West Virginia travels to Pitt on September 16th for The Backyard Brawl. It’s a game that means quite a bit to both teams, as well as their fans. Last year’s matchup was a fantastic game. It’s one of those rivalry games you don’t want to miss. Anything can happen, it’s always hard-fought and usually compelling. But how consequential will it be to the 2023 season as a whole? In all likelihood, not very. You should definitely watch it (I know I will). But it probably won’t be a game that impacts college football at-large.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for the biggest games of the season, the games that will go the furthest in deciding how 2023 plays out, look no further. The 2023 schedule is littered with games that will have a giant impact. Division & Conference races, playoff spots, New Year’s Six Bowl berths… the whole shootin’ match.
I couldn’t even begin to rank these games in order of importance; it was difficult enough to pare this down to 13. So I’ll just go in chronological order, with three exceptions at the end that will make sense when you get to them.
The 2023 season starts off with a bang: LSU vs Florida State
Embed from Getty ImagesRight out of the gate, we get a great matchup between College Football Playoff (CFP) hopefuls. Last year’s game between these teams in New Orleans was a wild affair. LSU put together a 98-yard drive to score as time expired, but the Seminoles preserved a one-point win by blocking the PAT. This year’s neutral(ish)-site game takes place in Orlando on Sunday, September 3rd. Both of these teams will be in everybody’s preseason Top-10. One will start the season 0-1, the other will have a pretty impressive notch in their belt. The loser will still control their own destiny in terms of a Playoff berth, but have all margin for error removed. It’s about as pivotal as a Week 1 game could be. Can’t wait.
Texas at Alabama, Week 2
Much like LSU/FSU, this is a rematch of a 2022 barnburner. Quinn Ewers started off 9 of 12 for 134 yards but was knocked out of the game in the 2nd quarter. Despite that, Texas looked like they might pull off the upset when they kicked a field goal with a minute and a half left. But Bryce Young did Bryce Young things, and Alabama went up on a field goal of their own with ten seconds remaining to escape Austin with a 20-19 win.
This year, Alabama is at home, although they’re replacing a ton of production on both sides of the ball. Then again, the last time we thought they were in a rebuilding season, they held a lead into the 4th quarter of the National Championship game. Texas, meanwhile, has Playoff ambitions of their own. They have a ton of talent on offense, and bring back six starters from a vastly improved defense (21.6 ppg allowed in 2022). Bryant-Denny will be ELECTRIC on September 9th.
Florida State at Clemson, Week 4
Embed from Getty ImagesThere’s a better-than-even chance that this is the first of two matchups between FSU and Clemson. The winner will have the inside track to the ACC Championship Game, and the loser will still have a shot. This game alone won’t knock either team out of the Playoff picture. It’s still early (September 23rd) and the chances of a rematch exist. Clemson is trying to get back to the Playoff after a two-year drought, with a revamped offense. The Seminoles made a big jump last year to finish 10-3, and bring back 17 starters. This is by far the biggest matchup in the ACC this season.
USC at Notre Dame, Week 7
This is a game that used to be appointment viewing. Some of the luster wore off over the last 10 years or so; there haven’t been many matchups where both teams were a legit title contenders. This year may be different.
Notre Dame looks to be an improved team from last year’s 9-4 squad. USC might have the nation’s best offense. Can the Irish slow down USC’s offensive attack? Can USC play enough defense to not have to rely solely on Caleb Williams? Notre Dame will have already played Ohio State by this point (that game is an Honorable Mention on this list. Sorry, there’s only so many I can include), so we may have an idea of how their defense can stack up. USC almost certainly will be 6-0 coming in, and probably somewhat untested. October 14th probably isn’t late enough in the season to expect Indiana weather to really impact what could be a great game. Could it provide somebody’s “Heisman Moment”?
Tennessee at Alabama, Week 8
Embed from Getty ImagesI expect these teams to have no more than one combined loss when they meet in Tuscaloosa on October 21st. It will be a Top-5 matchup, in all likelihood. This will be a mammoth game for both SEC standings and the CFP race. We already talked about Alabama and what they’re up against in terms of replacing stars. But if you think for one second they’ve forgotten how the game went last season, you couldn’t be more wrong. The Third Saturday in October is back, baby.
November 4th will be the most important day of the regular season
Holy shit, this day is going to be exhausting. If you have anything planned for this weekend, cancel it. Like, now. I don’t care what it is. The only excuse for not planting yourself on the couch for 12 straight hours to watch every one of these games is “I’m going to one of them”. I’ll allow that, but nothing else.
Week 10 has four games from four different conferences, plus two Honorable Mentions (Oklahoma/Oklahoma State Bedlam game and Notre Dame at Clemson).
South Alabama at Troy (Thursday, November 1st)
“Wait, what is a Conference USA game doing on this list? These guys aren’t any good! Who cares?”
Well, Mr. Extremely Casual College Football Fan, if you’re looking for a list that ignores the best Group of 5 teams, look somewhere else. I’m not your guy. These dudes can play.
First off, these teams play in the Sun Belt, an extremely fun and interesting conference. Secondly, there was a team in Alabama last season that won 12 games, and it wasn’t Alabama. I think these are the Sun Belt’s two best teams, and there could be a NY6 spot on the line here. Troy (12-2 in 2022) hosts South Alabama (10-3) for what is essentially a SBC semifinal game, as the winner will most likely host the Conference Championship Game. The Jaguars return 18 starters from last year and will be looking to avenge last year’s 10-6 loss to Troy. The Trojans were probably an Appalachian State Hail Mary away from playing in the Cotton Bowl last year, as their only other loss was at Ole Miss.
