NCAA College Football Power Rankings: Top 25 College Football Teams To Watch for 2023

August 26, 2023

Mike's NCAA college football power rankings for the top 25 NCAA college football teams after Week 0 of 2023. His CFB power rankings include USC and Notre Dame's performances in the opener.

Do you ever look at the AP Poll or some other poll and wonder which college football team they were watching to have them ranked where they do? Me too. We have a feature here at RotoBaller this year in which we will have a rundown of the NCAA college football power rankings every week. This is just like a top-25 poll anywhere else except I probably watch more football than most of them. Take that for what you will.

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We will start the last great college football season (yes, the expanded playoff is going to kill the fun of the regular season, and don't even get me started on realignment) by taking a look at the teams that can make some noise this year. Sure, the teams ranked from 15-25 might not have national championship aspirations, but they can definitely make things interesting for those that do. Rankings are always subjective, so feel free to add yours. Who knows, we may even have a reader's poll to help determine the power rankings throughout the college football season. Stay tuned!

(25) Texas Tech

There is still a lot of unknown with the Red Raiders. Alan Bowman and Donovan Smith both transferred out since Tyler Shough retook the QB job (for the third time). If the former Oregon QB can stay on the field for the entire season, this ranking may be too low. If not, there is always Behren Morton still behind him.

#TexasTech QBs working on dropping it into the bucket over the top for their receivers.

Solid reps from Tyler Shough to Loic Fouonji and Drew Hocutt. pic.twitter.com/gMDHxFumH7

— RedRaiderSports.com (@RedRaiderSports) August 11, 2023

Jerand Bradley, Myles Price, and Loic Fouonji bring back lots of experience in the receiver room. Losing Sa'Rodorick Thompson leaves Tech unproven behind Tahj Brooks, but this offense is still dangerous and the defense is better than it has been in years.

(24) Minnesota

Maybe I believe too much in the Western Michigan transfers who rowed the boat from Kalamazoo to Minneapolis. Sean Tyler was a great back in the MAC. He has big shoes to fill with Mohamed Ibrahim in the NFL, but I believe Tyler to be more than capable. Bryce Williams is better than a lot of backups as well. Expect to see both of them on the field.

The Gophers need to be willing to let Athan Kaliakmanis throw the ball more this year to reach their true potential. They have a good receiving corps that was made better by Corey Crooms coming over. The defense is again a strong unit. There is a lot to like about Minnesota if Kaliakmanis is even half as good as Tanner Morgan was in 2021.

(23) North Carolina

We all know that Drake Maye is talented, but he also struggled last season when his receivers weren't playing well. Now they are completely gone. Georgia Tech transfer Nate McCollum and Kent transfer Devontez Walker have some big shoes to fill.

If they can't, the Heels are going to have a hard time staying in the top 25 at all. Elijah Green and Omarion Hampton still provide a good ground game, but it won't mean much if Maye struggles like he did down the stretch in 2022.

(22) Oregon State

DJ Uiagalelei was run out of Clemson by bullying fans (seemingly). It was so bad that they chased him all the way to the other coast. Don't worry, Clemson fans. The Beavs may be in the ACC by next year. Stranger things have, will, and are happening.

Scrimmage Notes:

QB DJ Uiagalelei had a phenomenal scrimmage, three TDs on the day.

DL Thomas Collins consistently got pressure in the backfield

Kickers Everett Hayes and Atticus Sappington nearly perfect with FG attempts

WR Jerimah Noga had some impressive catches today.

— Ryan Harlan (@Ryan_Harlan7) August 13, 2023

Oregon State returns the best back in the PAC (12? 4?) in Damien Martinez and has good weapons on the outside in Anthony Gould and Silas Boldin. As far as landing spots go, this is potentially a great one for DJ if he can regain the confidence he showed as a freshman filling in for the injured Trevor Lawrence.

(21) South Carolina

Spencer Rattler finally became that guy at the end of the season in wins over Tennessee and Clemson. So why aren't the Gamecocks higher? Well, they are no longer the only Gamecocks in FBS with Jacksonville State coming up.

Seriously though, MarShawn Lloyd is a huge loss. Dakereon Joyner is good, but how good? Antwane Wells and Xavier Legette give Rattler some reliable targets, but I'm still not sure about this team. I can't really explain why. Maybe it's because they didn't run the ball well to close 2022.

(20) Kentucky

I remember well just how good Re'Mahn Davis was at Temple before transferring to Vanderbilt. He splits the difference, moving back to Lexington from Nashville. Devin Leary was having a season for the ages with NC State last year before his injury.

While he won't have quite as many dangerous receivers in Lexington as he did in Raleigh, the backs are arguably better. Tayvion Robinson and Dane Key form a nice one-two punch at receiver and the defense is still strong enough to compete in the SEC. I see many sleeping on the Wildcats in the preseason. I'm not one of them.

(19) TCU

This is a team that could wind up in the top 10 again easily. They could just as easily wind up unranked. Yes, Washington transfer Chandler Morris did beat out Max Duggan in camp last year, but he also stunk up the joint against Colorado in Week 1 last year before getting hurt in the first quarter against Iowa State.

