ESPN updates college football power rankings before 2024 season (2024)

Isaiah Hole

August 19, 2024 4:22 pm ET

College football is just days away if you’re counting on the four Week 0 games and just over a week and a half away if your eyes are set on Week 1.

With that in mind, though expected to be good, there aren’t as high hopes for defending national champion Michigan football compared to last year, with others such as Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon, and Alabama getting most of the preseason attention.

Conferences are expanding this year with the SEC adding Oklahoma and Texas while the Big Ten adds USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon. The nonconference slate is perhaps more intriguing this year compared to others.

With the season about to commence, ESPN has updated its power rankings from spring ball to now. Here is what the worldwide leader thinks the college landscape looks like as of current.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Previous (spring): 23 (-2)

2023 result: No. 24, 10-4, lost to Tennessee in Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 30 (69% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: Ohio State, Washington, Wisconsin

Kansas Jayhawks

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Previous (spring): 22 (-2)

2023 result: No. 23, 9-4, beat UNLV in Guaranteed Rate Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 78 (59% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: Illinois, Kansas State, BYU

USC Trojans

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Previous (spring): 25 (+2)

2023 result: NR, 8-5, beat Louisville in DirecTV Holiday Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 99 (50% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Notre Dame

Texas A&M Aggies

Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Previous (spring): NR

2023 result: NR, 7-6, lost to Oklahoma State in TaxAct Texas Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 18 (72% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: LSU, Notre Dame, Missouri, Texas

Arizona Wildcats

Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Previous (spring): 21 (-1)

2023 result: No. 11, 10-3, beat Oklahoma in Valero Alamo Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 43 (66% returning starters)

2023 result: No. 17, 9-4, beat Iowa in Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 94 (52% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia

LSU Tigers

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Previous (spring): 14 (+1)

2023 result: No. 12, 10-3, beat Wisconsin in ReliaQuest Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 60 (63% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: USC, Alabama, Oklahoma

Utah Utes

Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images

Previous (spring): 9 (-3)

2023 result: NR, 8-5, lost to Northwestern in SRS Distribution Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 16 (72% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: Oklahoma State, Arizona, UCF

Missouri Tigers

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Previous (spring): 8 (-3)

2023 result: No. 8, 11-2, beat Ohio State in Goodyear Cotton Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 31 (68% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: , Alabama, Oklahoma

Florida State Seminoles

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Previous (spring): 11 (+1)

2023 result: No. 6, 13-1, lost to Georgia in Capital One Orange Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 83 (58% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: Clemson, Miami, Notre Dame

Michigan Wolverines

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Previous (spring): 10 (+1)

2023 result: No. 1,15-0, national champions

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 128 (36% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: Texas, Oregon, Ohio State

Penn State Nittany Lions

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Previous (spring): 12 (+4)

2023 result: No. 13, 10-3, lost to Ole Miss in Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 23 (70% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: USC, Ohio State, Washington

Ole Miss Rebels

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Previous (spring): 6 (-1)

2023 result: No. 9, 11-2, beat Penn State in Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 68 (61% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: LSU, Oklahoma, Georgia

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Previous (spring): 5 (-1)

2023 result: No. 14, 10-3, beat Oregon State in Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 74 (60% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: Texas A&M, Florida State, USC

Alabama Crimson Tide

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Previous (spring): 7 (+2)

2023 result: No. 5,12-2, lost to Michigan in College Football Playoff semifinal

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 115 (44% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: Wisconsin, Georgia, Oklahoma

Texas Longhorns

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Previous (spring): 3 (-1)

2023 result: No. 3,12-2, lost to Washington in College Football Playoff semifinal

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 25 (70% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: Michigan, Oklahoma, Georgia

Oregon Ducks

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Previous (spring): 4 (+1)

2023 result: No. 6, 12-2, beat Liberty in Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 28 (69% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: Ohio State, Michigan, Washington

Ohio State Buckeyes

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Previous (spring): 2 (same)

2023 result: No. 10, 11-2, loss to Missouri in Goodyear Cotton Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 70 (61% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: Oregon, Penn State, Michigan

Georgia Bulldogs

Joshua Jones-Online Athens

Previous (spring): 1 (same)

2023 result: No. 4,13-1, beat Florida State in Capital One Orange Bowl

2024 returning production rank (via ESPN): 47 (65% returning starters)

Toughest opponents in 2024: Clemson, Alabama, Texas

ESPN updates college football power rankings before 2024 season (2024)

FAQs

Who has the hardest schedule in college football in 2024? ›

Check it out which teams have the hardest schedules in college football.

