2024 College Football Bulls and Bears

A look at who I think is trending up and down heading into the new season.

Keep pushing, everybody. Don’t look now, but we’re officially three weeks away from actual college football.

A long offseason of conference realignment, spring ball, promise and speculation is almost in the rear-view mirror. Soon, we’ll settle down for a Chili’s Triple Dipper-esque appetizer platter of Florida State-Georgia Tech and SMU-Nevada and all will be right with the world.

But before then, we must finish the drill and put a bow on preview season. And what better way to do so than with some Bulls and Bears predictions? Think of this exercise as part science and part gut feeling. This very fool-proof prognostication factors in a variety of sources, ranging from Bill Connelly’s SP+ Rankings to the numerous college football podcasts (like Split Zone Duo, Cover 3 Podcast and The Solid Verbal) I consume throughout the offseason.

Bulls

NC State

I am hungry like the Wolf(pack) heading in the 2024 season.

Dave Doeren is a criminally underrated coach, and I think this year, the ACC is ripe for the taking. Sure, NC State will have to stave off competition from the likes of Miami (maybe) and Clemson (probably), but I really like the feel of the boys from Raleigh this year.

Entering the season, NC State ranks 29th according to Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings. Thanks to strong returning production, a quality transfer quarterback in Grayson McCall and a favorable schedule, I see no reason why the Wolfpack can’t rattle off 10 wins and be in the College Football Playoff hunt.

Two high-profile games immediately catch the eye with their natural site game against No. 16 Tennessee in Week 2 and a road matchup against ACC foe Clemson. If NC State can manage to win one of those games, let alone both, this team should be howling all the way to the ACC title game.

Missouri

If you read my 8 Semi-Bold Predictions for the 2024 College Football Season newsletter, you’d know that one of my stronger stances is that I think Missouri quarterback Brady Cook will be a Heisman Trophy finalist in December.

Cook is the ultimate ball knolly test. If you don’t rate him, you don’t know ball. If you do, well, you, my friend, know ball.

Cook was at the forefront of Mizzou humming in 2023, and I suspect things will be the same in 2024. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz has made some serious headway on the recruiting trail and the program is finally starting to gain a foothold in the SEC.

Schedule luck goes a long way in predicting future success, and I like the look of the Tigers’ 2024 slate. Outside of tough road tests at Kyle Field and Tuscaloosa, the schedule appears to be pretty favorable. Is the world ready for back-to-back ten-win Missouri seasons?

Liberty

No need to get too cute here. As long as Liberty competes in the Conference USA and Jamey Chadwell is the head coach, the Flames will win 11 to 12 games per year. This year won’t be any different.

Liberty’s recruiting prowess coupled with its NIL war chest will ensure the Flames dominate for years to come.

Kansas State

In the new look Big 12, Kansas State is as poised as any other school to cement its place atop the conference.

In 2024, homegrown, superstar-in-the-making quarterback Avery Johnson fully has the keys to the program and appears to be headed toward a monster year. Head coach Chris Klieman has proved his worth on a bigger stage since joining the Wildcats from NDSU a few years ago and has really done a nice job of building a program.

Despite losing offensive coordinator Colin Klein, I think K-State has a great shot to compete for the conference title and make a run at the College Football Playoff. K-State’s defense is always solid, and if the offense can build off Johnson’s potential, I like its potential.

Three of arguably K-State’s toughest games all come at home in Arizona, Oklahoma State and Kansas, which bodes well for its chance. If the Wildcats can win all three or even 2/3, the boys from Manhattan could be staring down the barrel of a double-digit win season.

UCF and USF

I am not a Florida man, but I’m buying some Florida real estate this year with UCF and USF. Both programs appear to be just frisky enough to cause some headaches and be pretty damn fun in the process. One of the fun aspects of both of these teams is both have the chance to upset in-state big brothers with UCF taking on Florida and USF battling Miami. Let’s keep an eye on both of those matchups.

