What’s up everyone? College football is a couple of weeks away. With the AP Poll rankings out, I have an idea of who might make the playoffs before the season starts. I’ll have that prediction out sometime before Week 0. Here’s my preseason rankings to start and I’ll continue with updates after the Week 1 matchups. As always, have a great day everyone!

12) BOISE STATE

The Broncos lost a bowling ball with knives in Ashton Jeanty, who was the main reason why Boise State made the playoffs. Until we know who’s threatening Boise for the highest Group of Five spot, the Broncos are 100% playoff contenders again (to my dismay as a UNR alumni).

11) MIAMI

Miami lost Cam Ward after his exceptional season. They also lost their top pass catchers to the draft and portal and lost their running back Damien Martinez to the draft. However, they answered with a few key transfer pickups, including former 4-star Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. He’s coming off an injury and should be good to go for Week 1. Hopefully, the defense plays with better consistency unlike last season. They don’t have Ward to save them now.

10) TEXAS TECH

It’s hard to tell if it’s Texas Tech’s season finally. They had plenty of opportunities in the BCS era and the playoff era, but they never live up to their billing. Speaking of billing, they spent millions on a new facility and transfers, including EDGE David Bailey from Stanford. Softball spent over a million on a pitcher to get them to a championship game. Let’s see if spending millions pays off for their football program.

9) NOTRE DAME

Thanks to Marcus Freeman’s recruiting for the past couple of seasons with key transfer pickups and development, Notre Dame looked like the playoff team last season. This season might be different due to losing a few guys to the NFL draft and the portal. They retained some of their key players from last season, but a tough schedule makes it complicated for a playoff return.

8) ILLINOIS

The Illini is one of the very few to return most of their starters this season and have playoff potential. They play an old-school style of football that can possibly matchup with most opponents. Interesting enough, Ohio State’s their only major threat on the schedule. Indiana was in the playoffs last season, but they haven’t faced competition quite like this. The ball is in Illinois’s court.

7) LSU

Leaving Notre Dame for a better opportunity was supposed to be a good thing for Brian Kelly. However, he hasn’t lived up to that opportunity. 3 years with no playoff appearance leaves the LSU community questioning him. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier could lead this team to the postseason, but they must first get over the Week 1 drought. They’ve lost five straight Week 1 openers (all to Power 4/Power 5 opponents). What’s worse is that they face Clemson in Week 1. After Marcus Freeman led Notre Dame to the championship, Kelly has no excuse for coming up short of a playoff appearance this season.

6) ALABAMA

As a longtime Oklahoma fan and a new fan to the SEC, it’s kinda funny seeing Bama squirm. Losing to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma was an embarrassment that Tide fans aren’t used to dealing with after nearly two decades of dominance. Unfortunately, Kalen DeBoer might be on the hot seat a bit quicker than scheduled, but he can atone his disappointing 2024 season with a bounce back in 2025. He brought in his old buddy O.C. Ryan Grubb after their time in Washington, and they may have a quarterback that should play up to DeBoer’s standards.

5) OREGON

Who and what is Oregon this season? Of all CFB teams with playoff aspirations, Oregon is a mystery. They lost Dillon Gabriel, their top receivers, top running back, 3 starters on the O-Line, and some of their secondary. What is the Ducks’ identity this season? Some of their replacements and key transfers could get Oregon right up to speed. But with a tough schedule starting in late September, there might be some growing pains in Year 2 of the Big Ten.

4) OHIO STATE

Ohio State has so much to replace. However, they have a stable foundation to compete for the postseason. The only thing missing is beating Michigan. If they can’t beat Michigan, they can’t play in the Big Ten championship. Even if they qualify for the Big Ten championship prior to the matchup, not beating Michigan is still a regular season failure…in Ohio State’s and Michigan’s eyes. And then, there’s Penn State (who has Ohio State’s former DC Jim Knowles)…

3) TEXAS

The Longhorns are the biggest hype in college football because of Arch Manning. He has starting experience and had moments in a couple of games. However, Arch hasn’t played a tough opponent and only had a few snaps against Georgia. He’s already one of the favorites to win the Heisman and Texas is National Championship favorites too. Everything sounds good…to the Austin and the Texas University community, but it’s time to put all that on display. The pressure is on the ‘Horns to play well without realizing there’s glaring spots to replace.

2) CLEMSON

This is the team that’s getting absolutely no love or hype but still with high expectations. Quarterback Cade Klubnik finally became the quarterback that Dabo Swinney and Clemson fans hoped for. It took plenty of growing pains and maturity development, but it’s slowly paying off. This is his and Clemson’s season to take advantage of. A win against LSU in Week 1 will go a long way for a team that’s favored to make a deep postseason run. However, will the running back position be resolved after losing Phil Mafah?

1) PENN STATE

This team should be complete now, if not soon. They have everything needed to return to the postseason and make a run for the National Championship after coming up short in the semifinals against Notre Dame. They have Drew Allar, two of the best running backs in the nation, transfer receivers that have career mileage to back it up, and a defense loaded with experience and an elite defensive coordinator with a championship ring from Ohio State. They can run the schedule and return to the Big Ten championship, but can they handle the expectations?