Georgia.
Kentucky.
Auburn.
Alabama.
Oklahoma.
Tennessee.
Georgia Tech.
Texas.

More items...

1 day ago

Show Me More ›

How do NCAA football teams get ranked? ›

Starting with the preseason poll, the Associated Press Poll will rank the top 25 teams each week during the season and after the bowl games and the College Football Playoff. The 62 sportswriters and broadcasters from throughout the country vote individually.

Discover More ›

What are the college preseason football rankings? ›

Preseason AP Top 25 Poll rankings

Rank	School	Points
1	Georgia (46)	1,532
2	Ohio State (15)	1,490
3	Oregon (1)	1,403
4	Texas	1,386

21 more rows

7 days ago

Get More Info ›

What does FPI stand for in college football? ›

Football Power Index (abbreviated as FPI) is a predictive rating system developed by ESPN that measures team strength and uses it to forecast game and season results in American football.

Learn More Now ›

What is the hardest stadium to play in college football? ›

Texas A&M's Kyle Field tops EA Sports' list with Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium falling in right behind.

Get More Info ›

What college football team has the hardest strength of schedule? ›

Florida. Year 3 of the Billy Napier era at Florida includes what looks to be the most difficult schedule in the country. Not only does Florida play the toughest SEC schedule of any team in the conference, but the Gators also have Miami and Florida State as non-conference opponents.

Rank	Team	PTS
1	UGa	1532
2	OhioSt	1490
3	Oregon	1403
4	Tex	1386

How much will NCAA 25 cost? ›

EA Sports College Football 25 is the same price as Madden 25 as the game costs $69.99 USD. $69.99 is the going rate for sports games and has been for several years, as all the games have been priced the same.

Learn More ›

Who is number 1 in college football? ›

1-10

Rank	Team	2023 rank
1	Ohio State	10
2	Georgia	5
3	Oregon	7
4	Texas	3

6 more rows

1 day ago

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What is P5 in college football? ›

The Power Four conferences (or P4), known before 2024 as the Power Five conferences (or P5), are the most prominent athletic conferences in college football in the United States.

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What is SOS in college football? ›

In sports, strength of schedule (SOS) refers to the difficulty or ease of a team's/person's opponent as compared to other teams/persons. This is especially important if teams in a league do not play each other the same number of times.

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What is SOR in college football? ›

Football. This must be a flawed metric because how does FSU have a higher SOR at 3rd over Bama at 4th, while having a strength of schedule at 55th vs bama at 5th.

What NFL team has the hardest schedule in 2024? ›

2024 NFL strength of schedule listed from hardest to easiest, based on opponents' 2023 winning percentages:

Browns .547.
Ravens .536.
Steelers .533.
T-4. Packers .526.
T-4. Texans .526.
T-6. Bills .516.
T-6. Giants .516.
T-8. Jaguars .512.

More items...

Jul 2, 2024

Keep Reading ›

Who has the toughest high school football schedule? ›

Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) enters the 2024 high school football season with the most challenging schedule in the nation. All 10 of their opponents are ranked in our expanded top 100, with five of them securing spots in the preseason MaxPreps Top 25.

Show Me More ›

How many college football teams are there in 2024? ›

2024 college football game day schedules for all 134 NCAA football teams in the Football Bowl Series (FBS) division.

ESPN updates college football power rankings before 2024 season (2024)

FAQs

Who has the hardest schedule in college football in 2024? ›

How much will NCAA 25 cost? ›

References