Joel Klatt releases full Top 25 preseason college football rankings
College football kick-off is just weeks away, which means a steady stream of various preseason top-25 rankings. This time around, we’re looking at the predictions of Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt, who just recently rated his 25 best ball clubs ahead of the 2023 season on his podcast.
He certainly won’t ruffle as many feathers as his colleague Brett McMurphy did with his own list the other day, but regardless, there’s plenty of unique takes. After all, he does go pretty chalk at the top, although there is a certain Pac-12 team who Klatt is a little bit higher on than most other pundits.
So take a look below at Klatt’s Top 25:
25. UCLA Bruins
There is likely to be a lot of weight the shoulders of true freshman quarterback Dante Moore, the No. 3 overall player and No. 2 QB in the 2023 On3 Industry Rankings. With longtime starters gone at QB and running back, the Bruins have plenty of questions on offense. Sure, there’s terrific top-end talent, but they’re unproven.
Luckily, Chip Kelly has quietly really improved his program’s profile on the defensive side of the football. By no means are they elite defensively, but the Bruins put together two of their best defensive seasons under Kelly the last couple years and return nine starters for 2023. If the defense takes another step up, they could stay in the Pac-12 mix despite having to work out some kinks on offense.
24. Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders had a sneaky strong season in year one under head coach Joey McGuire. They weren’t in the thick of the Big 12 title race but they did fly in at a very respectable 8-5 on the year and really roared to life in the back half of the season. It was a 2-4 start to Big 12 play and a 4-5 start overall for the Red Raiders before they ran off four straight wins to end the season, including triumphs over Oklahoma and then Ole Miss in the bowl game.
If that momentum is maintained through 2023, McGuire is looking at one of the better starts to a coaching career in Red Raider history. However, two of Tech’s previous three coaches also went 8-5 in year one before dropping below .500 in year two. Klatt clearly thinks McGuire will avoid that pitfall.
23. Wisconsin Badgers
Despite turmoil throughout last season, Wisconsin still managed to win seven regular season games and now returns a lion’s share of their starters for head coach Luke Fickell’s first year. He’s a cold weather coach who thrives with strong defense and a potent run game — areas where the Badger program has typically thrived.
Wisconsin has 10 starters coming back on offense, including a running back room that could be tops in the country, while one of the only starters lost, QB Graham Mertz, is replaced by 3,500-yard passer and SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai. Then, the defense allowed just 20 points and 300 yards per game last fall and get back eight starters. Yeah, expect another tremendous unit on that side of the ball.
It’s year one with a new coach, but Wisconsin has quite a roster.
22. Iowa Hawkeyes
College football fans know the story with Iowa at this point: top-of-the-line defense, dominant at the line of scrimmage, yet just not good enough offensively, especially in the pass game. Last season featured the starkest contrast between the two sides of the ball yet, as the Hawkeyes ranked No. 1 in the country in defense by yards-per-play while ranking near-dead-last in the same category offensively.
The defense will be great, maybe the best in the nation once again as they get seven starters back off a group that allowed just 13.3 points per game. Offensively, it’s hard to imagine they’re any worse than last year, as they return nine starters and trot out a much better QB option this season in Michigan transfer Cade McNamara.
21. North Carolina Tar Heels
With likely top five 2024 NFL Draft pick Drake Maye at quarterback, this coming season will most certainly be thrilling, even if the Heels don’t have the supporting roster, particularly on defense, to warrant College Football Playoff expectations.
For at least another season, with an electrifying offense and Heisman contender in place, Mack Brown and his program will be popular around the state. Maye and nine other starters return set the Heels up to produce the best offense in the ACC, and perhaps one of the best in the nation.
20. Ole Miss Rebels
Lane Kiffin does have a quarterback situation to solve, but also has a roster that should be top-25-ranked regardless of who starts under center. And that’s thanks to a tremendously experienced offensive line that Phil Steele called “one of the best OLine’s in the country and a Joe Moore Award candidate,” plus a wide receiver corps that blends solid returners with star mid-major transfers.
Defensively, the Rebels get back seven starters but lost the bulk of their top tacklers. The linebackers are sturdy and proven but it’s the additions in the secondary and on the defensive line that provide some unanswered questions ahead of the season.
19. TCU Horned Frogs
Following up a national runner-up finish will be tough, and it’s hard to see the Horned Frogs matching or topping that success. However, despite the losses to their top superstars, head coach Sonny Dykes has a roster capable of competing in the Big 12. The DNA of the team will just be completely different.
Why? Because TCU returns just three starters from its offense last year, including the quarterback of course. No matter how strong the backups or how talented the transfers are, you’re going to have a very difficult time maintaining your success with that kind of overhaul. So defense could be the key for the Frogs, who get seven starters back and boast a terrific secondary.
18. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame stumbled at times, especially early on, in young Marcus Freeman’s first year as head coach. Just three seasons ago, Freeman was coaching Sauce Gardner as the Cincinnati defensive coordinator — and now, he’s the head of one of college football’s biggest and most historical brands.
