Atlantic Coast Conference:
Conference Champion Game:
Florida State Seminoles vs. Clemson Tigers
Winner: Florida State Seminoles
Runner-Up: Clemson Tigers
Awards:
OPOY: Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State
DPOY: Jared Verse, DL, Florida State
COY: Mario Cristobal, Miami
Impact Transfer: Phil Jurkovec, QB, Pittsburgh Panthers
The Florida State Seminoles finished last season with a record of 10-3, including a victory in the Cheez-It Bowl over the Oklahoma Sooners. The Seminoles are looking to improve on their record last season, as they have a lot of returning star power. Florida State returns their quarterback, Jordan Travis, who was a part of the All-ACC Second Team last season. Last season Travis had 3,214 passing yards, and 24 passing touchdowns, while completing 64.0% of his passes, and only throwing 5 interceptions. Jordan Travis is also a threat on the ground, as he had 417 yards and 7 touchdowns, while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Florida State also brings back their running back, Trey Benson, who had 990 yards and 9 touchdowns last season, while averaging 6.4 yards per carry. As well as having their quarterback and running back return for this season, the Seminoles have their leading receiver, Johnny Wilson back. Wilson had 897 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 43 receptions last season. Defensively, Florida State returns back one of the best defensive players in the country, Jared Verse. Last season, Verse was a First Team All-American and was a member of the All-ACC First Team. Verse had 9 sacks and 47 tackles last season. The Seminoles leader last season in interceptions, with 3 interceptions, Greedy Vance Jr. is also back on the Seminoles. Along with having many of their star players back for this season, the Seminoles also made some big splashes in the transfer portal. On offense the Seminoles got tight end Jaheim Bell from South Carolina, wide receiver Keon Coleman from Michigan State. Keon Coleman was the leading receiver for the MIchigan State Spartans last season, as he had 798 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 58 receptions. Jaheim Bell had 231 yards, 25 receptions, and 2 touchdowns last season for the South Carolina gamecocks. Adding Coleman and Bell massively bolsters the Seminoles passing attack, which could help Jordan Travis have another monster year this season. On the defensive side of the ball, the Florida State Seminoles brought in cornerback Fentrell Cypress from Virgina, defensive linemen Braden Fiske from Western Michigan, edge Gilber Edmond from South Carolina, and defensive linemen Darrell Jackson from Miami. Fentrell Cypress will have a big role for the Seminoles, as he was able to have good production with the Virginia Cavaliers, as he had 39 tackles and 13 pass deflections last season. Braden Fiske had 58 tackles, 6 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles last season, which will help the Seminoles by giving them more pass rushing, along with the pass rush they get from Jared Verse. Fiske will also help the Seminoles improve their run defense. Gilber Edmonds and Darrell Jackson will also bolster the pass rush for Florida State. Edmonds had 39 tackles and 2 sacks last season with the Seminoles. Jackson had 27 tackles and sacks last season. The Seminoles are a very well-rounded team with their amazing combination of players from the transfer portal and returning players, which makes them primed for a big season in the ACC.
Big 12 Conference:
Conference Championship Game:
Texas Longhorns vs. Oklahoma Sooners
Winner: Texas Longhorns
Runner-Up: Oklahoma Sooners
Awards:
OPOY: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
DPOY: Bud Clark, DB, TCU
COY: Brent Venables, Oklahoma
Impact Transfer: Xzavier Henderson, WR, Cincinnati
The Texas Longhorns are looking to improve on their 8-5 record last season, with a Valero Alamo Bowl loss to the Washington Huskies. The Longhorns are led by their quarterback Quinn Ewers, who is one of the most electric quarterbacks in the country. Last season, Ewers had 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns. The weapons that Ewers has are amazing, as Texas has Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington, Adonai Mitchell at wide receiver, and Ja’Tavion Sanders at tight end. Xavier is one of the most explosive and fastest players in the country. Worthy was a part of the All-Big 12 Second Team last season. Worthy had 760 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 60 receptions last season. Jordan Whittington had 652 yards, 50 receptions, and a touchdown last season. Adonai Mitchell transferred from Georgia, and should have a huge impact on the Texas offense. Mitchell was injured for most of last season, but in the 4 games that he played, Mitchell had 134 yards, 9 receptions, and 3 touchdowns. Ja’Tavion Sanders was a safety blanket for Quinn Ewers, which led him to be a part of the All-Big 12 First Team. Sanders had 613 yards on 54 receptions, with 5 touchdowns. The Texas Longhorns also have wide receiver Isaiah Neyor, who transferred to Texas from Wyoming before last season, but he sustained an injury before the season started, so he did not play for Texas last season. In Neyor’s last collegiate season in which he played, he had 878 yards, on 44 receptions, with 12 touchdowns. Neyor is a good deep threat, as he averaged 20 yards per reception. Even though the Longhorns lost their 1-2 punch at the running back position to the NFL, in Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, the Longhorns are not in trouble at the running back, as they have Jonathon Brooks. Jonathon Brooks played very limited snaps at running back last season for the Longhorns, but when he played he showed some flashes of being a very good running back. In 4 games played last season, Brooks had 197 yards, and 5 touchdowns on 30 carries, which means he averaged 6.6 yards per carry. To protect Ewers, the Longhorns have offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., who was a part of the All-Big 12 Second Team last season. Texas has some of their defensive starters from last season returning, but the two most notable are, defensive end Barryn Sorrell and linebacker Jaylan Ford. Barryn Sorrell had 44 tackles, and 5.5 sacks last season. His 5.5 sacks led the Longhorns last season. Jaylan Ford was a part of the All-Big 12 First Team, as he had 119 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 4 interceptions, which all led the Longhorns last season. Texas is back this season and is to be an extremely scary matchup for any team.
