COLLEGE FOOTBALL
D1SN college football preview and preseason ranking
No. 1 Georgia
Georgia may have lost Stetson Bennett, Jalen Carter, Kelee Ringo and Christopher Smith, but the Dogs are still loaded and poised to make another run. Carson Beck is the heir apparent to replace Bennett at quarterback, and two new faces: Rara Thomas and Dominic Lovett, will add to already strong receiving corp with the nation's best tight end Brock Bowers returning.
On defense Zion Logue, Nazir Stackhouse, Tramel Walthour and Warren Brinson are back. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is expected to see time, and Mykel Williams should be in the lineup, healthy after undergoing minor foot surgery. The secondary returns three starters, including Peach Bowl and National Championship game MVP Javon Bullard. The only question mark is the outside linebacker slot.
No. 2 Michigan
Michigan returns quarterback J.J. McCarthy, All-America running back Blake Corum (1,463 yards, 18 TD) and Donovan Edwards (991 yards, seven TD). Corum is back after suffering a torn meniscus and sprained MCL in his left knee last November. Up front, starting guards Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan are back. Only one wide receiver is back with any playing time: Cornelius Johnson (32 catches, 449 yards, six TD)
An already strong defense should be as strong again this season. The defense brings back six starters, led by tackles Mason Graham and Kris Jenkins. In the backfield Michigan returns Junior Colson, Michael Barrett, safeties Rod Moore and Makari Paige.
No. 3 Alabama
Alabama is deep in talent all around, but a lot of positions will have new faces. Bryce Young and Will Anderson are gone, but Jase McClellan (655 yards and seven rushing touchdowns in 2022) is the Tide's leading returning rusher. Quarterback Jalen Milroe got one start in last season but must battle Ty Simpson and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner for the starting role.
On defense, cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (15 passes defended in 2022) returns, but there are questions at safety and defensive back. Kicker Will Reichard is back for a fifth and final season. Also back on special teams, punter James Burnip.
No. 4 Ohio State
The Buckeyes will have to replace quarterback C.J. Stroud with either Kyle McCord or Devin Brown. Whoever gets the start will have a strong running game led by TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams, and the receiving corps is one of the best in the country, led by Marvin Harrison Jr..
The defense has some question marks. Just a few returning up front with ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau. Michael Hall Jr. is the anchor in the backfield. Linebackers Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers are expected to see time.
No. 5 Clemson
Sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik made up for early season losses with a very strong finish and is expected to lead the way on offense. His top offensive weapons include junior running back Will Shipley (15 rushing touchdowns, 124.9 all-purpose yards per game), sophomore wide receiver Antonio Williams (team-high 604 receiving yards, four touchdowns), and junior tight end Jake Briningstool (285 yards, four TDs). Clemson also returns four of five offensive line starters but must find a replacement for Jordan McFadden at left tackle.
On defense Clemson has eight starters return for another year. At linebacker the Tigers have juniors Barrett Carter (10.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, eight pass breakups) and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (89 tackles, 13.5 TFLs). Tyler Davis (9.5 TFLs, 5.5 sacks), and DT Ruke Orhorhoro are also back.
No. 6 UTSA
Back to back C-USA titles, 30 wins in 3 seasons, yes UTSA belongs in the mix and should not be overlooked. The Roadrunners are for real and could be the in the mix for a New Years bowl game or a wild card spot in the CFP. Moving to the American Athletic Conference shouldn't change anything.
The Roadrunners welcome back nine starters on offense, including quarterback Frank Harris. Harris is back for his fifth season after throwing for 4,063 yards and 32 TDs last season. Wide receivers Joshua Cephus, De'Corian Clark, tight end Oscar Cardenas, and running back Kevorian Barnes are all back.
Defensively, linebacker Jamal Ligon and lineman Brandon Brown are the leaders of a strong secondary. Outside linebacker Trey Moore, who led the team in sacks (8.0) and tackles for a loss (18) as a freshman, also returns. UTSA held teams to 25.9 points a game last year and allowed just 5.5 yards per play. With seven returning starters and all-conference talent at every level, this unit should be even better in '23.
No. 7 Cincinnati
The Bearcats move to the Big 12, have a new head coach in Scott Satterfield, and have just seven returning starters. Despite all the changes, Cincinnati still have plenty of talent and should be in contention this season.
Cincinnati brings back a strong running back group led by Corey Kiner and Myles Montgomery. Kiner rushed for 362 yards and five touchdowns last season. Transfers Dee Wiggins and Donovan Ollie should be plenty of play time.
The Bearcats will be relying on a strong defense anchored by lineman Dontay Corleone and Jowon Briggs. The secondary returns corner Sammy Anderson Jr. and safety Bryon Threats and transfers Jordan Young (Florida) at corner and safety D.J. Taylor (Arizona State) joining the mix.
No. 8 Air Force
The Falcons led the nation in rushing yards, time of possession and total defense a season ago. This season Air Force has a few holes to fill, mainly at quarterback. Senior Jensen Jones is the favorite, with Ben Brittain a capable backup or starter. The Falcons return running back John Lee Eldridge III (7.7 yards per carry).
Air Force has a strong defense and is mostly intact, led by Trey Taylor, Camby Goff and Alec Mock. Coming off two consecutive 10 win seasons, a favorable schedule will keep Air Force in the hunt and favorites to win the Mountain West.
No. 9 Oregon
The Ducks are odds on favorite to win with Pac 12 led by Bo Nix at quarterback. Running backs Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington are back as well. Oregon's offense gets a boost this season with transfer receivers Traeshon Holden and Tez Johnson, along with offensive linemen Junior Angilau and Ajani Cornelius.
