There’s still a little time before we know what the final AFCA Coaches Poll Top 25 for the 2024 season will be – the College Football Playoff National Championship isn’t until January 20th – but we can get a sense of what it might look like.
Actually, we’re completely guessing when it comes to the top five.
The rest of the rankings should fall into place now that all of the non-playoff bowls have been completed – we’re making a big call on 25, but the guess is that a team that finished the season by defeating Ohio State and Alabama could see a significant jump.
Here’s how we see the top five. Obviously, the CFP national champion will be number one, and the loser may be number two. The prediction is that Oregon will be one spot below Ohio State and just ahead of Penn State if the Nittany Lions do not compete for the national championship.
The one curveball is that if Ohio State defeats Penn State for the national championship, we believe it will be Buckeyes 1, Oregon 2, Nittany Lions 3.
After all of that, here’s our best guess for the final top 25 college football rankings in 2024.
Coaches Poll Top 25 Final Season Prediction
Top 5 Predicted Others Receiving Votes: Colorado, Louisville, Kansas State, LSU, Florida
25 Michigan
Record: (8-5)
Final Regular Season Rank: NR
ReliaQuest: Michigan 19, Alabama 13
24 Memphis
Record: (11-2)
Final Regular Season Rank: 23
Frisco: Memphis 42, West Virginia 37
23 UNLV
Record: (11-3)
Final Regular Season Rank: 24
LA: UNLV 24, Cal 13
22 Syracuse
Record: (10-3)
Final Regular Season Rank: 25
Holiday: Syracuse 52, Washington State 35
21 Miami
Record: (10-3)
Final Regular Season Rank: 16
Pop-Tarts: Iowa State 42, Miami 41
20 Alabama
Record: (9-4)
Final Regular Season Rank: 11
ReliaQuest: Michigan 19, Alabama 13
19 Missouri
Record: (10-3)
Final Regular Season Rank: 20
Music City: Missouri 27, Iowa 24
18 Iowa State
Record: (11-3)
Final Regular Season Rank: 19
Pop-Tarts: Iowa State 42, Miami 41
17 South Carolina
Record: (9-4)
Final Regular Season Rank: 14
Citrus: Illinois 21, South Carolina 17
16 SMU
Record: (11-3)
Final Regular Season Rank: 12
CFP 1st Round: Penn State 38, SMU 10
15 Illinois
Record: (10-3)
Final Regular Season Rank: 21
Citrus: Illinois 21, South Carolina 17
14 Army
Record: (12-2)
Final Regular Season Rank: 18
Independence: Army 27, Louisiana Tech 6
13 Clemson
Record: (10-4)
Final Regular Season Rank: 13
CFP 1st Round: Texas 38, Clemson 24
12 BYU
Record: (11-2)
Final Regular Season Rank: 17
Alamo: BYU 36, Colorado 14
11 Ole Miss
Record: (10-3)
Final Regular Season Rank: 15
Gator: Ole Miss 52, Duke 20
10 Boise State
Record: (12-2)
Final Regular Season Rank: 8
CFP 1st Round: Penn State 31, Boise State 14
9 Indiana
Record: (11-2)
Final Regular Season Rank: 9
CFP 1st Round: Notre Dame 27, Indiana 17
8 Tennessee
Record: (10-3)
Final Regular Season Rank: 6
CFP 1st Round: Ohio State 42, Tennessee 17
7 Arizona State
Record: (11-3)
Final Regular Season Rank: 10
CFP 1st Round: Texas 39, Arizona State 31
6 Georgia
Record: (11-3)
Final Regular Season Rank: 2
CFP Quarterfinal: Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10
1, 3 or 5 Penn State
Record: (13-2)
Final Regular Season Rank: 5
CFP Semifinals To Come
1, 2 or 4 Texas
Record: (13-2)
Final Regular Season Rank: 4
CFP Semifinals To Come
2, 3 or 4 Oregon
Record: (13-1)
Final Regular Season Rank: 1
CFP Quarterfinal: Ohio State 41, Oregon 21
1, 2 or 4 Notre Dame
Record: (13-1)
Final Regular Season Rank: 3
CFP Semifinals To Come
1, 2 or 3 Ohio State
Record: (12-2)
Final Regular Season Rank: 7
CFP Semifinals To Come