2023 is a year without an undisputed national champion. Teams like Washington, Texas, Alabama, and Florida State can claim a share, but no one won an outright title. The only team that thinks it did, cheated massively for three seasons to do so and forever has an asterisk next this season and their name and head coach.
Michigan* is not the national champion. Just like the 2017 Houston Astros aren’t World Series champions, Lance Armstrong didn’t win the Tour de France seven consecutive times, and Barry Bonds isn’t the career leader in home runs. Cheating invalidates achievement in sports and this case is no different.
This isn’t Reggie Bush and USC being punished because someone bought his folks a house either. This was the breaking of clearly defined rules to gain a competitive advantage. The worst of it is, not only is it a fact that the evidence has proven and Michigan* has admitted to it, but that they and the powers at be (the NCAA, Big Ten, and College Football Playoff) and the media, simply don’t care.
Michigan* and the people making money or protecting their power are unrepentant. They also demand you bend the knee to their delusion. The gaslighting is of stunning proportions and in various ways all of them boil down to demanding you ignore reality and integrity. All the while they receive a few slaps on the wrist hoping that it satiates those of us who hold to some semblance of principles.
So, despite the cheating and lies, here’s the final top 25 of the season.
1. Washington – Washington (14-1) (Last Week #1. CFP Ranking #2) (Ranked #2 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
No team played better this season without cheating than the Huskies. Despite losing to the Ann Arbor Astros, they have the best record and the greatest claim to a national championship this year. They went undefeated in their conference, won their conference championship, made the playoffs, and won a semi-final bowl against Big 12 Champion Texas. Not bad at all for a team that three years ago was 4-8.
2. Texas – Texas (12-2) (Last Week #4. CFP Ranking #3) (Ranked #3 and #4 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Texas almost pulled off a miracle ending. They didn’t quite get there but this is the kind of year they needed as they move from the Big 12 to the SEC. They’ve been in the top two of their conference for 25 years. Now they’ll be in a much more crowded pond with Bama, Georgia, Oklahoma, and resurgent programs like Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Missouri. Oh, and we’ll get the return of the Lone Star Showdown. It will be interesting to see to see how Coach Sark takes Texas into the SEC.
3. Alabama – Alabama (12-2) (Last Week #5. CFP Ranking #4) (Ranked #5 and #5 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
I was really surprised by Alabama’s laid egg in the Rose Bowl. And yes a touchdown loss in overtime is a laid egg when you have Saban as your coach and going against the cheaters from Ann Arbor. This is now the longest the Tide have gone without a national championship in the Nick Saban Era, and it took a game that they looked unprepared for to get them there.
It will be really interesting to see how they do in 2024 with the new playoff format. Jalen Milroe has a very high ceiling and has shown improvement over the course of this year. Something tells me that with all the players that are projected to return it will be a year of wrath from Saban.
4. Georgia – Georgia (13-1) (Last Week #6. CFP Ranking #6) (Ranked #4 and #3 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The 2023 Georgia Bulldogs are a tough team to figure out. With Alabama’s struggles in most of their big games this past season it’s tough to gauge how good their best win that came against Georgia in the SEC Championship was. I certainly think they would have benefited from a 12-team playoff this season. They likely would have even won the Rose Bowl that Alabama lost. Whether they win the SEC again or not, it is almost certain that they will be in the playoffs in December.
5. Florida State – Florida State (13-1) (Last Week #2. CFP Ranking #5) (Ranked #6 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Florida State was righteously indignant by how they were treated by the college football playoff committee. They were so angry that it blinded their leadership. As soon as they were snubbed the school president, athletic director, head coach, all other leaders of FSU, and their players should have gotten together and decided one of two things.
The two options they should have concluded were to either boycott the postseason altogether or say they were going to treat the Orange Bowl against Georgia as their national championship game.
I would have gone with the latter and said if we defeat the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs and give them only their third loss in three seasons and finish 14-0, we’re going to claim a share of the 2023 National Championship. Just like the 2017 UCF, 2003 USC, 1997 Michigan, and many of the shared national champions before them.
Instead, it seems they were just angry, and with 20 players opting out adding to Jordan Travis’ injury, and the transfer portal, they didn’t have a chance against Georgia. They were screwed the most by Michigan’s* cheating because allowing the Wolverines to go on unpunished kept Florida State out of the playoffs.
6. Oregon – Oregon (12-2) (Last Week #9. CFP Ranking #8) (Ranked #7 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Ducks beat Liberty badly, and I’m of the firm belief that Liberty is a much better team than that score would indicate. Oregon like Texas, Washington, and Oklahoma had a strong season as they move into new territory in 2024 and they needed it. They look as prepared as they can be and Dan Lanning has them poised for a playoff spot in December.
