College Football Teams On The Rise in 2024

The 2024 college football season is set to be one of the most exciting ever. There are a ton of conference changes plus we have the advent of the 12-team playoff.

While there's still a way to go before actual football is played, it's never too early to start thinking about what teams will do in 2024. Today, we'll be looking at teams who should have a stronger 2024 campaign than their 2023 campaign.

Let's look at five college football teams that should be on the rise in 2024.

Clemson

Clemson hasn't really been Clemson for a while now if you know what I mean. Since Trevor Lawrence left for the NFL, Dabo Swinney's program has just been missing something.

The ACC is wide open in 2024 and Clemson ended 2023 on a hot streak, closing the season on a five-game winning streak. Cade Klubnik might not be as good as some of the top quarterbacks in Clemson history, but he's developing into a really solid signal-caller. It wouldn't be surprising at all to see Klubnik leap to the next level in 2024. Last season, he threw for 2,844 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was picked off nine times and completed 63.9% of his pass attempts.

Klubnik will be helped out by a talented wide receiver room. Cole Turner, Antonio Williams, Tyler Brown, and Troy Stellato form an exceptional pass-catching unit. Add in that the team added five-star freshman WR Bryant Wesco and you have the makings of a really good offense. It looks like it's time for Clemson to get back to the playoffs.

Miami

Miami went just 7-6 last season, but the Hurricanes are in line for a bigger showing in 2024 thanks to the addition of former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward.

Ward, who started his college career at FCS Incarnate Word, is one of the most intriguing quarterbacks in the country. He came from a run-first background in high school, quarterbacking a West Columbia, TX program that still ran the slot T offense. That never really allowed Ward a chance to showcase his skill for FBS coaches.

Last season at Wazzu, Ward threw for 3,736 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven picks. He brings some good improvisation skills to the Hurricanes and should have this offense humming. Expect big things from Miami in 2024.

West Virginia

The Mountaineers had a really good 2023 season, going 9-4 overall. Quarterback Garrett Greene proved to be a valuable dual threat in his first full season as a starter, throwing 16 touchdowns to just four interceptions while also adding 772 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

Greene's back in 2024 and has a chance to etch his name into the program record book with his rushing ability, as he sits just 11 touchdowns back of fifth place on the program's career rushing list. Talented running back Jahiem White returns as well after a strong freshman campaign.

West Virginia probably isn't winning the Big 12, but this is a team with the talent to finish really close to the top of the conference in 2024. While an at-large playoff bid is probably too tall of a task, this is a team that you're going to want to tune in and watch any time they play, especially on August 31 when they play host to Penn State in a huge non-conference tilt.

Ole Miss

When we talk about the SEC, it's always "Georgia this" or "Alabama that." Add in the additions of Texas and Oklahoma and that means some very good teams are going to get underrated. Case in point: Ole Miss.

Lane Kiffin's team went 11-2 in 2023, the most wins for the program since...well, since ever. The Rebels had never won more than 10 games in a season, but a Peach Bowl victory over Penn State put them over that mark.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart had a big year, throwing 23 touchdown passes to just five interceptions for the Rebels. His return in 2024 is a huge part of why this team has playoff aspirations. Dart, who started his career at USC back in 2021, has gotten better every year of his collegiate career. If that trend continues, Ole Miss will be in the national title picture and Dart in the Heisman race. The Rebels also get to play their two toughest games at home, as they host Georgia and Oklahoma.

Utah

2023 was a down year for a Utah program that expected to contend for the Pac-12 title. With quarterback Cam Rising out for the season, the Utes managed just an 8-5 finish, including a 2-4 mark against ranked opponents. Rising is set to return in 2024 and the Utes have moved on to the Big 12, a conference that's set up to be immediately winnable for this Utah team.

The last time we saw Rising was in 2022 when he threw for over 3,000 yards and tossed 26 touchdown passes for a Utah team that finished 10-4, which included a win over USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

In 2024, Utah has a schedule that's set up perfectly for the team to win the Big 12. They dodge Kansas, Kansas State, and West Virginia. Those are three of the conference's top teams and the Utes avoid all of them. There's a big year in store for this team.

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