It’s going to be a great entryway to the season’s most compelling week of football. Or you can hate-watch some garbage NFL Thursday night game so you have something to bitch about on Twitter. Your choice, I guess.
Kansas State at Texas
Embed from Getty ImagesAgain, a matchup between what might be the top two teams in their conference, with implications galore. Much like FSU/Clemson, this may be the first of two games between these teams. Oklahoma, TCU, and maybe even Baylor may have something to say about that. But the perpetually-underrated Wildcats can take a BIG step towards defending their Big 12 title here. Texas is the favorite in the conference, and is probably the more talented team. But Chris Klieman doesn’t care. He’s a winning machine and his guys thrive on that underdog role. They would love nothing more than to silence critics yet again.
LSU at Alabama
How much effect this game has on the season will depend on how the games we’ve already discussed turn out. Could they enter this week with three combined losses? Unlikely, but not inconceivable. Could they both enter undefeated? Less unlikely, I think, but again not inconceivable. In any case, this head-to-head will probably determine who goes to Atlanta to represent the SEC West. Decent chance that it knocks somebody out of the CFP race, too. This is a storied rivalry between two blueblood programs, and they played a thriller last season. If I had tried to rank all these games, this would make the top three.
Washington at USC
Game times for November 4th haven’t been determined yet, so it’s possible that a time slot will be double-booked. I’d guess that CBS will want LSU-Bama at 3:30 EST. Selfishly, I’d then hope for KState-Texas at Noon so I could get this laser show of a game to close out my evening at 7:30. Yet again, arguably the top two teams in their conference. Each won 11 games last year. Both averaged 500+ yards and 39+ points per game. Both bring back top-end starters at the most important positions. Give me the Over, and then give me some caffeine because I’ll be wiped out at the end of this day.
Week 12 normally isn’t great. Will it be different this season?
For the most part, not really. There’s usually a couple of games that mean something outside of those two specific fan bases. But oftentimes it’s more of a warmup for the big rivalry week. This year is much of the same, with one GLARING exception.
Georgia at Tennessee
Embed from Getty ImagesThis game might represent the only contest in which Georgia is not a double-digit favorite at kickoff. The Bulldogs are likely to be 10-0 and ranked #1 coming in. If Tennessee can pull off a win in Tuscaloosa, they ought to be highly-ranked as well. It could be a 1 vs 2 type matchup, and if this game has CFP implications, look out. Neyland Stadium would be an absolute zoo.
At the very least, the winner likely takes the East and heads on to the SEC Championship Game. Tennessee needs to win at least one of the Alabama/Georgia games to have a shot at the CFP. The Bulldogs are trying to run off a third straight National Championship. This one has been circled on a lot of calendars, and for good reason.
Did you forget that the Big Ten is playing football this season?
Dear friend, I did not. With all due respect to Wisconsin and Minnesota, who will meet for the 133rd time (!!!) on November 25th in a game I expect to decide the West division, there are three huge matchups that have it all. Division title, Big Ten title hopes, Playoff berth, all of it. You can probably guess which three by this point.
Penn State at Ohio State, Week 8
Getting this game and Tennessee/Alabama back-to-back is a college football fan’s fever dream. Last year’s game was much more competitive than the 44-31 final might indicate. Penn State led at the half, and kicked a field goal with 5:49 left to pull within 30-24. The wheels came off after that, but it was a back-and-forth affair for three and a half quarters. I’d expect another hard-fought game.
Michigan at Penn State, Week 11
Penn State is one of 119 teams that are trying to make the CFP for the first time this season. To do so, they have to win one of these two games. Michigan ran all over the Nittany Lions a year ago, racking up 418 yards on the ground in a 41-17 win. This one is in Beaver Stadium, and if Penn State can get a win in Week 8, it might be an matchup of unbeatens. In that case, it’ll probably be a White-Out and an unbelievable atmosphere.
Ohio State at Michigan, Week 13
Embed from Getty ImagesWhat will this game mean? To Ohio State and Michigan players, coaches, and fans: Everything. To the rest of college football: maybe a lot, maybe a little, maybe nothing at all. Ryan Day is trying to end a two-game losing streak in The Game. Jim Harbaugh is trying for a third straight Big Ten title and CFP appearance. Something has to give.
If both teams come into this one with a win over Penn State, this will be a de facto Big Ten semifinal. Should one team come in with a Penn State loss, that team is in survival mode and their season’s goals are in the balance. If both have already lost to Penn State, this game obviously doesn’t have the same Big Ten/CFP implications, but a NY6 bowl could still be in play.
These three games will almost certainly decide the Big Ten East this season
These three games will almost certainly decide the Big Ten East this season. And whoever it is will be a clear favorite to win the conference. A Big Ten champ with fewer than 2 losses will make the CFP and is a National Championship contender. Who will it be? I don’t know but I can’t wait to find out.
The answer to that question, in addition to the rest of these games, will go a long way in determining how we look back upon the 2023 season.
Eric Mulhair is the Co-Host of The South Endzone Podcast and a contributing writer for Belly Up Sports covering College Football. You can follow him on Twitter for the most up-to-date info on Podcast/Article releases, or even just to argue about College Football.
