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bretticus33 Ballot for 2023 Preseason

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Aug. 5, 2023, 4:42 a.m.

Rank Team Reason
1 Georgia Bulldogs There’s a legit chance Georgia could 3-peat as CFP champions. For the second straight offseason a lot of talent was lost, but once again, thanks to outstanding recruiting, Georgia should be just fine. The schedule doesn’t test Georgia for most of the season, so anything less than a SEC championship appearance and a CFP appearance is a failure. While the attention will be on the new QB starting for Georgia, whether it’s Carson Beck or Brock Vandagriff or Gunner Stockton, the biggest concern to me is how the offense does with Mike Bobo calling plays. The last time we saw him in a coaching role was his CSU tenure that did not go well.
2 Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State will be trotting out a new QB, but with a solid OL, a strong RB room, and the best WR group in FBS, whomever starts will have more than enough support. The problem is neither Kyle McCord or Devin Brown clearly pulled ahead in spring. The defense was better in 2022, but needs to improve in the big games in 2023 after failures against Michigan and Georgia. The talent is all over the field though.
3 Michigan Wolverines Jim Harbaugh has Michigan near the top of the FBS world and there’s no reason to think it’ll be different in 2023. 15 starters returning means Michigan will again be the favorite to win the Big 10 but the goal isn’t just to win the Big 10 but actually play a title game. That only happens if JJ McCarthy steps up to be more of an offensive leader. He was good last season, but good won’t be enough. Regardless, look for Michigan to be one of the nation’s best teams again.
4 LSU Tigers It was rocky, but Brian Kelly’s first season at LSU was a success. They won the SEC West and won 10 games but even bigger things will be expected in 2023. It starts with QB Jayden Daniels who was stellar in 2022 and is my pick to win the Heisman this season. Harold Perkins has potential to be the top defensive player in FBS but will have to avoid a sophomore slump. The pieces are there for LSU to make a playoff push.
5 Washington Huskies Perhaps nobody has a better offense in FBS than Washington. QB Michael Penix Jr is a preseason Heisman contender and he has some great weapons around him. They scored 39.7 PPG in 2022 and I would be surprised if they’re under 40 in 2023. The defense improved as last season went on and pieces were picked up to help shore up some weak points. However will it be enough for Washington to win the final PAC-12 title?
6 Alabama Crimson Tide It feels weird to have Alabama down this low, but this feels like the weakest team Alabama’s fielded in a long time. Even then, their weakest team is still 6th which shows how good they’ve been. I have a feeling this version of Alabama will be more reminiscint of the early Nick Saban teams where the defense won the day and the offense wasn’t expected to put up 35+ routinely. Defensively they should be better in 2023 with new 5 stars stepping into starting roles and Kevin Steele leading them as DC. The offense looks like a potential problem. It still has enough talent to win games, but the skill positions are lacking and the QB battle is less than inspiring.
7 Penn State Nittany Lions 2023 should be the season where Penn State finally gets over that hump. James Franklin has done a great job reviving Penn State, but hasn’t been able to get over the Ohio State/Michigan hump for a number of seasons now. The defense returns a lot of production despite losing a few players to the NFL. The offense will depend a lot on potential superstar QB Drew Allar stepping up and delivering the QB play Penn State has been desperately missing. Nick Singleton will prove himself as one of the best, if not the best, RB in FBS this season.
8 USC Trojans USC has all the talent in the world on offense with the best returning player and defending Heisman winner Caleb Williams returning for likely his last college season. 2022 was mostly a success under Lincoln Riley in his first season, but the ending spoiled it and showed the weaknesses in USC, mainly their defense. Riley opted against firing DC Alex Grinch, but Riley also has yet to field a championship level defense and it cost USC the PAC-12 championship and the Cotton Bowl in embarrassing fashion. It shouldn’t be a surprise if USC starts off 6-0 because their schedule is backloaded, so USC will have the opportunity to shoot up the rankings or plummet.
