Football fans will be counting the days. With Kansas City’s Super Bowl triumph becoming a distant memory, there has been very little to get excited about, while basketball and hockey fans have enjoyed some thrilling postseason action. Baseball may now be taking up all the attention – but it won’t be too long before football returns.
Of course, along with NFL fantasy football research, there will also be many fans figuring out their college football betting strategies. Georgia achieved back-to-back national titles in January, but will the Bulldogs three-peat? And what other storylines can we expect from the 2023 college football season?
New Look Alabama
The Crimson Tide is one of the undisputed heavyweights of college football. The program is also the most successful since the start of the playoff national championship system in 2014. But Alabama didn’t make the championship game last year and there will be new faces – and questions – for the Tide in 2023.
Nick Saban’s team will be considered the main threat to Georgia once again this year, even with the uncertainty surrounding the identity of Alabama’s QB. Two freshman running backs are an interesting proposition – as is the addition of WR Malik Benson. Don’t write off the Tide too quickly.
Key Early Games
It is often said in sports that no championships are won in the early months of a season. But they can be lost. Going 9-4 was not an auspicious record for LSU last year – and that’s before the blowout loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship game. A meeting with Florida State in early September could tell us a lot about both schools’ playoff hopes.
USC went from 4-8 to a Pac-12 Championship game last year under Lincoln Riley and will be one to look out for this year (read our thoughts on that in a moment). But one of the most intriguing match-ups in September is with Colorado at the end of the month. The Trojans will be able to show just how much they have improved.
Who Will Be This Year’s TCU?
No one saw the Horned Frogs making it all the way to the championship game last year and a repeat performance from TCU is not on the cards. But can another school muscle its way through the powerhouse pack and provide a surprise, if not to the same level as last year?
If there is any team that could do well in 2023, it might be USC. We touched on the importance of early season games for the Trojans and their second-year coach will be keen to show that last year was no fluke. With Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams returning, there must be a good chance for USC to do well.
Prime Time in Charge
Deion Sanders is not one that has shied away from the limelight over the years. His playing career was full of highs and excitement and he has taken his talent into coaching with much success. Two Celebration Bowls for Jackson State in his three years there was the best in the school’s history.
His achievements in such a short time at the HBCU were a major reason why many were disappointed that he jumped at the chance to take over at Colorado. He has needed surgery in the offseason for blood clots but there is no question that the spotlight will now shine on the Buffs this season.
Can Georgia Three-Peat?
Head coach Kirby Smart lost nine defensive starters before the start of last season and still took his Georgia Bulldogs to another championship title. Does anyone really think that a three-peat is out of the question? More players moved to the NFL this year but Georgia is still the favorite to win it all again.
There hasn’t even been a firm decision made in the Bulldogs organization about who will be the starting QB this year. The Rams took Stetson Bennett, but the remaining options could all still do well. An unbeaten season is not out of the question and don’t be surprised to see the Bulldogs celebrating next January again.
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