As with most top jobs, there is pressure in Year Two. Freeman returns a terrific offensive line unit, boasts another talented defense and nabbed one of the stars of the transfer portal cycle in quarterback Sam Hartman, who presents an immense upgrade over last year’s situation. ND could to be back in the playoff mix.
17. Kansas State Wildcats
Unfortunately, KSU’s 2022 Big 12 title may be overlooked historically since it was the loser of that game, TCU, who made a surprise run to the CFP final. But Joel Klatt is putting some respect on Chris Klieman’s group by ranking them No. 17.
The school did say goodbye to superstar running back Deuce Vaughn, who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. Replacing Vaughn’s explosiveness on the football field will be particularly tough, but perhaps that means relying more on QB Will Howard and an offensive line that should keep him clean as a whistle.
16. Oklahoma Sooners
Brent Venables’ seat will be cooking like a crockpot by December if he leads OU to a season similar to last, where the Sooners finished with a losing 6-7 record, including the most embarrassing loss for the program in quite a while — a 49-nothing obliteration at the hands of Red River rival Texas.
With the roster in place, massive improvement is certainly expected. Oklahoma has a veteran and talented quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, plus some playmakers at receiver and a greatly experienced offensive line. Venables will likely put a better defense on the field in Year Two as well, but it could be the offense that leads a resurgence in Norman.
15. Oregon State Beavers
The Beavers snuck under the radar last year before roaring to four straight wins to end the year, which included a Civil War victory over Oregon and a blowout bowl win vs. Florida. They did lose some big pieces off last season’s team, but the arrival of former Clemson starting quarterback DJ Uiagalalei spices things up a bit on the offensive side of the ball. Plus, the offensive in Corvalis is in tremendous shape and First-Team All-Pac-12 performer and rising true sophomore RB Damien Martinez is the star of the show.
Defensively, they lose pieces, simply put. The Beavers have talent and experience up front and could make the pass rush their money-maker on that side of the ball, since there are holes to fill in the secondary and at linebacker.
14. Texas Longhorns
Texas had a bounce-back season in Year Two of the Steve Sarkisian era, getting back above .500 to finish a respectable 8-5 while dealing with injuries at QB for much of the year. They also landed at No. 20 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, which ties for their second-highest finish ever in those ratings.
Heading into Year Three of Sarkisian’s tenure and their last in the Big 12 before a move to the SEC, Texas has pressure to cash in this year. They return a quarterback in Quinn Ewers who was terrific when healthy last year and even have a star receiver in Xavier Worthy to pair with him. The Longhorns may still be a long shot to make the College Football Playoff, but they ought to be square in the hunt for a Big 12 title all year long in a year where the league is WIDE open.
13. Oregon Ducks
Bo Nix is back in the fold as a veteran starting quarterback, as is his favorite target from last fall, Troy Franklin, who recorded a hair under 900 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in ’22 as the Ducks shifted to a more air-based attack on offense in year one under head coach Dan Lanning.
On the other side, the defense lost some high NFL draft picks but is loaded back up with veteran transfers. It’s possible Oregon starts zero underclassmen on D this fall. The Ducks defense is a very veteran group.
12. Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee has incredibly promising talent, but they also return barely over half their starters and lost a Biletnikoff winner at receiver, a top-10 pick on the offensive line, and one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Hendon Hooker. That’s a lot to replace.
In comes the bazooka-armed Joe Milton, a solid O-line group, and a talented yin-yang wide receiver combo in the bigger-framed Bru McCoy alongside the speedier Squirrel White. Will Milton put up Hooker’s numbers? Can White or McCoy offer Jalin Hyatt’s explosiveness? Is the offensive line quite as strong as it was a year ago? Those answers could all be no and Tennessee’s offense may still be top-25. Plus, the defense is looking to likely step up as well.
11. Utah Utes
Against power conference foes not named USC, the Utes went just 6-4 and 0-3 against ranked opponents. But those wins against the Trojans made the season for Utah and you have to commend Kyle Whittingham for being the one Pac-12 coach to own Lincoln Riley in his inaugural season out west.
As for this coming year, there’s plenty of reason to believe in another conference crown. The Utes get back starting QB Cameron Rising and Ja’Quinden Jackson, a converted quarterback who shined as the team’s most explosive running back in terms of yards-per-touch last season. Plus, Rising gets his No. 2 and No. 3 receiving targets back. And as always, expect terrific units on each side of the line of scrimmage under Whittingham.
Analysis for teams 10-1 provided by On3’s Chandler Vessels
10. Florida State Seminoles
Many believe the Seminoles could be the team that challenges Clemson for an ACC title. Coming off its first 10-win season since 2016, Florida State brings back several key players including quarterback Jordan Travis and leading receiver Johnny Wilson, who stands 6-foot-6.
