Nick’s College Football Pre-Season Top 10

What better way to kill the last few days before football season than by arbitrarily ranking teams based on absolutely nothing but speculation and vibes (and maybe a few statistics). These are the teams that I think are the best in the country, regardless of how difficult their schedule is, and regardless of how many games I think they’ll win or lose. Warning: please don’t get mad if I have teams ranked slightly different than you have them ranked, it’s not that serious.

1 - Notre Dame

You could make a strong argument that CJ Carr is the best returning quarterback in the country. He has the size and athleticism that often combine to make a Heisman finalist. There will be a lot more on his shoulders this year with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price playing in the NFL, but they’re helped out by an extremely easy schedule. The only real test on their schedule is Miami, and they don’t meet until week 10. With plenty of time to find their footing, I fully expect this Notre Dame team to go 12-0.

2 - Georgia

Georgia returns 14 starters from last year’s squad, as well as 3 transfers who all started last year, making them one of the most experienced teams in the country. I do not see this team losing more than one game in the regular season (their biggest tests are at Alabama and at Ole Miss), and expect to see them make a deep run into the playoffs. 

3 - Texas

Last year, Arch Manning was far and away the most overrated quarterback in all of college football. This year I think expectations are much more reasonable. Arch has experience now, and when you look at his game logs down the stretch of last season, he proved time and again that he is not just a nepo-baby with zero talent. Plus, when you have a wide receiver with as much talent as Cam Coleman, you can get away with a lot at the quarterback position. 

4 - Ohio State

I’m not quite as high on Ohio State as most people seem to be, and that's coming from a life long Ohio State fan. I think the team will be in title contention, which seems like a yearly inevitability at this point, but I think they have a lot more to prove than most people realize. The defense is only returning 3 starters, and while I expect them to round into form by mid-season, I would not be shocked if it takes a few weeks for the defense to really gel. On the offensive side of the ball, I expect improvement on the playcalling side now that Brian Hartline is gone (great recruiter, terrible play-caller). That being said, Arthur Smith’s NFL résumé doesn’t exactly scream “surefire hit” to me. Outside of one great season with the Titans, Smith’s offenses consistently ranked towards the bottom of the league in both total yards and points. So while I do expect improvement over the Hartline led offense, I think Arthur Smith and this Ohio State offense has much to prove.

5 - Oregon

Everything about this Oregon roster points to a championship or bust year for Dan Lanning, but I just do not believe that they have what it takes to get it done. People praise Dan Lanning and prop him up as one of the best coaches in college football, which to me is absurd considering how Oregon’s last two playoff appearances unfolded. Any other coach at any big-time program in the country would be facing near insurmountable levels of scrutiny if they suffered back-to-back blowout embarrassments in the quarterfinals, but for whatever reason, Dan Lanning has seemed to evade most of that scrutiny. So while I do think this year’s Oregon squad is marginally better than last year’s team, being only marginally better than a team that lost 56-22 in the quarterfinals of the playoff just isn’t going to get it done, and I think the ceiling for this team is a trip to the semi-finals. 

6 - USC

I’m very high on this Trojans team. I think they are by far the strongest team Lincoln Riley has put together since getting to LA. I’m a big believer in Jayden Maiava. In today’s college football landscape, a 6’4”, 225lb, experienced quarterback is one of the greatest luxuries a team can have. Each of the last two championship-winning quarterbacks fit that bill, and as college football continues to morph into some bizzaro mirror-image of the NFL, where big quarterbacks succeed, I won’t be shocked to see that trend continue. USC does have an extremely tough schedule this year, having to play Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana, but if they win even one of those three games I think they’re a lock for the playoff and I could see them going on a Miami-esque run.

7 - Indiana

Josh Hoover is not Fernando Mendoza. Let me repeat, Josh Hoover is NOT Fernando Mendoza. I don’t think Josh Hoover is even as good as Kurtis Rourke was. He is a good quarterback, and he has lots of experience, but his interception problem is not something that should be glossed over. I expect to see Indiana in the playoff once again, but I see them taking a significant step back from last years team. 

8 - Oklahoma

I don’t have much to say about Oklahoma, other than that their defense could cause some serious problems for the rest of the SEC this year. If John Mateer can stay healthy and be a game manager, I expect to see Oklahoma in the playoffs.

9 - LSU

They might not be the best team in the country, but they might be the most entertaining. With Lane Kiffin and Sam Leavitt, I’m expecting every game LSU plays to be appointment television. I have them ranked ninth, but I don’t necessarily expect them to end the season in the top ten. They have a really tough schedule and I won’t be shocked if they lose 3 games and miss the playoffs. Whether 9-3 is considered a success for Kiffin’s debut campaign in Baton Rouge depends on where in the schedule the losses come and how they lose. 

10 - Miami Hurricanes

I am not sold on Darian Mensah. I can’t exactly explain why, but I just have a gut feeling that Miami is not a true title contender. That being said, the ACC is a weak conference this year, so I still think we’ll see Miami in the playoffs, but I do not expect them to make a deep run like they did last year.