Ranking the top 25 college football teams ahead of Week 1

DVV’s college football top 25: Teams 11 – 15

Next game: vs. Florida on Thu. Aug. 31st

Cameron Rising returns to Utah and will lead Utes’ efforts to challenge for the Pac-12 title. There is an argument that the senior is the conference’s second-best quarterback. Nevertheless, Utah’s success hinges on the 6-6, 218-pounder’s ability to play at an MVP level.

Only two other starters return to the Utes in 2023. However, Kyle Whittingham is one of college football’s top coaches and develops stellar talent like Dalton Kincaid and Clark Phillips. We don’t have to wait long to find out how good the Utes are in 2023. They lead off the Week 1 slate with a home game against Florida on Thursday.

Next game: vs. West Virginia on Sat. Sept. 2nd

A lot of preseason top 25 polls are high on Penn State. We’re considerate of the Nittany Lions, but not feeling the top 10 vibes. Penn State lost many of last year’s key players including quarterback Sean Clifford and cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

Conversely, there’s no shortage of talent at Penn State. They recruit well and have four and five-star players all over the field.

James Franklin’s squad is deep along the offensive line and features seven returning starters on defense. Penn State also dipped into the transfer portal to improve their depth at defensive back. Our hesitation is the result of the unknown production at the quarterback position.

Next game: vs. Rice on Sat. Sept. 2nd

It’s the age old question, is Texas back? The answer is yes and no. Texas is back in the College Football Playoff discussion. However, we do not think the Longhorns will compete for a national championship under Steve Sarkisian.

Texas features an extremely talented roster, much like they did a year ago. Despite such, the Horns finished 8-5 in 2022. One can argue the team is still coming together under Sarkisian, but it’s Texas. Losing five games at a school with Austin’s resources is never acceptable regardless of the circumstances.

Sarkisian is leveraging the program well in recruiting, but he’s never won a conference title as a head coach. He’s also average about five losses per season in his nine years a college football head coach.

Such speaks volumes regarding Sark’s ability to manage a major college football program.

Next game: vs. Buffalo on Sat. Sept. 2nd

Wisconsin gets a much-needed shot in the arm with the arrival of Luke Fickell. Unlike Sarkisian, Fickell is a proven winner, having led Cincinnati to a CFP berth. Indeed, we think that the Wisconsin brand and resources paired with their new head coach will produce immediate results.

The Badgers are typically a run-heavy team. Expect that to change with Phil Longo in Madison as the offensive coordinator. Longo employs a version of the Air Raid offense that will give opposing defenses fits, assuming transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai can manage it.

Next game: vs. Virginia on Sat. Sept. 2nd

Tennessee rose from the dead in 2022, under their second season of head coach Josh Huepel. As a result, Vols’ fans have come out of the closet to shower us with their hype and overconfidence.

We think Tennessee will remain one of college football’s better teams in 2023, but not without losing a few games. Joe Milton can throw a football from Knoxville to Montreal, but his college career includes losing multiple starting quarterback battles in camp. The Vols will put Milton in position to throw for chunks of yards, but they’re in trouble if the scripted reads aren’t available.

Huepel’s super-spread offense will continue to produce, but we think that the better opposing defenses will find ways to take away some open field.