Sep 28, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (4) and quarterback Brock Glenn (11) before the game between the Southern Methodist Mustangs and the Florida State Seminoles at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images In this presidential campaign season, college football’s October surprises come in various forms. There are breakout overachievers exceeding their preseason expectations, such as Indiana and Pitt.
On the flip side, several squads have disappointed through the season’s first half. A trio of teams ranked in the AP Top 25 at the kickoff of 2024 that have since fallen out stand out as the most surprising underachievers at the midway point.
Florida State
Sep 21, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (4) warms up before a game against the California Golden Bears at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images Florida State is the runaway choice for the most overrated team of 2024 based on nearly unanimous preseason expectations of being the last ACC team standing in December.
Receiving the dubious distinction of being the only power conference unbeaten skipped over for a berth in the four-team College Football Playoff provides the main storyline for Florida State’s 2024 season.
With an expanded Playoff bracket, the only thing that could keep the Seminoles out this time would be their own inability to perform on the field. Unfortunately, that has been the case for Florida State before most of the nation even opened its 2024 season.
A loss in the final seconds to Georgia Tech, the season-opener played in Ireland, brought the Seminoles’ malaise from last season to a new continent and a new season. From a preseason ranking of No. 10 to a stunningly poor 1-5 record — 1-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference — there are more problems than we can count for FSU this season.
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State’s Alan Bowman (7) warms up before the college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and South Dakota State Jackrabbits at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Aug., 31, 2024. PHOTO USA TODAY. The bye week could not have come at a more opportune time for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have Week 7 to regroup amid a three-game tailspin of increasingly ugly losses.
Ranked 17th to open the campaign, Oklahoma State was forecast to contend for the new-look Big 12 Conference championship. Instead, Mike Gundy’s team was effectively eliminated from the race before the leaves could change to their autumn colors, suffering losses of 22-19 to Utah, 42-20 at Kansas State, and 38-14 against West Virginia.
The most eyebrow-raising aspect of Oklahoma State’s conference struggles has been its 17.7-point-per-game average. Reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II rushed for 282 yards against West Virginia in 2023 but managed only 50 yards on 13 carries in this season’s Week 6 loss, highlighting Oklahoma State’s larger offensive woes.
Gordon’s drop from 123.8 rushing yards per game last season to 64 through six games in 2024 is a byproduct of the Cowboys’ shaky passing game. Alan Bowman threw eight interceptions and completed less than 60 percent of his attempts in the season’s first half and was pulled against West Virginia for Garret Rangel.
Gundy did not commit to a starter for Oklahoma State’s Oct. 18 return to action against BYU, but this decision looms large over the Cowboys’ final six games.
Southern California
Jul 29, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A detailed view of Southern California Trojans helmet during Pac-12 Media Day at Novo Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports College football punditry happily plays the part of Charlie Brown while different incarnations of Southern California play Lucy. Seemingly every year for the last 15, there’s a wave of hope that maybe this is the year that USC is back.
Then, the Trojans pull the ball away, leaving us kicking air.
USC opened its 2024 season ranked No. 23 and beat LSU in Week 1, which only lured onlookers into that familiar place.
Sure, the Trojans left the Pac-12 having won a single conference championship from 2009 until the league’s fracturing, but perhaps joining a new conference would be the catalyst USC needed to recapture its faded glory.
Instead, the Trojans host fourth-ranked Penn State in Week 7, facing the very real possibility of falling to 3-3, and worse, 1-3 in conference play.
Perhaps this is an overreaction to a team just two plays away from being undefeated. USC’s losses to Michigan and Minnesota, both on the road, were decided by final-minute, fourth-down touchdowns.
But while Michigan is the reigning national champion, the 2024 Wolverines are clearly a step behind last year’s team. Minnesota came into last week’s matchup on a losing streak, with its season possibly careening out of control.
Meanwhile, USC is losing a battle of attrition while accumulating losses in the Big Ten. Linebacker Eric Gentry is sidelined indefinitely, and defensive lineman Bear Alexander opted to redshirt, leaving voids in the front seven that the Trojans may not be prepared to fill long-term.