UCF appears poised to have a deadly running attack, anchored by transfer quarterback KJ Jefferson and one-two punch RJ Harvey and Peny Boone. Couple those talents with the diabolical run game genius that is Gus Malzahn, and whew buddy, we might see some fun stuff this year.

There are some fair questions about the Golden Knight’s defense and schedule, especially with tough matchups against Florida, Utah and at Iowa State. But even so, I think seven or eight wins is pretty reasonable. And heck, with how volatile the Big 12 appears to be, perhaps the Knights could be a dark horse candidate for a shot in the title game. Time will tell.

On the other side, USF has pretty difficult non-con schedule (here’s to you Alabama) but once that’s over, the Bulls could be poised to make a run in the American. Alex Golesh did some exciting things on offense in 2023 and appears to have found his start quarterback in speedster Byrum Brown. Last year, the Bulls gave Alabama fits, and while I doubt that will happen this year, I think USF will mess around and beat Miami.

Miami (Ohio)

In 2023, I sang the praises of our beautiful boy Brett Gabbert and tabbed the Redhawks as a MAC title-caliber team. And despite a nasty, midseason injury to Gabbert, Miami (Ohio) rallied and topped Toledo in the title game behind a truly stout defense.

In 2024, Gabbert is back in the fold and if healthy, I like the Redhawks to repeat as MAC champions. Of course, like every other halfway decent MAC team, Miami (Ohio) got their cupboards raided in the transfer portal, but I suspect it’ll have enough to field a strong team again.

Call me curious about the Redhawks’ first two games at Northwestern and at home against Cincinnati. Northwestern was good last year, but would it be shocking if they dropped the first game on that makeshift high school field the Wildcats are playing on? And while Cincy is sure to be better than that terrible showing it had last year, I could see Miami (Ohio) getting hot in the first half, and if so, that could be prime lemon booty territory for the Bearcats.

Texas State

Fresh off an awesome 8-win first season under head coach GJ Kinne, I suspect America’s Team aka Texas State will be a G5 darling once again in 2024.

Last year, the Texas State set the world on fire with its high-flying passing attack. An early season upset over Dave Aranda’s Baylor foretold just how good the Bobcats actually were.

Fast forward to now. Some things have changed, but I suspect some elements remain. After a pretty weird quarterback controversy in the offseason, the Bobcats are rolling with former JMU signal-caller Jordan McCloud. For what it’s worth, I think McCloud will be an upgrade over last year’s quarterback TJ Finley. If the defense can slightly improve and not get imploded every possession, the Bobcats will be dangerous.

Because I loved the offense and potential last year, I’m almost doubling down again this year. I suspect Texas State has a nine or 10-win season and Baylor hires Kinne to right the ship in Waco.

Notre Dame

Let’s not mince words: 2024 is the year that Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman need to make a big statement and compete for a national title. There, I said it.

Notre Dame tends to always have a ton of talent, and this year is no different. I’m curious to see how Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard looks in the Irish offense. I think his mobility should add layers to an already strong offense, and I suspect they’ll be pretty formidable on that side of the ball.

Schedules matter, and Notre Dame’s schedule is about as good as you could ask for as an Irish fan. The Irish only face two ranked teams all year, the first of which comes on the road at a new-look Texas A&M. While I like A&M this year, Notre Dame should probably win that game. As long as it can avoid any major slip-ups, Notre Dame should cruise to the College Football Playoff. Once they get there, well, that’s anyone's guess.

Are we ready for a potentially undefeated regular season Notre Dame team?

Bears

BYU

Conference realignment inevitably leads to some odd fits, and if BYU’s 2023 season was any indication, BYU is just not a good fit for the Big 12.

It’s natural for a school moving to a more formidable league to experience some transition troubles, but last year was a disaster for the Cougars and that has squarely placed head coach Kalani Sataki on the hot seat. Almost every media member seems to think Sataki is a good coach, and yet things seem to have stagnated in Provo.

