2023 Bold Predictions: Conference champs, Heisman Trophy, College Football Playoff

After an offseason stuffed with silliness — from another kooky coaching carousel, to NIL going bonanza, to more crazy conference realignment — it’s time for games again. 

Talkin’ season is over. Thank god.  

An entertaining Week 0 is in the books, and now we get games galore for the next three months — starting with a loaded slate on Thursday night.  So, it’s time for some final predictions. 

This is the second piece in a two-part series of bold predilections. Part 1 was a random set of predictions for 2023 in an homage to Peter King-style 10 Things I Think, I Think. Part II is my picks for conference champions, the Heisman Trophy, the College Football Playoff and the national title winner.

So flame me for a bunch of wrong predictions. You have the receipts. Debate away.

Clemson wins the ACC for the eighth time in nine years

I understand the buzz around Florida State this year. I’ve also seen the development of Jordan Travis from an afterthought transfer to a Heisman contender. I buy that Mike Norvell has turned around the program and has the Seminoles back on stage as a national contender.

I simply trust Dabo Swinney more. 

The Tigers aren’t without questions. There are legitimate unknowns about how quickly Garrett Riley can spark an offense that couldn’t generate explosive plays or if Cade Klubnik can live up to his 5-star billing. And yet, this is still a program that knows how to win. 

In a “down year” in 2022, Clemson still won the ACC and went  4-1 against ranked teams. With no divisions, Clemson and FSU could square off twice this fall — but it’s not a guarantee that the Seminoles make it to Charlotte with all their toughest conference games on the road (at Clemson, at Pitt, at Wake Forest). 

Michigan topples Iowa for a third-straight Big Ten title

Through both his actions and comments, Jim Harbaugh has pushed the chips all in for the Wolverines in 2023. There’s a “title or bust” feel in Ann Arbor this fall. 

Will they break Georgia’s record of NFL Draft picks? Is J.J. McCarthy the next Josh Allen? I’m skeptical either Harbaugh predictions are true, but I do believe Michigan is the best team in the Big Ten again and will be Ohio State for the third straight season. Penn State?

The Nittany Lions are another year from being a year away. At least that will be the postseason narrative in Happy Valley. 

The Wolverines will topple Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes in the final year of divisions in the Big Ten. I believe in Wisconsin’s future under Luke Fickell. But is it too much change in Year 1?

Texas finally wins 10 games under Steve Sarkisian with a win over Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship 

The Big 12 is going to resemble the Anchorman newscaster fight this fall — just a backyard brawl each weekend with a bunch of random teams battling with their version of pitchforks, hammers and knives.

As much as I like Texas’ talent, are the Longhorns really going to go 9-0 or 8-1 in a conference this competitive 1-12 (apologies to West Virginia and Houston)? I don’t see it. But Sarkisian will win 10 games for the first time in his career with a victory in the Big 12 Championship, saddening Brett Yormark by riding off to the SEC after beating Joey McGuire and Texas Tech.

A pack of Ducks proves mightier than a band of Trojans. Oregon wins a wild Pac-12

I’m in on Oregon and Bo Nix in 2023. Dan Lanning has a deeper roster in Year 2, and while the Pac-12 stands to be a six-car pileup with a very top-heavy league, the Ducks (battered, bruised and likely with two losses) emerge as champs.

Caleb Williams takes USC to the title game for the second-straight December but is again let down by Trojans’ defense. Washington has another strong season under Kalen Deboer but loses the tie-breaker. UCLA doesn’t quite have enough. 

Nick Saban’s negative rat poison brainteaser works like a charm: Alabama beats Georgia in the SEC Championship

We’ve officially gone around the world with Alabama’s expectations in 2023. The offseason started with many in the media questioning if Nick Saban’s dynasty was dead, and now on the eve of Week 1, the Tide are suddenly the vogue pick to win the SEC and the national championship. 

And I don’t hate it. It’s a bet on raw, pure talent. The Tide have more 4-and 5-star prospects than any team in America.

Alabama’s uncomfortability at quarterback is real, and it could be the bugaboo that haunts the Tide all fall.

But the Tide will be better defensively in 2023 — even without Will Anderson. The OL is nastier, and I’m not as down on their skill talent as others. Alabama gets LSU at home, and that’s the difference in the SEC West. In Atlanta, Alabama catches an undefeated (and untested) Georgia team not quite ready for prime time, with the master getting a bit of revenge against his mentee Kirby Smart. 

UTSA wins the AAC, plays for a New Year’s Six bowl game and Jeff Traylor parlays the season into a Power 5 job 

The Roadrunners are making the jump to the AAC this fall, and while I could see them losing at Tulane in the regular-season finale, they rebound to beat the Green Wave in the conference title game the next weekend. 

Frank Harris Jr. has seemingly been in college since the Obama Administration, and the seventh-year quarterback remains one of the best in the G5. Although he lost his top target to Ole Miss, UTSA still returns its next three top targets plus four starting offensive linemen. 

Jeff Traylor is 30-10 at UTSA, and with a third-straight double-digit win season, he gets the bump to a Power 5 gig.

Hello, Houston?

Marvin Harrison Jr. takes home the Heisman Trophy

With the Pac-12 cannibalizing itself, Caleb Williams won’t repeat as the Heisman Trophy winner even though he’ll probably have over 50 touchdowns again in 2023. Drake Maye will have lost too many games, while J.J. McCarthy, Cade Klubnik and Carson Beck could all secure invites but won’t win because voters don’t see them as the best player on their team. 

That is why I have Marvin Harrison Jr. becoming the second wideout in five years to win the Heisman. The former 5-star might catch close to 100 passes this fall, as Ohio State is going to force-feed the best playmaker in America. 

The final four-team playoff field consists of No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Georgia

And the national champion is … Georgia

I’m not trying to get cute with my picks here. I don’t see Georgia — a team this deep, talented and well-coached — losing twice in 2023. For the second time in three seasons, the Bulldogs lose in Atlanta but win the College Football Playoff. 

Don’t tell me the committee would leave out a 12-1 Georgia team coming off back-to-back national championships. Folly. 

Winning a third consecutive title is nearly impossible — as evidenced by history — but this fall has all the makings of a weird and wild season with a predictable finish. 

Alabama’s “revenge tour” ends with a loss to Ohio State.

The Dawgs beat Michigan (again) in the semis and win another instant classic over the Buckeyes in the title game.