Joel Klatt believes Oregon is one of the best teams in college football going into the 2024 season.

Klatt has Oregon at No. 3 in his way-too-early top 10. He has the Ducks ahead of Texas and Alabama, who both just made the College Football Playoff. He has them ahead of Michigan, who just won the CFP National Championship. And he has them ahead of Utah, Notre Dame, and Penn State.

“Best is yet to come for Oregon,” Klatt said. “Look at all the underclassmen that are in the two-deep on defense and on offense — and really good players by the way. … They’ve got talent, and then they dipped into the portal and did a great job in the portal.

“They do have to replace Bo Nix, who started 61 games. And they replaced him with a guy I actually think is perfectly suited for what they do offensively.”

Klatt likened Dillon Gabriel to a point guard. And he said Gabriel is better suited for Oregon’s scheme than he was for Oklahoma’s last season.

Distribute to the playmakers around you and don’t make crucial mistakes. That’s what Oregon asked Nix to do during the 2023 season, and while it led to some opposing fans running with phony narratives about his game online, it also landed Nix in New York City as a Heisman finalist and propelled the Ducks to a New Year’s Six bowl game.

A similar performance in 2024 puts the Ducks in the expanded College Football Playoff.

And, to that end, Klatt was thrilled to see Oregon head coach Dan Lanning immediately and emphatically shoot down rumors that once again linked him to another job. Lanning was initially mentioned for the Alabama job. He turned it into a recruiting positive for the Ducks.

“You can do it at Oregon. You don’t have to go to the SEC. Dan Lanning didn’t have to go to Alabama in order to win at the top end,” Klatt said. “Dan Lanning can win a national championship at Oregon. I’m convinced of it. He’s the right guy to do that.”

Lanning has repeatedly said he believes he has all the necessary tools at his disposal in Eugene. Klatt believes him. With Ohio State and Michigan on the schedule in 2024, it could be a special year.

Klatt has Ohio State at No. 2 in his way-too-early top 10, and he has Georgia at No. 1.

You can watch his full breakdown of the top five teams below: