It’s almost here. It’s painfully close, and I’m going nuts in anticipation. College football is nearly upon us, and I can’t wait. The urge to paint my face like Steve Lattimer and head-butt some car windows is overwhelming. But since neither my wife nor my insurance company would be thrilled about that, we’ll settle for some predictions instead.
The 2023 season will finally start this Saturday when Notre Dame and Navy square off in Dublin. So we’re going to take one last shot at locking in some pre-season predictions. I’ve covered Win Total predictions for each Power 5 conference, but I’m going to try something different here. Much like John, Ringo, Paul, and George, I also get by with a little help from my friends. So welcome to the 2023 Belly Up CFB Roundtable, where we will make predictions on conference champions, the College Football Playoff field, and more!
But who is “we”, you ask?
Our panel:
Vince Stover, host of The Sports Stove Podcast
Kelcey Coyne, co-host of High Low Sports Podcast
Lou Gamelin, host of The Captain Lou Extravaganza
Jonathan Garris, co-host of The Mush Squad Podcast
Chet Rodrigue, co-host of The Sports Scramble Podcast
and me, Eric Mulhair, co-host of The South Endzone Podcast
Now that we’re all acquainted, let’s dig in.
Big 12 Champions
Vince: Texas – what a way to go out! Quinn Ewers at the helm for the offense and the best defense in the conference lead the Longhorns back to the top.
Jonathan: Kansas State – 15 Starters return from the 2022 Big 12 Champs. Will look to the leader of the team, QB Will Howard who started the final seven games and was among the most efficient Power 5 quarterbacks in the country (60 percent completion rate for 1,633 yards and 15 TD/4 INT).
Chet: Texas – Is this the year Texas is finally back? With the offensive line returning all five starters and an All-American wide receiver, look for Ewers to make his name known (with freshman Arch Manning nipping at his heels).
Eric: Texas – We all know about Ewers and the high-flying offense, but the defense improved greatly in 2022 and if they can keep that up, this is a Playoff contender.
Kelcey: Kansas – Jalon Daniels is a dark horse Heisman candidate, and before getting injured had KU at 5-0 in 2022. Defense is still a worry, but if KU can catch Texas and OU on a bad day they can win the conference and post their first winning season since 2008.
Captain Lou: Oklahoma – One last conference championship before they go up against the elite of college football in 2024. Dillon Gabriel and the Sooners were embarrassed by last year’s 49-0 loss to Texas. The defense will be improved, and while they won’t make the playoff, a NY6 bid will be in their future.
Big Ten Predictions
Vince: Ohio State – Ryan Day has the best offense in the country this year and possibly the best player in the country.
Jonathan: Michigan – 17 Starters return from last year’s Playoff team, including QB J.J. McCarthy and arguably the best RB duo in the country with Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards.
Chet: Michigan – Corum has unfinished business to attend to heading into the 2023 season. Paired with McCarthy, look for the two to have a dominant season.
Eric: Michigan – Let’s not overthink this. They bring back everybody of consequence from last year’s 13-1 team and are elite on the lines of scrimmage.
Kelcey: Michigan – Last year’s heartbreak makes for this year’s swan song. Corum and Edwards will be dragging defenders all the way to the Big 20 I mean Big Ten, title.
Captain Lou: Michigan – The table is set, the only question is how they handle prosperity and avoid a stumble during the regular season. They have a borderline embarrassing non-conference schedule, but a road game against an underrated in-state Michigan St. could bite them before their game at Penn State. Ohio St. has them circled, but I think their talent level, especially on offense, will lead them back to the playoff and a third straight conference title.
ACC Has a Couple of Strong Contenders, Who Do You Like?
Embed from Getty ImagesVince: Clemson – QB Cade Klubnik along with RB Will Shipley put Clemson back on top.
Jonathan: North Carolina – Drake Maye will be on a mission this year to show he is worthy of the Number One Overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Transfer WRs will need to fill the hole left by the departure of Josh Downs.
Chet: Florida State – With quarterback Jordan Travis and RB Trey Benson headlining this dynamic offense, the Seminoles will look to make a strong playoff push. I predict an 11-1 season (with an opening loss to LSU).
Eric: Florida State – Mike Norvell has progressively upgraded the roster talent and done as good a job as anybody of utilizing the transfer portal to fill spots with impact players. With 17 starters back from last year’s 10-3 squad they’re set up to make some noise.
Kelcey: Florida State – Travis is a stud, and Norvell knows what he’s doing. Clemson will challenge the Noles in the regular season, but the championship game will be all Garnet and Gold.
