The Athletic 134: Ranking every team from No. 1 Ohio State to No. 134 Kennesaw State

Editor’s note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams.

Welcome back to college football, now bigger and weirder than ever.

We only have nine conference championship games this year. There’s a 12-team College Football Playoff. Conferences stretch literally from coast to coast.

And the size of the Football Bowl Subdivision has grown again. Welcome to Kennesaw State, the suburban Atlanta program that began play in 2015 and has now moved to the FBS as part of Conference USA.

These rankings began with 130 teams in 2017, decreased to 76 to start the pandemic-impacted 2020 season, returned to 130 in 2021, grew to 131 in 2022, expanded to 133 in 2023 and now grows again to 134. (Two more schools will join in 2025.)

Reminders: First, yes, this is a subjective exercise. I look at advanced analytical rankings and take them into account. As the season continues, I base my adjustments on whom teams have played and whom they’ve beaten. The preseason rankings are just an educated guess. I try not to hold on to them too strongly. They’ll change as data comes in, and it usually takes a few weeks for everyone to get enough data points to form strong conclusions.

I do hold myself accountable at the end of the year. To see how I did last season, here are the final 2023 rankings and their preseason position. Seventeen of my preseason top 25 teams finished in my final top 25. Not bad, I don’t think. But I also love it when someone outside the top 50 finishes in the top 10, like Tulane, Washington and Missouri within the past two years.

So who wins it all in 2024? Who could be a surprise? Who wins each conference, and who gets the Playoff’s at-large spots? Who becomes the second Group of 5 program to make the CFP? And who finishes at the bottom?

Week 0 is here, so let’s get into it.

1-10

Can Ohio State pull a Michigan? A veteran-laden team that saw star players come back to school to win it all, then made elite transfer additions like safety Caleb Downs and running back Quinshon Judkins, the Buckeyes look like the most complete roster top to bottom. And making the CFP may not require a win against Michigan this time.

Georgia is still loaded, but how will the offense look without star tight end Brock Bowers and receiver Ladd McConkey? This is a program that has seen 15 players drafted in the first two rounds during the past three drafts. Unlike last year, we don’t have to wait long to see the Bulldogs in a big game, with Clemson and Alabama in the first four weeks.

GO DEEPER

Nobody is better positioned than Georgia for College Football Playoff’s 12-team era

Dan Lanning is 22-5 at Oregon, with three of those losses coming against Washington. Former UCF/Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel should slide in for Bo Nix and keep the Ducks rolling, and Michael Penix Jr. is no longer at Washington, so that helps. Texas finally reached its potential with a CFP appearance last year, but season-ending injuries to running backs CJ Baxter and Christian Clark are concerning and will put more on quarterback Quinn Ewers without receivers Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell. Alabama begins a new era under Kalen DeBoer, and quarterback Jalen Milroe looked extremely confident at SEC media days, no longer battling for the job. Don’t be surprised if he takes another big step forward under this staff.

Ole Miss went all-in on the 2024 season knowing the schedule was favorable, and it’s loaded at offensive line and receiver, while the defense should be better. Notre Dame’s schedule is even more favorable, and it’d be a huge letdown if the Fighting Irish don’t make the CFP as an at-large. If they win at Texas A&M to open the season, they should be favored in every remaining game.

Michigan is difficult to predict, having gone through a coaching change and facing questions at quarterback. If Donovan Edwards can return to national title game form and Alex Orji can be as good as he is in the EA Sports video game, look out. There will be no schedule questions this time around, with games against Texas and USC within the first four weeks. Florida State lost a lot but should be the ACC favorite once again with quarterback DJ Uiagalelei returning to the conference (FSU plays Clemson on Oct. 5). Missouri finished 2023 as a top-10 team and brings back most of its key pieces, including star receiver Luther Burden, to take on a favorable schedule. A CFP appearance is a real possibility for the Tigers.

11-25

Utah looks like the Big 12 favorite with quarterback Cam Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe back, along with most of its really good defense. Penn State … I’m going to need to see it before I believe it, just like Texas before last year. The Nittany Lions could benefit from a 12-team CFP more than anyone, but I remain skeptical of quarterback Drew Allar and a lack of pass-catching options. LSU and Tennessee should both remain explosive and fun with new quarterbacks. I like Jackson Arnold and Oklahoma’s trajectory, but a six-turnover bowl loss to Arizona has been tough to get out of my head. Let’s hope that was a one-off.

I don’t like the trajectory at Clemson, which just has not been as good at quarterback, receiver and on the defensive line as it was when it was winning national championships, but this should still be a top-10 talent roster. Does Miami have enough talent to get past all those times it trips over itself? Adding quarterback Cam Ward and running back Damien Martinez are two big-time moves. Mario Cristobal isn’t on the hot seat, but you want to see real progress.

For all the Iowa jokes, this program has won at least 10 games in two of the past three years and hasn’t won fewer than eight games in a full 12-game season in a decade. The Hawkeyes deserve more respect. And yes, if they can just be an average offense, the schedule is quite favorable. I feel Iowa State is being overlooked and will be a Big 12 contender. The Cyclones bring back almost everything from last season and don’t have a surprise gambling scandal hanging over things like last year.

Kansas State and Kansas should have two of the most exciting offenses in the country, but will that be enough to contend for the Big 12? Oklahoma State is constantly slept on but won 10 games again last year and has the best running back in the country in Ollie Gordon II. Texas A&M’s talent hasn’t been the problem, and new coach Mike Elko’s staff should get more out of quarterback Conner Weigman and the rest. Virginia Tech won six of its last nine games last year and seemed to finally turn the corner under Brent Pry. With basically everyone back, this feels like a step-forward year into something bigger. New coach Brent Brennan walks into a good situation at Arizona with rising star quarterback Noah Fifita.

