OPINION
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By Peyton Dunn
College football is a sport loved by many. A fascinating mix of passion, talent, and youthfulness leads to an unmatched experience both inside and outside of the stadium. For a fan of any sports league, there is vital importance to the rankings of the collection of teams in this league.
Out of all of the rankings for college football teams, the weekly AP TOP 25 Poll is the most trusted. At the end of each season, there is a final set of rankings released. This is my prediction of that ranking for the 2023 NCAA football season.
Florida State’s Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Photo credit: Patrick Landy via Wikimedia Commons.
Tier One: The College Football Playoff (1-4)
The ultimate goal of any and every team in college football. The most exclusive grouping of the most exclusive teams. Only four can get in; who will they be?
My predicted national champion and number one team is the Florida State Seminoles. I could write a complete article on why this team is the best team in college football. In short, they have one of the best offensive lines in football, a top five quarterback, some of the top receivers in the nation, along with a projected top five pick in the 2024 draft in defensive end Jared Verse.
Next, the Georgia Bulldogs are my projected second best team. The reigning back-to-back champions will fall short of their three-peat, likely in a heartbreaker to the Seminoles. Previous question marks at quarterback have disappeared with a strong season from Carson Beck. But outside of superstar Brock Bowers, uncertainty at the skill positions will hold the Bulldogs back in the long run.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish follow the Bulldogs. With new transfer portal quarterback Sam Hartman, the team will take off this season. Behind First Team All–American tackle Joe Alt, the offensive line proves themselves to be one of the best in the nation. Sophomore cornerback Benjamin Morrison continues to be one of the best players in the country, while Audric Estime continues his run (no pun intended) to prove he is one of the best running backs in college football. Nevertheless, I have them losing to Georgia in the semifinals.
Ohio State directly trails the Fighting Irish. The question surrounding this team is not a question of their talent; they arguably have the most complete roster in all of college football. But as strong as their roster is, their path to the playoffs may be harder than any other team. With a schedule consisting of Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, and whoever they match up against in the BIG Ten championship, having their hands full would be an understatement. The strain of playing rigorous opponent after rigorous opponent piles up over time, and the Buckeyes may not be fully capable of a postseason run.
Photo credit: Darrel K Royal via Flickr.
Tier Two: The remainder of the New Year’s Six Bowls (5-12)
Only twelve teams get the honor of being selected for a New Year’s Six Bowl, and four of the teams are counted towards the college football playoff. This leaves four games and eight teams that get a consolation prize. While not the playoffs, this is still considered a very exclusive group.
Coming in 5th overall are the Texas Longhorns. They started hot with a win over Alabama.but got upset by Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown. Following this is Tennessee, who I think will recover after a loss to Florida and will win out the remainder of their games.
USC and Penn State are next, both which I think will struggle in their conference championship games and lose out on playoff chances. Alabama finds their ground after their loss to Texas early in the season. With a resurging Jalen Milroe, the Tide will get back on their feet. Rounding out the list is Oregon, Washington, and Michigan. These teams are led by some of the best quarterbacks in all of college football, but defenses will hold these teams back in the long term.
Tier Three: Rounding out the top 25 (13-25)
The best way to describe the final 13 teams is as strong football teams. They will have above-average seasons and place themselves among the top squads in the nation. This list begins with Duke and Ole Miss. Two teams who largely outperform their pre-season predictions, they’ll finish with strong records and a great place in their conferences. Moving onto LSU, they’ll perform well, but not well enough to knock off Alabama, who will end up winning the SEC West. Tulane will win the AAC, blowing everyone’s expectations out of the water and finishing as a top 25 team.
Arkansas will struggle in conference play but finish at a strong 8-4, which puts them in the 17th spot. Through all of Colorado’s expectations and excitement surrounding the arrival of Deion Sanders, they will perform well, but not as well as Sanders and Colorado fans hope. The ACC will earn some respect, with Miami, NC State, and Clemson following like three ducks in a row. Kentucky and Oregon State will largely underperform their expectations but still finish in a great place. Texas A&M’s explosive offense does not have enough firepower to make up for their defense, and Wisconsin sneaks in with the final slot in the top 25.
The top 25 is always virtually impossible to predict, but the idea of imagining which teams will develop and which will fall is always a fascinating mind game.
Featured image credit: Flickr.
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