The 2024 college football season has been full of surprises, but not all of them have been good.
Every year, there are a few teams that don’t quite live up to the preseason hype, leaving fans scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong.
Whether it’s inflated expectations, disappointing performances, or just being overhyped from the start, some teams simply don’t measure up.
The five most overrated college football teams of the 2024 season
Georgia Bulldogs (Preseason Rank: #1)
It's a testament to Kirby Smart and the program he's built that Georgia could finish the 2024 season with an SEC Championship and a bid in the 12-team College Football Playoff and still be considered "overrated" in regards to preseason expectations.
That being said, Georgia started out the year ranked No. 1 in the country and there were many national pundits who had the Bulldogs pegged as the favorite to win the national championship. In the end, Georgia fell short of even reaching the College Football Playoff Semifinals with a one-and-done showing after the loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
Carson Beck never really lived up to the billing and, after he suffered an injury, the Bulldogs were done. Make no mistake, though, Kirby Smart will have Georgia right back at the top again in 2025.
Alabama Crimson Tide (Preseason Rank: #5)
In its first season without Nick Saban at the helm, there were mixed expectations about what would see from Kalen DeBoer in Year 1. However, no one pegged Alabama as a three-loss team that would miss the College Football Playoff and eventually suffer its fourth loss in a bowl game.
Jalen Milroe never took that next step and Alabama simply wasn't dominant. After beating Georgia in Tuscaloosa early in the season, there were many who believed the Crimson Tide were in the driver's seat of the SEC and the national landscape. Then, they fell flat on their face.
While DeBoer is an elite recruiter who will turn things around in Alabama, there's no doubt that they weren't worthy of that preseason Top-5 billing.
Ole Miss Rebels (Preseason Rank: #6)
Coming in just after Alabama is Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss Rebels. This was supposedly the best roster that had been assembled in Oxford, possibly ever.
Ole Miss bought several big names out of the Transfer Portal and seemed to be heading towards a season that would include a College Football Playoff berth and much more. Ole Miss was considered a legitimate contender for a national title heading into this season, but that didn't last.
Just like Alabama, Ole Miss suffered three losses in the regular season — including losing to a bad Kentucky team — and the Rebels missed out on the 12-team field altogether.
Michigan Wolverines (Preseason Rank: #9)
It didn't take long for the Michigan Wolverines to free-fall out of the Top-10. After losing big in Ann Arbor to Texas, it was clear that there were legitimate holes in this team.
Michigan would go on to hold a 4-4 record in its next eight games, taking an abysmal 6-5 record into the Ohio State game after a win against Northwestern. The Wolverines were able to reel off wins over Ohio State and then Alabama in the bowl game to close out the season, essentially building some momentum towards next year.
Michigan has deep pockets in the NIL space, so we don't expect the Wolverines to stay down very long, but a Top-10 preseason ranking is certainly something they shouldn't have possessed.
Florida State Seminoles (Preseason Rank: #10)
The single-most overrated team of the 2024 season is the Florida State Seminoles, and it's not even close.
Florida State was selected by the media to win the ACC and the Seminoles entered 2024 as the 10th ranked team in the country. Quickly, we found out that they weren't anywhere near that billing.
Florida State finished the year an abysmal 2-10 record, and it resulted in Mike Norvell firing both of his coordinators. While the Seminoles are hoping to turn things around with a big Transfer Portal class, you've got to wonder if Norvell just simply isn't the man for the job.