College Football 2024: Ranking the Best Position Units Right Now

If you know what to make of the college football season so far, well, head to Vegas and make yourself some money.

In perhaps the wackiest sport out there, 2024 has been bonkers by any definition. With a 12-team playoff heading our way, it's wide-open. Perhaps the separation is going to come from special players or special units on teams.

Who has the best unit on the field has been a major storyline. The answer is not always consistent, either. On Saturday, Arkansas' woebegone defensive line dominated Tennessee to pull out a win. Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia doesn't get the quarterback accolades, but Alabama couldn't stop him in a monumental upset.

Neither of those teams made the list, but it's just a reflection of how a positional performance can change the face of games.

So, which units did make the list? Everybody's would be different, but here are the best position units so far this season.

The Kansas State Wildcats are still very much alive in a free-for-all Big 12, and though they lost a tough tilt at BYU where the Cougars shell-shocked them, they still have everything in front of them.

If they get to the conference title game, it's going to be largely because of a vaunted rushing attack.

Yes, dual-threat Avery Johnson's legs are a big part of the equation that helps the Wildcats be a force on the ground, but he isn't the only one. The running back tandem is the best in the Big 12 and one of the nation's top units.

The group is led by DJ Giddens who came to Manhattan as a recruit and backed up superstar Deuce Vaughn before getting his chance to shine. He's doing that this year especially, with 604 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Giddens also is averaging more than 7 yards per carry.

When he needs a breather, though, coach Chris Klieman can put another home-run hitter on the field in Kansas native and Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards, a speedster with game-breaking potential who has 201 rushing yards and is also averaging close to 7 yards per carry.

The tandem helps the Wildcats to the nation's No. 7-ranked rushing offense against stiff competition.

The only reason Minnesota's group of defensive backs is ranked so low on this list is because the competition hasn't exactly been a murderers' row of pass-happy attacks.

The statistics could be bolstered a bit by the fact the Golden Gophers already have played Michigan and Iowa this year. But with the game on the line Saturday night against USC, Koi Perich intercepted Miller Moss to secure a 24-17 win.

It was a signature play for the Gophers' first victory over a top-25 team since upsetting Penn State in 2019. For a 3-3 Minnesota team, the secondary is a primary reason it has the chance to have a second-half surge this season.

The Golden Gophers lead the nation in passing yards allowed per game, giving up just 114 per contest. It doesn't matter who you play; that is a stout number. But when you also factor in they're tied for second nationally with 10 interceptions, that's even bigger.

They're also second nationally in passes defended, so it isn't like they're playing teams that refuse to pass. The ball is in the air, but the Gophers are just forcing incompletions.

They aren't just stingy against the pass; they make plays when it's thrown their way. They have game-changing playmakers on the back end. Ethan Robinson and Kenny Brown join Perich with two picks a piece, and four others have another interception.

It's a group effort, and this unit is stout.

The only reason Tennessee's vaunted defensive line isn't higher on this list is because of their inability to "get home" and sack quarterbacks this season.

Opponents have been using quick triggers to get the ball out, and it's because of the game-changing ability of the Volunteers' defensive line. Prior to Saturday night's huge Arkansas upset of Tennessee, this unit would have been a top-three in the nation.

Instead, the Hogs were able to run the ball somewhat effectively, and though Tennessee finally got a dominant performance from preseason All-American defensive end James Pearce, it wasn't enough to hold off the upset.

Still, the Vols have the nation's deepest unit along the front, rotating 10 and sometimes 11 linemen to keep the rotation fresh and put pressure on every play. They get to quarterbacks off the edge and up the middle and are second nationally in rush defense.

Alongside Pearce, guys like Omari Thomas, Bryson Eason (who was injured on Saturday), Omar Norman-Lott, Joshua Josephs and Jayson Jenkins lead the way. They're deep, talented and have a nice mixture of veterans and youngsters.

If the Vols are going to rebound from this terrible loss, it will be on the shoulders of the D-line.

At Penn State, it's the expectation that you have great linebacking corps, and to fans of the Nittany Lions, it should be a hard, fast rule.

After all, the program is known as "Linebacker U."

This year, it appears coach James Franklin has his best unit at the position that he's had in a long time. Even though he's had better individual players in Micah Parsons and Curtis Jacobs, this year's Lions linebackers are steady and sturdy.

