Whic Teams Can Win a College Football National Championship This Season?

Getty J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates winning the 2024 CFP National Championship

Most College Football teams are well into spring practice, and early preparations for a national championship run. Several teams have legitimate chances of winning a college football national title, and a handful have outside chances.

The new look college football playoff in 2024 means we will have 12 teams competing for the title, with round 1 starting the weekend of December 20. The quarter-finals and semi-finals follow, with the national championship on January 20.

SEC and Big Ten conference teams dominate the top of the betting market. Georgia and Ohio State are joint-favourites in the betting for a 2024 national championship as of April 6. Texas, Alabama and Oregon sit just behind them, with Ole Miss as the surprise team.

Can Georgia Win a Third College Football National Championship in Four Seasons?

Georgia’s prospects for the 2024 season look promising, returning 65% of its production from the 2023 season returning. Notably, quarterback Carson Beck, who had an impressive first season, is set to lead the Bulldogs’ charge. In the 2023 season he finished as the fourth-ranked quarterback in the nation per PFF player grades.

If Beck can progress even further in 2024, it will be huge for the Bulldogs. Head coach Kirby Smart will likely have an elite defence again, only finishing outside the top 5 in PPG allowed once in the last five seasons.

Georgia has a challenging 2024 schedule, including Clemson, Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss. With 12 teams making it this season, two losses would likely get the Bulldogs into the playoffs. Once they are there, they are dangerous opponents for any team.

After a controversial omission from the 2023 playoffs, Georgia will be gunning for a return to the playoffs. They look to be the team to beat in 2024.

Could We See an All-SEC College Football National Championship Game?

Behind Georgia, the Southeastern Conference has some talented teams capable of winning a national championship.

Texas are playing their first season in the SEC after moving from the Big 12 Conference. The Longhorns made the playoffs in 2023, losing to Washington in the Sugar Bowl. Texas returned 70% of its production in 2023, adding talented players from the transfer portal on offense.

Alabama is used to making college football playoffs and usually winning it all. That was under former head coach Nick Saban. It’s up to new head coach Kalen DeBoer to continue the Crimson Sides’ success. It’s going to take a lot of work. However, they have the roster to do just that. If it all clicks with the new coaching staff, Alabama will be a championship contender again.

Ole Miss is rarely discussed as being in the hunt for a national title. However, head coach Lane Kiffin is building something special in Oxford. The Rebels return most of their offensive pieces alongside the number one rank in the transfer portal. This season seems as good as ever for Ole Miss to be a college football championship-winning team

You can’t sleep on LSU and possibly Texas A&M if they figure it all out under new head coach Mike Elko. With the talent on display in the South, the SEC has a bigger chance than any to have an all-conference national title game.

Are Ohio State and Oregon the Main Challengers Outside the SEC?

After a disappointing last season in Columbus, head coach Ryan Day reacted via the transfer portal. Day brought in one of the best running backs in the nation, Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss, and the best defensive player from the portal in Alabama transfer, Caleb Downs.

The quarterback position is a question mark, with Kansas State transfer Will Howard looking like the guy. However, with an elite defense on paper, the Buckeyes may not have to have one of the best offenses in college football.

In the last few seasons, Oregon has threatened to be a championship-calibre team, falling short each time. Going into his third season as head coach, Dan Lanning has attacked the transfer portal. Adding two talented quarterbacks in Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore while adding wide receiver Evan Stewart from Texas A&M and cornerback Jabbar Muhammad from rivals Washington.

Oregon has the talent on paper to be one of the best teams in college football in 2024. One thing stopping them from a national title is belief in the big games. Is it a coaching problem? Or is it the mentality?