Continuing our pre-season prediction this month, 247Sports College Football’s spring cup predictions, which are too early, come out ahead of the 2023 season, the final campaign before the college football playoff expansion in 2024.
You’re probably asking yourself, what kind of crazy person writes college football preseason predictions? 10 months from the present? It’s part of what makes spring training interesting in the offseason, projections of where these teams will end up in the postseason and how rookies and transfers will match their new teams’ level of success.
We’ve trimmed this too-early prediction down to 20 games and only included bowls related to the Power Five competition. There will be other Power Five teams invited to the bowl season, but some of them will compete in Group of Five competition games. The tie-ins are based on our expectations, but not everything is decided yet.
Here are our first guesses about next season’s major games.
solar bowl
Predicted Match: Miami vs. Oregon
Texas Bowl
Predicted Match: Oklahoma vs. Arkansas
Music bowl of the city
Predicted Match: Florida vs. Iowa
Chalice of Freedom
Predicted Match: Kentucky v. Oklahoma State
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Predicted Match: State of Michigan v. Texas Institute of Technology
Las Vegas Bowl
Predicted Match: Illinois vs. Pittsburgh
strip Bowl
Predicted Match: Wake Forest vs. Purdue
Predicted Match: North Carolina State vs. Ole Miss
What will the Ole Miss quarterback situation look like this season? Lane Kiffin added Spencer Sanders from Oklahoma State and LSU’s Walker Howard during the off-season to take on Jackson Dart for a spot in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, the state of North Carolina invited Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong to take on MJ Morris for the QB1 awards. These two teams are not going to win their respective conferences but should be fighting for 8-4 points in their respective leagues.
Predicted Match: Utah vs. Notre Dame
If the Utes and the Fighting Irish play in San Diego next season, that means each team has failed to live up to expectations. Utah have won back-to-back Pac-12 championships and Notre Dame is looking to return to the top 10 in Marcus Freeman’s second campaign. The Fighting Irish added a pass from Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman from the portal but lost to OC Tommy Rhys Alabama. He was replaced by a designated assistant, a decision that should pay off for Freeman.
Predicted Match: TCU vs. Oregon
Two heavyweights from the Big 12 and Pac-12 tournaments could meet in Texas to end the 2023 season. TCU is coming out of its first playoff appearance in program history, but it will look very different next season without Max Duggan, Quentin Johnston and others leading the offense. As for Oregon, the Ducks have Heisman candidate Bo Nicks at center and a revamped roster that they expect will be good enough to finish at the top Pac-12 level as a top 15 team.
Predicted Match: North Carolina vs. Kansas State
The jury is still out on Tar Heels for 2023, given the departure of OC Phil Longo to Wisconsin and the rebuilt secondary facility after the portal mass casualties. North Carolina finished second to Clemson in the ACC in 2022, but the drive to return to that spot will be significantly harder this year as the league does away with divisions. Quarterback Drake May is potentially the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. On the other hand, Chris Kliman and the Wildcats are hoping their Big 12 encore performance will be even more impressive.
Predicted Match: South Carolina vs. Minnesota
The Gamecocks avoided that bowl game in Tampa last season after the TaxSlayer bowl in Jacksonville swallowed up South Carolina after defeating Clemson. The 2023 season seems like another eight-win finish for Shane Beamer’s team, given the brutal schedule. For Minnesota, this game means a strong record in the Big Ten West division along with players like Wisconsin and Iowa. South Carolina and Minnesota have never played on the grid.
Predicted Match: Texas A&M vs. Duke
Can the Blue Devils pick up another postseason honor after an incredible season under Mike Elko last fall? Maybe you remember the last time Texas A&M and Duke played in the postseason, Johnny Manzil’s notable return to Atlanta on New Year’s Eve? The Blue Devils have never made it to the TaxSlayer Bowl and that would have been a huge achievement. Texas A&M is trying to get back into bowling after a bad season last fall under Jimbo Fisher. And as a top 20 preseason team, he needs to keep his job.
Predicted Match: Penn State vs. Tennessee
The two blue bloods have played five times, the last three of which were in bowl season. Penn State is sliding into the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, which means the Nittany Lions are likely to lose three games in the regular season this fall, becoming a top-10 preseason team. It’s a stretch, considering Penn State’s overall talent is back from winning the Rose Bowl to end the 2022 campaign with 11 wins, but this time around, the schedule doesn’t take the hits. We chose Tennessee to finish second in the SEC East behind you-know-who.
date: December 29, 2023
Predicted Match: Alabama vs. Clemson
Here’s the matchup we’re used to seeing in the era of college football playoffs between the top two programs in the country in that stretch. If Alabama is playing in the Peach Bowl to end the season, that means Crimson Tide fell short of an SEC title and made it to the final four for the second year in a row. Dabo Sweeney and the Tigers enter a new era with Garrett Riley as head coach and Cade Strawberry as starting quarterback. Should Clemson be the ACC preseason favorite?
date: December 30, 2023
Predicted Match: State of Florida v. Wisconsin
The Seminoles last played in the Orange Bowl, finishing the 2016 season and beating Michigan 33–32. Florida State’s rise under Mike Norvell should continue this fall with one of the most talented squads in the country, especially with the many additions to the top-notch transfer portal. Wisconsin is one of our surprise New Year’s Six picks as an elite finisher in the Big Ten. Luke Fickell is in scoring mode heading into Year 1 and this Badgers offense should be powerful.
date: December 30, 2023
Predicted Match: Washington v. Tulane
Willy Fritz and The Green Wave are back in the New Year’s Six this season. Tulane is a clear favorite to be named the best team in the Group of Five, even though they lost a couple of key starting players from last year’s championship Cotton Bowl team. We take on Washington to finish second in the Pac-12 behind quarterback Michael Penix Jr. This will likely place the Huskies in the Fiesta if the Pac-12 winner advances to the final four.
date: January 1, 2024
Predicted Match: LSU vs. Texas
A preview of what we’ll be seeing frequently in the “new” SEC, LSU and Texas will make the top 10 Cotton Bowl finalists for the first time in 2019. This game will be a ratings bonanza between the Big 12 champion and one of the top SEC games. The Longhorns actually lead the all-time series with the Tigers, 9-8-1. Given the unpredictability of the Big 12 in recent years, it looks like Texas is in the lead this season.
Source: 247sports.com
