In 2024, college football conferences will look dramatically different. Texas and Oklahoma They're in the SEC, four West Coast teams are in the Big Ten, and the Pac-12 no longer exists.
That means it's worth revisiting how each conference stacks up heading into the season, as Preview magazine pundit Phil Steele did in his annual publication for 2024. While the top leagues aren't surprising, how the conferences stack up overall is noteworthy, especially for the lower leagues that have been shuffled around as a knock-on effect of the SEC and Big Ten realignments.
Check out Steele's complete 2024 conference rankings below.
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Unsurprisingly, the SEC remains at the top of the heap in 2024. It's already the sport's top conference every year due to both its top-tier teams and overall league depth, but the additions of Texas and Oklahoma have somehow made the SEC an even tougher football proving ground.
And in 2024, the league should have at least a few teams competing for a College Football Playoff spot in the new 12-team playoff. And with such strong teams from top to bottom, the SEC could take the No. 1 spot away from the only other true contender.
2. Big Ten
The Big Ten, home of the 2024 national champion and runner-up, is currently the SEC's only rival for the top spot in college football conferences. The addition of four schools from the former Pac-12 would give the league a stronger upper-middle class to rival the SEC.
and, Oregon, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Michigan, Washington, U.S.C. Additionally, the Big Ten will likely match the SEC in sending multiple teams to the CFP each year. It remains to be seen how the former Big Ten West schools will fare in the new division-less league.
3. Australian Central Committee
The ACC is in a precarious position regarding its long-term future. Florida and Clemson They have been actively suing the league over media rights, and other schools have made similar claims, but the league is in stable condition heading into the 2024 football season.
Add SMU This is a nice addition to the league's depth and Florida State should continue to be a consistent national favorite. Next season will be a big test of whether Clemson can continue to stay at the top of the league for a long time. Louisville and Miami Aiming to win the league title.
4. Big 12
Texas and Oklahoma are gone, Arizona, Arizona, Utah And the tightrope walk Deion Sanders and ColoradoWith all the attention on Colorado, Utah will soon be in the mix as a contender to win the league.
Utah State University is Oklahoma and Kansas But to win the crown, Kansas, University of California, San Francisco With the potential rise of Arizona schools, the Big 12 could be one of the most competitive leagues in 2024.
5. Mountain West
With the dissolution of the Pac-12, the Mountain West is set to become the main West Coast college football conference, and there should be several teams at the top of the league with a shot at earning a Group 5 spot in the College Football Playoff.
Boise State University As the summer progresses, they look to be among the best in the league. Fresno State University, Wyoming and San Diego State UniversityOther teams will surely give it a real try. All that's left is to create a hashtag to commemorate the delayed start of Mountain West games on the East Coast.
6. Sunbelt
The Sunbelt region James Madison That has been the case the past two seasons, but with the Dukes losing their head coach, that could change. Kurt Cignetti To IndianaSo the league should be pretty open.
Appalachian, James Madison, Texas And there are a few other teams that should be poised to compete for the league title, and there's always the chance that an unexpected team will make it through the league.
7. Americans
With 2023 champion SMU gone from the US; Tulane or Memphis Both schools have already won the American League championship. In fact, only Memphis, Tulane and temple It still remains in America.
Also, there has been a lot of turnover in the league recently and the conference standings have dropped, so while the top few teams may be quite competitive, the second half of the league may struggle to remain competitive outside of the league.
8. Mac
MAC is not added. University of Massachusetts The league, which is set to play next summer, is one of the leagues least affected by conference realignment, and the Midwest-based league has established itself as one of college football's lower-tier conferences and is doing well.
Toledo They have been at the top of the league for the past few seasons, Miami (Ohio), Ohio and Bowling Green They may be primed to win the league this year, especially with Toledo making notable changes to its roster from a strong 2023 team.
9. Conference-USA
Conference USA, like the American League, has seen a lot of turnover in recent conference restructurings (and may see more in the near future), but for now the league is stable, but one of the minor leagues in college football.
Of the current league members, Western Kentucky and freedom They've had the most success recently both in the league and on a national level, ranking in the top 25 for bowl games, although the rest of the conference has some catching up to do.
10. Independent
In 2024, there will officially be only three independent teams. Notre DameUMass and University of ConnecticutAlthough at this time they are technically still competing under the Pac-12 banner, Oregon and State of Washington They are functionally independent.
Notre Dame alone might rank third in this ranking behind the Big Ten and SEC, but it's higher than the others — and those two Pacific Northwest teams have struggled in football recently — but it's been pushed down the rankings by the addition of UConn and UMass, two of the least successful FBS programs of recent years, to the group.
And with there still being quite a bit of time until the season starts, there'll be plenty of time to debate these rankings before football begins and the standings can be (mostly) settled on the field.
