5 issues with Joel Klatt's 2024 college football preseason rankings
The college football preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll was released on Monday, with the preseason AP Top 25 Poll set to come next Monday. Joel Klatt of FOX Sports used the release as an opportunity to share his preseason poll. The college football analyst ranked teams in the following order:
#1: Ohio State Buckeyes
#2: Georgia Bulldogs
#3: Texas Longhorns
#4: Oregon Ducks
#5: Ole Miss Rebels
#6: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
#7: Michigan Wolverines
#8: Alabama Crimson Tide
#9: Utah Utes
#10: Penn State Nittany Lions
#11: Missouri Tigers
#12: Miami (FL) Hurricanes
#13: Florida State Seminoles
#14: USC Trojans
#15: Oklahoma Sooners
#16: Kansas State Wildcats
#17: Oklahoma State Cowboys
#18: Tennessee Volunteers
#19: LSU Tigers
#20: Kansas Jayhawks
#21: Arizona Wildcats
#22: Clemson Tigers
#23: Nebraska Cornhuskers
#24: Iowa Hawkeyes
#25: Texas A&M Aggies
While it's no surprise that many of the teams listed received the ranking they did, there were some issues with Klatt's list. Take a look at the top five issues with the FOX Sports analyst's preseason Top 25 below.
Five issues with Joel Klatt's 2024 college football preseason rankings
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide are too low
The Alabama Crimson Tide were ranked fifth in the preseason Coaches Poll, three slots higher than in Joel Klatt's rankings. While he's expecting them to regress following the retirement of Nick Saban, he also has the Michigan Wolverines ranked one spot higher.
Michigan also lost coach Jim Harbaugh - apart from losing most of their starting lineup. While Alabama will turn to Kalen DeBoer, who just led the Washington Huskies to a College Football Playoff National Championship Game appearance, the Wolverines hired an unproven Sherrone Moore. Klatt seemed to punish the Crimson Tide more for the coaching change.
#2 Miami (FL) Hurricanes are too high
The Miami (FL) Hurricanes are ranked seven spots higher than in the preseason Coaches Poll, which may have already had them ranked too high.
Miami is coming off of a 7-6 season, including a 3-5 mark in ACC play. They are 12-13, and 6-10 in conference play since Mario Cristobal took over ahead of the 2022 season.
The Hurricanes haven't had a 10-win season since 2017, which marks their only time reaching double digit wins in over two decades. They have also never reached the College Football Playoff. While they are historically a great program, they have struggled in recent years.
#3 USC Trojans are too high
The USC Trojans are another historically great program that has struggled in the College Football Playoff era. While they have had more success than the Miami (FL) Hurricanes, they have also failed to reach the postseason since their inception in 2014.
Furthermore, USC finished just 8-5 last season with Caleb Williams under center. With the former Heisman Trophy winner now in the NFL - and the Trojans in the Big Ten - it's difficult to make the case they deserve to be ranked 14th, nine spots ahead of their ranking in the preseason Coaches Poll.
#4 Clemson Tigers are too low
Joel Klatt ranked the Clemson Tigers eight spots lower than where they landed in the preseason Coaches Poll.
While they had their worst season since 2010 last year, they finished with a 9-4 record, thanks to a five-game winning streak to end the season. Additionally, several ACC programs took a step back this offseason, which should make their path easier.
#5 Nebraska Cornhuskers made the list
The Nebraska Cornhuskers have had plenty of success, but it has been a long time since they have done so. They haven't had a winning season since 2016 and have not won 10 games since 2012. It has been over two decades since they were last in serious contention.
While many believed that would change under Matt Rhule, they finished just 5-7 and 3-6 in Big Ten play in college football last season. Not only did they fail to crack the preseason Coaches Poll, but there were 20 additional unranked teams who received more points from voters.