with the rebuilding work he did with the Spartans. Arizona has stepped up especially in the past three seasons and is in a position to compete for the Big 12 name in its first season in the conference.
Getting quarterback Noah Fifita and WR Tetairoa McMillan to stay on after coach Jedd Fisch left for Washington was huge. The Wildcats scored about 35 points per game a season ago and the offense was once again explosive. The big question is the sustainability of Arizona’s defense. After consistently committing about 37 problems per game and 6. 6 yards per game in 2022, the Wildcats allowed just 21 problems per game and 5. 4 yards per game a season ago.
Outside of Georgia, Oklahoma is the only other SEC team that has Alabama, Texas and Mississippi on the calendar in 2024. Oh, the Sooners also have to go to Missouri and LSU and host Tennessee. Welcome to the SEC.
The offensive’s good fortune depends largely on Jackson Arnold. The former five-star recruit replaces Dillon Gabriel at QB after starting the team’s Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona. RB Gavin Sawchuk returns five of the top six receivers from a season ago.
The defense stepped up especially in Brent Venables’ second season and brings back its six most sensible tacklers. Improving last year’s total catch of 24 is key.
Look, the Hurricanes have the ability to win the ACC and make the college football playoffs. But can they be blamed for adopting a wait-and-see technique after Miami went 12-13 in Mario Cristobal’s first two seasons?
Cam Ward arrives from Washington State and is expected to soon become one of the most level-headed QBs in the ACC. He will have receivers Xavier Restrepo (1,092 yards in 2023) and Jacolby George (864) to throw to. The defense loses the defense. by Kam Kinchens still brings back Francisco Mauigoa and Rueben Bain. They combined for 15 sacks last season. The ACC schedule includes a visit to Florida State in late October, but otherwise is very manageable. Did we mention we’re in wait-and-see mode?
The Cowboys are sending 19 rookies from a team that played in the Big 12 game a season ago after losses in September to South Alabama and Iowa State. The schedule at the beginning of this year is more difficult. The Cowboys start home games opposite FCS South Dakota State and Arkansas before rounding out the month with Utah and Kansas State.
We know a lot about Oklahoma State and its playoff chances between now and October. Star running back Ollie Gordon Jr. would likely be a suitor for Heisman, but quarterback Alan Bowman wants to be better at relieving Gordon. Bowman threw 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. A season ago. Gordon wants help to lead the offense in 2024.
Iowa enthusiasts have gotten their wish: the Hawkeyes enter the 2024 season with a new offensive coordinator. Brian Ferentz left and was replaced by former Western Michigan coach Tim Lester. An update of plans and a little luck with injuries can work wonders. The Hawkeyes return 10 starters on that side of the ball, adding QB Cade McNamara. The Michigan transfer suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2023.
The defense will have to be solid, as it is. The four most sensible tacklers from last season are back and the schedule is as favorable as it is in the Big Ten. Iowa doesn’t have to play Penn State, Michigan or Oregon. If you’re looking for a non-top four convention team to play in the convention naming game, look no further than the Hawkeyes.
The Wildcats have a lot to update on offense, adding 4 starters on the offensive line and the two most sensible receivers. But quarterback Avery Johnson is back after splitting time with Will Howard in 2023, as is RB DJ Giddens after running for more than 1,200. yards and 10 touchdowns. Barring any disorder on the offensive line, Johnson and Giddens will wreak havoc on the field.
Kansas State has allowed less than 22 problems per game in each of the last 3 seasons and brings back 8 starters on defense. Opposing QBs finished just 56% of their passes a season ago. Utah is not yet on this year’s schedule. K-State is scheduled to visit Tulane in Week 2 and then host Arizona in Week 3 in what is considered a non-conference game.
Nico Iamaleava showed the promise he had when he arrived in Tennessee, in the Volunteers’ 35-0 loss to Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. With the departure of Joe Milton, he entered the season as Heisman’s undisputed starter and latent favorite. He may thrive in Josh Heupel’s Offense.
Dylan Sampson is in the running to upgrade RB Jaylen Wright, and WR Squirrel White and Bru McCoy are back. The defense only sends five starters, but the pass rush once back will be very good. Tennessee had 41 sacks a year ago and James Pearce is back after recording 10. The Vols have Alabama and Georgia on the schedule this season and an unbiased site clash with NC State in Week 2 that can be very tricky.
Once back, the Tigers largely stayed out of the move portal during the offseason and have another season in offensive coordinator Garrett Riley’s system. The Tigers averaged fewer struggles per game and fewer yards per game in 2023 than in 2022.
