College football rankings: Georgia repeats at No. 1 as SEC, Big Ten dominate top of Preseason CBS Sports 134

August has arrived, which means the 2024 college football season is just around the corner. Fall camps are underway across the country, and before you know it, we will be kicking off the season in Dublin, Ireland, during Week 0 before the full Week 1 slate takes center stage the final week of the month. 

No preseason ritual gets the conversation going quite like the first set of rankings, and as we begin a new season for the CBS Sports 134, the teams at the top are unsurprisingly familiar. Each week we will rank every FBS team — now at 134; welcome, Kennesaw State — but the starting point for this year’s rankings includes many of the same teams that finished in top spots at the end of 2023. Twelve of the top 14 teams in the first CBS Sports 134 were in the top 14 in the final rankings last season, though there has been some significant shake-up among the group. 

Georgia, Texas and Alabama all finished last season in the top five of the CBS Sports 134 and begin 2024 with the same status, though it’s the Bulldogs moving up four spots to No. 1 while No. 4 Texas and No. 5 Alabama are each up one spot from their finishing positions from a year ago. No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon are poised to be the top challengers to Georgia for the top spot, as each are preparing to enter the fall with a new quarterback, loads of transfer portal talent and expectations of taking the Big Ten away from three-time reigning champion Michigan. 

Speaking of the Wolverines, the exodus of 13 NFL Draft picks, legendary coach Jim Harbaugh and a notable collection of staffers has Michigan starting the year down at No. 9, solidly near the top of the rankings but fourth among Big Ten teams. The Big Ten and SEC have a stronghold on the real estate at the top of the rankings to start the year, occupying every spot in the top 12 except for No. 8 Notre Dame and No. 10 Utah. 

The Utes are one of the teams we’ve identified as making notable moves in the rankings from end of 2023 to the 2024 preseason, jumping up 22 spots from where Kyle Whittingham’s squad finished after an injury-riddled 8-5 campaign last season. For more on the notable moves in the rankings as we turn the page to a new season, check out the Mover’s Report below the top 25 table. 

College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week, which are averaged together for our rankings. You can see the top 25 below and 26-134 on our rankings page.

Biggest movers 

• No. 16 Miami (+31): Mario Cristobal added a top-10 transfer class to a strong core of young talent that is headlined by former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward. The Hurricanes unquestionably have one of the most talented rosters in the ACC with all the additions, which sets up well for a jump up in weight class when it comes to where Miami stacks up nationally.  
• No. 10 Utah (+22): It speaks to the quality of Utah’s foundation that the team racked up significant injuries at nearly every position group — especially at quarterback with star senior Cam Rising (knee) not playing a snap — and still finished with eight wins in the regular season. With a better bill of health, our voters have the Utes positioned where they’d been the previous two seasons, which is right on the edge of the top 10. 
• No. 20 Texas A&M (+21): The struggles that led to Jimbo Fisher’s exit did tailspin the Aggies’ season a bit, and when it comes to ranking all 134 FBS teams, you can’t give a program like Texas A&M a pass just because it’s going through some tough times. Talent was rarely the issue, but execution was, and by boosting the Aggies up nearly two dozen spots, our voters are clearly in on the idea that Mike Elko’s hire will have a positive impact on closing the gap between talent and results. 
• No. 29 Virginia Tech (+21): The buzz around the Hokies’ potential to be a dark horse in the ACC title race has reached the CBS Sports 134 voters. Virginia Tech saw a steady climb up the rankings in the back half of last year, winning six of their final eight games with each victory coming by at least 17 points. With loads of production back, Brent Pry’s group will start the year knocking on the door of the top 25. 
• No. 62 Tulane (-32): Willie Fritz won 23 games across two seasons before leaving for the Houston job, and suddenly a program that had been a mainstay in the top 30 finds itself starting 2024 outside the top 60. First-year coach Jon Sumrall did a fantastic job with Troy, but as was the case at his previous stop, he’s going to have to prove it on the field before the voters will slot the Green Wave among the top 25% of teams in college football. 
• No. 60 Oregon State (-37): The Beavers lost their conference as we know it, lost their head coach and promising star quarterback to Michigan State. Then, after spring practice, their star running back transferred to Miami. Oregon State will have statement opportunities against Oregon and Purdue in September that can get the attention of voters, but this is a return to the old standard after a 18 wins across two seasons gave the Beavers a spike in the rankings. 
• No. 40 Washington (-38): This was already going to be a reset year in Seattle following the departure of double-digit upperclassmen who helped power the run to last year’s College Football Playoff National Championship. But when Kalen DeBoer left to replace Nick Saban and even more key contributors hit the transfer portal, expectations shifted even further. New coach Jedd Fisch did a fantastic job getting results quickly at Arizona and inherits an even better situation here with Washington, but there’s still so much turnover that it’s difficult to slot the Huskies close to the No. 2 spot where they finished in 2023. 

Check out the rest of the CBS Sports 134: Teams ranked 26-134