The start of the 2024 college football season is a little more than 100 days away, but it is never too early to begin looking ahead at what to expect for the upcoming campaign. Spring practices are complete and the transfer portal window is closed. For the most part rosters are set with the exception of late additions here and there as teams address certain needs.
By now, the top contenders for the conference title races, newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff and national championship are well-known with much of the attention surrounding a handful of programs atop the post-spring rankings. But there are still some teams deserving of more hype heading into the 2024 season.
Some of these teams could end up making some noise in the postseason, while others are potential dark-horse candidates in their respective conference. Either way, they are flying a bit under the radar and not getting enough attention.
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Below is a closer look at 10 college football teams deserving of more hype ahead of the 2024 season:
Could Memphis secure a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff this season? Coming off a 10-win season, the Tigers return a roster filled with experience under fifth-year head coach Ryan Silverfield. Quarterback Seth Henigan has 37 career starts and enters the 2024 season with 79 passing touchdowns to 25 interceptions in the past three years. Memphis did lose its top rusher from last season, but several leading receivers are back for an offense that ranked sixth nationally in scoring (39.4 points per game). The Tigers’ challenging schedule will be hard to overcome with a non-conference game at Florida State in mid-September. Memphis also gets three of the top contenders in the American Athletic Conference on the road — at Tulane, at USF, at UTSA.
Oklahoma State returns nearly everyone after finishing runner-up in the Big 12 Championship Game last season. So, why are the Cowboys still not getting enough hype heading into 2024? Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon headlines the long list of returning starters, which also includes six offensive linemen that started in at least six games last season. Longtime head coach Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State are notorious for having some of their best seasons when flying under the radar. Somehow that seems to be the case again in 2024. The Pokes will be tested right out of the gate in Big 12 play with back-to-back games against Utah and at Kansas State — two of the top contenders in the conference title race.
NC State had at least eight wins in six of the last seven seasons and finished inside the final College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings in five of those years. The Wolfpack are included in the 247Sports post-spring top 25 rankings, but could finish much higher than where they currently sit. The schedule is more than favorable with at least eight regular season wins. NC State last reached double-digits wins during the 2002 season. If things come together early for head coach Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack with an influx of transfers at key positions — including quarterback with former Coastal Carolina veteran Grayson McCall taking the reins — NC State might win 10 games for the first time in more than 20 years.
No power conference college football team returns more starters from last season than Virginia Tech. The Hokies are loaded with experience. And although that does not always translate to success, it can certainly help. Virginia Tech secured one of the final spots in the 247Sports post-spring top 25 rankings, a credit to that returning production and momentum established in 2023 under head coach Brent Pry, who enters his third year in Blacksburg. The Hokies won five of their last seven games to close out last season and won a bowl game for the first time in seven years. Dual-threat quarterback Kyron Drones had a breakout campaign as the starter for Virginia Tech, throwing for 2,084 yards and rushing for 818 yards with 22 total touchdowns responsible for. Do not sleep on the Hokies in 2024.
It is a BIG IF, but should Iowa manage to improve its offensive production just enough to finish somewhere other than near the bottom of the FBS than the Hawkeyes might make some noise in the Big Ten this 2024 season. New offensive coordinator Tim Lester takes over a unit that returns eight starters — not including quarterback Cade McNamara, who missed most of last season due to injury. However, Iowa ranked second-worst nationally in scoring with just 15.4 points per game. The Hawkeyes can always rely on their defense led by highly-respected coordinator Phil Parker. Iowa may not have the benefit of the Big Ten West schedule in 2024, but the slate of games is manageable. A top-four finish in the conference is not unrealistic.
Is this the year Nebraska finally ends its streak of losing seasons and reaches a bowl game for the first time since 2016? The pieces appear to be coming together for head coach Matt Rhule and the Huskers ahead of the 2024 campaign, most notably at quarterback where five-star freshman Dylan Raiola looks to be the starter come Week 1. That was the position that severely hindered the success of Nebraska last season. The Huskers tied for the most turnovers (31) nationally, most of which the quarterback was responsible for. Nebraska returns seven starters from a defense that ranked inside the top 15 in both scoring (18.3) and yards allowed per play (4.62). Also, the way the 2024 schedule sets up, the Huskers have a chance to be 7-0 with bowl eligibility secured before late October. Expectations are cautiously high in Lincoln.
There is no denying that Texas A&M lost a lot of talent to the transfer portal, but the Aggies and new head coach Mike Elko also used the portal to their advantage to somewhat restock the roster ahead of the 2024 season. A healthy Conner Weigman at quarterback gives the Texas A&M offense a significant boost. The former five-star recruit impressed at times the past two seasons, but missed most of last year with an injury. The Aggies caught just a glimpse of just how disruptive Purdue transfer edge rusher Nic Scourton could be on defense during the spring game. Texas A&M avoids both Alabama and Georgia on the SEC schedule, but could disrupt the conference race a bit.
Losing a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and two first-round NFL Draft picks at wide receiver is hard to overcome. But LSU and head coach Brian Kelly continue to show a lot of confidence in new starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who earned MVP honors at the ReliaQuest Bowl last season. Perhaps the biggest concern at the end of last year was whether or not LSU could fix its defense, which ranked near the bottom of the SEC. Kelly went out and made arguably one of the best coordinator hires of the coaching cycle by pulling Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker. LSU could be a contender to secure an at-large bid in the expanded College Football Playoff.
While much of the attention between the two SEC newcomers seems to be on Texas following its appearance in the College Football Playoff last season, Oklahoma is coasting under the radar heading into the 2024 season. The Sooners are ready to hand over the offensive keys to former five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold and new coordinator Seth Littrell. A completely new offensive line is a bit of a concern, but Oklahoma replenished that position through the transfer portal. The Sooners enter Year 3 under head coach Brent Venables looking to take another big step on defense with most of its starters back. Oklahoma may be more ready to handle the SEC than many expect.
The loss of divisions in the Big Ten greatly benefits Penn State. The Nittany Lions could not get over the hump against rivals Michigan and Ohio State, therefore eliminating themselves from conference title contention in recent years. Now, with a significant number of returning production and a favorable schedule, Penn State could make some serious noise in the Big Ten this upcoming 2024 season. Ohio State does visit Happy Valley, but an eighth-straight loss to the Buckeyes does not necessarily put the Nittany Lions out of the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Penn State does have two new coordinators and there is hope that Andy Kotelnicki can unlock the full potential of former five-star quarterback Drew Allar. The Nittany Lions should be mentioned in that top tier of contenders in the Big Ten.
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