9 Clemson Tigers Clemson feels like a team that’s being slept on a bit, but with good reason. Their defense is still very good but Clemson’s offense has seriously struggled. Dabo Swinney showed a willingness to make the necessary changes in firing Brandon Streeter and hiring Garrett Riley away from TCU. QB Cade Klubnik takes the starting reigns but has to show improvement from last season, and what might make it difficult is limited talent in skill positions outside of Will Shipley. The defense has to rebuild up front but they’re strong all over on that side of the field.
10 Florida State Seminoles Florida State is getting a lot of love and hype as ACC favorites and potential CFP dark horses and it’s easy to see why. A lot of starters and key players are returning. QB Jordan Travis has Heisman attention and DE Jared Verse decide to pass on the NFL to return for 2023. However, I’m not quite as high on Florida State. They lost 3 straight against the other best teams in the ACC last season and struggled against disappointing Florida and Oklahoma teams to end the season. Florida State has to convince me that they can beat the other ACC elites and not struggle as much against teams they should be blowing out.
11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Last season did not start off well for Notre Dame, going 2-3 including home losses to Marshall and Stanford. However, they turned it around and ended the season 9-4. Notre Dame made the biggest splash in the transfer season by landing Sam Hartman to play QB for the Gold instead of Wake Forest, and he should be a major upgrade at the position. Defensively, there’s a lot of continuity and Year 2 in Al Golden’s system should reap rewards.
12 Tennessee Volunteers Tennessee was a surprise team in 2022 and they return a lot of players and production from that season. The most notable change will be at QB where Joe Milton takes the reigns. He lit up the Orange Bowl against Clemson, where he showed off his physical skills. If he can find more consistency and develop the mental side of the position more, which he can with Josh Heupel, then Tennessee should be pushing for a NY6 bowl again.
13 Texas Longhorns It’s annual tradition to say Texas is back in August, but this time feels a little different. This feels like the most complete team Texas has fielded in years and it’s one with a lot of returning talent and production. QB Quinn Ewers showed his talent in spurts last season but injury battles made it tough for that to be consistent. Replacing Bijan Robinson won’t be easy but it is doable. The biggest question for Texas is if they can finally break through and be the top team they’re supposed to be. Steve Sarkisian has never been able to break through as a HC and Texas has made it a habit to be wildly inconsistent with their performances over the years. In their last season in the Big 12, Texas is one of the favorites for the conference title.
14 Utah Utes Utah is now a regular player in the PAC, but only for one more season. Utah OC Andy Ludwig turned down Notre Dame to stay a Ute and given the returns in the OL and RB rooms, his rushing attack should still be very good. Defensively, it should be more of the same with a defense that’s very tough to move and score on. The biggest question for Utah is the health of QB Cam Rising, who tore his ACL in the Rose Bowl.
15 Oregon State Beavers Oregon State finally gets good again and the PAC dissolves around them. It took 5 years, but Jonathan Smith finally has OSU revving and he made a splash in getting DJU from Clemson to take over as QB. He’ll have a lot of support from a stellar ground game and the hope is he can be his best self again by getting away from Clemson. Defensively there’s holes in the front that could be concerning.
16 Oregon Ducks Oregon in year 1 of Dan Lanning was a success, going up to 8-1 before stumbling to end the season. Bo Nix will be a Heisman contender and gets a lot of his toys back, including a couple new ones, but his OL will be brand new. Defensively Oregon has their work cut out for them but there aren’t many defensive minds better than Dan Lanning, so I’d trust he gets that unit to improve. The change in OC will be a major question with Kenny Dillingham using last season’s success to get the HC job at Arizona State, and UTSA OC Will Stein getting the opportunity to show his chops.
