Preseason predictions don't mean....well anything. But they're still fun, mostly because college football is an almost impossible sport to predict.
Going into last season, who thought that Michigan would deal with a massive sign stealing scandal on their way to a national championship before losing their head coach, Jim Harbaugh, to the NFL?
Or who, honestly, thought Nick Saban would announce his retirement in January?
Or how about Georgia missing the playoff? Or Missouri going 10-2? Or Florida State going 13-0 and missing the playoff?
Not many people (if any) had those predictions locked in a year ago.
That’s why I'm making some bold predictions for the 2024 season that, while perhaps unlikely in some cases, are at least plausible.
(Feel free to bookmark these and tweet at me about how dumb I am come January....unless I'm right, in which case I'll be doing a victory lap that you can't miss.)
1. Deion Sanders gets fired at Colorado after starting the season 1-7
I like Deion Sanders. I think he's one of the greatest competitors of all time. What he did in the NFL and in MLB still amazes me. But when it comes to running a program....well, no one is perfect. Sanders is trying to build a college football program like it's still 1988. And that's just not going to work. He might get a few players to buy in, but I doubt he's going to get a whole roster of players to buy in to his madness. I don't think Colorado is deep enough to be a serious contender. And I think Sanders could quickly lose the locker room if things go south. I doubt Colorado wants to fire Sanders -- they have to love the attention and donations that he brings to the program -- but I don't think they can stand by him if he gets off to a disastrous start in 2024 and the program starts to suffer a black eye when it comes to public perception.
2. Alabama misses the playoff in Kalen DeBoer's first season
It feels like everyone is just assuming that Alabama will make the 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024. I think they have a shot because of the talent that's on the roster, but I don't think it's a sure thing. For starters, this is Kalen DeBoer's first season in the SEC. It's not realistic to expect him to take the conference by storm in his first season. It's also unfair to put playoff expectations on him in his first season. I think DeBoer can be a good coach in the SEC. But his culture isn't the same as the culture that Nick Saban left behind. And I think there will be a transition period where maybe the results aren't quite what Alabama fans are used to. DeBoer might win a natty at Bama in the future, but I think the 2024 season will be a soft reset for the program, with the Crimson Tide just outside the 12-team playoff.
3. Billy Napier saves his job at Florida with an upset win against Georgia
It feels like everyone just assumes that Billy Napier is going to get fired in 2024. And thanks to Florida's brutal schedule, there's probably a good chance it happens. But Napier isn't going down without a fight. He was picky about which job he wanted to take when he left Louisiana. The Florida job is always going to be a good job due to elite in-state talent, so this isn't something he wants to let slip away. Napier hears the noise and he's eager to prove the doubters wrong. Now, it could still be a tough season for the Gators. But if Florida can reach bowl eligibility and score a shocking upset win against Georgia, it should be enough for Napier to get another year in Gainesville to prove that he's the right longterm answer for the Gators.
4. Quinn Ewers loses the starting job at Texas to Arch Manning in September
Oh boy, how about some Arch Manning drama?
Quinn Ewers is the undisputed starter at Texas entering the 2024 season. And I think he's deserving of that. But history suggests that Ewers will miss at least a game or two in 2024 (Ewers has missed all or parts of six games over the last two years). My prediction is that Ewers has a big game in the season-opener against Colorado State, but is forced to miss the Longhorns' game in Week Two against Michigan due to injury. Arch gets the start against the Wolverines and has the game of his life, leading Texas to a blowout win in Ann Arbor. After that performance, Steve Sarkisian faces pressure (publicly and privately) to keep Arch in the starting role, which leads to Ewers finishing his career in Austin as a backup.
5. Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava is a Heisman Finalist, but he finishes as the runner-up to Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava will be as advertised, passing for over 3,000 yards and guiding the Vols to an 11-1 regular season (with a loss to Georgia). Iamaleava ends up being a Heisman Finalist, but he finishes as the runner-up to Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a former Josh Heupel-coached quarterback. Iamaleava will then enter the 2025 season as the co-favorite (along with Arch Manning) to win the Heisman.
6. Oregon wins the national championship
Speaking of Gabriel and the Ducks, Oregon will give the Big 10 their second straight national championship after defeating Georgia in the national championship game. The 2024 season will be the beginning of Oregon dominating the football scene west of the Mississippi.
7. The coaching carousel goes nuts with several high profile jobs coming open
Let's get wild. I'm predicting that Sherrone Moore bombs in his first year at Michigan so badly that the Wolverines make a change. Brian Kelly leave LSU to take over at Michigan. Which leads to Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss to take over in Baton Rouge. And then Alex Golesh, after leading USF to a College Football Playoff appearance, is named the new head coach in Oxford.
Related: Jets CB Sauce Gardner makes strong statement about Giants WR Jalin Hyatt after talking major trash to former Vol last year
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