They're a huge reason Penn State is fourth nationally in rush defense, allowing just 76 yards on the ground per game in the rough-and-rugged Big Ten. While they aren't the deepest unit, Franklin is moving guys around and they're getting the job done.

Take into consideration that because of the need for impact players off the edge, the Lions moved their best player at the position, Abdul Carter, to the edge. The others have stepped up. With Dom DeLuca missing the big Illinois game last week, Franklin and Co. moved Carter back to linebacker at times to spy Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer.

"I play anywhere my coach needs me," Carter told the Daily Collegian's Avery Hill.

Having a swing player like that is nice, but the Lions have other talented guys at the position, too. Kobe King is playing at the highest level of any linebacker in the Big Ten, and Tony Rojas is a sideline-to-sideline force who is critical to every game plan.

Along with DeLuca, Penn State also has DaKaari Nelson and others. This is a talented group with a bunch of former top recruits making big plays.

The LSU Tigers have a pair of elite offensive tackles who are almost certain to be first-round picks eventually in Will Campbell and Emery Jones, Jr., so you'd expect them to be on this list.

They aren't disappointing so far.

Despite a quarterback change and not having Jayden Daniels running around all over the place this season, the Bayou Bengals still aren't letting defenders get to quarterback Garrett Nussmeier too much, even though he's more of a traditional dropback passer.

So far this season, LSU has allowed just three sacks, which is remarkable considering just how much the team throws the ball. The only thing keeping this unit from being ranked much higher on the list is the Tigers' frustrating inability to consistently run the football.

Part of the reason for that is the fact they don't have any dynamic running backs, but the offensive line needs to be a little better on that front, too. They have a major opportunity facing them this week when they face Ole Miss' elite defensive line. It's the chance to move up much higher on this list.

Last year's unit finished runner-up for the Joe Moore Award, which goes to the nation's top offensive line, and they could win the award this year if they improve the run blocking a little as the season progresses.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the Big 12 at the midway point of the season are the upstart Iowa State Cyclones.

At one point back in the Brock Purdy-Breece Hall days, coach Matt Campbell was one of the hottest commodities in college coaching, but a few down years for the Cyclones calmed that talk. Now, they're back to being a force in Ames.

One of the biggest reasons is a shutdown secondary that is among the nation's best. You simply have a no-fly zone when you're playing the Cyclones, and they have a stable of playmakers with the ability to stop drives.

So far this season, Jeremiah Cooper, Darien Porter and Jontez Williams have a pair of picks apiece, while Malik Verdon and Beau Freyler also have one. They also don't allow much through the air, ranking fifth nationally allowing 136 yards per game.

The Cyclones haven't played against many pass-happy attacks yet, but when they have, they've done a good job. Baylor's Sawyer Robinson was harassed throughout Saturday's game.

Coordinator Jon Heacock can be extremely multiple at all levels of the defense, and it's largely because of a veteran group of defensive backs that can erase a bunch of mistakes on the back end. This is a group that will continue to see quality quarterbacks in the Big 12, but they're doing a great job so far.

From a sheer talent perspective, Oregon's wide receiving corps is the nation's best. They're beginning to show up on Saturdays and not just on paper.

There's no question Ducks coach Dan Lanning has built a formidable force on offense, and while it has taken a bit of time for new quarterback Dillon Gabriel to get on the same page as these guys, he's doing that.

Oregon is still unbeaten, even if it hasn't looked terrific for a lot of the season, and the receivers have the ability to blow the lid off any game.

When Tez Johnson transferred to Eugene from Troy, he was expected to be a force, and he certainly was a season ago. Now, he's the Ducks' top playmaker with 43 catches for 395 yards and five touchdowns. But he's far from the only weapon.

Traeshon Holden has 19 catches for 274 yards and three touchdowns. Then, there's Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart, who is one of the biggest untapped-potential guys in the nation. Even though he just has 16 catches for 182 yards and a pair of touchdowns, he's a score waiting to happen when he gets his hands on the ball.

Gabriel has a ton of guys to fling the ball around, too, and they're getting comfortable together.

It's difficult to pinpoint just what makes Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles' defense tick this year, because if you're looking for game-changing turnover plays, the Buckeyes don't really have them.

Like Georgia of years past, Ohio State just dominates with waves of talent. And while you could have the Buckeyes' defensive backs on this list, really, it's the defensive line that makes it all work.