The Toadies hit the portal for Alabama's JoJo Earle to try and replace Quentin Johnston. Emani Bailey stole his share of carries from Kendre Miller last year, so they did a solid job of rebuilding. I also think that Max Duggan had that "it" factor and I haven't seen anything of the sort out of Morris at either of his stops. It's prove-it time for Morris before I move TCU up this list.

(18) Wisconsin

The Badgers couldn't throw to save their souls last year, so they went out and convinced Tanner Mordecai to come to Madison for a year instead of entering the NFL Draft. Hey, that NIL money is no joke! He is their best quarterback since Russell Wilson, and it's really not close.

watching Tanner Mordecai and one thing is definitely clear, this dude isn’t afraid to throw into tight windows over the middle. The combo of him and Longo in Madison should be fun this fall. pic.twitter.com/KfDzj9fIUJ

— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) August 18, 2023

Will Pauling came in from Cincinnati and C.J. Williams came in from USC to help incumbent Chimere Dike catch all those balls Mordecai will be throwing. Add in super-back Braelon Allen, and this is a very dangerous team. I could have them ranked too low here.

(17) Notre Dame

I don't see it with the Irish. Yes, Sam Hartman makes them immediately better and I am a big fan of Audric Estime. However, when your best receiver was the backup running back (Chris Tyree) last year, I have questions about that unit.

The defense did get better with the addition of Javontae Jean-Baptiste from Ohio State, but the Irish play Navy, North Carolina State, Duke, and Ohio State all before the calendar hits October. We'll find out quickly how good they actually are.

(16) Kansas State

The growth we saw from Will Howard last year was impressive. If he makes another leap like that again, he'll be Max Duggan. Deuce Vaughn is gone, but Treshaun Ward is a more than capable fill-in from Florida State.

Today as I spoke with Will Howard, I told him it was awesome seeing how he’s developed over his time at Kansas State and how proud I was.

He told me not many believed in him but he remembered that I did and he appreciated that.

They see what we post. Build these boys up 🙂💜

— Mike Stanley (@Stanimal032) August 15, 2023

TE Ben Sinnott is the team's leading returning receiver, but they are hoping that Keagan Johnson can pull a Charlie Jones and have a monster season once released from wide receiver purgatory in Iowa City. I don't like putting unknowns up this high, but Will Howard made me a believer last year. I watched his painful freshman season. He is a completely different player right now.

(15) Mississippi

This is another spot where I vary a lot from the experts. Jaxson Dart gave this offense a new dimension last year. They added UTSA stud Zakhari Franklin (trust me...he's damn good) and Louisiana Tech's Tre Harris to an already good receiving corps.

SEC defenses will QUICKLY know who Zakhari Franklin is (No. 6 on our rankings) as the new Ole Miss WR is absolutely one of the best in the country. After rewriting the UTSA record books, Franklin has his sights set on SEC DBs in 2023 with the Rebelspic.twitter.com/a9oqQuc2Fa

— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) July 19, 2023

Quinshon Judkins might have been the best freshman in the country last season and the Rebels added SMU's Ulysses Bentley IV, also a terror, to split the backfield with him. The Rebels have a chance to outscore anyone this year, but will the defense hold up?

(14) Oregon

This offense is also loaded. We saw what Bo Nix can do for a full season (3,593 yards, 29 TD, 7 INT) last year.

The Ducks plucked Tez Johnson from Troy and Traeshon Holden from Alabama to join Troy Franklin in one of the better receiving corps the Ducks have had in recent years. The Ducks also brought in seven starters on defense (six transfers, one true freshman) that they hope will shore up the defense.

(13) Clemson

Be careful what you wish for...you might get it. Cade Klubnik was the darling who rescued Clemson from DJ Uiagalelei against Syracuse and beat the Tar out of the Heels in Charlotte to go to the REALLY Orange Bowl to get stomped by the Vols. Klubnik looked *gulp* human against Tennessee.

The Tigers return enough of the offense to feel pretty good about this season, but they also showed enough holes against Tennessee that I can't really justify having them higher on the list.

(12) Texas

I'm not hating. I didn't even rank my own team, so this is as unbiased as it can get. Losing Roschon Johnson and Bijan Robinson is a lot for any team to take. Texas has a lot of unproven backs, but they were all highly recruited. Someone will likely step up, but these rankings are based on what we see right now, not what might happen.

We know what to expect from Quinn Ewers. Georgia transfer Adonai Mitchell will pair nicely with Xavier Worthy. We could see Texas as more of a pass-first team with uncertainty at running back. Ewers is not without his faults, but that's nit-picking. Every college quarterback (and most NFL ones) has faults. Ewers won't lose games by himself, but the defense might.

(11) Penn State

When does Penn State take the next step? I never thought it would be Sean Clifford. I don't know about Drew Allar, but the hype train has inflated him like the Hindenburg. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are known commodities. So is KeAndre Lambert-Smith, but the X-factor could be Kent transfer Dante Cephas.