Captain Lou: Florida State – I like what Norvell has done bringing Florida St. back into relevance. Travis is the real deal. The Seminoles have legit playmakers, but what I am most excited about is watching their defense. They have a very difficult September, but I think after LSU, they have a very good chance at running the table in an underwhelming ACC.
Who Wins the Pac-12 in Its Final Year?
Embed from Getty ImagesVince: Oregon – the offense will score close to 40 points per game, which puts them over the top.
Jonathan: Washington – 13 Starters return from last year’s 11-2 squad, including a quarterback who is not talked about nearly enough. Michael Penix Jr. threw for 4,641 yards and 31 TD a season ago. And his top two 1,000-yard receiving targets return in Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan.
Chet: Washington – Penix Jr returns to the Huskies for his final season with one goal: win a championship. After averaging nearly 40 points a game last year, the Huskies are primed for a return to the top of the Pac-12.
Eric: Washington – Given what’s happened in the conference the last few weeks, I’m hoping Oregon State crushes everybody on their way out. But I don’t think they will. So I’ll go with the Huskies here. USC will put up similar offensive numbers but I don’t trust their defense. Circle November 4th on your calendar, when these two face off. Take the Over, sit back, and watch the fireworks.
Kelcey: USC – Caleb Williams is the consensus favorite for Heisman this year. This 12-pack is quickly becoming a 4-pack, and outside of a tough Utah team or a potential surprise from Oregon or Colorado, it should be a relatively easy path to the PAC-12 Championship.
Captain Lou: Washington – Penix and one the best pairs of playmakers in the country will lead them to the top of the mountain in the last year of the PAC-whatever. USC can’t stop anyone on defense, and won’t outscore everyone, including this high-power offense.
SEC Predictions
Vince: Georgia – They’re restocked and ready to take a run at a three-peat.
Jonathan: LSU – Brian Kelly builds on a very productive first year. Jayden Daniels proves to be quietly one best Quarterbacks in the country.
Chet: LSU – After a decent start to the Brian Kelly era, the Tigers are locked in with Daniels and Malik Nabers ready to lead the offense. On the other side of the ball, Harold Perkins Jr., potentially the most talented player in football this year, pairs up with big Maason Smith to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.
Eric: Georgia – Talent, experience, well-coached, and motivated. Until someone beats them, I see no reason to not pick them.
Kelcey: Georgia – Reigning champs, easiest strength of schedule in the SEC, and Kirby Smart is still the coach. It’s meant to be for the Dawgs as long as they don’t slip up in an early season match-up at Auburn or in a tough championship game against LSU or Bama.
Captain Lou: Georgia – When it comes to embarrassing non-conference games, nobody does it better than the SEC, and Georgia tops that list (only three true road games). This is a recipe to help transition all the holes they have to replace. Carson Beck will get time to develop against the cupcakes. Two 12-0 teams in the conference title game with LSU will be epic!
Who Will Make the CFP?
Embed from Getty ImagesVince: Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Clemson
Jonathan: Michigan, LSU, Washington, Oregon (The Pac-12 goes out with a BANG!!)
Chet: Michigan, LSU, Washington, Florida State
Eric: Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Washington
Kelcey: Georgia, Michigan, USC, Florida State
Captain Lou: Michigan, Georgia, LSU, Washington
What About the Heisman Trophy? Who Do You Guys Like?
Embed from Getty ImagesVince: Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State
Jonathan: Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington
Chet: Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington
Eric: Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
Kelcey: Jalon Daniels, QB, Kansas
Captain Lou: Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington
Lastly, I Want Everyone’s BOLDEST Prediction
Vince: Joe Milton loses the QB job at Tennessee by week 6.
Jonathan: Arch Manning is the starting QB for Texas by mid-season.
Chet: Harold Perkins Jr. is a Heisman finalist.
Eric: A team from Louisiana or Alabama will finish with 12 wins (counting postseason). That team will be neither LSU nor Alabama.
Kelcey: Bo Nix of Oregon will be a Heisman finalist.
Captain Lou: Two Predictions: First, Texas will fire Steve Sarkisian. Secondly, Jim Harbaugh will leave Michigan after the season to take the Las Vegas Raiders job.
Yeah, a Couple of Pretty Wild Predictions in There
Well, these predictions should be enough to hold us over until Saturday, when we finally, mercifully, get to watch actual college football. So make sure you have all your game-day eats on the grocery list, your lucky jersey is ready, and there are fresh batteries in the remote.
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.
