Pat’s POV: My 10 teams to watch in 2023
While the dust has barely settled from the 2022 college football season, thoughts are already on the next season.
There were plenty of first-year head coaches that made impacts on their new teams, including the Bayou Bengals. Brian Kelly led his new team to 10 wins and the SEC West crown. It didn’t go their way in the title game but Rome wasn’t built in a day. There was plenty of progress from finishing last in the division in 2021 to what transpired last season.
Other coaches in their first year to make an impact include Dan Lanning at Oregon and Joey McGuire at Texas Tech. Neither had been a head coach at the collegiate level but they won a combined 17 games in 2022. The sky is the limit for these two leaders.
From coast to coast, there will be plenty of storylines to follow in the next college football season. With that said, I decided to break down my 10 teams to follow when the games kick off in September.
These aren’t ranked in any way, just the list of the 10 teams that I am interested in following in the 2023 season. The list begins in the Pac-12 with Prime Time.
Colorado Buffaloes
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Everywhere you look you will find Prime Time Deion Sanders. He has Boulder buzzing in a way they haven’t felt in some time. It has also pumped more excitement into the Pac-12 Conference. Still, they need to see results on the field.
Why they made the list:
It is simple, Deion Sanders has taken hold of the college football world. Former five-star signees such as Travis Hunter and players in the portal want to come to play at Colorado. Regardless of how the team performs in year one, this is must-see TV.
Make sure you check out Colorado Buffaloes Wire for more on Prime and the Buffs.
LSU Tigers
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When the Tigers hired Brian Kelly away from Notre Dame, one should have expected that LSU would be leaps and bounds better than they were in 2021. While I predicted a nine-win regular season, winning the SEC West was not in my predictions. Going into year two, what can we expect from the team that hails from Death Valley?
Why they made the list:
The LSU brand of football was exciting in 2022. Led by quarterback Jayden Daniels and linebacker Harold Perkins Jr, there were plenty of highlight plays every night. Can they keep up the pace next season? Kelly once again loaded up in the transfer portal and they should see an immediate impact.
Oregon Ducks
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Heading into the 2022 campaign the Ducks were an interesting team with Dan Lanning leaving Georgia to take over the team. He brought Bo Nix over from Auburn to run his offense. No one expected him to become one of the most productive quarterbacks in FBS. He scored in a variety of ways including running the ball and even catching a touchdown pass.
Why they made the list:
Oregon was a fun team to watch last season and I personally want to see what Nix can do in Eugene for an encore. He will have the fourth different offensive coordinator in four seasons with Kenny Dillingham leaving for the Arizona State head coaching position. An upcoming offensive coordinator in Will Stein gets his shot in the Power Five.
Make sure you check out Ducks Wire for more on Nix and Oregon.
Texas Longhorns
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All eyes were on Texas this past season. Steve Sarkisian added a top-five class in recruiting while grabbing Quinn Ewers and Ryan Watts from Ohio State out of the transfer portal. They were coming off a 5-7 season and desperately needed to improve. It didn’t hurt having the best running back in the country be the workhorse for the team.
Why they made the list:
As we enter into year three of the Sark era, he once again is loading up in recruiting with a top-three class and improved his defense in the portal with Jalen Catalon coming over from Arkansas. The offense will return 10 of 11 starters and the Horns added five-star linebacker Anthony Hill to be their Harold Perkins next season.
Make sure you check out Longhorns Wire for more on Ewers and Texas.
Clemson Tigers
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Clemson is a team that has been among the most consistent teams in college football. Since their rise to prominence in 2011, they have won 10 or more games each season. Not to mention playing for four national championships in the College Football Playoffs and winning twice. However, it seems fans are disappointed with the last two seasons. They have reset the expectations in South Carolina.
Why they made the list:
Simply put, can Clemson regain the ACC throne and dominate the opposition? After missing out on the title game in 2021, Dabo Swinney was able to take back the trophy. Now can they get back to the College Football Playoffs in 2023? It will fall on the shoulders of sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik, who took over for D.J. Uiagalelei late in the season. His performance against UNC gives you optimism but he has been inconsistent in limited starts, something you expect from a freshman. I am still intrigued by what the Austin product can do in year two.