7. Liberty – Liberty (13-1) (Last Week #3. CFP Ranking #23) (Ranked #25 and unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
They took one on the chin to Oregon, but this is a season the Liberty Flames and Jamey Chadwell should be very happy with. They were the best Group of Five team and if they repeat that in 2024, they’ll be the G5 representative in the College Football Playoff. Coach Chadwell is a rising star and could reach even more historic heights next season. They’ll need to go 13-0 again, but with Chadwell quarterback Kaidon Salter it’s very doable.
8. Ole Miss – Ole Miss (11-2) (Last Week #14. CFP Ranking #11) (Ranked #9 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
It was tough choosing where to rank Ole Miss and Missouri, seeing that their schedules were so similar. I went with the Rebels because they defeated a common opponent in LSU. With the news that Jaxson Dart is returning to Ole Miss and the noise they are making on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal, the Rebels are looking to be a top 12, playoff team in 2024. I’ll go out on a limb right now and say I’ll be surprised if they aren’t in the 2024 College Football Playoffs.
9. Missouri – Missouri (11-2) (Last Week #15. CFP Ranking #9) (Ranked #8 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Tigers won ugly a lot this year, but when you’re Missouri and just on the rise, 11-2 and a Cotton Bowl win is a great year. Mizzou extended head coach Eli Drinkwitz and running back Cody Schrader will be remembered as one of the best players and stories in program history. It will be an interesting storyline to see if Missouri can repeat this success in an even more crowded SEC in 2024.
10. Ohio State – Ohio State (11-2) (Last Week #7. CFP Ranking #7) (Ranked #10 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
When you’re on the rise like Mizzou, 11-2 and a Cotton Bowl win is great. When you’re supposed to be at the top, a third straight 11-2 season is a disappointment. People may not realize it but Ohio State is in a hole as big as the one they found themselves in back in the 1990s. The 1-6 record against their rival and their chief out-of-conference foes is not acceptable. The Buckeyes haven’t had a meaningful win in three years.
People point to Ohio State’s leadership and their overall record but it doesn’t matter at all that you beat up on Maryland, Indiana, Rutgers, Michigan State, and Penn State every year. It doesn’t matter that you eke out wins over 10-3, brand new coach, Notre Dame, and it doesn’t matter that you win a Rose Bowl over a team that’s starting a backup running back at corner and you need career games from three first-round NFL draft picks to do it (especially when that’s the only win those players have from their multi-year Ohio State careers).
2024 is the penultimate year for Ryan Day. There are only two outcomes at this point. Return the Buckeyes to glory or look for a new job. To his credit, he’s making the most offseason moves of his tenure. Landing Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins in the transfer portal are big offseason wins for Day.
11. Notre Dame – Notre Dame (10-3) (Last Week #21. CFP Ranking #16) (Ranked #14 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Irish improved from 9-4 to 10-3 in year two of the Marcus Freeman Era. They are definitely a team on the rise and one that is benefiting from the transfer portal and NIL. Next year’s schedule looks tough enough to test the Irish but not such a gauntlet as to wear them down and knock them out. There’s no reason that in year three Coach Freeman shouldn’t lead them to a playoff berth in the first season of the 12-team era.
12. Arizona – Arizona (10-3) (Last Week #22. CFP Ranking #14) (Ranked #11 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Wildcats were maybe the most surprising team of this season. Going from 1-11 to 5-7 to 10-3 is an epic turnaround. They return the quarterback who led them to it in 2024 as they enter as a favorite in the new Big 12 with Noah Fifita and Jedd Fisch leading the charge.
13. Penn State – Penn State (10-3) (Last Week #13. CFP Ranking #10) (Ranked #13 in the AP and Coaches Polls
Penn State suffered from some key opt-outs like Florida State and got beat badly for their troubles in the Peach Bowl. The Nittany Lions are at a crossroads similar to the one their western border foes, the Ohio State Buckeyes are at. They need a massive year in 2024 or they might see some massive changes. With their schedule, returning talent, and offseason moves there is no reason they shouldn’t finish in the top 12 in 2024.
14. LSU – LSU (10-3) (Last Week #24. CFP Ranking #13) (Ranked #12 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The post-Jayden Daniels Era at LSU will be an interesting one for Brian Kelly and the Bayou Bengals. Daniels carried them the past two seasons and was one of the top players in the country but only got to 10-4 and 10-3. Like C.J. Stroud at Ohio State, LSU fans can’t help but feel like they should have won more with him, and like Ohio State, the first season without him will have a lot of question marks.
