We are less than 2 weeks away from the start of the greatest time of the year, the college football season. Last season we had a back-to-back National Champion in the Georgia Bulldogs (the new Alabama).

This is the final season before the College Football Playoff (CFP) expands to 12 teams. Before we worry about possible playoff matchups though, we need to make wildly bold predictions on early rankings of these teams and their possible success this coming season. 

THE TOP 10

1. Georgia: 2022 SEC Champion, 2022 Peach Bowl Champion and National Champion

The defending National Champions are primed to make another run for the title. If they can accomplish this feat will be the first team in the AP Era to ever win three straight championships outright. Georgia lost 10 players to the draft this year including first-round picks DT Jalen Carter (Philadelphia), OT Broderick Jones (Pittsburgh) and LB Nolan Smith (Philadelphia). 

They also lost starting QB and back-to-back National Championship Game Offensive MVP, the 25-year-old wonder Stetson Bennett. Even with this turnover, the Bulldogs still are returning immense talent on both sides of the ball including the reigning Mackey Award-winning TE Brock Bowers and returning Defensive MVP of the National Game S Javon Bullard. All while bringing in the #2 overall ranked recruiting class in the country. 

The biggest question mark lies at QB, projected starter is Redshirt Junior Carson Beck who has logged meaningful time as a backup the past two seasons. He will be backed up by a duo of former 4 Star recruits (Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton). (Honestly, the entire QB room has amazing names). If any of them can play close to the level that Bennett did the past two seasons, Georgia will be in good shape to be a contender. 

2. Alabama: 2022 Sugar Bowl Champion

As long as Nick Saban is the coach at Alabama, they are going to be one of the best teams in the country. In what was considered a down year for the Crimson Tide, they still managed to win 11 games and a New Year’s Six Bowl win, in dominant fashion over the Big 12 Champions Kansas St. Similarly to Georgia, the Tide lost 10 players to the NFL Draft including Heisman winning QB Bryce Young and defensive monster LB Will Anderson, going 1st and 3rd overall respectively. 

Also going in the first round was starting RB Jahmyr Gibbs to the Lions at pick #12. Normally, a team losing this much talent at the top spots would cause a drop-off in production. But, Alabama has long been able to turn around talent in a single offseason. They have the #1 ranked recruiting class in the country and return an abundance of starters along the defensive and offensive lines. Sophomore standout NT Jaheim Oatis is sandwiched between two longtime DLs in Senior Tim Smith and RS Senior Justin Eboigbe. 

All three combined have played 91 games for the Crimson Tide and will be a formidable front to go up against. On the offensive line side of things, they are returning 3 starters; LT JC Latham, OC Seth McLaughlin and G Tyler Booker.

Coming in at QB is RS SO Jalen Milroe who saw significant time against Arkansas and Texas A&M when Bryce Young came down with an injury in the middle of the season. Expect him to rely heavily on WR Ja’Corey Brooks as his safety net in the beginning of the season. 

3. Michigan: 2022 Big 10 Champion, lost in CFP semifinal to TCU

Jim Harbaugh has had the Wolverines on a tear the last two seasons with back-to-back Big 10 Titles, CFP appearances and possibly most important of all consecutive blowout wins over rival Ohio State. Last year the Wolverines lost an incredible CFP semifinal against the TCU Horned Frogs 51-45. Michigan fans came out of the game thinking the better team lost (spoiler: if you are the better team you would win). 

Nevertheless, the Michigan Wolverines are a well-put-together team on both sides of the ball. Returning starters in key positions such as QB JJ McCarthy, RB Blake Corum (a surprise that he came back for his senior year) and senior WRs Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson (great old-timey prospector-type name). They lost 9 players to the draft but still remain a fairly intact group and the only team in the top 3 to return their starting QB. 

Their biggest losses in the draft were DL Mazi Smith, Consensus All-American OC Olu Oluwatimi and All-American kicker Jake Moody. They have the #17 recruiting classes in the country and, far below the tier of Georgia and Alabama and actually the third-ranked in the Big 10. This might come back to haunt them in the coming season but the group they have established now is made up of experienced starters and playmakers. The player to look out for is the aforementioned Blake Corum who will be a Heisman candidate once again. 

4. USC: Lost the Pac-12 Championship Game to Utah, Lost Cotton Bowl to Tulane

No one can say that Lincoln Riley’s first season in SoCal was not a roaring success even with the end-of-season hiccups in the Pac-12 Championship Game and the Cotton Bowl. I

n his first season, Riley led the Trojans to their best record since 2017 and helped coach another QB to a Heisman Trophy win (his first at USC and third overall).