On Saturday, the group finally had its breakout game to bolster its numbers in a big 35-7 win over Iowa. They finally got home and sacked Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara three times, and Jack Sawyer had a massive game.

When you add in JT Tuimoloau and Tyleik Williams, the Buckeyes have some difference-making talent along the front. How good were they? Along with the three sacks, they shut down Iowa's vaunted rushing attack.

This season, the Buckeyes are first in total defense, third in rush defense and fourth in pass defense. The defensive front has its fingerprints all over all those numbers, and while you've got some special talent on the back end doing a great job like Caleb Downs, Davison Igbinosun, Sonny Styles, Lathan Ransom and more, it's the D-line disrupting things.

This is a terrific group, and you wouldn't really know it reading the Ohio State message boards. Knowles has a championship-caliber unit.

The top Heisman Trophy candidate in the Power Four right now should be Miami transfer quarterback Cam Ward, who finally looks like a finished product after heading over to Coral Gables from Washington State.

Even though this is about ranking positional units, Miami's first-year senior playmaker has transformed its offense and made the Hurricanes a possible ACC title contender and College Football Playoff hopeful.

He belongs on this list on his own merits, and if you want to make this about a group of players, well, fine. Backups Emory Williams and Reese Poffenbarger have completed all but two of their 19 pass attempts for 181 yards and a touchdown.

But, of course, this is about Ward, who has completed 69 percent of his passes for 2,219 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. That turnover number is a little high, but he is throwing it all over the field and making things happen.

Perhaps his rise-to-the-top moment came Saturday night with the Hurricanes' backs against the wall on the road at California. He'd just thrown a pick-six to Nohl Williams, then another Bears touchdown made it 35-10.

Ward went to work producing 277 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter (the most in seven years, according to the Associated Press), to lead Miami back to a 39-38 win.

"When 1 has the ball in his hands, the game is never over," receiver Xavier Restrepo told the AP, referring to Ward. "We have extreme confidence in that guy."

Everybody wanted to write off the Ole Miss Rebels after a stunning home loss to Kentucky a couple of weeks ago, but in the rugged SEC, every week is proving that upsets are going to happen.

The Rebels still have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, as coach Lane Kiffin has built a force through the portal that is capable of winning every week it steps on the field.

Jaxson Dart is the quarterback and the trigger man who makes it all tick, but Ole Miss' receivers are dynamic and explosive. Tre Harris is the biggest playmaker of the bunch, and he is enjoying a terrific season with 52 catches for 885 yards and five touchdowns.

He's not the only weapon, though. Antwane "Juice" Wells Jr. was a major coup from the transfer portal who left South Carolina, and he has found a new home in Oxford with a massive final season. Wells has 17 grabs for 371 yards and four scores, as well.

Throw in the nice supporting roles of Cayden Lee and Jordan Watkins, who both have more than 200 receiving yards so far this year, and you've got a deep, talented corps that can battle any team in the nation.

They probably don't have the star power of an Ohio State or Oregon at the position, but the Rebels just produce and have an elite playmaker in Harris who should be a first-team All-American if he keeps this up.

If you're not hearing too much about an offensive line, that likely means they're doing their job.

That's been the case for the Texas Longhorns. A big, unsung reason why they're the No. 1 team in the nation is the offensive playmakers get the time and protection to make big things happen because the offensive line is so dominant.

Led by elite force Kelvin Banks Jr., who has early-first-round NFL draft pick written all over him, the Longhorns have been a force along the front all season. The Longhorns have allowed just five sacks despite passing the football a lot.

Coach Steve Sarkisian joked that his quarterbacks have had enough time to sit in the pocket "grilling steaks," according to A to Z Sports' Brian Davis.

While the running game isn't quite as potent, it's still strong. Even though Texas doesn't have two of its top three running backs, who are out for the season with injuries, the 'Horns have been able to run the football effectively, too, averaging more than 191 yards on the ground per season.

Against Michigan's vaunted defensive line early in the season, Texas didn't let quarterback Quinn Ewers get sacked once. It's just one milestone in a season full of them for what has been the best O-line unit in the nation.

Cameron Williams' breakout at right tackle has been huge for the team, and alongside guard Cole Hutson, that side of the line has been a steady force blocking for the run game.

All this slide needs to say is "Ashton Jeanty." Then, it's curtains on the rest.

