Ducks ranked prominently in Athlon Sports 2023 preseason poll
Do you remember back when you were growing up before the internet was a few taps of the finger away from your reach? It may have been a summer day, and while there were NBA playoff games or your typical baseball double-header taking place, the sport that you were longing to watch and read about was still a couple of months away from getting going.
Walking through your local store, you passed by the magazine section and something grabbed your eye and lit you up with excitement. The college football preview copies were starting to hit the shelves.
Things are much different in today’s day and age as the vast majority of college coverage has turned to the interwebs. However, there is still something to be said about the physical copies — the Athlon Sports, or Phil Steele’s, or Lindy’s Sports. Nostalgia is a powerful thing.
You can buy your physical copy here.
To help keep that part of our upbringing alive, we went and grabbed the 2023 Athlon Sports college football preview. One of the gems inside for Oregon Duck fans was an anonymous Pac-12 assistant coach giving his two cents on the upcoming season for Dan Lanning.
The main entre, however, is the preseason poll according to Athlon. In that, the Ducks are featured prominently. While they rank every team in the nation, 1 to 133, we wanted to take just a small piece of that and focus on the top 25.
Here’s where the Ducks are ranked according to Athlon:
North Carolina Tar Heels
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 21st
Football Power Index Ranking: 25th
Our Take: If QB Drake Maye can continue to be electric in 2023, then the Tar Heels have a chance to make some noise. However, that defense is going to need to see quite an improvement before they can be taken seriously at a national level.
UCLA Bruins
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: Not Ranked
Football Power Index Ranking: Not Ranked
Our Take: With a new QB, new RB, and new top WR, Chip Kelly will have his work cut out for him in a brutally tough Pac-12 conference. We’ve see what he can do on the offensive side of the ball before, though.
TCU Horned Frogs
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 16th
Football Power Index Ranking: 17th
Our Take: Bouncing back from that type of beating in the national championship game is going to be tough, especially after losing your QB who led the entire charge. Is Sonny Dykes a good enough coach to get it done? We will find out soon enough.
Tulane Green Wave
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 19th
Football Power Index Ranking: Not Ranked
Our Take: A Cotton Bowl win over USC might have been the peak of the mountaintop for Tulane, but they will have an easier path in the American Conference with Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF off to the Big 12.
Ole Miss Rebels
(Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 22nd
Football Power Index Ranking: 16th
Our Take: Lane Kiffin turned some heads with a dominant running game a year ago, but will he have enough in the tank to get this Ole Miss team over the hump next season?
Texas A&M Aggies
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: Not Ranked
Football Power Index Ranking: 19th
Our Take: If Jimbo Fisher is as good as a coach as we’ve been made to believe over the past few years, then he needs to start proving it on the field. The talent is there to be one of the best teams in the nation. Is the coaching?
Oregon State Beavers
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 17th
Football Power Index Ranking: 24th
Our Take: The Beavers had a great defense and below-average QB play a year ago, finding a way to 10 wins. This year, the QB play has taken a vast step forward, but the defense might have taken a bit of a hit. I can’t wait to see what they’re able to do on the field.
Kansas State Wildcats
Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 18th
Football Power Index Ranking: Not Ranked
Our Take: Kansas State was a conference champion a year ago, and they look to be in a position to compete again going forward. The level of competition is going to increase, but they should be right in the mix.
Wisconsin Badgers
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 25th
Football Power Index Ranking: 20th
Our Take: With Luke Fickell in charge, it will be fascinating to see what Wisconsin can turn into. Who knows if they will become a top-15 program right away, but I think the future is bright in Madison.
Oklahoma Sooners
(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: Not Ranked
Football Power Index Ranking: 11th
Our Take: I would like to see a semblance of competency on the field — and particularly at the QB spot — before I’m ready to put Oklahoma this high in the rankings. Brent Venables is a good coach, but he’s still got a lot to prove.
