College Football Teams With Best Shot to Go Undefeated in 2023
When the 2023 college football regular season is complete, it's likely only two or three teams will be undefeated. Last season, there were three unbeaten teams at the end of the regular season (pre-conference title games) in Georgia, Michigan and TCU.
While having a perfect record isn't a requirement to make it into the College Football Playoff, it certainly doesn't hurt. Georgia and Cincinnati were the only undefeated teams left standing at the end of 2021's regular season. Spearheaded by their dominant regular seasons, the Dawgs have won two consecutive national titles.
As we look ahead toward the 2023 season, let's see which teams have the best shot at ending the regular season with an unblemished record. We'll look at key games for each team, which matchups look the toughest and briefly peek at the talent that teams have returning in 2023.
Key games: at Virginia (Sept. 9), at Troy (Sept. 16), App State (Nov. 18) at Coastal Carolina (Nov. 25)
We've gotta show some love to the non-Power Five schools, too! That's why we're picking James Madison as the non-P5 school with the best shot at finishing 2023 undefeated.
The Dukes, in their first full season as a D-I school, went 8-3 last season. In fact, JMU could have had an even better record if it had played in the Sun Belt title game and a bowl game. But NCAA rules prohibit schools in their first two seasons at the D-I level from playing in conference title or bowl games.
JMU gets two of its toughest road games early in the season. First, the Dukes go on the road to face Virginia—which is just a little over an hour south from JMU's campus—on Sept. 9. The next week, they go on the road to play Troy. Virginia hasn't finished above .500 since 2019, so the Cavaliers might be underdogs in that one.
Troy is coming off a 12-win season under first-year head coach Jon Sumrall, so this will likely be JMU's toughest test all year. Had JMU been able to play in the Sun Belt title game, the Dukes would have faced the Trojans, who won the West division.
JMU will close out its regular season with a home game against App State and on a road tilt against Coastal Carolina. The Dukes won at App State 32-28 last season and throttled Coastal 47-7 at home.
JMU gets several starters on defense back in 2023. Replacing quarterback Todd Centeio will be a challenge, but landing transfer signal-callers like Jordan McCloud from Arizona and former Wake Forest QB Brett Griffis should help.
The Dukes look primed for a big season in their second year in the FBS. JMU head coach Curt Cignetti previously led them to an 18-1 record in conference play from 2019 to '21 and an undefeated FCS regular season in 2020.
Unfortunately they'll need a waiver from the NCAA to compete in the postseason.
Key games: at Michigan State (Oct. 21), at Penn State (Nov. 11), vs. Ohio State (Nov. 25)
Michigan has shocked the college football world by beating Ohio State in back-to-back seasons. The Wolverines went into Columbus and throttled the Buckeyes 45-23 last year.
As Jim Harbaugh returns to Ann Arbor in 2023, so does his starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy and star running back Blake Corum. It seems like there is little standing in Michigan's way of finishing unbeaten in the regular season yet again in 2023.
The Wolverines open their 2023 schedule with three straight home games against East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green before starting conference play. The Wolverines have cruised through the Big Ten over the last two seasons. With the exception of the 2021 37-33 Michigan State loss, Michigan has won its Big Ten games by a combined score of 586-270 in 2021 and '22.
Speaking of Michigan State—the only Big Ten team with a win over Michigan in the last two seasons—the Wolverines travel to East Lansing on Oct. 21. There's no question Michigan State will be fired up for this rivalry game. But Sparty finishing 5-7 last season gives me some pause in thinking they can pull off the upset.
The two games that stand out the most come in November, as Michigan takes a road trip to Penn State on Nov. 11 and gets Ohio State at home for the last game of the regular season. Can the Nittany Lions beat Michigan for the first time since 2020? We'll see.
And last but obviously not least, the Wolverines get Ohio State at home on Nov. 25. The Wolverines haven't won three in a row against the Buckeyes since the mid-1990s. But a lot of folks didn't think Harbaugh could win two in a row against Ohio State, and he made it look easy last season. What's stopping him getting three straight in 2023?
Key games: vs. Texas (Sept. 9), vs. Ole Miss (Sept. 23), at Texas A&M (Oct. 7), vs. Tennessee (Oct. 21), vs. LSU (Nov. 4)
Alabama will be looking to make it back into the playoff picture in 2023. The good news is that the Tide's schedule looks a bit easier. Most of Alabama's toughest games will be played in Tuscaloosa.
For starters, the Tide face a Texas team eager to have a breakout season in 2023. Last year the Longhorns nearly pulled off the upset over Alabama in Austin, but the Tide escaped, winning 20-19. This year, Texas has to travel to Tuscaloosa, where Nick Saban hasn't lost to a nonconference opponent since 2007, vs. UL-Monroe.