ESPN calls Penn State wide receiver one of the most important transfers in 2023. https://t.co/zdxmHLsjXU

— Nittany Lions Wire (@NittanyLionWire) August 11, 2023

Penn State reminds me a lot of Michigan circa 2021. The defense and run game are on point, but what of the passing game? We didn't know that J.J. McCarthy could carry Michigan to victory until last year's Ohio State game and that's just the way they like it. Is Penn State building up to that as well?

(10) Tennessee

Which Joe Milton will we get? If it's the one from the Orange Bowl, Tennessee is in good hands. Replacing Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman won't be easy, but Bru McCoy and Squirrel White were big enough parts of this offense last year that the stage won't be too big for them.

Raymel Keaton was third on the team in yards last year (562) despite only 31 receptions, so they still have big-play potential. Is the defense good enough? It may not have to be. This offense might be able to outscore everyone once again.

(9) Florida State

I know the Seminoles are loaded in the backfield, but Treshaun Ward was the best of them. Jordan Travis might have his best receivers in Tallahassee with Johnny Wilson, Winston Wright, and Michigan State transfer Keon Coleman.

Travis showed what all of the hype was about last year by throwing for 3,214 yards with 24 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He also ran for 417 yards and seven more touchdowns. That kind of leadership lands FSU here, and I could probably put them higher.

(8) Washington

I really did not see Michael Penix raising his draft stock by going to Seattle, but boy, was I wrong. His 2022 season was the culmination of every good thing we saw at Indiana with almost none of the bad.

Michael Penix Jr. to Devin Culp … and Ryan Grubb claims a victim pic.twitter.com/el7nDglKlp

— Mike Vorel (@mikevorel) August 15, 2023

Mississippi State transfer Dillon Johnson gives them a better receiver out of the backfield to already go with the star trio of Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Jalen McMillan. If the defense holds up, Washington could wind up in the last great playoff.

(7) USC

I was all over the Trojans last season, but I'm not as high on them this year. All-world receiver Jordan Addison is replaced by Arizona transfer Dorian Singer. South Carolina transfer MarShawn Lloyd will help out Austin Jones in the backfield.

We all know who Caleb Williams is and what his game is. The Trojans have six new starters on defense, all from the portal. That's enough of an unknown right now to keep them just outside the top 5.

(6) LSU

Kayshon Boutte wasn't even needed for LSU's run last year. They are the only SEC juggernaut that returns their starting quarterback, so right now, LSU is here. The Tigers have no new skill starters on offense and they added LB Ovie Oghoufo from Notre Dame. Right now, LSU looks better than last year.

(5) Alabama

The Tide still haven't decided on Jalen Milroe or Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner as the starter. Milroe probably has the upper hand. Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams should be able to replace most of what Jahmyr Gibbs did last year.

I believe in Alabama's ability to rebuild, but the uncertainty at quarterback has me ranking them this low. The top 10 is tight for me right now. One good game from Milroe/Buchner can change my mind in a hurry. I'm trying not to look at the uniforms here...just the players.

(4) Georgia

I've got some bad news, Georgia fans. No team has won three straight National Championships since 1934-36 when Minnesota did it. That was pre-AP Poll. As I've said numerous times, this is just what I see now.

What do we really know about Carson Beck? Stetson Bennett is the exception, not the rule. Beck reminds me more of Paul Thompson than Bennett. Will I be surprised if Georgia wins another title? No. Do I think they'll do it now? No. This is my happy medium. They have nowhere to go but up.

As a UM fan never thought I'd agree with an OSU fan on anything, but you are correct sir.
The Georgia football threepeat hype train is a little out of control.

— Jesse Koning (@JesseKoning4) August 17, 2023

(3) Ohio State

What's the best way to make up for an unproven quarterback? How about the nation's best backfield in Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson?

?????? ?? ?????? ??. ?? ?
@emeka_egbuka pic.twitter.com/XFoQyyzK3h

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 17, 2023

If that's not enough, this WR room is still the best in the country with Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Julian Fleming. Kyle McCord can be eased into everything because the Buckeyes are talented enough to mask his shortcomings, at least in the short term.

(2) Utah

You can disagree with me all you want, but this team beat USC twice last season, once without star QB Cameron Rising. This front seven returns all seven from that team that made sure USC couldn't move the ball in the Pac-12 title game.

Micah Bernard and Ja'Quinden Jackson are expected to work in a timeshare this year with Devaughn Vele leading the receivers again. Dalton Kincaid is a loss, but Brant Kuithe was almost as good filling in for him last year (as was Thomas Yassmin for him). The Utes are as loaded – and as proven – as anyone.

(1) Michigan

No, this does not mean that I expect Michigan to win a National title. That's not what these rankings are about. This is about the best team right now, and with what Michigan returns, they look the part.

J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards, Cornelius Johnson, and Roman Wilson all return. Most of the defense is back as well. No team returns more, so this is where Michigan lands until we have some game action to go off of.

Others Receiving Votes

• Oklahoma
• Iowa
• James Madison
• North Carolina State

Stay tuned for the college football rankings here at RotoBaller throughout the entire season!

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