College football: Alabama, USC, 5 early 2023 predictions

The first game of the 2023 college football season is currently more than five months away. Does that mean we can’t start making predictions for the upcoming season? Not even remotely!

Today, with spring practices kicking off across the country, we’re going to be making some bold predictions for the upcoming college football season. There’s a very good chance that most of these predictions age terribly, but that’s the fun of making predictions this early. Without further ado, let’s get into the predictions.

5. Deion Sanders leads Colorado to a bowl game in Year 1

In the blink of an eye, Colorado has gone from an afterthought to one of the most discussed teams in college football. That is largely due to the Buffaloes hiring former Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders to fill their vacancy. Sanders is not only a football legend but did a tremendous job at Jackson State and has become arguably the most exciting coach in the country.

Despite how exciting the hire is, expectations seem to be pretty low this season. Colorado’s projected win total in 2023 is just 4.5, which is still better than the 3.5 it opened at. Although, with the Buffaloes’ brutal schedule and Sanders not having a full offseason to assemble his roster, it’s easy to see why the expectations are low.

However, it would be a mistake to write Colorado off entirely. Yes, the Buffaloes would have to pull off some upsets, but it’s nothing that farfetched. If Sanders can continue doing what he did at Jackson State, then he has a decent chance to make a bowl game in Year 1 at Colorado.

4. Neither Utah or USC win the Pac-12

We’re staying on the west coast for this college football prediction, but this time expanding to the Pac-12 as a whole. There are two teams that most people assume will win the conference, Utah and USC. The Trojans are among the top national title contenders and the Utes have won the conference the last two years, so it makes sense that they’re the clear favorites.

However, there’s a good argument that neither of them will win the Pac-12. They’re both great teams, but so are Washington, Oregon, and UCLA, with the former two also returning their star quarterbacks. The Pac-12 has also been a very chaotic conference over the years, so it would be wise to expect the unexpected.

3. Penn State wins the Big Ten

Penn State might be the team in the most unfortunate position due to its conference. The Nittany Lions have been a consistently strong team for several years now, but happen to share a division with two blue bloods in Ohio State and Michigan. They had a great season in 2022 by finishing 11-2 and winning the Rose Bowl, but those two losses to the Buckeyes and Wolverines killed their Big Ten title chances.

This season, Penn State has a chance to take the throne back. The Nittany Lions may have their best roster in years, returning many top players and having a promising new quarterback in sophomore Drew Allar. It’s a tall order, but James Franklin’s team may have the tools it needs to finally topple its divisional rivals.

2. Alabama OR Georgia makes the College Football Playoff, not both

Normally, predicting something that just happened last season wouldn’t be very bold, but this is an exception. There have been two occasions, 2017 and 2021, where two SEC teams have made the College Football Playoff. In both instances, those two teams, Alabama and Georgia, met each other in the National Championship Game. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have the two best odds to win the title this year, and many are expecting them to make the Playoff again.

While these two teams will no doubt be elite next season, but they aren’t Playoff locks. Both teams have to replace their star quarterbacks along with many other key contributors. Additionally, Alabama has two new coordinators and Georgia has had a chaotic offseason in general.

Yes, Georgia and Alabama have been the best teams in the sport recently, but there are challengers to the throne. There are too many other strong teams to lock in both of these teams into a four-team field already. One of them will almost certainly make it, but both of them making it isn’t as clear.

1. A non-quarterback wins the Heisman Trophy

Over the years, the Heisman Trophy has become a quarterback-dominated award. Since 2000, only four non-quarterbacks have won the award, with the most recent being Devonta Smith in 2020. Looking at the preseason odds, many expect this trend to continue in 2023.

According to FanDuel, the top 13 Heisman favorites are all quarterbacks. The first non-quarterback on the list is Michigan running back Blake Corum at +3000 odds. Other notable non-quarterbacks include Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

Clearly, the odds aren’t in favor of a non-quarterback winning the award. It may not be likely, but there’s certainly a chance one of these players could buck the trend.