College Football’s Biggest Surprises of 2024

10. Kyle McCord Impresses

The Ohio State Buckeyes had seen enough of Kyle McCord and all but packed his bags as he hit the transfer portal. McCord was excellent a season ago, but the Buckeyes thought they had to do better to win a national title, and they jettisoned McCord for Will Howard. McCord landed at Syracuse and is currently third in the country in yardage with 2,160 passing yards, completing 65.6 percent of his throws and throwing for 19 touchdowns. McCord has not been perfect, but Syracuse is 5-1 and 2-1 in the ACC. They still get shots at unbeaten Pitt and Miami later this season.

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2. Curt Cignetti Transforms Hoosiers

Curt Cignetti’s bold offseason declarations were mostly chuckled at by opposing fan bases and national media. Midway through the season, no one is laughing at the Hoosiers anymore. IU sits 6-0 and 3-0 in the Big Ten. Indiana has won every game by double-digits and has outscored opponents 285 to 89. Thus far in conference play, Indiana’s 125 points are ten more than any other team in the league, and Kurtis Rourke has been among the country’s best quarterbacks all season. The back half of the schedule is much more difficult, but Indiana has a legitimate chance at a ten-win season, far exceeding their preseason win total of 4.5.

Week 8: Nebraska at Indiana (-6.5)

3. Louisiana Fun Belt

The Sun Belt standings have been flipped upside down. Troy and Appalachian State have had very disappointing campaigns, and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks have filled the hole they left at the top of the league. The Warhawks have not finished better than third in the league since 2012 and have only had one winning season since 1993. Head coach Bryant Vincent has UL Monroe at 5-1 with wins over UAB, Troy, James Madison, and Southern Miss. The Ragin’ Cajuns and Warhawks close the regular season against each other on November 30, which could be for the division title.

4. BYU Stuns Big 12

Most did not expect The BYU Cougars to reach a bowl game. Halfway through the season, the Cougars are bowl-eligible and unbeaten at 6-0, including 3-0 in the Big 12. The Cougars have climbed to No. 14 in the rankings and are tied with Iowa State at the top of the Big 12 standings. The defense is only surrendering 16.3 points per game (15th in the country), while quarterback Jake Retzlaff has balanced the offense. BYU won at SMU in Week 2, a win that continues to look better, and they blasted Kansas State at home 38-9. The Cougars get Oklahoma State and UCF before the bitter rivalry game against Utah.

Week 8: Oklahoma State at BYU (-9.5)

5. Ashton Jeanty's Record-Setting Pace

Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty was expected to be very good this season, but he has exceeded all expectations and is now the Heisman Trophy favorite. Jeanty has 126 carries for a remarkable 1,248 rushing yards. That’s an average of 9.9 yards per carry! Jeanty also leads the country in rushing touchdowns with 17, two ahead of Dylan Sampson from Tennessee. Boise State has emerged as the favorite to land the Group of Five playoff spot, and Jeanty is on a historic pace and is now at +185 to win the Heisman Trophy, just ahead of Dillon Gabriel and Cam Ward.

6. Cade Klubnik Finds His Groove

One week into the season, Clemson fans (at least some) openly questioned whether the Tigers should switch starting quarterbacks and sit Cade Klubnik. The 2023 offense was frustrating, and the season's opening game against Georgia looked like more of the same. Five games later, the light came on for the junior, and Klubnik was playing like one of the better quarterbacks in the country. Clemson is hammering ACC opponents, is 4-0 in the league, and is squarely back in the College Football Playoff picture. The top four teams in the league have excelled on offense, as Clemson, Miami, Pitt, and SMU each have at least 245 points this season.

Week 8: Virginia at Clemson (-20.5)

7. Vanderbilt Shocks the World

Upsets are an expected part of college football, but seeing the Vanderbilt Commodores beat the Alabama Crimson Tide was a different level of shocking. The win was Vanderbilt’s first-ever victory over a top-five opponent, and it came on the heels of Alabama ascending to No. 1 after beating Georgia. The oddest part about the game is that there was nothing fluky about it. Vanderbilt controlled the line of scrimmage and outplayed Alabama from start to finish. The Commodores then went on the road and beat Kentucky and now sit at 2-1 in the SEC and 4-2 overall behind the play of quarterback Diego Pavia.

8. Pitt Panthers Remain Unbeaten

The Pitt Panthers were expected to struggle in 2024 after another subpar 2023 put head coach Pat Narduzzi in hot-seat conversations. The Panthers were poor on offense, and the quarterback position was a significant question mark. Alabama coaches had been thoroughly unimpressed with Eli Holstein and considered him a miss in evaluation once he arrived on campus. Holstein left for Pitt and then won the starting job. He has led the Panthers to an average of 40.8 points per game. Pittsburgh has wins over Cincinnati, West Virginia, North Carolina, and California to propel them to a 6-0 start and a spot in the national polls. The backend of the schedule features games against Syracuse, SMU, Clemson, and Louisville.

9. Arizona State's Turnaround

Head coach Kenny Dillingham inherited a mess in Tempe when he took over the Arizona State Sun Devils program before the 2023 season. ASU went just 3-9 in his first season and averaged only 17 points per game. There were positive signs, as the team kept up a strong effort all season. Still, no one saw this coming. Arizona State is 5-1, and the offense has jumped to 32.2 points per game with a solid running game led by Cam Skattebo. The Sun Devils just upset Utah, a team that beat them by 52 points less than one year ago. Arizona State will play a significant role in the Big 12 Championship race as they play Kansas State and BYU down the stretch.

Week 8: Arizona State (+2.5) at Cincinnati

10. Kyle McCord Impresses

The Ohio State Buckeyes had seen enough of Kyle McCord and all but packed his bags as he hit the transfer portal. McCord was excellent a season ago, but the Buckeyes thought they had to do better to win a national title, and they jettisoned McCord for Will Howard. McCord landed at Syracuse and is currently third in the country in yardage with 2,160 passing yards, completing 65.6 percent of his throws and throwing for 19 touchdowns. McCord has not been perfect, but Syracuse is 5-1 and 2-1 in the ACC. They still get shots at unbeaten Pitt and Miami later this season.

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