Meanwhile, continuing an excellent string of recruiting by bringing in the #7 class in the country highlighted by the #1 WR in the country Zachariah Branch and #5 QB Malachi Nelson, the Trojans are well prepared for the future. Even with the success of the last season, the draft did not deplete USC too much.

The biggest loss was former Biletnikoff Trophy winner Jordan Addison who went in the 1st round to the Vikings. Also, the biggest loss on a subpar defense was Defensive Lineman Tuli Tuipulotu. The defense was extremely suspect most of the season and allowed teams to score 40 or more points on them four times this past season. Six of the projected starters on the defense are all transfers so there is a big question as to if it was a talent issue last season or a scheme problem. If that’s the case USC may struggle against an improving Pac-12. The offensive side of the ball is going to fare much better.

They are returning WRs Mario Williams and Brenden Rice with Heisman winner and All-American QB Caleb Williams (no relation to Mario) back for another season. They helped lead a high-powered offense that ranked 3rd in college for points per game at 41.4. If they repeat this same magic then they will compete for the CFP and be a formidable opponent for anyone. 

5. Ohio State: Lost in CFP semifinal to Georgia

Ryan Day needs to figure out how to get over the hump against Harbaugh and the Wolverines. In 3 head to head games, the edge goes to Harbaugh 2-1, not a great trend after a decade-plus of dominance by OSU. Nevertheless, that’s the last game of the season and for most of the year, they should be in good shape.

They lost key pieces on offense QB CJ Stroud, WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba and OT Paris Johnson all in the first round, with OT Dawand Jones and OC Luke Wypler also being drafted. Star QB and WR be damned, 3 starters on the offensive line should have a serious impact on the Buckeyes. Expect a lot of pressure getting through early on.

A big question mark for the team also lies with starting QB Kyle McCord, a junior who has seen minimal playing time the past two seasons. McCord has very big shoes to fill after the QB run OSU has had recently.

Lucky for him he has the best WR trio in the country returning. Marvin Harrison Jr enters the 2023 season as the best WR in the country. He is flanked by Julian Fleming and Emeka Egbuka, both stars in their own right. The offensive line may struggle but if they can block enough for McCord to get the ball in any of their hands the offense should remain elite.

The defense was very good last year, being ranked 13th in points allowed last year, with returning starters DE JT Tuimoloau, and LBs Tommy Eichenburg and Steele Chambers (elite name). With this and incoming talent, they should remain a force in the Big 10.

6. LSU: Lost the SEC Championship Game to Georgia, 2022 Citrus Bowl Champion

Noted Southern Gentleman Brian Kelly had a fairly successful first season in Baton Rouge, going 10-4 and winning a semi-respectable bowl. I will say in a dominant fashion. The highlight of last season was beating Alabama in OT. The lowlight was losing to a Texas A&M team that did not even go bowling last season. Even with a mixed bag of a season, Kelly still is bringing back a slew of starters as well as the #5 recruiting classes in the country. A talented receiving corps with Kyren Lacy and Malik Nabers and returning QB Jayden Daniels.

On the defensive side of the ball, the absolute force of LB Harold Perkins Jr is returning and should help lead a stout defense in the hellscape that can be the SEC.

One of their biggest tests comes right at the beginning of the season against Florida St at Camping World Stadium as part of a special kickoff. Last season, LSU lost in a heartbreaker 24-23 against FSU before righting the ship for the majority of the season. A win here could help set the tone for the rest of the season in a major way. 

7. Penn St: 2022 Rose Bowl Champion

The final season of Sean Clifford’s run at Penn St can be counted as a great success. Entering last season unranked, the Nittany Lions went 10-2 and won arguably the most prestigious bowl game not affiliated with the CFP. They also finally found their run game again with two true freshman RBs in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen who are both returning and looking primed to carry a lot of the load for sophomore and first-time starter QB Drew Allar, at least early in the season.

The Penn St offense in 2023 has 8 returning starters including the entire offensive line as well as 6 returning starters on defense. On both sides of the ball there is NFL talent with CB Kalen King and OT Olu Fashanu both having 1st round grades before the season even starts. All around it seems as though this will be the best team on paper that Head Coach James Franklin will have had in his 10-year stint. The biggest issue to overcome is the same each season, Ohio St and Michigan.

Last season the only two times that Penn St looked pedestrian on offense and defense was against their Big 10 East opponents, letting up 41 (Mich) and 44 (OSU) points respectively. If Penn St wants to take the next step and get back into the conversation for the CFP, they need to be able to take down these two teams, something that James Franklin has not done in the same season during his time at PSU. Their first real test of the season will be hosting Iowa, Week 4 during primetime. If they make their way through the Hawkeyes then a month later at Ohio St will truly help decide their season. 