Big 10 Conference:
East Division:
West Division:
Conference Championship Game:
Michigan Wolverines vs. Wisconsin Badgers
Winner: Michigan Wolverines
Runner-Up: Wisconsin Badgers
Awards:
OPOY: Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
DPOY: J.T. Tuimoloau, DE, Ohio State
COY: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Impact Transfer: Tanner Mordecai, QB, Wisconsin
The defending Big-10 Champion Michigan Wolverines went 13-1 last season, with a loss in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl. The Wolverines are looking to finally get over the hump, and win their first National Championship in 3 years. The Wolverines are loaded all-around with talent, both offensively and defensively. On offense, the Wolverines are led by quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and running back Blake Corum. McCarthy was a part of the All-Big Ten Second Team, as he had 2,719 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, and completed 64.6% of his passes, while only throwing 5 interceptions. McCarthy is also a threat on the ground, as he had 306 rushing yards, and 5 touchdowns, while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Blake Corum was a unanimous all-american, a member of the All-Big Ten First Team, and he finished 7th in Heisman voting. In the 12 games that Corum played last season, he had 1,46 and 18 touchdowns, while averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Corum makes up the best running back duo in the country with Donovan Edwards. Last season, Donovan Edwards had 991 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns, while averaging 7.1 yards per carry. Edwards is also a good receiving back, as he had 200 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns, and 18 receptions last season. Michigan also has a lot of returning receivers, including Cornelius Johnson, Colston Loveland, and Roman Wilson. Cornelius Johnson had 32 receptions, 499 yards, and 6 touchdowns last season. In the 9 games that Colston Loveland played in last season, Loveland had 16 receptions, 235 yards, and 2 touchdowns. In the 11 games that Roman Wilson played in last season, Wilson had 25 receptions, 376 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Lastly, on offense, the Wolverines offensive line is the two-time defending Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line. The Wolverines have two returning All-Big Ten guards, Zak Zinter, who was a part of the All-Big 10 First Team last season, and Trevor Keegan, who was also a part of the All-Big 10 First Team last season. On defense, Michigan is led by linebacker Junior Colson, linebacker Mike Barrett, and defensive back Rod Moore. Last season, Junior Colson led the Wolverines in tackles, with 101 tackles. Michael Barrett was a part of the All-Big Ten Third Team last season, as he had 72 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions. Last season Rod Moore led the Wolverines in interceptions with 4. Moore also had 71 tackles last season. Along with having a lot of returning talent on defense, the Wolverines were very active in the transfer portal, as they got linebacker Ernest Hausmann and edge Josaiah Stewart. Ernest Hausmann is a transfer from Nebraska, in which last season he had 54 tackles and 1 sack. Josaiah Stewart is a transfer from Coastal Carolina, where he was a part of the All-Sun Belt Second Team last season, as he had 37 tackles and 3.5 sacks, in 10 games played. The Wolverines have one of the best top-to-bottom rosters in college football, with an insane amount of star power, which will make them an extremely scary opponent for any team.
