Ducks land in top 10 of ESPN’s way-too-early Top 25 for 2023 season
The 2022 college football season came to an end on Monday night with the Georgia Bulldogs’ 65-7 obliteration of the TCU Horned Frogs in the national championship game.
Now that a bow has been put on the season, it’s time to start looking ahead to the next one. While we have months of the offseason ahead of us, it’s never too early to start thinking about how the best teams in the nation will stack up.
Predicting the preseason top 25 is an imperfect science. A majority of rosters are very much in flux. As long as transfers continue taking place and veteran players continue to declare whether they will return for one more year, it’s hard to know how the best of the best are going to look nine months from now.
Despite all of that, this wouldn’t be college football if we didn’t look way into the future and argue about rankings that will change numerous times in the coming months. For the Oregon Ducks, who have high hopes for 2023 with the return of Bo Nix and Brandon Dorlus, among many other veterans, the preseason polls show a favorable outlook.
Here’s where Oregon stands in ESPN’s way-too-early Top 25.
Georgia Bulldogs
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 1
Biggest Loss This Offseason: QB Stetson Bennett
Ohio State Buckeyes
Final AP Standing in 2022: 3
Biggest Loss This Offseason: QB CJ Stroud
Michigan Wolverines
Final AP Standing in 2022: 2
Biggest Loss This Offseason: C Olusegun Oluwatimi
Florida State Seminoles
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 13
Biggest Loss This Offseason: WR Ontaria Wilson
Alabama Crimson Tide
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 5
Biggest Loss This Offseason: QB Bryce Young
Penn State Nittany Lions
Final AP Standing in 2022: 7
Biggest Loss This Offseason: QB Sean Clifford
USC Trojans
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 11
Biggest Loss This Offseason: WR Jordan Addison
ESPN’s Outlook
The Trojans just missed winning a Pac-12 championship and reaching the CFP in coach Lincoln Riley’s first season. Then they collapsed late against Tulane and lost, 46-45, in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. This past season looked all too familiar for a Riley-coached team: a Heisman Trophy winner leading an explosive offense and a defense that couldn’t stop anyone. The Trojans will have plenty of firepower coming back on offense in 2023, including Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and receivers Mario Williams, Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice. Singer, who led the Pac-12 with 1,105 receiving yards at Arizona this past season, was a nice addition from the transfer portal. So was Cobb, who had 96 tackles at Oklahoma State, and Roland-Wallace, who started 29 games at Arizona the past three seasons. Tarquin was an important addition with three starters leaving the offensive line. The Trojans will play Notre Dame and Oregon on the road next season, and they’ll get UCLA, Utah and Washington at home.
LSU Tigers
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 16
Biggest Loss This Offseason: WR Kayshon Boutte
Oregon Ducks
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Final AP Standing in 2022: 15
Biggest Loss This Offseason: LB Noah Sewell
ESPN’s Outlook
Dan Lanning’s first season as a head coach started with a thud, as the Ducks fell to Georgia 49-3 in their opener. But Lanning and his staff did a remarkable job keeping the team together, finishing 10-3 and defeating North Carolina, 28-27, in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl. The good news for 2023: Quarterback Bo Nix announced he’s coming back after throwing for 3,594 yards with 44 total touchdowns. The bad news: Four starters from a very experienced offensive line are expected to depart. Lanning worked the transfer portal hard to pick up Angilau, who was a multi-year starter at Texas before missing 2022 with an injury, and Cornelius, who was one of the top transfers from Rhode Island. Lanning helped build a defense that led Georgia to a national title in 2021, but his first unit at Oregon wasn’t very good. Losing Sewell, Gonzalez and Johnson will not make things easier. Lanning proved his recruiting chops by signing the No. 8 class in the Football Bowl Subdivision, according to ESPN Recruiting.
Tennessee Volunteers
Final AP Standing in 2022: 6
Biggest Loss This Offseason: QB Hendon Hooker
Washington Huskies
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 8
Biggest Loss This Offseason: OL Jaxson Kirkland
ESPN Outlook
Kalen DeBoer, who won three NAIA national championships at the University of Sioux Falls, didn’t need long to transform Washington’s program. After going 4-8 in 2021, the Huskies finished 11-2 this past season. They beat rivals Oregon and Washington State and four ranked opponents. With quarterback Michael Penix Jr. deciding to come back, along with a handful of other underclassmen who were eligible for the NFL draft, Washington might be a CFP sleeper in 2023. Penix Jr. flourished in DeBoer’s offense, throwing for 4,641 yards with 31 touchdowns. The Huskies will have to rebuild their interior offensive line, but most of their skill players are expected back. Leading tackler (Alex) Cook and (Cam) Bright are key losses on defense.
TCU Horned Frogs
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 4
Biggest Loss This Offseason: QB Max Duggan
Utah Utes
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 9
Biggest Loss This Offseason: CB Clark Phillips III
ESPN Outlook
The Utes have reached unprecedented heights by winning back-to-back Pac-12 championships and making consecutive trips to the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately, both of those games ended in losses after starting quarterback Cam Rising was hurt. Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said Rising’s leg injury wasn’t good and his recovery would take a while. It’s unclear how much that affected his decision to return to Utah for one more season. Rising announced on Monday that he’s coming back, and if he’s healthy, the Utes could be very good again in 2023. Kincaid is leaving, along with leading rushers Thomas and Bernard, who entered the transfer portal. Phillips was one of the best cornerbacks in the country and is also departing. Damuni, a team captain at Stanford last season, might be able to replace Diabate at middle linebacker.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 18
Biggest Loss This Offseason: QB Drew Pyne
Clemson Tigers
Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 12
Biggest Loss This Offseason: DT Bryan Bresee
Texas Longhorns
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 22
Biggest Loss This Offseason: RB Bijan Robinson
Oregon State Beavers
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 17
Biggest Loss This Offseason: WR Tre’Shaun Harrison
ESPN Outlook
Jonathan Smith has quietly done remarkable work at his alma mater, guiding the Beavers to their third 10-win campaign in school history this past season. The Beavers closed the season with four straight victories, including a 30-3 rout of Florida in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl. Oregon State ranked 11th in the Pac-12 in passing in 2022, and Smith hopes Uiagalelei, a former starter at Clemson, can once again find his confidence. Four starting offensive linemen are expected back; Starck, a 12-game starter at Nevada in 2022, might fill the lone hole. Omotosho had 6½ sacks and 46 tackles at Wyoming last season. The Beavers will have to replace three starters in the secondary. Oregon State’s nonconference schedule in 2023 isn’t overwhelming, and it will play Pac-12 opponents UCLA, Utah and Washington at home.
Kansas State Wildcats
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Final AP Standing in 2022: 14
Biggest Loss This Offseason: QB Adrian Martinez
Tulane Green Wave
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: 10
Biggest Loss This Offseason: WR Duece Watts
Ole Miss Rebels
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: Unranked
Biggest Loss This Offseason: RB Zach Evans
North Carolina Tar Heels
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: Unranked
Biggest Loss This Offseason: WR Josh Downs
UTSA Road Runners
John Gutierrez-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: Unranked
Biggest Loss This Offseason: LB Dadrian Taylor
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: Unranked
Biggest Loss This Offseason: DE Tyree Wilson
James Madison Dukes
Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: Unranked
Biggest Loss This Offseason: QB Todd Centeio
Iowa Hawkeyes
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Final AP Standing in 2022: Unranked
Biggest Loss This Offseason: LB Jack Campbell