8. Washington: 2022 Alamo Bowl Champions

I never would have guessed after watching him play at Indiana that Michael Penix Jr. would be a Heisman candidate and that he would be possibly leading a team to a CFP appearance. Yet entering the 2023 season, here we are. After never touching 2,000 yards in a season, Penix exploded in the Pac-12. He set the single-season passing record for Washington with 4,641 and led them to an 11-2 season.

Now he leads an offense with 7 returning starters including the entire receiving corp. In the final year of the Pac-12 as we know it, there is a high possibility that Washington can run away with it all. If they go undefeated, they have a serious chance to be in the CFP again and for the first time since 2016. A major issue exists however with the defense, being the 58th ranked for points allowed. Major steps will need to be taken if they wish to compete outside the Pac-12. Circle the date November 4th on your calendars for the explosion that will be Wash at USC. The winner of which will probably decide the Pac-12 champion.

9. Clemson: Won the ACC Championship, Lost the Orange Bowl against Tennessee 

After losing Trevor Lawrence to the NFL, Clemson took a bit of a downturn. Thankfully for the fans of the Tigers, their downturn still includes two 10+ win seasons and an ACC Championship. Losing a generational talent at the QB would usually hamper a program. But, Dabo righted the ship with stellar recruiting classes and has brought in what he hopes to be a future stud at QB with Cade Klubnik. Klubnik, a 5-star rated prospect who saw minimal playing time throughout the season before replacing DJ Uiagalelei in the ACC Championship. He got his first career start in the Orange Bowl to less than successful results.

If he can take a step forward, Clemson should be able to continue the elite status they have maintained since Dabo took over. The defense will most likely take a step back after losing 4 starters including two first-round talents in DE Myles Murphy and DT Bryan Bresee. Ideally for Clemson the secondary are all returning starters and RB Will Shipley is coming back after a First Team All-ACC season, which will help ease the load on the new QB. Their first major test of the season will be against the team rounding out the top 10, Florida St. 

10.  Florida St: 2022 Cheez-It Bowl Champion 

The Seminoles are coming off their best season in 6 years and look primed to at a minimum repeat that success. Last year kicked off with a bang for FSU when they won against LSU on a last-second extra point block. This put them on the map and even with a 3-game losing streak in the middle of the season they powered back into the Top 25 and ended the season on a 6-game winning streak. Returning senior QB Jordan Travis is coming off a career season in all passing categories and for the 3rd straight season ran for at least 400 yards and 7 TDs.

If he can stay consistent and even improve then FSU will certainly compete in the ACC. Their defense was ranked 21st in FBS last year, so not terrible but definitely need room for improvement if they want to overcome some of the more stalwart teams in the conference. Also, there remains the possibility that last year was an anomaly and that the Mike Norvell experiment in Tallahassee will be coming to an end sooner than later. Their first test comes in Week 1 against LSU. More likely than not they will need much more than a special teams play to ensure a win over a fellow top 10 team. 

THE REST OF THE TOP 25

11. Utah-back-to-back Pac-12 Champions will still be a dominant force in college football. 
12. North Carolina- Drake Maye is gonna be a Heisman Finalist and most likely a top 5 pick. If the Tar Heels can learn how to finish a season they will be a force in the ACC.
13. Texas- Are they back? In a down year for the Big 12, 100% they are. Keep your eyes on Week 2 vs Bama. 
14. Notre Dame- The second season under Marcus Freeman, with a great transfer QB should make things interesting. 
15. Tennessee- Was last year an anomaly or is Heupel ready to entire an elite level of coaching standard in the SEC? 
16.  Oregon- Where they were once dominant the Pac-12 is quickly becoming loaded and they may be the odd man out at the end of the season. 
17.  Kansas St- Reigning Big 12 Champs, helped to spoil TCUs perfect season last year, will compete in an open conference. 
18. Ole Miss- Lane Kiffin is in a similar boat as Josh Heupel, he has been consistent but can he take the next step to being an elite SEC coach? Still searching for the signature win of his coaching tenure. 
19. TCU- If they had a returning Max Duggan the confidence levels would be higher, but most likely last year was a Cinderella story and they will not compete for long in the Big 12. 
20.  Wisconsin- New Head Coach, new QB, might make the Big 10 West enjoyable to watch. 
21. Tulane- With conference realignment, they don’t seem long for the AAC but expect back-to-back conference titles and New Year’s Six Bowl berths in their future. 
22.  Oregon St- A very fun team that is going down with the sinking ship that is the Pac-12, a very fun team that will compete in most games. 
23.  Oklahoma- Falling off without QB whisperer Lincoln Riley, not ideal before joining the SEC. 
24.  South Carolina- Spencer Rattler found his groove at the end of the season, if he can keep that momentum going they will be an entertaining dark horse in a loaded SEC. 
25. Iowa- Bet the under.