College football rankings: Ohio State must buck College Football Playoff trend in pursuit of national title

Ohio State is No. 2 in Dennis Dodd’s rankings top 25 post-spring and is widely expected to compete for a national championship during a critical seventh season for coach Ryan Day. The Buckeyes have stocked up on transfer talent and hired Chip Kelly, a flashy offensive coordinator, to bolster a program that is 129-16 in recent games. 12 seasons.

But if the Buckeyes are going to hoist the trophy on Jan. 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, they will be forced to break recent continuity norms for title-winning teams.

College football The last 10 national champions – dating back to the beginning of the college football playoff era – each return at least three of the following four: coach; offensive coordinator; defensive coordinator; a quarterback who started at least four games the previous year.

Even amid a rapidly changing roster-building landscape, core continuity has been important. Each of the 10 finished 13th or better in the previous season’s final standings.

While Day and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles are back from a 2023 Ohio State team that finished 11-2 and ranked No. 7 in the final CFP rankings, the Buckeyes welcomed a new quarterback and a new offensive coordinator, leaving them with just two returners at those four key positions.

The last national champion to return fewer than three was the 2013 Florida State team, led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston. In the absence of generational QB talent, the Buckeyes will be forced to buck a well-established trend if they hope to return to the top of the sport for the first time since 2014.

That title-winning team featured a first-year starting quarterback (JT Barrett) but had familiar faces at head coach (Urban Meyer), offensive coordinator (Tom Herman) and defensive coordinator (Luke Fickell). All national champions since have followed suit with similar continuity.

So who best fits the profile in 2024 after finishing 13th or better in last season’s final CFP rankings? Here’s the full breakdown of the six teams that fit the mold of college football’s past 10 national champions, returning at least three of the following:

• Trainer
• Offensive coordinator
• Defensive coordinator
• Quarterback who started at least four games at current school last season

Teams are listed in ranking order Dodd’s Top 25 Post-Spring.

Final CFP 2023 Ranking: #6 | Dodd 2024 Ranking: #1

Georgia returned just two of its top four from last season after replacing starting quarterback Stetson Bennett IV and offensive coordinator Todd Monken. The Bulldogs are back on track this season, with OC Mike Bobo and QB Carson Beck entering Year 2 in their respective roles.

HC: Kirby Smart
CO: Mike Bobo
DC: Glenn Schumann
QB: Carson Beck

Final CFP 2023 Ranking: #8 | Dodd 2024 Ranking: #3

Oregon lost quarterback Bo Nix to ineligibility. But the Ducks are replacing him with a proven passer, Dillon Gabriel, formerly of Oklahoma and UCF. Will Stein has proven to be an excellent offensive coordinator hired last year by head coach Dan Lanning, and the Ducks hired defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi.

HC: Dan Lanning
OC: Will Stein
DC: Tosh Lupoi
QB: Dillon Gabriel in place of Bo Nix

Final CFP 2023 Ranking: #3 | Dodd 2024 Ranking: #4

The Longhorns return each of their top four from a team that finished 12-2 with a Big 12 title and CFP semifinal appearance. Texas is transitioning to the SEC, which will pose challenges. However, it is well equipped to face these challenges, even after seeing 11 players selected in 2024 NFL Draft.

HC: Steve Sarkisian
OC: Kyle Flood
DC: Pete Kwiatkowski
QB: Quinn Ewers

Final CFP 2023 Ranking: #11 | Dodd 2024 Ranking: #6

Ole Miss was strong in the gate again, a norm under coach Lane Kiffin. While the Rebels welcome many new faces into the nation’s top-ranked transfer class, they return each of their top four from the only team in program history to achieve 11 wins.

HC: Lane Kiffin
CO: Charlie Weis Jr.
DC: Pete Golding
QB: Jaxson Dart

Final CFP 2023 Ranking: #9 | Dodd 2024 Ranking: #7

Missouri lost defensive coordinator Blake Baker to LSU and replaced him with former South Alabama defensive coordinator Corey Batoon. With continuity at the other three spots, the Tigers are positioned to stay hot after a breakthrough 11-2 season highlighted by a Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State.

HC: Eli Drinkwitz
CO: Kirby Moore
DC: Corey Batoon replaces Blake Baker
QB: Brady Cook

State of Florida

Final CFP 2023 Ranking: #5 | Dodd 2024 Ranking: #20

The NFL Draft has hit the state of Florida hard. The Seminoles lost stars like defensive end Jared Verse, quarterback Jordan Travis and receiver Keon Coleman. But the Seminoles returned their top coaches and brought in a high-profile replacement for Travis, former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.

HC: yes (Mike Norvell)
OC: yes (Alex Atkins)
DC: yes (Adam Fuller)
QB: DJ Uiagalelei replacing Jordan Travis

Below the limit

The following teams finished in the top 13 of the final 2023 CFP rankings but returned fewer than three of their top four.

Historical exceptions

Since the start of the BCS era in 1998, only three of college football’s 26 national champions have returned fewer than three of their top four. Here’s a look at the three that bucked the trend.

Miami (2001): Although the 2001 Miami team that won the BCS technically fell short of the continuity threshold, it was a program that enjoyed solid continuity. The Hurricanes elevated Larry Coker from offensive coordinator to head coach after Butch Davis left for the Cleveland Browns job. Coker promoted Rob Chudzinski from tight ends coach to offensive coordinator. Starting quarterback Ken Dorsey returned and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting.

LSU (2007): As the rare two-loss national champion, LSU benefited from the surrounding chaos to reach the BCS title game. Offensive coordinator Gary Crowton was in his first season after coming from Oregon, and quarterback Matt Flynn was in his first season as a starter. Head coach Les Miles and defensive coordinator Bo Pelini were in their third seasons, which gave the Tigers continuity in two of the top four spots.

Florida State (2013): Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and starting quarterback Jameis Winston were in their first seasons in their respective roles as Florida State obliterated everyone in its path on the way to a BCS title run with Auburn. The title game was a classic, but the ‘Noles had Winston, the Heisman Trophy winner, and the Tigers didn’t.