Make sure you check out Clemson Wire for more on the Tigers and Klubnik.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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Whether they like it or not, Marcus Freeman and Brian Kelly will be tied together for some time. Freeman had an opportunity to join the LSU staff as the defensive coordinator but opted to stay with Notre Dame and was named the head coach. It didn’t start off in the way Irish fans had hoped with losses to Ohio State and Marshall to kick off 2022, but they were able to weather the storm.
Why they made the list:
The Golden Domers were impressive down the stretch as they won eight of the next nine games after the 0-2 start to the year. In year two we could see yet another quarterback take snaps as the starter, former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman. A return to the New Years Six could be in their future if all goes to plan, but they need to avoid losses to teams like Marshall and Stanford if they want to be taken seriously next season.
Make sure you check out Fighting Irish Wire for more on Freeman and Notre Dame.
Purdue Boilermakers
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In 2022, Purdue was able to earn an invite to the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against LSU and we saw what happened. Head coach Jeff Brohm left for his alma mater which opened the door for Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters to get a shot to run a program. The defense should be much improved as long as they buy in.
Why they made the list:
The Boilermakers added a starter in the transfer portal at quarterback with former Longhorn Hudson Card. He was the No. 2 dual-threat passer in the 2020 class. Card will get his chance to shine in the “Air Raid” offense as Graham Harrell comes over from West Virginia to be the offensive coordinator. This should be an interesting team to watch in 2023.
Auburn Tigers
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Auburn was a trainwreck for the vast majority of the 2022 season. Bryan Harsin looked like a head coach that was in over his head. Not to mention it was clear the administration wanted nothing to do with Harsin on the Plains after a failed coup attempt in the offseason leading up to last season. They couldn’t recruit and they were getting blown out by rivals. Now they head into 2023 with a bit of a buzz as Hugh Freeze returns to the SEC as the Tigers coach.
Why they made the list:
With the hiring of Freeze, Auburn saw an immediate bump in recruiting. Jumping up from the low 50s to the No. 18 class. The team also added 10 transfers to go along with their 21 commitments. The only major question right now is who is going to be the quarterback. They have targeted several but seem to whiff at every turn. Can Freeze turn Robby Ashford or Holden Geriner into a winning quarterback in the SEC? Zach Calzada and T.J. Finley are heading out, which gives this team a two-horse race to be the starting signal caller.
Make sure you check out Auburn Wire for the latest on Freeze and the Tigers.
Florida Gators
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Billy Napier was among the first-year head coaches looking to turn around the misfortunes of his program. He reset the expectations after taking down a top-10 team in Utah to kick off the season. It turned out to be fool’s gold as the Gators would finish 6-6 in the regular season and lost their bowl matchup with Oregon State. Now Napier has to work his magic for better results in 2023.
Why they made the list:
Florida has added plenty of talent in their recruiting class and in the transfer portal to help fix some of their issues. The biggest question revolves around the quarterback. Anthony Richardson is heading to the NFL leaving Jack Miller III to compete with incoming signee Jaden Rashada and Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz. The Gators need to improve a defense that ranked in the bottom four in terms of yards and points allowed.
Make sure you check out Gators Wire for more on Napier and Florida.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
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Texas Tech took a chance on a coach that had never led a collegiate program. A Hall of Fame Texas high school football coach that gets to coach college ball, at least that is how Joey McGuire tells it. He made quite the impact with the first conference-winning record since 2009. Not to mention he knocked off Texas and Oklahoma in the same season for the first time in school history. It seems as though the brass in Lubbock made a home run hire, they even gave him an extension prior to the beatdown they gave Ole Miss in the Texas bowl.
Why they made the list:
McGuire and the Tech are trending upwards. After finishing 8-5 and near the top in the conference, there is a level of excitement on the South Plains. They need to follow that up with another big season to keep it rolling. With a large portion of the team returning, they could be well on their way. Provided that Tyler Shough can stay healthy in 2023, they should have more consistency at the position. If not, expect Behren Morton to do his best Patrick Mahomes for the Scarlet and Black.