26-50

NC State is another program that deserves more respect, winning at least eight games in six of the last seven seasons (although never more than nine wins). With talented transfer quarterback Grayson McCall from Coastal Carolina, don’t turn your back on the Wolfpack. SMU moves up to the ACC coming off its first conference championship in 40 years. There’s talent there, but is there enough depth to hold up? USC took a major step back in Lincoln Riley’s second season. Can Miller Moss fill Caleb Williams’ shoes, and can new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn improve that side against a tough schedule (LSU in Week 1 and Michigan in Week 4)?

Boise State, Liberty and Memphis are the Group of 5 favorites to start the year. Liberty has the easiest schedule by far, but how will the CFP committee consider last year’s Fiesta Bowl blowout if it comes down to that? Boise State gets Oregon in Week 2, and Memphis has Florida State in Week 3.

Believing in Nebraska has been fool’s gold for years, but so help me, I’m honestly expecting a step forward. Last year’s defense made huge strides in Matt Rhule’s first season, the schedule looks favorable, and Dylan Raiola should get time to work things out on the field. Florida may be better than its final record, given that the schedule includes eight preseason top-25 teams (and four top-10). Washington, last season’s national runner-up, is incredibly difficult to predict while turning over basically the whole team. At least quarterback Will Rogers brings experience. Fresno State could be a G5 contender, but the departure of coach Jeff Tedford right before camp was a tough blow. Georgia Tech coach Brent Key quietly has turned a Yellow Jackets mess back into a solid program. He’s doing a good job there. South Carolina, Texas Tech and Cal enter seasons where fans would like to see a bit more than just making a bowl game.

51-75

We all have feelings on Colorado. The Buffs will be better, and the schedule should be lighter than a year ago, but they can’t lose the opener against North Dakota State. Keep an eye on UNLV for the G5 CFP spot if one of the FCS quarterback transfers plays well. USF looks poised for a breakout season after improving from 1-11 to 7-6 in coach Alex Golesh’s first season, and star quarterback Byrum Brown is back. Texas State went 8-5 to reach its first bowl game last year and brought in the reigning Sun Belt player of the year in quarterback Jordan McCloud, so the Bobcats should keep scoring and winning.

Northwestern went 8-5 under interim coach David Braun. What happens in 2024 with a tougher schedule and without a true home stadium? New Boston College coach Bill O’Brien inherits a solid quarterback situation with Thomas Castellanos. Army moves from independent to the American Athletic Conference, while Air Force has to replace pretty much the entire starting offense. Michigan State lost some key pieces late in the portal, but new coach Jonathan Smith has his quarterback building block in Aidan Chiles, a former four-star recruit who followed from Oregon State. It’s hard to predict the Pac-2 teams given both lost key players to the portal amid realignment, but they’ll have Mountain West-heavy schedules.

76-100

Jacksonville State had an impressive FBS debut, winning nine games and a bowl under coach Rich Rodriguez, but the Gamecocks will need to replace some key skill pieces. San Diego State should be a lot more fun to watch under new coach Sean Lewis and his up-tempo offense, but how will the historically strong defense hold up? San Jose State also has a new coach in former Navy boss Ken Niumatalolo. I’m higher on Indiana and lower on Illinois than most people, it seems. I like the additions new Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti has made, including former Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke, and Cignetti has won everywhere he has been, as he’ll gladly tell you. Illinois lost several key players to the NFL, but I will say the schedule isn’t that bad, and a bowl game isn’t out of the question if coin-flip games go the right way.

Colorado State feels like another potential breakout G5 team. It kept key pieces out of the portal, including quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and receiver Tory Horton. Deion Sanders and company head to Fort Collins in Week 3 for a rematch. Arkansas State feels in the same position. Quarterback Jalen Raynor returned after Sun Belt freshman of the year honors, and the strong recruiting by Butch Jones has shown up on the field. Vanderbilt once again takes the spot as the lowest-ranked Power 4 team, which it held at the end of last season. The SEC getting even tougher makes a breakthrough feel even further away.

101-134

Hawaii looks poised to contend for a bowl game, with quarterback Brayden Schager and all of his top receivers coming back. Utah State has made three consecutive bowls but is in the same situation as Northwestern last year. Coach Blake Anderson was fired right before the season, and interim coach Nate Dreiling joined the staff in the offseason. This grouping of teams includes a bunch of MAC schools that will be right on the edge of bowl contention late in the year.

I’m a fan of Georgia State hiring Dell McGee, and former Coastal Carolina running back CJ Beasley was a big addition (before the coaching change). East Carolina surprisingly plummeted to 2-10 after returning to bowl games. Coach Mike Houston feels good about a turnaround, but we’ll need to see it. Sam Houston went 3-9 in its FBS debut but won three of its final four games and lost five games by one score. A better job finishing could be in the cards. Derek Mason is now the coach at Middle Tennessee, a program that has a higher ceiling than where it has been. But that may take some time.

New Mexico hiring Bronco Mendenhall might’ve been the most impressive hire of the coaching carousel, all things considered. He knows the school, and quarterback Devon Dampier could be a key building block. Temple went 3-9 and lost starting quarterback E.J. Warner to Rice. It will be an uphill climb. UMass fans declared they wouldn’t finish 133rd last year. Then they opened with an impressive win against New Mexico State but finished 3-9 and lost their best running back to Michigan State. Some of these jobs are just too tough.

Debuting at No. 134 is Kennesaw State. The Owls had been an FCS force and a regular top-10 team as recently as 2021. But they dropped to 5-6 the following year and 3-6 last year as they redshirted players in preparation for the move. Welcome to the party.

The Athletic 134 series is part of a partnership with Allstate. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

(Top photo: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)