Tennessee Volunteers
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 11th
Football Power Index Ranking: 12th
Our Take: Losing Hendon Hooker and Jaylin Hyatt will be tough to overcome, but Tennessee is stocked with talent and has really good coaching in the SEC.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 13th
Football Power Index Ranking: 9th
Our Take: With Sam Hartman now leading the charge for Notre Dame, they could be among the best teams in the nation in 2023. With solid coaching under Josh Freeman and an incredibly talented roster, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them in the mix this fall.
Oregon Ducks
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 15th
Football Power Index Ranking: 13th
Our Take: A lot has changed at Oregon from last year, both on the roster and in the coaching staff, but they are still led by Bo Nix, and they project to be a lot better on defense this time around in Dan Lanning’s second year.
Clemson Tigers
Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 9th
Football Power Index Ranking: 8th
Our Take: Will Cade Klubnik be the answer for Clemson? If he is as good as advertised, the Tigers could once again be in the mix for a spot in the College Football Playoff, for sure.
Texas Longhorns
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 10th
Football Power Index Ranking: 5th
Our Take: If Quinn Ewers can stay healthy, then it will be interesting to see how good Texas can be this year. However, I wouldn’t mind a season where we get to watch Arch Manning play quite a bit, either.
Utah Utes
(Photo by Chris Gardner/ Getty Images)
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 14th
Football Power Index Ranking: 15th
Our Take: Depending on how quickly Cam Rising can get back to full strength after his knee surgery to repair a torn ACL this past winter, the Utes project to be one of the top teams in the Pac-12. It’s a loaded field, though, so they will have to be darn near perfect to get out and win a third-straight conference title.
Washington Huskies
(Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 12th
Football Power Index Ranking: 21st
Our Take: Washington is another one of the Pac-12 teams that figure to be in the hunt for a potential College Football Playoff spot. With Michael Penix Jr. at the helm and an elite corp of wide receivers, there may be no better offense in the league.
Penn State Nittany Lions
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 8th
Football Power Index Ranking: 10th
Our Take: Can Drew Allar and James Franklin get Penn State over the “very good” hump and make the Nittany Lions a “great” team? We will certainly find out this season.
Florida State Seminoles
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 3rd
Football Power Index Ranking: 14th
Our Take: There is a ton of Jordan Travis buzz this offseason, and ESPN has Florida State ranked as the No. 3 team in the nation going into June. Will they be that good? I need to see it before I can believe it.
LSU Tigers
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 7th
Football Power Index Ranking: 4th
Our Take: In Brian Kelly’s second year at LSU, the team has the makings of being pretty impressive down the stretch. We’ll see if his second time through the SEC schedule provides different results.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 5th
Football Power Index Ranking: 1st
Our Take: With a new QB at the helm, there are always going to be question marks. However, Ohio State is as good as any team in the nation when it comes to talent on the roster, coaching, defense, and offensive skill-players. I’m sure they will be fine.
USC Trojans
(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 4th
Football Power Index Ranking: 7th
Our Take: With the reigning Heisman winner and an elite offensive head coach, there are no concerns that the Trojans will be able to put points on the board. Can they stop other teams from scoring, though? That’s a question everyone is waiting to see the answer to.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 6th
Football Power Index Ranking: 2nd
Our Take: Alabama has a new QB at the helm this year as well, but the roster is stacked with so much talent and headed up by the best coach n the history of the sport. Look for them to be near the top of the rankings once the season comes to an end once again.
Michigan Wolverines
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 2nd
Football Power Index Ranking: 6th
Our Take: Losing short of the College Football Playoff was a tough pill to swallow for Michigan, especially when the team that defeated them went on to get completely embarrassed in the biggest game of the year. I’m sure they will be out for some vengeance.
Georgia Bulldogs
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN Preseason Top 25 Ranking: 1st
Football Power Index Ranking: 3rd
Our Take: You win back-to-back national championships, and you get the honor of being ranked No. 1 in the preseason. Even with a new QB taking over in 2023, there’s no reason anyone should expect the Bulldogs to be stopped short of the CFP once again this year.
