The following is a Guest Article by BakerStats – @Melospartan on Twitter and @bakerstats.cfb on Instagram.
Way Too Early Rankings Are Here!
The 2022-23 College Football season has officially come to an end. Trust me, I’m sad about it too. But believe it or not, the offseason can be just as exciting as the regular season. The beginning of the offseason always begins with “Way Too Early” rankings. In preparation for this article, I have found 15 different Way Too Early Top 25s(List of websites at the bottom). With these 15 Sites, I have made a poll similar to the AP Poll. Under each team I say whether or not I believe the team is over-rated, under-rated, or at just the right ranking.
1. Georgia, 375(15)
High:1 Low:1
Of Course they’re No.1, Why wouldn’t they be.
The Defending back-to-back champs are clearly not going anywhere and will be a force for at least the next 3 years. Stetson Bennett is gone along with 13 different Starters But its all but certain they get most of that back by how deep they were last year. Brock Bowers is back and he may be the best TE I’ve seen in a long long time. Kirby and the Bulldogs look to be the first team to 3-peat since Minnesota in 1934-1936
My Thought: Just Right
2. Michigan, 358
High:2 Low:3
Will they keep control of the Big 10?
Michigan is coming off of back to back playoff appearances where the lost both times in the semifinals. They will look to keep on pushing to make the playoffs again in hopes of making it back to the national championship game for the first time since they won it all in 1997 against Washington State. They are losing all 3 Starting WRs and a lot on the Offensive line. Their defense is also taking a pretty big hit as 6 Starters are leaving. But of course it didn’t bother them last year after they lost a lot of talent because of their depth. They should also pick it up of recruiting soon as well.
My Thought: Just Right
3. Ohio State, 334
High:2 Low:6
Can they take back control of the Big 10?
Ohio State lost to Georgia in the Semis in dramatic fashion as they were a FG away from the National Championship. CJ Stroud is heading to the NFL and Ryan Day will have to figure out how to bring this team all the way soon before Ohio State fans start to get angry. Ohio State is only losing 8 Starters(3O, 5D) and they will still have a top3 WR Core next year. Kyle McCord and Devin Brown will have to fight it out for the starting QB job but if one of them click, they could be the best offense in all of College Football
My Thought: Just Right
4. Alabama, 328
High:2 Low:7
Is the dynasty almost over?
Alabama didn’t make the playoffs last year and they have lost 12 starters. They have also lost a couple players to the transfer portal. Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide are clearly going to look for revenge because of their shortcomings this year but they still have Bill O’Brian and Pete Golding as their Coordinators. They proved last year that pure talent cant always get you all the way. But let’s talk about the talent. They have to No. 1 Recruiting class this year but they have lost 5 4Stars and 9 3Stars through the transfer portal. If Pete Golding can get their defense back to Top 3 they will be a hard to beat.
My Thought: Slightly Overrated
5. Penn State, 295
High:4 Low:9
Can they sneak into the Big 10 Championship?
The Sean Clifford era is over but that can be a very good thing for Penn State looking forward. Former 5Star Drew Allar will now be starting and he has shown high promise. Their main concern heading into next year will be in the trenches as they are losing 4 starting offensive linemen and all defensive linemen. They will have a top 15 recruiting class and will have the most talented WR room I’ve seen Penn State have. Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton are coming back at running back to help them have what may be the best balanced offensive attack in all of college football
My thought: Just Right
6. USC, 287
High:4 Low:15
Can they replace all the star power?
Watching USC constantly drop after rising twice last year was just absolutely heartbreaking or fun depending on how you feel about them. USC looks to be able to put it all together in Lincoln Riley’s second year. Caleb Williams is coming back but they’re losing 7 offensive starters. Of Course, Lincoln Riley’s offense is always amazing but it has never worked for them in big games. Look at this year; the two biggest games of this year they gave up 47 points to Utah and 46 points to Tulane. They will need a defense if they want to go all the way.
