Jul. 23—***
Are you ready for the most college football ever? Twelve teams in the playoffs means eight more postseason games than before. What used to be three is now 11 to decide who is best,
The favorites might dominate in the first two rounds. Or the semifinals will be filled with bottom seeds. We can only hope.
Kick back, relax and enjoy every moment of it. As a primer, I will use this space over the next month and half to count down my preseason Top 50. I welcome complaints and disagreements I might even include them in future stories.
And away we go …
Easy, coach Kyle Whittingham. A former linebacker at Utah’s bitter rival BYU. he enters his 20th season with the Utes. He is Utah’s career leader with 162 wins against only 79 losses. Utah has won or shared five conference titles under his leadership. He is simply one of the best in the game. … Quarterback Cameron Rising is back after missing the 2023 season with a knee injury. His favorite target, tight end Brant Kuithe is back too. … Dorian Singer is expected to make an impact at receiver after transferring from Southern California. … Eight starters are back on defense led by lineman Junior Tafuna. … The Utes don’t play two of the top contenders, Kansas or Kansas State.
Utah is in a new conference, the Big 12. Every team in the league, including old rivals Arizona and Colorado, will want to knock off the new favorite. … Is Rishing ready for a full season after a serious knee injury? … Only two starters return on the offensive line. … There are questions about the overall talent at receiver. … The Utes have to play at Oklahoma State.
50. Maryland Big Ten
49. Colorado Big 12
48. Georgia Tech ACC
47. Tulane American
46. UCF Big 12
45. South Florida American
44. Appalachian State Sun Belt
43. Rutgers Big Ten
42. Virginia Tech ACC
41. Texas Tech Big 12
40. Liberty Conference USA
39. South Carolina SEC
38. Washington Big Ten
37. North Carolina ACC
36. Boise State Mountain West
35. Memphis American
34. Kentucky SEC
33. Nebraska Big Ten
32. Florida SEC
31. Auburn SEC
30. SMU ACC
29. Wisconsin Big Ten
28. West Virginia Big 12
27. Iowa State Big 12
26. NC State ACC
25. Iowa Big Ten
24. Arizona Big 12
23. Louisville ACC—July 13
22. Southern California Big Ten
21. Kansas State Big 12
20. Texas A&M SEC—July 16
19. Kansas Big 12—July 17
18. Miami ACC
17. Oklahoma SEC
16. Clemson ACC
15. Oklahoma State Big 12
14. Tennessee SEC
The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
