For Deion Sanders, Matt Rhule, and other major conference college football coaches going into their second year, reasonable objectives

In 2024, every power conference college football coach from the previous season—aside from one—is back. The 2023 campaign saw the introduction of new leadership for twelve major schools; Mississippi State was the only program to decide to make an abrupt change, firing Zach Arnett in November. The 11 head coaches who are still in position, notably Deion Sanders of Colorado and Matt Rhule of Nebraska, anticipate more progress in the 2018 campaign.

Even though this spring’s enthusiasm and expectations may be high, it’s critical to set reasonable objectives in order to prevent a significant letdown come fall of the 2024 college football season. With a head coach starting their second year, seven power league clubs have predicted regular-season victory totals that are higher than what

they completed in 2023. Arizona State, Auburn, Cincinnati, Colorado, Nebraska, Purdue, and Stanford are the teams on that list.

Wisconsin, Northwestern, Georgia Tech, Louisville, and Louisville could all take a step backward. What reasonable objectives do these strong league college football coaches have as they begin their second season?

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An in-depth look at what to anticipate from 2024’s power conference college football coaches in their second year is provided below:

DAVID BRAUN, AMERICAN

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David Braun spent a large portion of last year serving as an interim head coach at Northwestern, so technically 2024 marks his first season in that role. The Wildcats’ bowl game appearance surprised a lot of people.

Despite all the distractions caused by the July firing of former head coach Pat Fitzgerald, in 2023. At least Braun knows he has the job for this season, which may translate into comparable outcomes in 2024. For Braun and Northwestern, which returns the majority of its starters from a defense that became better as the season progressed, making it to a bowl game once more is an attainable objective.

Tanford, Troy Taylor

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Troy Taylor’s first season as Stanford’s head coach did not start out well. Nine games were lost by the Cardinal, including one against FCS rival Sacramento State, where Taylor had served as head coach for the previous four years. Setting reasonable objectives for Taylor and Stanford in 2024 is challenging given the conference change.

the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)—that’s right, a California university. Although the Cardinals do have a large number of returning starters on both sides of the ball, they may play up to six teams ranked in the top 25. Although it is not the norm in Palo Alto, Taylor and the Cardinal should think it reasonable to aim for winning four games and possibly pulling off an upset along the road.

SATTERFIELD, SCOTT, Cincinnati

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Moving up to a major league and hiring a new head coach was not a surefire way for Cincinnati to succeed in 2023. This time around, Scott Satterfield and the Bearcats are a little more accustomed, and making a bowl game is a reasonable objective. Cincinnati came in last place in

the Big 12 faced three of the top four teams in the league last year, despite only having one conference victory. The timetable for 2024 is favorable for a great start, but it might be challenging to maintain that pace through November. The Bearcats are still getting used to playing in a power league and the level of competition. Getting a bowling trip would demonstrate the development.

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Last season, Deion Sanders and Colorado shocked the college football world early on before losing eight of their final nine games to face reality. The last-minute setbacks demonstrated the amount of work still needed to raise Boulder’s overall talent level. Not surprisingly, Sanders

attacked the transfer site hard this winter, adding players of higher caliber who might produce better on the field. In 2024, Colorado plans to remain competitive despite returning to the Big 12. In November, the Buffaloes will probably be fighting for bowl eligibility. It’s feasible for Sanders and Colorado to just aim for the postseason.

Kenny Dillingham, the state of Arizona

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Another second-year coach joining the Big 12 is Kenny Dillingham. Last season’s mishandled roster and numerous injuries dealt the young leader at Arizona State a rough hand, but Dillingham is ready for the task. Regretfully, Year 2 in Tempe does not see much improvement in the challenge with one of

the conference’s hardest schedules. The six Big 12 teams with the highest probability to win the conference title are the ones Arizona State plays. For the Sun Devils, making it to a bowl game seems like an impossible ambition; instead, the emphasis should be on improving the team consistently throughout the season and continuing to develop highly anticipated quarterback Jaden Rashada.

PURDU RYAN WALTERS

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The Boilermakers’ decline is best illustrated by their trip from Big Ten West champions in 2022 under Jeff Brohm to division losers in 2023 under Ryan Walters, a first-year coach at Purdue. What reasonable goals should the program aim for by 2024? Not that much better, to be honest. Over 50% of the players who start aregone on both the attack and the defense, which is a good thing considering the transfer portal’s numerous changes. Even though Walters was one of the best assistant coaches in the country and a finalist for the Broyles Award at Illinois the year before, Purdue had severe defensive struggles. Walters and the Boilermakers might reach their goal of four or five victories once more.