Cade Klubnik has been inconsistent in his first full season as a starter and returns with a supporting cast that looks a lot like the one in 2023. RB Phil Mafah is back after rushing for thirteen touchdowns and the receiving infield brings back 4 of its five most sensible players. pass receivers. .
There’s a lot more to upgrade on defense, but that’s been a strong point under coach Dabo Swinney. A vacation to Florida on October 5 can serve as a sneak peek at ACC’s naming game.
The Tigers must avoid a significant drop in offense and be much better on defense than they were last season. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier upgrades Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, and the Tigers are also set to upgrade receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas. Joe Sloan took over the person who called the team after Mike Denbrock left for Notre Dame.
The defense also has a new coordinator. Former Missouri DC Blake Baker is tasked with improving a unit that gave up 6. 1 yards per game in 2023. Major Burns, Greg Penn and Harold Perkins return to that side of the ball as LSU attempts to use Perkins as the most productive. as much as possible. After a standout freshman season, Perkins played a lot more with the ball a season ago.
The Nittany Lions are expected to be in the middle of the playoff race and a four-game stretch midway through the season will likely determine Penn State’s fate in the playoffs. Penn State will travel to USC on Oct. 12 before a game against Wisconsin. two weeks later. After that, the Nittany Lions will host Ohio State and Washington.
The rest of the calendar is very, very manageable. A 3-1 record in that span may be enough for a playoff spot.
Offensive improvement is imperative for the Nittany Lions in 2023 after that aspect of the ball was exposed against Ohio State and Michigan. Drew Allar threw for 25 touchdowns and just two interceptions in 2023, but completed less than 44% of his passes and threw just two touchdowns against the Buckeyes and Wolverines. He also failed to complete 50% of his passes in the Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss. We’ll see what new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has in store to reinvigorate what was at times a replaced and predictable offense last season.
The defense will remain strong despite the losses of Chop Robinson and Curtis Jacobs and a new coordinator in former Indiana coach Tom Allen. It’s easy to be positive about Penn State’s chances of making a playoff game, but it’s also okay to be a little cautious.
The Broncos got off to a slow start a season ago. Boise State was eliminated in the season opener in Washington and then lost at home to UCF. A loss in Memphis left the team 2-3 and Boise State needed a delayed raise to get back to Array500.
That delayed increase came when the team replaced coaches. Andy Avalos said goodbye in November when the Broncos were 5-5 after a win over New Mexico. Boise State won its final two games of the season under interim coach Spencer Danielson to advance Mountain. West’s name game. There, the Broncos beat UNLV.
We believe the Broncos have a chance of any Five Eyes team making the playoffs for a number of reasons. Liberty has a wonderful chance of remaining undefeated in the U. S. Conference. Again, however, the Flames’ resounding loss to Oregon at the Fiesta Bowl was a Last season may lead the variety committee to value the strength of the schedule more than in 2023.
The Utes began the season without QB Cam Rising and TE Brant Kuithe and neither appeared on the field. Kuithe missed the season after suffering a season-ending knee injury in September 2022 and Rising was out after suffering a serious injury to Rose’s knee. Bowl at the end of the 2022 season.
Without Rising, and a target as sensible as Kuithe, Utah’s offense struggled. After averaging nearly 39 points per game in 2022, Utah only scored 23 points per game in 2023. The defense was notable as the Utes gave up just 19 consistent problems with the game, but the offense’s struggles limited the team’s ceiling.
If Rising stays healthy, the Utes make the playoffs. The veteran returns for what will be his seventh and likely final season of high school football. He became Utah’s starter in 2021 after being traded from Texas before the 2020 season and was even better in 2022. He threw for over 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns with just 8 interceptions two seasons ago. He also rushed for 465 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
That all changed for the state of Florida off northern Alabama last year. After an 11-0 start to the season, FSU’s playoff hopes collapsed with the ankle injury QB Jordan Travis suffered against his FCS opponent.
The Seminoles then beat Florida 24-15 in the normal season finale and the defense dominated Louisville in a 16-6 victory in the ACC Naming Game. But FSU Travis’ offensive struggles were enough to knock them out of the four-team playoffs, and many of the team’s key participants pulled out of the Orange Bowl loss to Georgia.
The Seminoles have many high-profile players to upgrade to repeat as ACC champions. But we are convinced that they are the favorites to win the convention ahead of Clemson and Miami.
FSU added former Clemson and Oregon State QB D. J. de Uiagalelei for his final school football season. He is Travis’ interim replacement, though it can be believed that coach Mike Norvell will adapt the offense to Uiagalelei’s strengths. Uiagalelei has not finished more than 62% of his passes in each of the last 3 seasons. It may surpass that mark this season.
(The rest of the classification will be given in the days before the start).