The season officially kicked off with a stunner in Week 0 in Dublin as the Yellow Jackets upset Florida State. There are a handful of high profile games this Week 1 weekend, including Georgia-Clemson, Florida-Miami, Texas A&M-Notre Dame and LSU-USC. Remember, the big four conference champions get the first round byes, and a “Group of Five”/mid major is guaranteed a spot, so these rankings may look a little different, but that’s the theme.

1. Georgia – Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta is the site for a high noon battle between the Bulldogs and Clemson. These old foes have played some classics through the years. The winner gets a leg up in the rankings and a little margin for error.

2. Ohio State – Ryan Day’s Buckeyes play Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall in their first three games. Ohio State lost its last two games in each of the previous two seasons. The Scarlet and Gray are “all in” for 2024. The roster is stacked, the slate manageable.

3. Clemson – The Tigers take on Georgia in Atlanta to kick off the season. Clemson won its final five games last year, and Dabo Swinney’s team comes in hungry and a bit under the radar. If they could spring the upset, the Tigers would serve national notice.

4. Kansas State – The top of the Big XII looks strong and balanced. Kansas State should have no trouble with UT-Martin, then they head to Tulane. Chris Klieman has done good work in Manhattan. Both Arizona and Oklahoma State head to the Little Apple this year.

5. Texas – The Longhorns are now in the mighty Southeastern Conference. No doubt, the schedule looks more manageable than rival Oklahoma. Colorado State heads to Austin and then the attention turns to Michigan in Ann Arbor.

6. Missouri – Speaking of manageable schedules. Amongst the contenders in the SEC, Missouri got a favorable draw. The Tigers were 11-2 last year and have high hopes this season, led by Luther Burden and Brady Cook. They host Murray State on Thursday night.

7. Alabama – Want to guess the last head coach at Alabama not named Nick Saban? Joe Kines for the 2006 Independence Bowl loss to Oklahoma State. Now the Kalen DeBoer era begins in Tuscaloosa, as talented Bama hosts Western Kentucky Saturday night.

8. Ole Miss – The Rebels went 11-2 a year ago, and the Lane Kiffin express has the faithful in The Grove dreaming of the CFP. Jaxson Dart leads the offensive attack at QB. The D-Line should be stout. Ole Miss hosts Furman Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway.

9. Utah – Kyle Whittingham led Utah to a pair of PAC-12 championships and now he has his eyes set on a Big 12 crown in the Utes inaugural season in the new league. They look good on defense and at quarterback. Southern Utah visits Salt Lake City Thursday.

10. Oregon – The Ducks should cruise this weekend in Eugene against Idaho State. Expectations are high for Oregon, which moves into the Big Ten. If they can take care of business, the home game with the Buckeyes on October 12 will be huge.

11. Notre Dame – The Fighting Irish play a critical season-opener in College Station, as the Aggies usher in the Mike Elko era. You can bet a 10-2 Notre Dame gets one of the 12 CFP spots. A win at Kyle Field, and the Irish may be well on their way.

12. Memphis – The Tigers are one of the favorites to get that Group of Five berth in the CFP. They’ve got the pedigree in the American Athletic Conference and are capable of beating one of the big boys. Memphis hosts North Alabama Saturday.