College Football Biggest Dark Horses In Each Power 4 Conference Next Season

As OU sprints into the 2024 college football season on Aug. 24, some teams are primed for a radically different season per Power 4 conference. These teams are not the well-known programs that dominate the college football scene but the quietly strong the ones that will sneak up and surprise the world this coming fall.

In each of the Power 4 conferences this fall, we present the single biggest long shot candidate.

ACC: NC State Wolfpack

The NC State Wolfpack will enter the game with an idea having a relatively good 2023 season that garnered the program records of 9-4 overall, 6-2 in the ACC and being ranked No. 21 at the end of the season in the AP poll. The program also did well in finishing up the season with a six out of last six wins, defeating teams like the Clemson Tigers and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

In his 12th season with the Wolfpack, head coach Dave Doeren has worked to make the team a contender with teams in the ACC conference.

Such an effort has been visible through the transfer portal of the players such as quarterback Grayson McCall, running backs Jordan Waters and Hollywood Smothers, wide receivers Noah Rogers and Wesley Grimes and the tight end, Justin Joly for organizing the much-needed offense.

Defensively, the Wolfpack concluded the last season as the No. 24 average scoring defense across the United States and No. 3 in The ACC. NC state ought to enhance its defensive figures in the coming season since it retains majority of the defensive players who could have dumped the college for NFL football.

The Wolfpack also has a somewhat friendly conference beforehand, with the Sept. 21 game against Clemson being their toughest projected opponent. The Wolfpack’s schedule means that this program could make noise and achieve the program or department’s first ever ACC Championship and a possible bid to the Championship game.

Big 12: Kansas Jayhawks

KU has finally looked like it is coming off the dead that was their decade long slumber in the 2010’s, to be a real contender for conference championship.

While the Kansas program has grown noticeably last season, the team was 9-4, including 5-4 in the Big 12. Included in this were a rejuvenated offence informed by a sensational cut from the quarterback Jason Bean, running back Devin Neal, and wide receiver Lawrence Arnold. This performance helped catapult the program to the No. 17 overall in average scoring offense at the end on the year last fall.

The architect of the Jayhawks’ new fortunes is Lance Leipold the head coach who took the charge of the team before the start of the 2021 season. Leipold has a terrific track record of taking programs to elite status from Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater and then at Division I Buffalo Bulls, where he has won six Division III national titles and has records of 146-39 altogether.

Some of the top entrances in the Jayhawks’ transfer portal were, EDGE Bai Jobe, interior offensive linemen Bryce Foster, and Amir Herring, and wide Bryce Cohoon.

The newcomers of the offence will without doubt be embraced by dynamic quarterback Jalon Daniels who failed most of the previous season due to a herniated disk. The 2024 season will be the last season for the star quarterback which is why, maintaining his health is going to be crucial for the Jayhawks.

On the schedule front the Jawhawks have a fairly light Big 12 Conference schedule as the do not play favorites Utah or Oklahoma State this fall. The greatest test for Kansas will be when it goes out to play its flower rival Kansas State on October 26.

Something must be noted that the Jawhawks will not be performing their home matches from David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium this fall because of its massive renovation process. However, it agreed on playing out its conference home games within Kansas City’s GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

The 2024 Kansas team has the makings of contender for the conference crown but the fact remains that in order for such a team to contend, it must have the kinder of turning in a healthy offense coupled with sturdy defense in every game.

SEC: Tennessee Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers are coming from the previous season whereby they produced a 9–4 (4–4 SEC) record, which was a bit of a let-off from the previous year. Although the program did manage to air the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl featuring a dominant 35-0 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes, three of its four losses were to the best conference in college football SEC teams that could made a difference on the season.

Entering to his fourth year the Volunteers’ head coach is Josh Heupel, and during this off-season, they acquired quite a number of talented players through the transfer portal. Leading the transfer haul is the big twelve network’s choice for the top new attacking tackle Lance heard, tight end Holden Staes, wide receiver Chris Brazzell II and corner back Jermod McCoy.

On the offense side, the Vols will have sophomore Nico Iamaleava starting as the quarterback comes this fall. Iamaleava’s starting first string running backs will be Dylan Sampson, with Cameron Seldon and Khalifa Keith as second string running backs.

For the Vols’ receiving corps, the key players will be Bru McCoy, Squirrel White & transfer Chris Brazzell II, while youngsters like Nathan Leacock can make noise.

The Volunteers’ greatest asset will likely be the team’s line, including an acquisition of transfer Lance Heard, and the team’s defensive line last year was exceptional. Offense is rich with talent in this conference and the key to the championship will be decided in the battles in the trenches.

The Vols’ game list comprises a middle quantity of conference games against top-tiered national teams and approximately average to lesser teams. Tennessee’s main test will be its highly anticipated game of November 16th against the number-one picked Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.

Tennessee could easily be considered to be a dark horse in the SEC if the offense can recapture the form it showed in 2022, and the team gets a strong showing from the defense all year.