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TinderForMidgets Ballot for 2023 Preseason

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Aug. 21, 2023, 11:05 p.m.

Rank Team Reason
1 Georgia Bulldogs UGA continues to reload over and over and over again. They lose a ton of talent to the NFL but they continue to have a ton of NFL talent coming in like last year. The Bulldogs have some top recruits vying to replace Heisman finalist Stetson Bennett but are stacked all around. They are the team to beat.
2 USC Trojans The Trojans are arguably the best quarterback in all of college football. They just need to have a defense. Given Lincoln Riley's track record with defense that remains to be seen. However, the Trojans get still put up a ton of points - enough to launch themselves into the college football playoffs.
3 Michigan Wolverines Michigan again looks to win it all despite coming so close so often. There's a lot of uncertainty with the suspension of Jim Harbaugh. However, it is against much less talented teams such as East Carolina, UNLV, and Bowling Green. I'm sure they can weather the storm.
4 Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State is also stacked with plenty of talent but is trying to replace CJ Stroud. Marvin Harrison Jr. is elite and should put up plenty of points no matter who is in charge. They have a lot of potential but I rank them behind other elite powers because they still have a lot of question marks at the most important position in football.
5 Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama has questions at the QB position. Despite having a much heralded QB room, no one truly has significant experience. This does not bode well for playing in front of some hostile and tough crowds in the SEC. Nick Saban is the finest college football coach thus far but a coach can only go as far as their players. Because of the uncertainty at the most important position in all of football, I cautiously place Alabama behind some similarly talented teams that have more certainty at the quarterback position.
6 Tennessee Volunteers The Volunteers lose Hendon Hooker but get an experienced transfer in Joe Milton. Perhaps the change of scenary will do him wonders. The Volunteers are talented and at least have relative stability at the most important position in all of football. The ranking could be lower but Tennessee has been recruiting well perhaps they'll see some on that recruiting impact on-field results.
7 Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the other powerhouse in the Pac-12. They've been consistently dominant in recent memory. Their offensive line is elite allowing one of the best QBs in the Pac-12 to pick apart talented defenses. Their receiving group could step up and deliver. However, the secondary remains an area of concern.
8 Clemson Tigers Clemson is a modern day powerhouse but still have many weaknesses. While their running game is excellent with the dynamic duo of Will Shipley and Phil Mafah, their offensive line remains a concern. Quarterback play from Cade Klubnik is positive. The secondary struggles mightily in 2022 and is a massive question mark if the Clemson Tigers hope to win it all once again.
9 Penn State Nittany Lions DC Manny Diaz can coach an already decent defense but the offense needs prove itself. There has been a ton of upheaval at the QB position. The team’s top two wide receivers — Parker Washington and Mitch Tinsley — and top tight end Brenton Strange have moved onto the NFL. Rising sophomore RBs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen could establish themselves after having excellent freshman seasons.
10 LSU Tigers LSU has a proven roster on their team. They could very well take the next step this season provided their secondary holds up. DBU's speciality is underrated but has the potential to outperform expecatations.
11 Florida State Seminoles Florida State has the potential to be a double digit win team but can the injury-prone Seminoles compete with the powerhouses in college football? QB Jordan Travis is a huge positive for Florida State has he been very productive last season with 32 touchdowns in and only five interceptions and should help them win a fair amount of games.
12 Utah Utes Kyle Whittingham always finds a way to outperform expectations. Cam Rising currently is out for an ACL tear so this hurts their chances though most likely temporarily. They are still a good team with all the talent and excellent coaching.
13 Washington Huskies Kalen DeBoer is an elite coach and he certainly showcased it in his first season. Can he overcome the much dreaded sophomore slump? Who knows but Washington is a deeply talented team that can make waves nationally. They are big threats to win the conference especially with Penix coming back but perhaps do not have the talent to compete for a national championship...at least not yet. I'm not sure if they're definitely going to win the conference and can go toe-to-toe against the top playoff teams.