15. Oklahoma – Oklahoma (10-3) (Last Week #16. CFP Ranking #12) (Ranked #15 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Sooners improved from 6-7 to 10-3 in year two of the Brent Venables Era. They played a good team with a great quarterback in the Alamo Bowl and despite ending the season with a loss are trending upward. It’ll be a tall order playing in the SEC but Brent Venables and Jackson Arnold will have to have success as the Sooner faithful won’t tolerate failure.
16. SMU – SMU (11-3) (Last Week #11. CFP Ranking #24) (Ranked #22 and #24 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Winning the AAC in your final year there before jumping to the ACC is a good way to go out for SMU. Sure, they would’ve preferred to win the Fenway Bowl against Boston College, but like many programs making these conference jumps, you want to be on a positive note overall and SMU is as they move in the right direction.
17. Troy – Troy (11-3) (Last Week #12. Unranked in the CFP) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Back-to-back Sun Belt Championships and a record of 23-5 in two seasons is something to be very proud of for the Trojans. They have to make a coaching change this offseason but they have a great foundation in place for the new leader to build on and continue their success.
18. Miami (OH) – Miami (OH) (11-3) (Last Week #10. Unranked in the CFP) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Butler County Ohio’s finest had a heck of a year despite a loss in the Cure Bowl to Appalachian State. The winningest program in the MAC did it old school with an elite defense, sharp special teams, and an offense that just keeps pounding until it breaks through. They’re returning a very large portion of this team to try and make it two in a row in 2024.
19. James Madison – James Madison (11-2) (Last Week #8. Unranked in the CFP) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
James Madison had a phenomenal year for a team that wasn’t even technically supposed to be allowed to play in the postseason. In your second year in the FBS and in the Sun Belt Conference you aren’t supposed to be that good, yet the Dukes beat conference champion Troy and got 11 wins. Even with the coaching change, they’re a program on the rise and a Sun Belt contender.
20. Oklahoma State – Oklahoma State (10-4) (Unranked Last Week. CFP Ranking #20) (Ranked #16 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
After starting 2-2 including a home blowout loss to South Alabama it looked like it could be a long year for the Cowboys. Credit Mike Gundy and his players for showing resiliency and going 8-2 after that to finish 10-4. They beat their archrival Oklahoma in the last game of Bedlam for the foreseeable future, they made the Big 12 title game, won a bowl game against Texas A&M, finished with double-digit wins, and had one of the best rushing attacks in the nation. They will be a favorite heading into the new Big 12 with strength in 2024.
21. Tulane – Tulane (11-3) (Last Week #17. Unranked in the CFP) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Tulane is a program that either the Big 12 or ACC (Or SEC if they want to tighten their hold on the south even more) should try to get to help their conference. The Green Wave would be able to compete immediately with the way they’ve built up their program over the past two seasons. As they stand they’ll be a favorite in the AAC once again.
22. Toledo – Toledo (11-3) (Last Week #18. Unranked in the CFP) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Rockets have had two great seasons with back-to-back MAC West Division Championships and a MAC championship in 2022. They’re losing a lot of talent this offseason and it isn’t easy to quickly reload in the MAC but they have to be happy with what they’ve won, the foundation they have, and what they’re building.
23. Louisville – Louisville (10-4) (Last Week #20. CFP Ranking #15) (Ranked #19 and #18 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Brian Brohm exceeded all expectations in his first year at Louisville. Sure they didn’t finish like they wanted to, dropping their last three games after starting 10-1 but they are currently near the top of the ACC and Brohm is an elite coach that will keep his hometown program improving upon a double-digit win, conference runner-up inaugural season.
24. Tennessee – Tennessee (9-4) (Unranked Last Week. Ranked #21 in the CFP) (Ranked #17 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Vols weren’t quite as good as they were in 2022 with Hendon Hooker but they didn’t take a step back despite going from 11-2 to 9-4. They beat main rival Kentucky, repaid South Carolina for 2022, and won a bowl game. Josh Heupel has them moving in the right direction, Vols fans just must keep rooting for Oklahoma whenever they aren’t going head-to-head, so Heupel never gets tempted to go to his alma matter.
25. Iowa – Iowa (10-4) (Last Week #19. CFP Ranking #17) (Ranked #24 and #22 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Iowa is a tale of two sides of the ball. Their defense is arguably in the top 10 in the nation while their offense might not make it in the top 100. That needs to change or with the new members and the new format, it may be a very long time before the Hawkeyes see the Big Ten Championship again.
