These teams may not begin 2023 in SI’s Top 25, but there are still reasons to enjoy watching them this season.
More College Football Preview Coverage:
• The Georgia Effect: Why Everyone’s Playing Catch Up With the Dawgs
• Five Teams That Can Knock Off Georgia
• College Football’s Inevitable Conclusion? Two 20-Team Megaconferences
AMERICAN ATHLETIC
Charlotte
Biff Poggi, an influential high school coach in the Baltimore area, takes charge.
East Carolina
The departures of QB Holton Ahlers, RB Keaton Mitchell and many WRs will hurt.
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Florida Atlantic
New coach Tom Herman reunites with his former Texas QB, Casey Thompson, and is helped by RB Larry McCammon III’s withdrawal from the transfer portal.
Memphis
The Tigers went 11–13 in league play the past three years, but they do have junior QB Seth Henigan back.
Navy
After longtime coach Ken Niumatalolo’s ouster, it’s up to Brian Newberry to get the Middies winning again.
North Texas
Mike Leach protégé Eric Morris arrives in Denton. A 4–0 start isn’t out of the question.
Rice
A familiar face to college football fans will start at QB for the Owls: JT Daniels, formerly of USC, Georgia and West Virginia.
SMU
Last year the Mustangs were fantastic on offense. On defense? Not so much.
South Florida
Former Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh takes over the program and has QB Gerry Bohanon returning for a sixth season.
Temple
Coach Stan Drayton was a longtime RB coach, but the Owls ranked 129th of 131 FBS teams in rushing offense last fall.
Tulsa
Former Indiana coach and Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson takes over with a familiar name as his OC: Steve Spurrier Jr.
UAB
Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer, who had most recently coached Nashville high school football, takes over the Blazers.
UTSA
The Roadrunners lost some key players to the portal from their 11-win team of 2022, but the good news is that QB Frank Harris remains.
ATLANTIC COAST
Boston College
With QB Phil Jurkovec gone to Pitt and Zay Flowers in the NFL, a turnaround from last year’s 3–9 season will be tough.
Duke
Last year the Blue Devils’ FBS wins came against teams with a combined 35–61 record. This season Clemson, Florida State, Notre Dame and NC State are on the slate. Tough row to hoe.
Georgia Tech
Brent Key, who took over as interim coach in 2022 and steadied the ship by cutting down on miscues, returns as the head man.
Louisville
Jeff Brohm has come home to coach the Cardinals. He’ll reunite with QB Jack Plummer, who played for him at Purdue.
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Miami
After a disappointing first year at the helm, Mario Cristobal needs junior QB Tyler Van Dyke to play up to his NFL potential.
NC State
The Wolfpack’s hopes took a hit when QB Devin Leary ended up transferring to Kentucky.
Pitt
Sustaining recent success will largely depend on new QB Phil Jurkovec, a redshirt senior who struggled with injuries at BC.
Syracuse
Rocky Long, the 73-year-old mastermind of the 3-3-5 defense, is the Orange’s new defensive coordinator. But the big issue is the offensive line.
Virginia
Tony Elliott’s second year will be about how the Cavaliers continue to cope following the deaths of D’Sean Perry, Devin Chandler and Lavel Davis Jr., who were killed last November by an ex-teammate.
Virginia Tech
Coach Brent Pry brought in a load of offensive transfers, including QB Kyron Drones from Baylor, to improve an offense that averaged 19.3 points in 2022.
Wake Forest
The challenge for coach Dave Clawson will be to keep the offensive fireworks going with diminished personnel.
BIG TEN
Illinois
The nation’s No. 1 scoring defense in 2022 lost three secondary stars to the pros as well as its coordinator (see: Purdue).
Indiana
Coach Tom Allen has to repair the worst defense in the Big Ten and find a reliable QB.
Maryland
As long as QB Taulia Tagovailoa stays healthy, the Terps will be a dangerous opponent.
Michigan State
The offense will rely on its backs, including junior Jalen Berger, while waiting for a new QB to get up to speed.
Minnesota
The Gophers go from an experienced team playing an easy schedule in 2022 to an inexperienced squad playing Michigan, at Ohio State and at North Carolina.
Nebraska
Matt Rhule will look to rebuild the Huskers’ program the way he did at Temple and Baylor before his disappointing NFL stint with Carolina.
Northwestern
The Wildcats must find a new long-term coach after the firing of Pat Fitzgerald in July following a hazing scandal.
Purdue
Former Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, 37, is a rising star who gets his first shot as a head coach with the Boilermakers.
Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights hope to solve their offensive woes with the addition of new OC Kirk Ciarrocca, who comes over from Minnesota.
BIG 12
Baylor
After a six-win dud in 2022, the Bears need the defense to return to its ’21 form and QB Blake Shapen to improve.
BYU
All eyes will be on Kedon Slovis, formerly of USC and Pitt, as he takes over at quarterback for the Cougars in their Big 12 debut season.