Yes, this exercise is about ranking the top positional units, and so more than one performer isn't quite a necessity, but it's important to prove that there is a stable of guys capable of doing the job. But for the Boise State Broncos, you can't deny Jeanty.

He should be the top guy in the Heisman Trophy rankings right now with 1,031 rushing yards through six games, 16 touchdowns and a 10.9 per-carry average. What he has done so far this year—against terrific competition, no less—is phenomenal. This isn't just some Group of Five "nice little story" beating up on Nobody U.

Jeanty started the season with 267 rushing yards and six touchdowns in a sweaty 56-45 win over a good Georgia Southern team in which the Broncos had to go all the way across the country to play.

Then, when Boise narrowly missed upsetting Oregon, Jeanty added 192 yards and three scores. Against another (sort of) power conference team in Washington State, the junior from Texas added 26 carries for 269 yards and four scores. It's greatness personified.

It doesn't matter who stands in his way, Jeanty shreds. And, oh by the way, he isn't the only Broncs running back making things happen. Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley both have more than 100 rushing yards and are averaging at least 7.8 yards per carry for a vaunted attack.

The Ohio State Buckeyes lost the Biletnikoff Award winner in wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who has taken the NFL by storm as a rookie.

No matter. They replaced him with generational talent Jeremiah Smith, who is perhaps the most sensational pass-catcher in the modern college football era. He is teaming with veteran Emeka Egbuka to form an unstoppable tandem.

Egbuka is an almost-lock to be a first-round pick, and he is a go-to guy, as evidenced by quarterback Will Howard finding him three times for touchdowns in a 35-7 beatdown of Ohio.

But Smith has enjoyed phenomenal moments, too. For the season, the first-year player from Florida has 23 catches for 453 yards and six scores. Egbuka isn't doing too badly in his own right, with 40 catches for 433 yards and five touchdowns.

Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline have an embarrassment of riches at the position, though. Every time they line up, they've got to feel like Scrooge McDuck jumping into a sea of gold coins in the form of Buckeye receivers.

Don't forget about former 5-star Carnell Tate, who has 14 catches for 219 yards and a score, and former 5-star Brandon Inniss is emerging, too.

Ohio State appears to be the top team in the Big Ten this year, and it's largely because of an explosive arsenal of weaponry on the perimeter.

Want to hear the biggest surprise unit of the 2024 college football season? Well, here it is.

If you had the Ole Miss Rebels' defensive line on your bingo card, well, you're the one person in the universe. Really, an argument could be made that the entire front seven is special, and it's just as big of a reason coach Lane Kiffin's team is still a playoff contender despite a loss.

Everybody wants to talk about the explosive offense, but the defense makes things happen, too.

The Rebels lead the nation (by three) with 24 sacks this season, and they are also tops in the country in rush defense, allowing just 63 yards per game. They are all over the place, and teams can't find traction against them.

Kiffin fortified his group in the portal with big-time additions of defensive end Princely Umanmielen (Florida) and Walter Nolen Jr. (Texas A&M), who teamed with another transfer who has been on the team in Jared Ivey (Georgia Tech) to form an awesome unit. J.J. Pegues and Zxavian Harris are line-pushers, too.

Ivey leads the pack with five sacks, and Umanmielen has added 3.5 of his own. When you couple that with the explosive linebacking tandem of Suntarine Perkins and Chris Paul Jr., you've got a group of difference-makers capable of taking over games.

Championship-caliber teams have a next-man-up mentality that trickles through every position.

There simply aren't many teams in the nation that could lose their QB1 and not miss a beat. But the Texas Longhorns already have done that this season and thrived.

Yes, the signal-caller position gets most of the credit in this team sport, but it also receives a lion's share of the blame. You've just got to be good there, and coach Steve Sarkisian's top-ranked 'Horns are great.

When Quinn Ewers missed multiple games with an oblique strain, former top-ranked prospect Arch Manning entered. Not only did he excel, but he has also generated plenty of Heisman Trophy buzz.

Ewers will be back for the Red River Rivalry next week against Oklahoma, but Texas fans still could rest easily even if the opposite were true.

Manning has completed higher than 70 percent of his passes for 901 yards, nine touchdowns and a pair of interceptions while running for 82 more yards and three additional scores. Ewers, meanwhile, completed 73 percent of his passes for 691 yards, eight touchdowns and two picks.

No matter who Sark throws out there, the 'Horns can win you an important football game with the dynamic duo under center.