With the 2023 College Football season officially underway, it becomes time to preview the season. From the National Championship contenders to sleeper teams who could come out of nowhere and end with interesting storylines, this year is gonna be a good one.
Starting of course with the Georgia Bulldogs. The back-to-back National Champions open as favorites to three-peat in 2023. They lost starting quarterback Stetson Bennett to the NFL Draft, but other than that, the roster will remain the same. They still have one of the best defenses in the country, which has propelled them to their championships in 2021 and 2022.
Coming in behind them at No. 2 are the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan coming off a second straight win against Ohio State, but also a second straight playoff loss, this time at the hands of TCU, the Wolverines will look to get over the hump and punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, which is a very realistic possibility, as they return most of the team that saw then finish No. 3 in last years final rankings.
However, they will have to watch out for their biggest rival, No. 3 Ohio State. The Buckeyes will have a similar team to 2022, but they have to replace their starting quarterback and one of the best players in the country over the last two years, CJ Stroud. The fight for quarterback has been a dramatic battle between the Ohio State program with Kyle McCord and Devin Brown both fighting for it. However, the Buckeyes should be back in playoff contention, as they still have the best wide receiving room in the country, possibly the best overall player Marvin Harrison Jr., and he is complimented by Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming.
Just below them are the Alabama Crimson Tide. Similar to a lot of other teams, Alabama lost their fantastic quarterback Bryce Young this offseason and will have to replace him, with a difficult Southeastern Conference schedule, it will be tough for Alabama again this year, but as long as they have Nick Saban at head coach, they will always be a contender.
Rounding out of the top five is LSU, looking to recapture their dominance from just a few years ago. They have a chance to put the country on notice in Week One as they play No. 8 Florida State right away and give themselves a big boost of confidence, which could transfer over for the rest of the year, and give the Tigers a great chance at the Playoffs.
Besides the obvious contenders, some other teams that are in the running and could make a run include Penn State, Texas, Tennessee, Notre Dame and a lot of others. Last year it was TCU that came out of nowhere and made it all the way to the National Championship Game. They didn’t win, but it was a great building block season. In 2021 it was Michigan, who became the No. 2 Seed in the CFP.
One of the biggest teams that a lot of people see becoming last year’s TCU is Colorado. Colorado hired former Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders, who went 12-1 W last season, and he drew in a lot of recruits. Several five stars, including Travis Hunter, former No. 1 overall recruit, followed Sanders to Colorado. Ironically have a Week One matchup with TCU, and it will be a chance to show the college football world what they can do.
Another team that could have a great 2023 after a terrible 2022 is Texas A&M. The Aggies started last year as the No. 6 ranked team in the country but ended up going 5-7 L, with big losses to teams of the likes of Appalachian State and Florida. Texas A&M has the best recruiting class of all time in 2022 according to 247 Sports, signing eight five-stars and 20 four-stars, which would leave those players in prime position to show their dominance this season.
With the threat of a Georgia three-peat looming over the college football world, Deion Sanders trying to turn around Colorado from one of the worst teams to one of the best, and many other captivating storylines, the 2023 CFB season is going to be a legendary one, fans need to savor it while they can. Because of the changes coming in 2024, this year will be the last of its kind.
