College Football Rankings 2023: Predictions for Week 1 NCAA Standings
The majority of the top college football teams get to ease into the 2023 season in Week 1.
Most of the best programs play at home against weaker opposition before their schedules get tougher in Week 2 and beyond.
One of the exceptions to that rule is the marquee clash of Week 1, which features the LSU Tigers and Florida State Seminoles.
LSU and Florida State come into the new campaign with plenty of buzz, and that earned them top-10 spots in the AP Top 25.
The SEC and ACC sides will have a chance to prove their worth to the national audience on Sunday night, and the result of that contest will cause the only real movement in the rankings unless an upset occurs on Saturday.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the only top-10 side to start its season on the road, but they are expected to cruise against the Indiana Hoosiers.
The No. 21 North Carolina Tar Heels may be the only ranked team to face a threat away from home against the South Carolina Gamecocks in Charlotte.
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. Alabama
5. LSU
6. USC (1-0)
7. Penn State
8. Florida State
9. Clemson
10. Washington
11. Texas
12. Tennessee
13. Notre Dame (1-0)
14. Utah
15. Oregon
16. Kansas State
17. TCU
18. Oregon State
19. Wisconsin
20. Oklahoma
21. North Carolina
22. Ole Miss
23. Texas A&M
24. Tulane
25. Iowa
LSU and Florida State are two of the most buzzworthy programs in college football.
LSU is expected to bounce back into national championship contention in Brian Kelly's second year in charge.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels is in the early Heisman Trophy conversation, and Kelly has worked the transfer portal to improve a program that was depleted by the time Ed Orgeron departed.
The Tigers have two big questions, though, at wide receiver and on the defensive line. They need a No. 1 wide out to step up after Kayshon Boutte's departure and star defensive lineman Maason Smith is suspended for the neutral-site contest in Orlando.
Smith's absence on the LSU interior could turn into a huge benefit for Jordan Travis, Florida State's own Heisman contender.
The Seminoles have been building back to prominence under head coach Mike Norvell, and 2023 is the year everything is supposed to come together.
Travis is coming off a 3,000-yard passing season and he has three full years of experience playing within the FSU system.
The Seminoles have a strong supporting cast around Travis, and they could use Sunday night's contest as a statement game.
Smith's absence will open a hole in the LSU defense, and that could be the break FSU needs to gain separation from a team with similar motivations to impress in Week 1.
A Florida State win will boost it at least one spot in the Top 25, and it could gain two places depending on the quality of the victory.
Prediction: Florida State over LSU
Drake Maye and North Carolina face the biggest risk of dropping out of the Top 25 after Week 1.
The Tar Heels head to Charlotte to face a South Carolina Gamecocks squad with an experienced quarterback of their own in Spencer Rattler.
South Carolina went 8-5 last season, but it fell out of the national spotlight quick after consecutive defeats to the Arkansas Razorbacks and Georgia Bulldogs in Weeks 2 and 3.
Shane Beamer's team took on another tough early-season test in Week 1 of 2023. North Carolina is one of three ranked foes the Gamecocks will face in their first five games.
South Carolina can trouble North Carolina if the UNC defense does not improve from a season ago.
The Tar Heels held a single opponent under 20 points last season. If that does not change, Maye and the UNC offense will have to outscore the Gamecocks.
UNC can at least do that. and that is why its Top 25 status for Week 2 could be confirmed with a victory.
Prediction: North Carolina over South Carolina
