Summer is winding down which means the leaves are changing, the temperatures are dropping and the greatest sport in the world is almost back. After seven months where college football fans were preoccupied with major changes being announced seemingly every five minutes, we finally get back to actual football.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m as intrigued about the future of the sport as the rest of you, however I am looking forward to talking about the sport itself as opposed to conference realignment, TV contracts, and NIL.
With the regular season officially kicking off this Saturday, the time has come for me to unveil my inaugural top 25 rankings for the 2023 season. My rankings pick up right where they left off in January with the two-time reigning champs sitting atop my ballot.
I put a lot of thought into where I place each team in these rankings, however it didn’t take me a millisecond to decide who would lead off my preseason poll.
Georgia is rightfully the consensus number one after winning a second straight Natty by a margin that resembles what I used to do to FCS Southeast in NCAA 14. The Dawgs enter 2023 with very few question marks as opposed to last year.
The defensive and offensive line are still the envy of the nation and UGA boasts one of the deepest sets of skill players in America. There is turnover at offensive coordinator and quarterback, however both Mike Bobo and Carson Beck are familiar with their surroundings and should keep the offense rolling.
The million dollar question is who is Georgia’s biggest threat to an unprecedented three-peat? The Bulldogs’ regular season schedule is infamously soft (on paper at least), so there is a very real chance they aren’t truly challenged until postseason play.
Both Alabama and LSU would give them a run for their money in Atlanta. Despite many (foolishly I may add) doubting Nick Saban and the Tide, they still have an elite defense and ground game that will be able to bully their competition on a weekly basis.
Quarterback and receiver are major question marks but both position groups have plenty of talent. If said talent is realized, Bama will make a lot of people look dumb for questioning them,
As for the team that ran up on Georgia in the SEC title game last season, LSU brings back a loaded squad for Brian Kelly’s second go around. Jayden Daniels leads a potent offense and they return the best defensive player in college football, Harold Perkins.
Should LSU repeat as West champs, they will be much more than a speed bump for Georgia in a potential rematch.
The SEC isn’t the only conference that has a trio of legit championship contenders, their northern counterpart in the Big Ten has a few elite teams themselves.
This time two years ago there was serious talk about Jim Harbaugh being on the hot seat. Two wins over Ohio State and a pair of CFP appearances later and those discussions are now laughed at by Michigan fans.
This year’s bunch may very well be Harbaugh’s best to date with emerging QB J.J. McCarthy returning for a second season under center. Combine an improved McCarthy with the best running back tandem in the FBS and you have a team poised to take the next step. While Michigan has thrived as of late, they have yet to win a playoff game.
Michigan’s success has come at the expense of Ohio State who previously lapped the conference year in and year out. The Buckeyes have the most talent rich roster in the Big Ten as is usually the case, however they have a void to fill at the most important position.After coming agonizingly close to winning it all on New Year’s Eve, the Buckeyes are still figuring out who is going to lead the offense after the departure of CJ Stroud. Kyle McCord and Devin Brown have battled throughout the offseason and Ryan Day hasn’t publicly committed to either signal caller.
Whoever wins the job will have a WR core better than some NFL teams to throw to. Marvin Harrison Jr.and Emeka Egbuka headline an embarrassment of riches in Columbus that can run up the score on any defense they may face.
While everyone’s attention in the Big Ten is turned to “The Game”, the winner of the conference may not be either of the participants. Penn State quietly went 11-2 en route to a Rose Bowl win in 2022; their only blemishes were losses to Michigan and Ohio State.
While Penn State has fallen victim to a ridiculously unbalanced division structure(that will thankfully be going away in 2024), they have the ability to overcome that in 2023.
The Nittany Lions have arguably the best defense in the conference along with a great RB room and offensive line. You might say that Penn State had those last year and weren’t on the Wolverines’ or Buckeyes’ level, however they didn’t have Drew Allar.
Allar was a top QB prospect from the 2022 cycle that saw action sparingly as a true freshman. If Allar is as good as advertised Penn State will reach a gear they haven’t in the James Franklin era.
The Nittany Lions’ other ten games are relatively easy, so if they can just split with Ohio State and Michigan that could be enough to make their first College Football Playoff appearance.
While the SEC and Big Ten will be the best conferences this fall, the most interesting will without a doubt be the Pac-12 for a multitude of reasons.
The Pac-12 is the only power five conference where I am fully convinced that half of the teams have a real shot to win. This abundance of parity may not be good for playoff hopes(the conference hasn’t made the CFP since 2016), but it makes for great entertainment.
USC are the favorites with reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams back to lead one of the best offenses in college football. The question still lies: can USC be good enough defensively to make a run at the playoff and possibly further?
If USC can’t get its defense right in year two under Lincoln Riley, there are plenty of other programs out west that could capitalize.
Oregon and Washington also have head coaches entering their second season and like USC, won double digit games in 2022. Both also return elite quarterbacks in Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. The Ducks and the Huskies are the only Pac-12 teams to crack the CFP, and I could see either doing so once again.
I haven’t even mentioned the team that won the conference each of the last two seasons. Utah has quietly been one of the most consistent programs in America under Kyle Whittingham, and they should be in the thick of it once again.
UCLA is a dark horse with true freshman QB Dante Moore and Oregon State could play spoiler for all the big brands and take the conference for themself.
This is likely the last season where we will have a major conference representing the western portion of the country. Regionality makes this sport unique compared to professional leagues and its unfortunate that we are losing that after this fall.
I personally would find it poetic if Oregon State won the Pac-12 as they are the only contender that hasn’t announced plans to leave for either the Big Ten or Big 12.
The Pac’s last dance should be a memorable one, and hopefully major college football can exist in some capacity out west in 2024 and beyond.
I have alluded to the sport changing drastically for a couple of years now but the final season of college football as we know it has arrived.
While I will always be invested in the sport and hope the changes don’t hurt the product, the sport won’t look the same in a few months.
Super conferences will certainly take some adjusting to as the portal and NIL did(and still do). But I am confident the sport will still thrive even if I’m not fond of all the moves being made.
My advice would be to enjoy this season because it will go by quickly. I know I won’t miss an SEC on CBS game this fall since it’s the last chance I will be able to hear the best theme song in sports with the best conference.
Chris’ college football Top 25 rankings:
1. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Michigan Wolverines
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
5. LSU Tigers
6. Penn State Nittany Lions
7. Florida State Seminoles
8. USC Trojans
9. Texas Longhorns
10. Clemson Tigers
11. Tennessee Volunteers
12. Washington Huskies
13. Oregon Ducks
14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
15. Kansas State Wildcats
16. Oregon State Beavers
17. Utah Utes
18. Texas A&M Aggies
19. Kentucky Wildcats
20. Oklahoma Sooners
21. Texas Tech Red Raiders
22. Wisconsin Badgers
23. Ole Miss Rebels
24. TCU Horned Frogs
25. Tulane Green Wave