ESPN college football analyst and former Florida Gators and Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen has named his college football preseason top 25.
Both of Dan Mullen’s former teams are nowhere to be found in his top 25. Mullen has six SEC teams in his top 25.
College football looks pretty balanced at the top ahead of the 2023 season. Just about any team in Mullen’s top 15 is capable of making a run to the College Football Playoff.
Mullen shows a lot of respect to two of his previous biggest rivals: Florida State Seminoles and Georgia Bulldogs. He has the Seminoles as his highest-ranked team in the ACC and the Bulldogs as his highest-ranked team in the SEC.
Who are Dan Mullen’s top 25 teams?
25
NC State Wolfpack
2022 record: 7-6
USA TODAY Sports Coaches poll ranking: unranked (NC State finished No. 36 in voting)
24
Ole Miss Rebels
2022 record: 8-5
Coaches poll ranking: No. 22
23
UCLA Bruins
2022 record: 9-4
Coaches poll ranking: unranked (UCLA finished No. 31 in voting)
22
Oklahoma Sooners
2022 record: 6-7
Coaches poll ranking: No. 19
21
Arkansas Razorbacks
2022 record: 7-6
Coaches poll ranking: unranked (Arkansas finished No. 35 in voting)
20
Wisconsin Badgers
2022 record: 7-6
Coaches poll ranking: No. 21
19
North Carolina Tar Heels
2022 record: 9-5
Coaches poll ranking: No. 20
18
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
17
Oregon State Beavers
2022 record: 10-3
Coaches poll ranking: No. 18
16
Iowa Hawkeyes
2022 record: 8-5
Coaches poll ranking: unranked (Iowa finished No. 26 in voting)
15
Kansas State Wildcats
2022 record: 10-4
Coaches poll ranking: No. 17
14
Tennessee Volunteers
2022 record: 11-2
Coaches poll ranking: No. 10
Get more Tennessee news on Vols Wire
13
Utah Utes
2022 record: 10-4
Coaches poll ranking: No. 14
12
Oregon Ducks
11
Penn State Nittany Lions
2022 record: 11-2
Coaches poll ranking: No. 7
Get more Penn State opinions on Nittany Lions Wire
10
Clemson Tigers
Clemson could’ve used a great offensive coach like Dan Mullen over the past couple of seasons. Mullen has the Tigers as his second-highest ranked team in the ACC behind Florida State. Clemson is starting former quarterback recruit Cade Klubnik under new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.
2022 record: 11-3
Coaches poll ranking: No. 9
Get more Clemson news on Clemson Wire
9
Texas Longhorns
Dan Mullen is higher on Texas than most other coaches. Who can blame him? The Longhorns have an abundance of talent and should be the favorite in the Big 12. We’ll learn if the Texas hype is warranted in Week 2 when the Longhorns travel to Alabama.
2022 record: 8-5
Coaches poll ranking: No. 12
8
Washington Huskies
Dan Mullen ranks Washington ahead of a lot of talented college football teams. The Huskies do return star quarterback Michael Penix and a pair of talented starting receivers in Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan.
2022 record: 11-2
Coaches poll ranking: No. 11
7
Florida State Seminoles
Florida State was one of Dan Mullen’s top rivals during his time with the Gators. Mullen witnessed part of downfall of the Seminoles program when he coached at Florida from 2018-2021.
Mullen respects quarterback Jordan Travis and Florida State entering 2023.
2022 record: 10-3
Coaches poll ranking: No. 8
6
LSU Tigers
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels will hope to lead the Tigers to a victory in a critical Week 1 game against Florida State in Orlando, Florida. The Tigers face a tough schedule that features a road trip to Alabama.
2022 record: 10-4
Coaches poll ranking: No. 5
Get more LSU analysis on LSU Tigers Wire
5
Alabama Crimson Tide
Dan Mullen is very familiar with Alabama, but he is not as high on the Crimson Tide as other coaches are. Perhaps the former Florida coach questions Alabama’s quarterback situation and the Crimson Tide’s wide receiver room.
2022 record: 11-2
Coaches poll ranking: No. 3
Get more Alabama news on Roll Tide Wire
4
USC Trojans
Dan Mullen knows offensive systems as well as anyone in college football. Mullen’s 2020 Florida team had one of the best offenses in the country. However, Florida’s defense could not stop Alabama in the 2020 SEC championship.
The USC Trojans may have a similar problem in 2023. The Trojans should have an elite offense with Caleb Williams, but USC has a lot of defensive questions entering the fall.
2022 record: 11-3
Coaches poll ranking: No. 6
Get more USC news on Trojans Wire
3
Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State came so close to making the national championship in 2022. The Buckeyes are still deciding on if Kyle McCord or Devin Brown will start at quarterback.
2022 record: 11-2
Coaches poll ranking: No. 4
Get more Ohio State news on Buckeyes Wire
2
Michigan Wolverines
Can Michigan make a third consecutive playoff appearance? The Wolverines return star running back Blake Corum and quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
2022 record: 13-1
Coaches poll ranking: No. 2
1
Georgia Bulldogs
Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are looking to win a third straight national championship. Dan Mullen respects Georgia’s program and is one of the most recent offensive minds to find a way to score a lot of points on the Georgia defense.
The Bulldogs will start Carson Beck at quarterback and return a ton of talent. Dan Mullen announced his top 25 college football team rankings via social media.
2022 record: 15-0
Coaches poll ranking: No. 1