My Thought: Overrated
7. LSU, 275
High:3 Low:18
Will they exceed expectations again?
LSU shocked me last year. After losing to Florida State in Week 1and pummeled by Tennessee Week 6, it didn’t look like they were going to win the SEC West but they did. Huge wins over both Alabama and Ole Miss were on almost nobodies radar. Jayden Daniels along with other talent will be coming back next season and a massive recruiting class of 18 4&5 stars will give them great momentum going into Brian Kelly’s 2nd year.
My Though: Slightly Underrated
8. Florida State, 269
High:4 Low:14
ACC Championship Bound?
Florida State ended this season as the highest ranked ACC team. Not only are they tied for the 14th highest returning production(78%), but they also brung in a top 20 recruiting class and top 5 Transfer ranking. This team brings in a lot of promise from a talent standpoint. Jordan Travis will be a dark horse heisman candidate and with how much firepower this team has, it’ll be hard for defenses to get a grasp on how to stop them.
My Thought: Underrated
9. Washington, 254
High:5 Low:11
The best possible offseason happened.
Washington surprised many when they went from 4-8 to 11-2 in just 1 years time. Kalen DeBoar has Michael Penix Jr. coming back along with many Underclassmen that elected to come back and the way hes been able to develop these young men should give all Washington fans hope for this year. The only thing that could become a problem is the losses in the Trenches. They’re losing 3 starting offensive linemen along with DL Jeremiah Martin.
My Thought: Just Right
10. Oregon, 222
High:8 Low:15
Can incoming recruits make up for the lack of returning Production?
Bo Nix announced that he was coming back so they can play they’re part in the already packed Pac 12 QB room but they lost all but one Offensive Linemen and Key players on their defense. But they make up for it with amazing defensive commits and transfers. They’re defensive talent will take a huge step up from last year. Dan Lanning looks to win the Pac 12 in a very competitive conference.
11. Tennessee, 213
High:5 Low:18
My Thought: Just Right
12. Notre Dame, 211
High:7 Low:14
My Thought: Underrated
13. TCU, 209
High:6 Low:22
My Thought: Just Right
14. Clemson, 203
High:9 Low:17
My Thought: Slightly Overrated
15. Utah, 180
High:9 Low:18
My Thought: Slightly Underrated
16.Oregon State, 137
High:11 Low:20
My Thought: Slightly Underrated
17.Texas, 122
High:14 Low:NR
My Thought: Just Right
T-18.Kansas State, 117
High:14 Low:NR
My Thought: Slightly Underrated
T-18.Tulane,117
High:16 Low:25
My Thought: Just Right
20.North Carolina, 79
High:16 Low:NR
My Thought: Slightly Overrated
21.Texas Tech, 53
High:14 Low:NR
My Thought: Slightly Underrated
22.South Carolina, 40
High:19 Low:NR
My Thought: Just Right
23.Wisconsin, 39
High:16 Low:NR
My Thought: Just Right
24.Ole Miss, 38
High:18 Low:NR
My Thought: Just Right
25.UCLA,30
High:17 Low:NR
My Thought: Just Right
Others Receiving Votes:
Oklahoma-24, Iowa-19, UTSA-17, Texas A&M-10, Arkansas-6,
Louisville-6, James Madison-5, Troy-5, Colorado-5, Pitt-4, Kansas-1, NC State-1
Sources:
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35391913/2023-way-too-early-college-football-top-25
https://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-footballs-way-too-early-top-25-rankings-for-2023
https://theathletic.com/4074567/2023/01/10/college-football-top-25-2023/
https://www.si.com/college/2023/01/10/college-football-early-rankings-2023-georgia-michigan-lsu
https://www.pff.com/news/college-football-way-too-early-2023-top-25-rankings
https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/brett-mcmurphy-too-early-college-football-top-25-rankings-2023
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