Six college football teams that started ranked and now need a do-over - ESPN

As we close in on November and the upcoming unveiling of the initial College Football Playoff rankings, the teams everyone hyped to be national title contenders are right where we thought they'd be. Oregon, Georgia, Penn State, Ohio State, Texas and Notre Dame are all generally living up to top-10 expectations.

But preseason polls are an inexact science to say the least, an educated guessing game of which teams have enough returning talent and perceived momentum to win big. Ten teams in the preseason AP Top 25 are currently unranked, and a few are even heading toward losing seasons.

Where did they go wrong? Here's a closer look at six teams — Michigan, Florida State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arizona and USC — with big expectations that have disappointed in 2024 and the roster issues they're fighting to overcome on a weekly basis.

Jump to:
Michigan | Florida State
Oklahoma | Oklahoma State
Arizona | USC

Preseason rank: eighth

What went wrong: QB succession

Michigan entered the offseason needing to replace a swath of standout players — a team-record 13 would be selected in April's NFL draft — as well as coach Jim Harbaugh and several valued assistants. But one of the drawbacks to going through a national title run and then a coaching change in January is missing an opportunity to reload in the winter transfer window and fill anticipated roster holes.

The Wolverines' approach toward one of those expected holes at quarterback has drawn justified scrutiny and bewilderment through the first two months. J.J. McCarthy didn't enter the 2023 season with the virtual NFL certainty of USC's Caleb Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye, but his jump to the pros seemed more likely as the season went along. Since McCarthy claimed the