Do You Agree With ESPN's First 2024 College Football Poll?
The first few 2024 college football polls are coming out and the opinions for certain teams are strong.
To be clear, there are a few programs like Georgia, No. 1 in the 247 Sports poll and also the top team with ESPN's first poll of 2024, that media members agree upon. Outside of the Bulldogs, Ohio State, Texas, and Oregon, the polls differ quite a bit.
The following discusses ESPN's rankings and how they compare to the recent 247 poll. Which rankings do you agree with?
Notre Dame is No. 9 in the 247 poll, but ESPN has the Fighting Irish at #5. While only four positions higher, the programs Marcus Freeman and his team are ahead of make it a bold move.
Ole Miss, Alabama, Missouri, and Michigan are ahead of the Irish in the 247 Poll while ESPN believes the Irish are on the cusp of gaining a bye in the first expanded College Football Playoff. They will certainly need former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard to help them, as Notre Dame's offense needs a major uptick after scoring a combined 57 points against Ohio State, Louisville, and Clemson this past season. One of the teams Notre Dame is ranked ahead of is coming off a title.
The Wolverines are #13 by ESPN and No. 7 by 247 Sports. Michigan is losing their entire defensive staff, Jim Harbaugh, quarterback JJ McCarthy, and Blake Corum, the heart and soul of the Wolverines.
One could argue ESPN is more accurate than 247, at least with Michigan. Those are prime losses to the roster and coaching staff. In the SEC, there's certainly change, too.
Bama lost Nick Saban so it should not be a surprise there are different opinions about the perennial college football giant. Bama is #6 by 247 and #9 by ESPN. While three spots would be the true numerical difference, when was the last time Bama was placed outside the Top 5 of any preseason poll?
Beyond Saban stepping down, the Crimson Tide are also losing Kadyn Proctor to Iowa and Caleb Downs and his 107 tackles to Ohio State, among many others. The Tide could be one of the more difficult teams to project this next season, and the same goes for a familiar Alabama foe.
247 is investing their trust in Lane Kiffin, a coach who is now 1-11 against teams ranked inside the Top 5 after his Ole Miss team lost 52-17 to Georgia last season. ESPN's poll shows less comfort with ranking the Rebels that high despite bringing in several top transfers like former Florida defensive end Princely Umanmielen and LSU running back Logan Diggs. There's another team with one of the largest variances between the two polls.
Miami is building a tremendous roster through the Transfer Portal and another top recruiting class, but are the Hurricanes truly ready to make a big step forward and win big games as a team?
Miami is coming off a 7-6 campaign and lost to Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl. 247 has the Hurricanes at 12 while ESPN is far lower at 24. With the Irish, it's four spots. Miami's rankings show them almost outside the Top 25. Maybe the following additions to the roster will be the difference for Miami.
Key transfers for the Canes include players like Washington State quarterback Cam Ward coming to Coral Gables, interior defensive lineman CJ Clark coming over from North Carolina State, and Indiana center Zach Carpenter joining the team to help replace Matt Lee. All of that being the case, there are still questions about the Canes.
There are some strong opinions about many college football teams in the early polls.
Fan Nation High school football recruiting analyst covering the state of Florida, as well as across the Southeastern United States and the state of Texas.