Five dark-horse candidates for the College Football Playoff

Utah Utes HC Kyle Whittingham and team celebrate following a win over USC

With fewer than 100 days from the start of the 2024-2025 college football season, here are five dark-horse candidates to make the first edition of the expanded Playoff.

LSU Tigers

The Tigers must replace Heisman-winning QB Jayden Daniels and a pair of star receivers in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. Despite the loss of production, LSU should feel comfortable that it has the reinforcements lined up, as backup QB Garrett Nussmeier showed glimpses of what he could be last season, throwing for 395 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers' bowl win over Wisconsin.

The biggest question mark for the Tigers comes on defense, following a wholesale dismissal of the defensive staff over the offseason. LSU replaced defensive coordinator Matt House with Blake Baker from Missouri. Baker is a rising star in the industry and could help the Tigers secure a playoff spot.

Utah Utes

Star QB Cameron Rising will return to the Utes for a seventh season after being sidelined with a severe knee injury last season. Rising had his best season at Utah in 2021, accounting for 26 passing touchdowns and leading the Utes to a Pac-12 championship. If Rising can continue his elite play next season, Utah will be a prime candidate to earn a Playoff bid. Pairing Rising and company with a Kyle Whittingham-coached defense is a postseason recipe for success.

Miami Hurricanes

Since Mario Cristobal left Oregon to take over as head coach at Miami in early December, 2021, he has been unable to recreate the success that the Hurricanes experienced in the early 2000s. This season will see the best team that Cristobal has had in his tenure with the program and he will need to prove his coaching chops in a weaker ACC. Adding top QB transfer Cameron Ward from Washington State was a monumental move and could be enough to put Miami over the top next season.

Kansas State Wildcats

The departure of Texas and Oklahoma for the SEC will leave a major void in the Big 12 that must be filled. The Wildcats are a perfect candidate to do that as they return an extremely young and talented QB in Avery Johnson. Johnson showed why everyone in Manhattan has high hopes, accounting for 250 yards and three total touchdowns in its Pop-Tarts Bowl win over NC State on Dec. 28, 2023. Head coach Chris Klieman has had quite a successful tenure to date, posting a 111-37 record since coming over from North Dakota State in 2019. His next big accomplishment could be leading the Wildcats to their first Playoff berth in school history.

Boise State Broncos

The Broncos have been one of the best Group of Five teams in the 21st century, so it is no surprise that Boise State is one of the favorites to get the first G5 College Football Playoff bid next season. The Broncos are excited about QB Malachi Nelson, who was ranked the fifth-best QB in the 2023 recruiting class on the 247Sports composite board. The Broncos will have a big-time showdown versus Oregon in Week 2, but if they can win the Mountain West Conference, they will be primed for a Playoff bid.

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