2023 College Football Season

[SeaBreeze341]

I can't believe the collegiate football season is almost here.  Basically the final one before a new-look college football era hits the arenas and the tube.  Save for any Week Zero action, the games get going one month from this past Monday, 30 days from yesterday as of this post, and, as of this post, one week from tomorrow.

In other words, 29 days from today or August 31.  There's so much to preview & link to that I might have to wait until the second post or my second post here as it's a lot.

This is the final year for the SEC on CBS after a run that sorta...well, it started at least a minute ago.  It's all about the Big 10 on that network, which actually gets going in a way this year, which is great.  Plus, some NBC action for the B1G.  Notre Dame isn't going anywhere, at least in 2023.

FOX CFB will still be tremendous, and ESPN will still be king in a way.  The New Year's SIX is still there for a tenth year, including the Rose & Sugar Bowl which will feature winners of those games battling it out sometime early in January for the National Championship.  After championship expansion happened nearly a decade ago (albeit 4 teams), we're getting more (teams).  This is the 10th and final year of a CFB Final 4.

Georgia begins its title defense against the Skyhawks, I believe.  So I guess their season gets started a week later than most, or two, maybe.  I think a three-peat is possible, but this is the time of times where LSU is that team that probably is the team to beat

[Ccook]

Georgia does start off against the UT-Martin Skyhawks. Oddsmakers and sports pundits say the Dawgs will three-peat as National champs given how easy their schedule is presumed to be. Carson Beck is their go-to guy at QB; he'll need the protection and it's his first full year as a starter. Not gonna call it, but a gut feeling says a couple of games could give them fits. Could be wrong (won't be the first time and certainly won't be the last). LSU is said to be a valid contender with Jayden Daniels calling the signals.

Elsewhere, Florida State is exploring leaving the ACC. Revenue distribution is cited as the reason and FSU trustees think it will happen.

[Ccook]

Week 1 is in full force and the biggest game is Sunday night's LSU/Florida State tilt. Tigers are a 2.5 point pick. Jayden Daniels vs. Jordan Travis should be a terrific matchup.

The ACC grows to 18 teams with the addition of Stanford, California (both previously with the PAC-12) and SMU (previously with the AAC). SMU will see no media rights revenue the first nine years while Stanford and Cal will see a reduced take. The additions will be affected next year.

[Superballer]

We've reached the point where 1984's Georgia and Oklahoma Vs. NCAA's Board of Regents Supreme Court decision may need to be legally reevaluated, as it's increasingly causing more harm than good--when the lawyer who won the case now says he regrets it, that's a clear sign that something's wrong.  It wouldn't necessarily need to be directly overturned as I see it as much as reworked--allow the schools and conferences to retain the right to seek deals for television, but would henceforth have to negotiate with the networks via a third party organization and guarantee that whatever money they would get would go for actual academic purposes.  In turn, they'd relinquish the decisions on conference makeups to a neutral party who'd in theory draw it up as impartially as possible.  The problem, though, is whether everyone's now too consumed with greed to listen to any reason. 

[SeaBreeze341]

Picks Time!  Tennessee, Michigan, Oklahoma, TCU, Iowa, Ole Miss, Oregon, Washington, OSU, Texas, ND, Wisconsin, Georgia, USC, Texas A&M, Penn State, Alabama, LSU, North Carolina, Clemson.   ETA: I have Indiana, Utah State, and Duke covering

O/U info: I'll go over for Ohio State/Indiana Penn State/West Virginia, Georgia/Whomever, and FSU/LSU.  Under for the games featuring Tennessee, TCU, Notre Dame, Clemson, and the Carolinas.  Not sure the total for ND and UGA might be (55.5 and 56.5 respectively)


Conference Champions

ACC: Clemson
Big Ten: Michigan
Big XII: Texas
Pac-12: USC
SEC: LSU



CFB Playoff: LSU, Michigan, Clemson, USC
LSU over USC, Michigan over Clemson
LSU over Michigan

[therealcu2010]

Whoever designed the new scorebug at Fox should be immediately fired. Good God is that thing awful.

