Georgia has spent a long season re-emphasizing the idea that the college football playoff championship path runs through the Athens playground of UGA, the Bulldog mascot, until further notice.
But TCU’s role in creating a Dawgs-Frawgs matchup on Monday night proved it was possible for a team to go from unranked to fighting for the CFP title, adding excitement to fanbases everywhere. the country heading into the 2023 season.
Things to get excited (or worried about) before and after spring training:
Top 10 of the pre-season
1. Georgia
2.Alabama
3.Michigan
4. Ohio State
5. Southern California
6. Notre Dame
7. State of Florida
8. USL
9. T&Cs
10.Clemson
Best FCS game in South Carolina
The Citadel at SC State, September 23
The most intriguing season openers
1. Colorado at TCU. Deion Sanders’ debut with the Buffaloes; a TCU team capable of another playoff appearance.
2. LSU vs. Florida State in Orlando. Brian Kelly and the Tigers are looking for revenge for a stunning 2022 opener loss at Atlanta, and this time it may be a top-10 game.
3. Tennessee vs. Virginia in Nashville. The Cavaliers called off their final two games of 2022 after three players, including former Woodland High School wide receiver Lavel Davis Jr., were killed in a campus shooting.
4. South Carolina vs. North Carolina in Charlotte. Spencer Rattler vs. Drake Maye is shaping up to be a shootout made for NFL scouts.
5. Florida to Utah. The Gators beat the Pac-12 champions in Gainesville (29-26) to kick off 2022.
SEC leader in passing yards
1. Joe Milton III, or top-notch freshman Nico Yamaleava, or whoever else, head coach Josh Heupel plugs into his Tennessee system.
2. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina. Without MarShawn Lloyd at running back, but with former NFL caller Dowell Loggains looking to take advantage of a big arm, the yards are expected to pile up.
Heisman Finalist
Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams is the heavy favorite to repeat, putting these guys in a race for No. 2:
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
Sam Hartman, QB, Notre Dame
Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
Donovan Edwards, RB, Michigan
Will Shipley, RB, Clemson
Chandler Morris, QB, TCU
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ole Miss
Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State
Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
Bo Nix, QC, Oregon
ACC Championship Game
Clemson vs. Florida State
ACC football architects have dreamed up the annual Tigers-Seminoles drama since Florida State joined the conference three decades ago, and the rivalry has never quite lived up to the big games of 1988 ( The Puntrooski Game) and 1989 (the late Wayne Simmons’ interception return to Tallahassee), before the Seminoles arrived.
More ACC splits and a lot of momentum at Florida State after a 10-3 season.
ACC Coach of the Year
Jeff Brohm, Louisville
SEC Coach of the Year
Hugh Freeze, Auburn
SEC Championship Game
Georgia vs. Alabama
More of the same? Not exactly. LSU was SEC West’s representative in 2022, not Nick Saban Inc.
But while the tide will be back, the tide has turned: Kirby Smart’s ever-expanding talent studio just qualified for back-to-back national title games with a quarterback, and Georgia looks more talented than ever. for 2023.
The coolest non-conference games
1. Ohio State at Notre Dame, Sept. 23. Marcus Freeman’s Gator Bowl champions added former Wake Forest and Oceanside Collegiate quarterback Sam Hartman.
2. Texas at Alabama, Sept. 9. A rematch of Crimson Tide’s 20-19 win at Austin, and with rookie Arch Manning as a quarterback option for the Longhorns.
3. Notre Dame in Clemson, Nov. 4. Does Hartman finally get a win over the Tigers?
4. Texas A&M in Miami, Sept. 9. Both programs really need this one.
5. Clemson in South Carolina, Nov. 25. More exciting than any game in the rivalry since 2014.
Most troubling staff move on South Carolina schedule
(tie) quarterback Devin Leary transferred from NC State to Kentucky; Texas A&M adds Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator.
Most troubling staff move on Clemson schedule
Sam Hartman with theoretically better teammates than he had in any of his five seasons at Wake Forest.
The most ambitious openers for SC teams
Coastal Carolina at UCLA
Wofford to Pittsburgh
Average Cade Klubnik release in 2023
Somewhere between his performances against North Carolina and Tennessee, leaning towards a big advantage.
Hot seats entering
1. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M. How the mighty fell. Mega buyout, but more pressure.
2. Jeff Hafley, Boston College. A 3-9 record with the program’s first-ever loss to UConn should have done it, but they don’t care so much about football at Chestnut Hill.
3. Eli Drinkwitz, Mo. Two straight 6-7 seasons, two straight losses for the Tigers. And yet, they ruined South Carolina’s comeback game.
Honorable mention: Hugh Freeze, Auburn. Because this is Auburn, where the siege is always hot, where the Tigers always seem a win away from glory and a loss away from chaos.
ACC’s toughest non-conference schedule
Pittsburgh: Wofford, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Notre Dame
Toughest SEC non-conference schedule
Florida: in Utah, McNeese, Charlotte, State of Florida
ACC Player of the Year
North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. Again.
SEC Player of the Year
Quinshon Judkins, running back Ole Miss. All he did as a rookie was leading the SEC with 1,567 rushing yards.
CFP Semi-Finals 2023-24
In the final year of the 4-team format…
Rose Bowl: Michigan vs. Alabama
Sucrier: Georgia against Notre-Dame
Follow Gene Sapakoff on Twitter @sapakoff