Leading rusher Trey Benson also returns and the Seminoles added five of the top 50 players in On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings, including Michigan State receiver Keon Coleman. DL Jared Verse (nine sacks in 2022) should lead the defense as FSU stands a chance to have its best season in a long time.
9. Clemson Tigers
After six straight College Football Playoff appearances and two national titles from 2015-20, Clemson has missed the past two season. But coming off of an ACC Championship in 2022, the Tigers are motivated not to make it three years in a row.
Former five-star Cade Klubnik is ready to enter his first full season as the starting quarterback after taking over for DJ Uiagalelei both in the conference title game and Orange Bowl. Running back Will Shipley is also back after a 1,000-yard season as Garrett Riley enters his first season as offensive coordinator. Defensively, Clemson should again rank among the best in the country with star linebackers Barrett Carter and Jeremiah Trotter returning.
8. USC Trojans
Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams is back for his final college season before likely becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. After throwing for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and only five interceptions this past season, he alone should be enough to put USC in the CFP conversation.
But while the offense should be electric, the defense is a major question mark as it ranked 123rd in yards allowed per play (6.5) in 2022. Coach Lincoln Riley was once again active in the transfer portal to bring in players such as defensive lineman Bear Alexander and cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace to help. If the defense improves, expect the Trojans to be one of the most dangerous teams in the country.
7. LSU Tigers
Brian Kelly‘s inaugural season in Baton Rouge couldn’t have gone much better as he took over a team that went 6-7 the year prior and led them to an SEC West title. That has set the bar high for LSU heading into his second year, where it’s expected to again compete with Alabama for the division crown.
Thankfully, dual-threat quarterback Jayden Daniels is back after leading the Tigers with 885 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns a year ago. He wasn’t too shabby as a passer either with 2,913 yards and 17 touchdowns to just three interceptions. Defensively, the Tigers landed three players on the preseason All-SEC first team, the most of any school other than Georgia.
6. Washington Huskies
Klatt is going against the grain here by ranking Washington as the first Pac-12 team in his top 10 college football rankings over USC. However, with the players returning in the Huskies passing game, it’s easy to see how he reached that conclusion.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. finished second among all FBS players this past season with 4,641 yards passing in addition to 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He gets back his top three receivers in Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk, the first two of which each surpassed 1,000 yards in 2022.
5. Penn State Nittany Lions
The third Big Ten team to crack Klatt’s top five, Penn State enters 2023 as a challenger to both Michigan and Ohio State for the conference crown. The Nittany Lions’ only two losses from last year came against the Wolverines and Buckeyes, and getting a win in at least one of those games will be critical for its Playoff hopes.
Running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen etched their names in the record book last season, becoming the first true freshman duo in school history to record 700-plus yards rushing each. There’s also excitement as former five-star Drew Allar takes over for Sean Clifford at quarterback, and projected top-five pick Olu Fashanu will provide him excellent protection at offensive tackle.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
The last time Nick Saban and Alabama missed the College Football Playoff, they responded by winning a national championship in 2020. This year’s team will hope to write a similar story.
The Crimson Tide don’t enter the season without questions, the most pressing of which is who will replace Bryce Young at quarterback. Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner and returning players Ty Simpson and Jalen Milroe are in a battle for that position. Alabama also has new coordinators on both offense and defense in what’s shaping up to be an interesting season in Tuscaloosa.
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
If Ohio State has anything to say about it, Michigan’s run of Big Ten titles will end this season. The Buckeyes have lost the annual rivalry game to the Wolverines each of the past two years, but stand a chance to snap that streak thanks to an offense loaded with talent.
Receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are both back after 1,000-yard seasons and earned first team All-Big Ten preseason selections. They’ll be without last year’s starting quarterback CJ Stroud, but should remain in good hands as former five-stars Kyle McCord and Devin Brown battle it out in camp. Running backs Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson, the team’s top two rushers in 2022, also return.
2. Michigan Wolverines
Michigan is the first of many teams hoping to unseat Georgia as No. 1. The Wolverines won Big Ten Championship and made the College Football Playoff each of the past two seasons but lost in the semifinals both times.
They’ll have a good chance to finally break through into the title game thanks to the dynamic duo of running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards (combined 2,454 yards and 25 TDs in 2022). If quarterback JJ McCarthy can show improvement as a passer to give the offense more balance, it could be a special season in Ann Arbor.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia leading off this list should come as no surprise after the Bulldogs claimed back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. Whether they can replace the players gone from those teams and become just the second program in college football history to threepeat is the big question entering this season.
Quarterback Stetson Bennett is gone, as are defensive lineman Jalen Carter and offensive tackle Broderick Jones. But former four-star Carson Beck is ready to take over at QB, and tight end Brock Bowers returns after totaling 119 catches for 1,824 yards and 24 total touchdowns over the past two seasons. Georgia also signed top five recruiting classes each of the past three seasons and should remain a threat to win another championship.