[Ccook]

So far, Colorado's 45-42 upset of TCU (-20 at game time) has been the game of the weekend. Deion Sanders hits the ground running as the Buffaloes head coach; his son Shedeur wasn't chopped liver himself. 510 passing yards, 4 TDs and zero picks.

[Ccook]

FSU prevails, 45-24. Daniels and Travis yielded evenly matched numbers in all noted areas except on touchdowns--Travis' 5 (running for one) to Daniels' 1. FSU's Keon Coleman received three of Travis' TD passes. How far LSU drops in the rankings we'll all know after tonight's Clemson/Duke game.

[SeaBreeze341]

So much for a rare absence of Clemson as a Top 5 team; maybe it was a mistake to put them in the Top 10!


There’s no reason to mention Georgia and Michigan as the relates to their respective first and second place spots in the first AP Poll (as in first rankings after everyone has played), but I guess I can since it’s not a federal crime.  Ohio State dropped 2 spots which is interesting.  Indiana covered against them, but that was a road game for the Buckeyes.  I guess I’d look at it as two teams moving up & jumping over them in Alabama and Florida State and not OSU stumbling.

Clemson nearly feel out of the rankings after being ranked in the Top 10.  Despite my remark about their placement, Duke might be better than usual this season.  It’s too soon to tell after one game, but Duke is ranked.  Might be a sample of overreaction, similar to what Colorado is getting, as they also entered the Top 25.

Tennessee & Notre Dame enter the Top 10 after LSU & the mentioned Clemson drop out of it


Edited to add content related to changes to the AP Poll

[Ccook]

Game of the day Saturday has got to be Texas at Alabama. Tide is giving only 7, and it sounds like some tasty candy. Should be a good game. Nebraska at Colorado should be a dandy as well. Buffaloes giving 3. Elsewhere Georgia is giving 42 at home against Ball State. They're going to have to kick it up a notch against the cupcake teams and keep them from covering like UT-Martin did last week.

[SeaBreeze341]

Georgia probably will not cover since I picked them to do just that for the second consecutive week.  As for LSU, I imagine they'll bounce back in a big way.

In addition to Nebraska/Colorado & Texas/Alabama, I'll probably have to tune into that Michigan game.  Not that exciting, but there's nothing else (football related) on at that time that's better

[Ccook]

As of the moment, Ball State's FG has tied the spread vs. Georgia with less than 3:00 left. Elsewhere, Colorado is having a nice afternoon vs. Nebraska. Shedeur Sanders has been sacked six times but has not been picked.

Update: Georgia 45, Ball State 3, final.

[jude_este]

After jumping to a 13-6 lead, the Texas Longhorns beat the #3 Alabama Crimson Tide 34-24. According to some sports news sites (including Sports Illustrated), tonight's game gave Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers his most impressive performance.

https://www.si.com/college/texas/news/texas-longhorns-alabama-crimson-tide-breaking-highlight-quinn-ewers-xavier-worthy-ad-mitchell-steve-sarkisian-game-recap-final-score

And Texas Tech lost the first home game of the season 38-30 against the University of Oregon. And the game included this call where Texas Tech celebrated, thinking it was an interception, and Oregon claimed was out of bounds.

After review, this potential INT for Texas Tech is ruled as an incomplete pass

Do you agree with the call? pic.twitter.com/BXXhh6uISB

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 10, 2023

[Ccook]

LSU, TCU and Clemson rebounded convincingly. This week's top 25 should be interesting.

On the video: the guy had a foot inbound when he caught it. Shoulda been a pick.

[Ccook]

Alabama drops to #10 in the new college rankings following their loss to Texas, who jumps to #4. USC joins the top 5. For this Saturday, Georgia (still top spot) is a 26-1/2-point favorite against South Carolina. Were I to bet, I'd glomp that 26-1/2 (and of course look like a chump again). Bama is giving 31 and a hook vs. South Florida.