14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Last season was rough but Notre Dame has a strong core of players in their offensive line and running backs. However, the Fighting Irish have a young inexperienced coach that struggled last season and questions marks at the quarterback position. Notre Dame could very well rise above this ranking but it's unlikely that they will be national championship contenders this season. Expected the storied program to make some noise but not national championship noise.
15 North Carolina Tar Heels Defense is the greatest weakness for this ACC program. If they can correct it, then they may very well enter into the upper echelons of elite teams. Their offensive is excellent and Drake Maye occasionally looked like one of the best players in college football. However, as the old saying goes - "Defense wins championships".
16 Texas Longhorns If Quinn Ewers has improved, you can certainly expect Texas to make some noise. Ewers has a big arm but needs to improve on his deep passes. The defense needs to be more clutch on third and fourth downs. However, Texas has a ton of talent and can at least be an above average P5 team.
17 TCU Horned Frogs TCU has a lot of problems. They have lost a ton of offensive talent, QB Max Duggan, WR Quentin Johnston, RB Kendre Miller, and RB Emari Demercade are gone. Their defense needs to take a leap. Even then, the Longhorns can be a reasonably decent team if their defense improves and their offense reloads. They have a lot of potential but also a lot of question marks.
18 Oregon State Beavers The Oregon State Beavers are a program rising from the ashes. QB is a huge question mark. D.J. Uiagalelei struggled at Clemson but might find his footing at Oregon State. Fortunately, Oregon State returns their top three rushers and decent receiving options. With decent offensive talent and a capable defense, Oregon State has the potential to be a good team in college football though they may not be at the point where they can dominate the Pac-12. However, a lot could change depending on how D.J. Uiagalelei pans out.
19 Texas A&M Aggies They return a lot of starters and could be a decent team but not elite. They do lack the depth necessary to compete for championships. I think it's reasonable to consider Texas A&M good but not great.
20 Kansas State Wildcats The Wildcats have a lot of momentum however they need to replace a ton of talent. They could very well shock a lot of people in 2023.
21 Tulane Green Wave A preseason conference favorite, Tulane is expected to do well this season. They might lose Tyjae Spears to the NFL but return experienced QB Michael Pratt and a talented offensive line. They also need to replace key contributors at defense but still have talent. It's going to be hard to see Tulane repeat last year's unprecedented success but they still have a strong enough group for this team to win the conference.
22 Wisconsin Badgers Though Wisconsin struggled last season, they made a splash hire in Luke Fickell. A lot of talent arrived through the transfer portal adding to an already talented team but there are question marks about the system and first-year head coaches tend to go through a lot of growing pains even if they led national championship contending teams (i.e. Saban's first year at Alabama). This team has a lot of question marks but also a lot of potential.
23 Ole Miss Rebels Quinshon Judkins may emerge as one of the best running backs in the nation after a breakout year. There's a lot of questions on the defense which makes this ranking hard to evaluate but there are plenty of upperclassmen to add depth. There aren't many superstars but Ole Miss can truly be a decent team even if they aren't elite.
24 UTSA Roadrunners They welcome back nine starters on offense including a quarterback who is arguably the greatest UTSA player in history. The roadrunners will see a new face take over as offensive coordinator which may have some growing pains. The defense does return seven starters of a good defense. UTSA is overall a good team and has the potential to win their conference and make some noise.
25 UCLA Bruins UCLA is replacing a longtime starter in Dorian Thompson-Robinson but have plenty of talent in the QB room with highly rated freshman Dante Moore and experienced transfer Collin Schlee. PFF graded Schlee as the second overall quarterback in the MAC last year. The Bruins lost a bruising and dominant runner in Zach Charbonnet and may struggle to do so. Despite losing their two top recieivers, they add the talented J. Michael Sturdivant from Cal and Kyle Ford from USC. The defense is struggling but has tried to reload through the transfer portal. The defense now loses three starters in the secondary, but it returns most of that formidable edge rushing group. The Bruins also brought in four defensive transfers in hopes of taking the defense to the next level. There is a lot of turnover but the roster still has talented to be a good to above average P5 team.

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