17 Ole Miss Rebels Ole Miss unraveled last season, falling from 7-0 to 8-5. Lane Kiffin again hit the transfer portal hard to add depth and fill holes. Defensively I have concerns with Pete Golding at DC, who did not impress me in his Alabama tenure and now he’s getting less talent and fewer NFL-caliber players to coach. It may depend on the offense to carry the season. QB is a point of contention with 3 guys contending for the starting spot, but having Quinshon Judkins will help a lot.
18 Kansas State Wildcats KSU has some big shoes to fill with Deuce Vaughn in the NFL now. He was a huge part of the offense, but DJ Giddens is capable of an expanded role in the offense. Will Howard and most of the OL returning provides much needed experience. Defensively I have some questions. A lot of key players left and there’s a lot of new starters filling in. They’ll be tested in an explosive Big 12.
19 UTSA Roadrunners UTSA is now in the AAC and I think they’re the front runner for the G5’s NY6 spot. Why UTSA over Tulane? Mainly because they’ve been really good for the last 2 or 3 seasons. Jeff Traylor has turned UTSA around and Frank Harris is the best QB that isn’t playing P5 football, despite the P5’s best efforts to lure him away. UTSA will get some OOC opportunities to show their chops with road games at Houston and at Tennessee. Get a win or two there and UTSA will be the clear favorite.
20 TCU Horned Frogs TCU is losing so much production from 2022 that I considered not having them here at all. Their star QB, RB, and WR are all getting replaced among others on the offense, and the defense might not be good enough to keep them in games. However I have trust in Sonny Dykes to keep TCU above water and although I don’t like Kendal Briles, he is a good offensive mind but replacing Garrett Riley won’t be easy. I think TCU will be good, but nowhere near 2022 good.
21 Oklahoma Sooners It’s weird to have Oklahoma down here but it’s warranted. Brent Venables’ first season was nowhere near a success. The offense was inconsistent, partially thanks to injuries to QB, but more surprisingly the defense was awful. Dillon Gabriel is coming into 2023 healthy and 7 starters return for the Sooner defense. Oklahoma better hope another year learning Venables’ defense and Jeff Lebby’s offense will yield results or else Oklahoma might be looking for a new HC as they exit the Big 12 and enter the SEC.
22 North Carolina Tar Heels UNC’s spot is dependent on two things: first is the continued excellent play of Drake Maye who turned into a star his first season. He’s already getting first round love from the NFL and will be eligible after the 2023 season. The second stipulation is better defense. They were awful last season, especially towards the end of the season where UNC lost 4 straight after starting off 9-1. Drake Maye may not be enough to carry UNC by himself if the defense can’t stop anyone again.
23 South Carolina Gamecocks Shane Beamer is turning out to be a great coach for South Carolina. He got South Carolina to 8 wins including a blowout of Tennessee and a road win over Clemson to end the season before narrowly losing to Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl. Spencer Rattler looked improved in 2022 and returns in 2023, but one of the questions will be if he can cut down on the turnovers. The biggest overall question is the turnover, where only 4 starters on each side of the ball return and the trenches need a rebuild.
24 Tulane Green Wave Tulane’s 2022 came out of nowhere and might be the best in program history. But can they live up to the hype this time? A turnaround of 2-10 to 12-2 with an AAC title and Cotton Bowl win was such a huge swing that it’s fair to question if that season was a bit flukey. They return Michael Pratt under center but Tyjae Spears leaving is a huge hole in the offense. Defensively, Tulane returns just 3 starters so I have concerns about their defense. The offense and Michael Pratt could make or break Tulane’s encore season.
25 Texas Tech Red Raiders Texas Tech ended last season on a tear to finish 8-5 but the pieces could be there for a bigger season. However that hinges on numerous factors. The trenches need a rebuild on both sides of the ball. Tyler Shough can be a star QB and went 5-0 as a starter last season, but hasn’t stayed healthy. The defense has to replace Tyree Wilson. The defense overall has to improve as a unit. Texas Tech could be a dark horse for the Big 12 title and a NY6 bowl, but things have to come together this season for them.

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