Cincinnati
The Bearcats have a new conference, new coach, new Power 5 status and 15-plus incoming transfers, led by QB Emory Jones.
Houston
The Cougars disappointed last year with an 8–5 record that could have been much worse. Now UH must battle a Big 12 schedule.
Iowa State
The Cyclones took a step back with last year’s 4–8 campaign. Improved play from QB Hunter Dekkers would help.
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Kansas
The Jayhawks, which earned their first bowl bid in 14 years in 2022, welcome back 10 offensive starters, led by dynamic QB Jalon Daniels.
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys’ prospects dimmed after losing QB Spencer Sanders and RB Dominic Richardson to the transfer portal.
Texas Tech
In his first year as coach, Joey McGuire delivered a surprising 8–5 record. The Red Raiders’ recruiting has been impressive.
UCF
Welcome to the Big 12. After back-to-back nine-win seasons, coach Gus Malzahn will expect to start strong in the new league.
West Virginia
The country’s hottest seat might belong to Neal Brown, who is 22–25 in four seasons and has a new athletic
director watching.
CONFERENCE USA
FIU
The Panthers lost plenty of talent to the transfer portal but did pry LB Avery Huff from the crosstown Hurricanes.
Jacksonville State
The newest member of FBS has a coach who knows the territory: Rich Rodriguez, formerly of Michigan, West Virginia and Arizona.
Liberty
The Flames enter Conference USA with new coach Jamey Chadwell and heavy roster turnover.
Louisiana Tech
Improving from last year’s 3–8 record will depend a lot on new QB Hank Bachmeier, a transfer from Boise State.
Middle Tennessee
This consistently solid program needs to find help for QB Nick Vattiato. MTSU’s top three wideouts from last season are gone.
New Mexico State
The Aggies, making the jump from independent to Conference USA, must replace their best defensive players from last year.
Sam Houston
The Bearkats rise to the FBS ranks this year. If coach K.C. Keeler can coax six wins from his squad, it will feel like a success.
UTEP
Things look up this year with the return of QB Gavin Hardison and the arrival of new transfers for him to throw to.
Western Kentucky
Coach Tyson Helton brings back QB Austin Reed and WR Malachi Corley in one of the country’s sharpest aerial attacks.
MID-AMERICAN
Akron
In coach Joe Moorhead’s second season, the Zips have a real chance to advance to their first bowl game since 2017.
Ball State
The Cardinals will try to get back to bowl eligibility behind an experienced defense and transfer QB Layne Hatcher.
Bowling Green
Coach Scot Loeffler led the Falcons to their first bowl since 2015 last year. He’ll need to improve on a defense that ranked 103rd nationally.
Buffalo
The Bulls have put together two straight top-notch MAC recruiting classes by navigating the transfer portal adeptly.
Central Michigan
The Chippewas must improve last year’s -18 turnover margin to get back to winning. The defense is led by LB Kyle Moretti.
Eastern Michigan
The Eagles nearly won a MAC title in 2022, but they must replace seven offensive starters.
Kent State
The Flashes lost coach Sean Lewis, who joined Deion Sanders’s staff as OC at Colorado, not to mention many starters to the transfer portal. Give first-year coach Kenni Burns some time.
Miami (Ohio)
The RedHawks welcome back QB Brett Gabbert, who missed a big chunk of 2022 with a shoulder injury.
Northern Illinois
Seventh-year QB Rocky Lombardi should enjoy reuniting with WR Trayvon Rudolph, who missed all of last year after a big 2021.
Ohio
The Bobcats are poised for another run to the MAC title game with the return of QB Kurtis Rourke and RB O’Shaan Allison.
Toledo
The defending MAC champs bring back a host of starters from a 9–5 team. Could they finish ranked this season?
Western Michigan
The Broncos had five wins last year, and games against Syracuse and Iowa in the first three weeks won’t help the turnaround effort.
MOUNTAIN WEST
Air Force
The Falcons return most of the nation’s No. 1 defense. A Black Friday game at Boise State could decide the Mountain West.
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Boise State
After a strong finish in 2022, Andy Avalos begins his third season with the conference’s best QB (sophomore Taylen Green) and RB (George Holani).
Colorado State
After failing to score more than 19 points in a game last year, the Rams found a few new offensive linemen and RBs in the portal.
Fresno State
Coach Jeff Tedford’s club has some serious replacing to do on offense with the loss of QB Jake Haener and most of the top targets.
Hawai‘i
Coach Timmy Chang wants to toss it around the yard, but he needs better production from QB Brayden Schager.
Nevada
As one of two Mountain West teams that didn’t win a game last year, the Wolf Pack went deep into the transfer portal looking for a jump start.
New Mexico
The Lobos, after finishing last in the country in total offense, hired former UAB interim head coach Bryant Vincent as OC.