The Tide will also play the two teams they lost to on the road last season, in Tennessee and LSU, at home. The LSU game will likely be key in deciding who represents the SEC West in Atlanta come December. Brian Kelly leading LSU to consecutive victories against Bama would mark the first time since Les Miles did so in 2010 and 2011.
The one game that could give Alabama the most trouble is the Oct. 7 road trip to Texas A&M. The last time Bama played in College Station, the Aggies won 41-38, and TAMU played the Tide close last season, losing 24-20. But on the other hand, the Aggies finished 5-7 last season and have had several transfer portal losses.
The Tide are no strangers to lots of roster turnover. But in 2023, it's more than usual. Alabama ranks 125th overall in SP+ returning production, as it replaces quarterback Bryce Young, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and several defensive starters. A more feasible schedule might help ease some of the challenges of replacing those guys.
Key games: vs. Florida State (Sept. 23), at NC State (Oct. 28), vs. Notre Dame (Nov. 4), at South Carolina (Nov. 25)
Clemson has missed the playoff two years in a row. To avoid doing that again in 2023, going undefeated would be a great start. The good news for Tigers fans is that Clemson's schedule sets up pretty nicely.
One of the biggest tests for Clemson comes in a Week 4 home game against the Florida State Seminoles.
Florida State ranks first overall in returning production, getting back quarterback Jordan Travis, receiver Johnny Wilson, running back Trey Benson and edge-rusher Jared Verse. FSU has the talent to be great next season, but it hits the ground running, opening with LSU in Orlando for Week 1 and then traveling to Clemson just a few weeks later. The Noles haven't won at Clemson since 2013.
The next biggest hurdle standing is going on the road against NC State on Oct. 28. The last time Clemson played in Raleigh, the Wolfpack upset the Tigers in overtime, winning 27-21. But the Wolfpack have to replace longtime starting quarterback Devin Leary this offseason, and Dabo Swinney is 8-1 against Dave Doeren.
Clemson's November slate looks pretty intriguing, particularly its games against Notre Dame on Nov. 4 and at South Carolina on Nov. 25. Notre Dame will be a playoff contender in 2023, especially after the Irish landed quarterback Sam Hartman from the transfer portal. But the Tigers getting that game at home is big—Notre Dame handed the Tigers their first loss of the season last year, winning 35-14 in South Bend.
Clemson closes out the regular season on the road against South Carolina. The Gamecocks beat Clemson 31-30 at home last season, snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Tigers.
Aside from a navigable schedule, another big reason Clemson has a good chance at going undefeated is the hiring of Garrett Riley as its new offensive coordinator.
In Riley's first season at TCU last year, he led Max Duggan and the Horned Frogs to an undefeated regular season. Working with quarterback Cade Klubnik and star running back Will Shipley, Riley should lead a much-improved Tigers offense.
Key games: vs. South Carolina (Sept. 16), vs. Kentucky (Oct. 7), vs. Ole Miss (Nov. 11), at Tennessee (Nov. 18)
Spoiler alert—Georgia is probably going to win it all again. The Dawgs enter 2023 as the favorites to three-peat, and a big reason for that is their very manageable schedule.
Georgia's September nonconference opponents don't include a single Power Five school, featuring UT-Martin, Ball State and UAB. They also get three of their toughest SEC opponents in South Carolina, Kentucky and Ole Miss at home. The annual matchup vs. Florida in Jacksonville always has some intrigue, but the Gators are rebuilding again in 2023 and haven't beaten Georgia since 2020.
The one game that stands out? Georgia's Nov. 18 road trip to Tennessee. In fact, per ESPN's Bill Connelly, the Dawgs have at least a 90 percent win probability in each game next season, except the Tennessee one:
Bill Connelly @ESPN_BillCWhew ... based solely on last year's SP+ ratings (I have not completed 2023 projections yet), Georgia's got one game in 2023 with <90% win probability. pic.twitter.com/2IsbVZuNqx
Tennessee had a great 11-2 season last year, but the Vols have to replace star quarterback Hendon Hooker and receiver Jalin Hyatt in 2023.
Georgia will have to play next season without Stetson Bennett under center for the first time in two years. As Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton battle it out to replace him, the Dawgs are lucky to have leading receiver Ladd McConkey and tight end Brock Bowers returning.
Defensively, Georgia returns 70 percent of its returning production from last season, per ESPN's SP+. The pieces Georgia has returning paired with the schedule it has to navigate make finishing the regular season 12-0 pretty likely.
