Biggest Questions with a Month Until the 2023 College Football Season
Ready or not, August has arrived. And soon enough, the 2023 college football season will be kicking off.
Seven long months of the offseason have included a whole lot of research. By this point, most projections about the upcoming campaign are ready to be shared. But every prediction comes with questions.
No matter how prepared you or I might feel, several topics were not—or simply could not—be answered in the offseason.
The topics are subjective and largely target on-field storylines for the 2023 season, although the future of the Pac-12, in various ways, demands a spot in the headlines.
Anything Else, Pac-12?
Lots of questions around the Pac-12, not many answers.
Will the conference finally sign its television deal? Most everyone from commissioner George Kliavkoff to the university presidents on down have parroted the company line, saying it's close to being done. That time may finally arrive soon, although it's still not a certainty.
Most everyone, that is, now that Colorado is set to abandon the floundering league for a return to the Big 12.
In the meantime, does Colorado's exit accelerate an invitation to San Diego State? That seemed like a formality during the offseason, yet SDSU remains a member of the Mountain West.
The conference should be strong in 2023, but these off-field conversations will continue to be a distraction until settled.
Will Texas, OU Win Final Big 12 Crown?
When next August rolls around, Big 12 stalwarts Oklahoma and Texas will be sharing a new space in the SEC.
Naturally, then, there's a juxtaposition. For OU and Texas, the goal is leaving the conference on a high note. On the other hand, everyone else would love to keep the league title out of the departing schools' trophy case.
Texas is the understandable favorite, given the return of signal-caller Quinn Ewers in a very experienced offense. Even if the Longhorns fall to Alabama early and aren't really a part of the national race, they're built to contend here. Oklahoma must improve defensively, but the Sooners should be formidable as long as QB Dillon Gabriel is healthy.
The conference is reasonably deep, though.
Kansas State, TCU and Texas Tech are Top 25-caliber teams, while new arrivals BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF should all be competitive in their debut in the conference.
The road to a final Big 12 title for OU or Texas will be challenging.
Which Quarterback?
We could wander in any number of directions with quarterbacks.
First, which players will win major competitions? Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State are the big-name programs in need of a starter, along with Florida, Oklahoma State and UCLA. Ole Miss brought in transfers Spencer Sanders and Walker Howard to battle Jaxson Dart. Oregon State landed DJ Uiagalelei to compete with Ben Gulbranson.
Second, which expected starters who largely held backup roles in 2022 will break out? That group includes Cade Klubnik (Clemson), Drew Allar (Penn State) and Joe Milton III (Tennessee).
And, of course, we have the unknown of transfers.
Sam Hartman (Notre Dame) is the prized QB who moved, while Tanner Mordecai (Wisconsin), Devin Leary (Kentucky), Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), Kedon Slovis (BYU) are among the notable others.
Throw in bounce-back candidates, such as Maryland's Taulia Tagovailoa and Miami's Tyler Van Dyke, and the storylines are abundant.
Will Anyone Beat Georgia?
We're not just talking about a third straight national championship for Georgia. Will anyone, at any point, tame the Dawgs?
Georgia's schedule, objectively speaking, is favorable. The nonconference slate of UT Martin, Ball State, UAB and Georgia Tech is not a gauntlet, and UGA misses both Alabama and LSU in conference play. The toughest road games are against Auburn and Tennessee.
Don't confuse "favorable" with "easy," though. If an undefeated regular season was easy, more teams would do it.
Georgia hasn't dropped an August-November game since 2020, only falling to Alabama in the 2021 SEC Championship Game along the way. And the Dawgs earned some swift revenge with a victory over Bama during the ensuing national title.
When they begin the season opposite UT Martin on Sep. 2, the streak will have reached 1,030 days. Can anyone prevent the Dawgs from making a run at 1,500 next year?
Which Coaches Leave the Hot Seat?
Florida State coach Mike Norvell, for example, opened the 2022 season on a warming seat. Fast-forward a few months, and he oversaw a rise to 10 wins—and now returns a potential ACC contender in 2023.
Who might follow his lead?
Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M) is the marquee name in this discussion. While his fully guaranteed contract may keep him around, the school's patience with Fisher could be running thin. His relationship with new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino may be a fascinating subject to monitor, as well.
Elsewhere, Dino Babers (Syracuse), Tom Allen (Indiana) and Neal Brown (West Virginia) may be coaching for their jobs.
Billy Napier (Florida), Mario Cristobal (Miami), Mel Tucker (Michigan State) and Brent Venables (Oklahoma) probably aren't in the danger zone, but they'd benefit from a bounce-back year.
Where Is the Hype Real?
Generally speaking, here's the checklist for hype: A team coming off a successful year returns its starting quarterback with a seasoned group of playmakers and/or an encouraging defense. Top recruiting classes or a formidable list of transfers would be a bonus.
Those forecasts don't always hold true in reality.
Last year, USC fell a single win short of the College Football Playoff. Good breakout pick! Texas A&M tumbled from sixth in the preseason AP poll to a seven-loss season. Bad breakout pick.
Entering the 2023 campaign, the most popular targets of national hype are Florida State, LSU and Washington. The next tier, while subjective, is something like Notre Dame, Penn State and Texas.
History says to expect a wide range of results—good, bad and anywhere in between—from these programs.
Which team are you trusting?