Football, Fútbol, Food: Preseason top-5 college football rankings

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - In this edition of FFF: I give you my top-5 college football rankings with the season around the corner, United States Men’s National Team member, Ricardo Pepi, finds a new squad, and a road trip to Arnaudville for pizza.

FOOTBALL

This fall will be my 14th time voting in the Associated Press college football poll. If you’ve read my work, I take voting seriously and I thoroughly enjoy it also.

With that in mind, here’s a little preview of my preseason AP rankings with a top-5.

1. Georgia

Winning back-to-back-to back titles will be a tall task for the Bulldogs. But with a favorable schedule and a nasty defense, UGA holds the top spot. One big concern, the play of QB1. Carson Beck appears to be the frontrunner entering fall. With Tennessee-Martin and Ball State to open the season, Beck can shake off a little of those early nerves.

2. Michigan

The Wolverines bring back their star quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, and running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. That’s enough firepower alone to deliver a win in any contest this season. A favorable schedule could see the Wolverines undefeated into November.

3. Ohio State

The Buckeyes face a rough road schedule in 2023. Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Michigan will test the Buckeyes this season. Especially at the end of the campaign, considering the Wolverines own a two-game win streak over Ohio State. Who’s C.J. Stroud’s successor at QB, Kyle McCord or Devin Brown will get the nod.

4. LSU

The LSU Tigers are only underdogs in one game this season, at Alabama in November. If Jayden Daniels orchestrates a strong performance against Florida State, the Tigers could do some damage in 2023.

5. Alabama

Caesars Sportsbook has Alabama second in the betting odds to win the national championship. They also have the Crimson Tide over/under win total at 10.5 wins. I think this goes on name and prestige. This could be a rocky year for the Tide. There’s a major question mark at QB for Bama. Ty Simpson, Jalen Milroe, and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner are all in the running. After spring, Buchner transferred to Tuscaloosa, showing not a lot of faith in Simpson or Milroe.

FÚTBOL

It’s been quite a footballing journey for Ricardo Pepi. The El Paso native went from FC Dallas, FC Augsburg (Germany), FC Groningen (Netherlands), and now at at PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands). All those frequent flyer miles and he’s only 20 years old.

This past season, he scored 13 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions for FC Groningen.

For the USMNT, Pepi scored seven goals in 15 appearances. But, he missed out on the World Cup in 2022.

If he continues to rack up goals in the Netherlands, Pepi can better his chances of not missing out on another World Cup.

FOOD

If you’re looking for a day trip in South Louisiana, head over to Arnaudville and Bayou Teche Brewing. It’s about two hours from New Orleans, and no doubt worth the trip.

The beer at Bayou Teche is a big reason for the adventure, but also go for the pizza at the Cajun Saucer. The pizza spot is at the brewery.

The largest size is medium, and that’s cool because you can share with your crew.

I suggest the Margherita Attacks (shredded mozzarella cheese, Cajun tomato sauce, fresh basil, and roasted garlic olive oil drizzle), or the C-3 Pepperoni (shredded mozzarella cheese, Cajun tomato sauce, pepperoni slices, oregano, and roasted garlic olive oil drizzle). I’m big fan of the C-3 Pepperoni, with the pepperoni’s curling up out of the oven.

They also have a fantastic choice of games in the arcade.

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