On defense, the Ducks are solid with transfer linebackers Jestin Jacobs and Connor Soelle, cornerback Khyree Jackson, pass rusher Jordan Burch, and safeties Tysheem Johnson and Evan Williams. Brandon Dorlus, Casey Rogers and Jeffrey Bassa are also back.
No. 10 Penn State
With 14 returning starters, Penn State is in position to contend with Michigan and Ohio State for the top spot in the Big Ten this fall. The wide receiver slot is still a question, but quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are back. The Penn State offense line should be strong this fall with left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu returning, along with five other linemen who started at least five games last year.
On defense, the Lions return outside linebacker Abdul Carter, who totalled 10.5 tackles for a loss and a team-high 6.5 sacks a season ago. Key starters returning include linebacker Curtis Jacobs, cornerbacks Kalen King and Johnny Dixon, defensive ends Adisa Isaac and Chop Robinson. The only question on defense is up front. The Lion D-line is undersized but still capable.
Schools to look out for
Tennessee
The Vols will be led by senior QB Joe Milton III (64.6 completion percentage, 971 yards, 10 TDs). Tennessee has a solid offense: wide receivers Bru McCoy (52 receptions, 667 yards, four TDs) and Squirrel White (30 receptions, 481 yards, two TDs) and running backs Jabari Small (734 yards, 13 TDs), Jaylen Wright (875 yards, 10 TDs) and Dylan Sampson (397 yards, six TDs).
The Vols defense came on strong towards the end of the season and return linebacker Aaron Beasley (76 tackles) and cornerback Doneiko Slaughter. The Vols added linebacker Keenan Pili (190 career tackles) and cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally from BYU via the portal to shore up the defense. Defensive back Tamarion McDonald (55 tackles, two interceptions), pass rushers Tyler Baron (23 tackles, 2.5 sacks), Roman Harrison (40 tackles, three sacks), and Omari Thomas (27 tackles, two sacks) are back as well.
Notre Dame
Transfer quarterback Sam Hartman comes over from Wake Forest and is expected to be the leader on offense. Hartmans go-to targets should be receivers Jayden Thomas, Deion Colzie and Tobias Merriweather. The running game is headed up by Audric Estimé (920 yards).
The Irish defense has some room to improve and will be headed up by tackles Howard Cross III, Rylie Mills and Gabriel Rubio. Ends Nana Osafo-Mensah and Jordan Botelho, Ohio State transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste should offer a pass rush. At linebacker, JD Bertrand and Jack Kiser are back and Marist Liufau, Prince Kollie and Jaylen Sneed should see play time. Cornerback Benjamin Morrison, Cam Hart, and safety Xavier Watts round out the backfield.
Texas Christian
The national runner up from last season has a lot of rebuilding this season. TCU returns just 11 starters. Quarterback Chandler Morris, wide receivers JoJo Earle, Savion Williams, and running backs Trey Sanders, Emani Bailey, and Trent Battle wil be the nucleus of this Horned Frog offense.
The TCU defense strength should be at linebacker and in the secondary with the return of Johnny Hodges (LB) and Josh Newton (CB).
Two schools move up to the FBS level this season: Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State. Don't let the preseason rating fool you. Jacksonville State is coming off a 9-2 season at the FCS level and Sam Houston State was 5-4. Both will be competing in Conference USA.
The rest of the D1SporstNet preseaon rating:
11 Tennessee 12 Notre Dame 13 Coastal Carolina 14 Texas Christian 15 Fresno State 16 James Madison 17 Troy 18 Pittsburgh 19 Utah 20 Houston 21 Oregon State 22 Minnesota 23 Washington 24 UCLA 25 Kansas State 26 Boise State 27 Wake Forest 28 Brigham Young 29 Mississippi 30 Central Florida 31 Western Kentucky 32 Florida State 33 South Alabama 34 North Carolina State 35 Tulane 36 Southern Cal 37 Iowa 38 San Diego State 39 Oklahoma State 40 Marshall 41 Eastern Michigan 42 Mississippi State 43 Louisiana State 44 Louisiana-Lafayette 45 Liberty 46 Kentucky 47 Toledo 48 Purdue 49 East Carolina 50 Baylor 51 Texas Tech 52 Middle Tennessee 53 Maryland 54 South Carolina 55 Wisconsin 56 Alabama-Birmingham 57 Arkansas 58 Oklahoma 59 North Carolina 60 Southern Methodist 61 Appalachian State 62 Ohio 63 Army 64 Michigan State 65 Louisville 66 Duke 67 Texas 68 Illinois 69 Wyoming 70 Washington State 71 San Jose State 72 Memphis 73 Utah State 74 Syracuse 75 Texas A&M 76 North Texas 77 Western Michigan 78 Miami of Ohio 79 Buffalo 80 Miami 81 Florida 82 Missouri 83 Tulsa 84 Texas-El Paso 85 Central Michigan 86 Southern Miss 87 Kent State 88 Auburn 89 Ball State 90 West Virginia 91 Georgia State 92 New Mexico State 93 Bowling Green 94 Florida Atlantic 95 Iowa State 96 Georgia Southern 97 Northern Illinois 98 Arizona State 99 Virginia 100 Kansas 101 Rice 102 Georgia Tech 103 California 104 Rutgers 105 Virginia Tech 106 Connecticut 107 Nevada-Las Vegas 108 Vanderbilt 109 Navy 110 Louisiana-Monroe 111 Texas State 112 Boston College 113 Old Dominion 114 Nevada 115 Hawaii 116 Arizona 117 Nebraska 118 Charlotte 119 Indiana 120 Florida International 121 Louisiana Tech 122 Temple 123 Stanford 124 Colorado State 125 Arkansas State 126 New Mexico 127 Akron 128 Colorado 129 Northwestern 130 South Florida 131 Massachusetts 132 Jacksonville State 133 Sam Houston State
July 30, 2023