Pac-12:
Conference Championship Game:
Oregon Ducks vs. USC Horned Frogs
Winner: USC Trojans
Runner-Up: Oregon Ducks
Awards:
OPOY: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
DPOY: Laiatu Latu, DL, UCLA
COY: Dan Lanning, Oregon
Impact Transfer: Bear Alexander, DL, USC
The USC Trojans are looking to bounce back after a disappointing end to last season, as they lost in the Pac-12 championship game to the Utah Utes, and they lost in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic to the Tulane Green Wave. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams, is back for the Trojans, and is looking to win back-to-back Heismans. Williams had 4,537 passing yards, which was 3rd in the country, 382 rushing yards, 42 passing touchdowns, which led the country, 10 rushing touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions, while completing 66.6% of his passes. At running back the Trojans have Austin Jones, who had 705 rushing yards, and 5 rushing touchdowns, while averaging 5.2 yards per carry last season. Jones is also a good receiving back, as he had 267 yards, 25 receptions, and a touchdown last season. Caleb Williams has some weapons to throw to, along with Austin Jones, including Tahj Washington, Brenden Rice, Mario Williams, and Zachariah Branch. Tahj Washington had 785 yards, 50 receptions, and 6 touchdowns last season. Mario Williams had 631 yards, 40 receptions, and 5 touchdowns. Brendan Rice had 39 receptions. 611 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns last season. Zachariah Branch was the 7th ranked recruit, and the 1st ranked receiver in the 2023 recruiting class. Branch has game-changing speed, and is a threat to score a touchdown whenever he gets the ball in his hands. The Trojans also got wide receiver Dorian Singer in the transfer portal from Arizona. Last season, Singer was a part of the All-Pac 12 Second Team, as he had 1,105 yards, 66 receptions, and 6 touchdowns. As well as getting Dorian SInger from the transfer portal, the Trojans also got running back Marshawn Lloyd from South Carolina. Lloyd had 573 rushing yards, 9 rushing touchdowns, 18 receptions, 176 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns, while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. On defense, the Trojans are led by safety Calen Bullock, safety Max Wlliams, linebacker Shane Lee, linebacker Eric Gentry, and defensive linemen Tryone Taleni. Last season, Calen Bullock was a part of the All-Pac 12 Second Team, as he had 5 interceptions, which led the Trojans, 48 tackles, and 6 pass deflections. Max Wlliams had 79 tackles and 2 forced fumbles, which both led the Trojans, 5 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions last season. Shane Lee had 78 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions. Eric Gentry had 2 forced fumbles, which led the Trojans, 71 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 pass deflections. Tyrone Taleni had 25 tackles and 5 sacks last season. The Trojans made some big splashes in the transfer portal on defense as well, by getting defensive linemen Bear Alexander from Georgia, linebacker Mason Cobb from Oklahoma State, and Jack Sullivan from Purdue. Last season, Bear Alexander had 9 tackles, 2 pass deflections, and 2 sacks as a freshman at Georgia last season. Last season, Mason Cobb was a part of the All-Big 12 Second Team, as he had 96 tackles and 2 sacks. Jack Sullivan had 38 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season. USC is a much improved team, especially on defense which is what held them back primarily on last season. The combination of an electric offense led by Caleb Williams, and a much-improved defense should help USC improve and win the Pac-12 for the first since 2017.
Southeastern Conference:
West Division:
East Division:
Conference Championship Game:
Georgia Bulldogs vs. LSU Tigers
Winner: Georgia Bulldogs
Runner-Up: LSU Tigers
Awards:
OPOY: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
DPOY: Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama
COY: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Impact Transfer: Devin Leary, QB, Kentucky
The defending back-to-back National Champions are looking to three-peat this season. The Bulldogs have a new leader signal caller this season, as their quarterback for the past two seasons, Stetson Bennett, went to the NFL. The new quarterback for the Bulldogs is Carson Beck, who backed up Bennett last season. Beck appeared in 6 games last season, in which had 310 yards, 4 touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 74.3%, while throwing zero interceptions. The running back room from the Bulldogs is stacked, as they have a good one-two-punch, in Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton. Last season, Daijun Edwards had 769 rushing yards, 101 receiving yards, 14 receptions, and 7 rushing touchdowns, while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Kendall Milton had 592 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns, while averaging 7.0 yards per carry last season. The Bulldogs have two wide receivers who got a good amount of volume last season, in Ladd McConkey and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint. Ladd McConkey was a part of the All-SEC Second Team last season, as he had 58 receptions, 762 yards, and 7 touchdowns. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint had 29 receptions, 337 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns. The Bulldogs also got a wide receiver in the transfer portal in Dominic Lovett, who transferred from Missouri. Dominic Lovett was a part of the All-SEC First Team last season, as he had 56 receptions, 846 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns. Even though the Georgia Bulldogs have very good talent at the wide receiver position, their best pass-catcher is Brock Bowers. Brock Bowers is the best tight end in the country. Last season, Brock Bowers was awarded with the John Mackey Award, along with being a First Team All-American, and a member of the All-SEC First Team. Bowers had 63 receptions, 942 yards, and 7 touchdowns. Leading the Bulldogs offensive line is center Sedrick Van Pran, who was a part of the All-SEC Second Team last season. The Bulldogs defense is still stacked, as they are led by linebacker Smael Mondon Jr., linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, defensive back Malaki Starks, defensive back Javon Bullard, defensive linemen Mykel Williams, and defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse. Samel Mondon Jr. had 76 tackles, which led the Bulldogs last season. Jamon Dumas-Johnson was a First Team All-American, and a member of the All-Sec Second Team last season, as he had 70 tackles, 4 sacks, and 3 pass deflections. Malaki Starks had 7 pass deflections, which led the Bulldogs, 69 tackles, and 2 interceptions last season. Javon Bullard had 46 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions last season. Mykel Williams had 4.5 sacks, which led the Bulldogs, and 28 tackles last season. Nazir Stackhouse was a part of the All-SEC Second Team last season, as he had 33 tackles, and a great ability to stop the run. The Bulldogs roster is looking as incredible as ever and are looking like they could become the first three-peat champions since Minnesota from 1934-1936.