This might just be a me thing, but I don’t love anything about the program right now. In 2023, the Cougars lacked an offensive identity, struggled on both lines and just had bad vibes. Couple that with a pretty difficult schedule this time around and I am just out on BYU. It wouldn’t shock me if Sataki and BYU parted ways late in the season.

Arizona State

Former Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson is the old back injury that just will not go away. Anderson was relieved of his duties this offseason, and yet his mismanagement still haunts the Sun Devils with an absolutely brutal schedule in 2024.

I am not a college football scheduling expert, but a general rule of thumb is that when scheduling games, you should probably try to schedule at least a few gimme games. And yet when I look at ASU’s schedule, I see zero guaranteed wins. Yikes.

Kenny Dillingham might be a good coach, but his team will look awful this year. This feels like a two or three-win situation.

Arkansas

I will not belabor the point: Sam Pittman is going to likely be fired by Halloween and disgraced former Razorbacks head coach turned offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino will take over.

Good luck, Arkansas fans.

Oklahoma

For all the hopes and dreams that rival fans have about Texas struggling in its first SEC season, I think that energy should be shifted to Oklahoma. Despite a pretty good year last year, OU is in for a rude awakening in 2024.

Schedulemakers must hate the state of Oklahoma because they served the Sooners up with a piping hot shit sandwich schedule. Home/neutral site games against Tennessee, Texas and Alabama will be hard enough. Couple that with road tests at Auburn, Missouri and LSU and this could set up for a less-than-glamorous start in a new league.

Counterpoint: New quarterback Jackson Arnold might be awesome? Many believe Arnold could be another Caleb Williams-esque signal caller, and if he can sniff those heights, that’ll be huge for the Sooners. But the schedule does this program no favors and it feels like a seven-win year while they watch Texas waltz into the College Football Playoff.

Louisville

The schedule gods giveth and the schedule gods taketh away. Last year, I wrote the below about 2023 Louisville’s schedule:

Mama called and Jeff Brohm finally answered. After much flirtation, the prodigal son returns to lead the Cardinals to greatness.

Aside from the homecoming, let’s make one thing clear: I’m banking on Lousiville because of their schedule. They come in at 36th in SP+ and their schedule screams 8 or 9 wins off the jump. Throw in a bowl win and we’re talking double digits in Year 1 for Brohm. Can’t ask for much more than that.

I think the Cardinals will sling the ball around in the wonky ACC. I’m weirdly fond of the Jack Plummer + Brohm reunion, too. Hammer the Cards.

In 2024, I do not have those same sentiments.

The Cardinals have a fairly cushy start, but shit gets real with road games against Notre Dame, Clemson and Kentucky. Couple that with tricky home games versus Miami and Georgia Tech, and I just suspect life will be harder this time around.

Plus, Brohm is rolling with transfer quarterback Tyler Shough at quarterback, so good luck with that. That poor guy never seems to stay healthy and it feels unlikely he’ll do so this year either.

Florida

I’ve written a lot about Florida and their hellish schedule already. Barring a pretty remarkable upswing, head coach Billy Napier might be updating his LinkedIn as we head into 2025. Label me a Florida pessimist this year.

Troy

This is petty, but I’m petty, so whatever.

I hated watching whatever new Troy head coach Gerad Parker was doing as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator. Conversely, I loved what former Troy-turned-Tulane headman Jon Sumrall cooked the last few seasons.

I am just not a Gerad Parker guy and I think Troy will take a step back.

Do you have any bulls and bears of your own? Drop ‘em in the comments. Unless you want to talk about Nebraska. Not sure I’m ready to see a competent Nebraska team quite yet.

And don’t forget to subscribe and share this newsletter with your friends. I’ve got a big pot of college football content gumbo cooking in 2024 and plan to keep your inboxes (and bellies) full all year long.