San Diego State
The Aztecs were a disappointing 7–6 in 2022 but found a special QB in Mississippi State’s Jalen Mayden.
San Jose State
QB Chevan Cordeiro returns after passing for 3,251 yards and 23 TDs last year, but the defense will miss ends Viliami Fehoko and Cade Hall.
UNLV
Former Missouri coach Barry Odom gets another shot at the helm of the Rebels, who have produced one winning season since 2000.
Utah State
The Aggies slid to a 6–7 mark last year and must replace all-conference WR Brian Cobbs and star RB Calvin Tyler.
Wyoming
The defense is strong. Fix the 119th-ranked offense, and a Mountain West title isn’t hard to fathom.
PAC-12
Arizona
Coach Jedd Fisch seems to be changing the culture in Tucson, but the defense can’t allow 36 points a game if the Wildcats want to contend.
Arizona State
An influx of transfers accompanies the new boss and the youngest head coach in the FBS, 33-year-old Kenny Dillingham.
Cal
If coach Justin Wilcox wants to see a Year 8, the Bears need to improve after winning 10 of their past 28 games.
Colorado
Welcome to the Deion Sanders era. Nobody knows how this will go, but the Buffaloes will be one of the most compelling watches in college football.
Stanford
New coach Troy Taylor brings a radically different offense. But it’s hard to perform a quick fix when the portal tends to flow in one direction—out.
UCLA
Chip Kelly finally broke through in 2022, going 9–4. Sustaining it will require considerable transfer help and, possibly, a freshman quarterback.
Washington State
Junior QB Cameron Ward’s return should be a boon for coach Jake Dickert, but the Cougars need to improve a shaky offensive line.
SOUTHEASTERN
Arkansas
Dan Enos takes over as offensive coordinator, and coach Sam Pittman’s fourth team is shaping up to be his best.
Auburn
Can coach Hugh Freeze’s offensive acumen, plus the additions of former Michigan State QB Payton Thorne as well as new defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, solve the Tigers’ issues?
Florida
Anthony Richardson is gone, and Florida needs weapons on offense beyond standout RBs Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne.
Kentucky
To replace Will Levis, Mark Stoops hit the portal to land NC State QB Devin Leary. The WRs are led by freshman All-American Barion Brown.
Mississippi State
Former defensive coordinator Zach Arnett, 36, takes over the Bulldogs after the death of Mike Leach. QB Will Rogers has his eyes on a host of SEC records.
Missouri
Coach Eli Drinkwitz enters his pivotal fourth season with a solid overall roster but a significant question (again) at QB.
Thomas Shea/USA TODAY Sports
Texas A&M
Last season QB Conner Weigman was clearly thrust into the limelight before he was ready. Can new OC Bobby Petrino save the day?
Vanderbilt
Optimism is high with QB AJ Swann and WRs Will Sheppard and Jayden McGowan back, but defense is a concern.
SUN BELT
Appalachian State
The program has returning talent but will ask much of transfers on both lines and in the secondary.
Arkansas State
QB J.T. Shrout and WR Corey Rucker, both transfers, are tasked with helping coach Butch Jones improve on his 5–19 record in Jonesboro.
Coastal Carolina
QB Grayson McCall returns for new coach Tim Beck, which will be a big boost.
Georgia Southern
Clay Helton had a solid Year 1 with a big win on the road at Nebraska. But he will miss the steady hand of QB Kyle Vantrease.
Georgia State
Coach Shawn Elliott will lean on dual-threat QB Darren Grainger to rebound this season. But he must fix a defense that allowed 31 points a game.
James Madison
The Dukes boast a defense that was fifth nationally last year. QB Jordan McCloud of Arizona was a big get out of the portal.
Louisiana
Michael Desormeaux guided UL to its fifth straight bowl game last year. With an improved ground game the Cajuns could compete for a Sun Belt title.
Louisiana Monroe
A tougher Sun Belt is not good news for the most under-resourced program in the FBS.
Marshall
The athletic Cam Fancher took over midway through last season and should continue to sharpen his passing.
Old Dominion
The Monarchs, fresh off a three-win season, lost plenty of players to the portal, including QB Hayden Wolff.
South Alabama
QB Carter Bradley returns, and the D-line could be one of the league’s best with Wy’Kevious Thomas.
Southern Miss
Coach Will Hall needs to find himself a solid QB in a three-man race among Zach Wilcke and
transfers Billy Wiles and Holman Edwards.
Texas State
It could be an intriguing year in San Marcos as new coach G.J. Kinne, just 34, brings a high-powered offense that ranked No. 1 in the FCS at Incarnate Word in 2022.
Troy
In this era of offensive explosion, Troy is proof teams that aren’t afraid to grind it out can still have success.
INDEPENDENTS
Army
The Black Knights will sport a different look after a change to the blocking rules took the teeth out of their ability to run their signature flexbone triple option offense.
