Georgia will chase a third consecutive national championship in 2023 as the favorite in the USA TODAY Sports way-too-early Top 25 for next season, ahead of the familiar run of teams that have come to dominate the Bowl Subdivision.
The Bulldogs are followed by No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 Penn State. After an impressive win against Utah in the Rose Bowl and with quarterback Drew Allar set to take over, the Nittany Lions are the pick for second place in the Big Ten ahead of No. 6 Ohio State.
Several teams that showed promise this season are poised to take the next step in 2023. That includes No. 7 Notre Dame, which will get an enormous boost from the addition of quarterback Sam Hartman from Wake Forest.
The Pac-12 is led by No. 9 Southern California. USC will bring Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and should be better on defense, though the Trojans can’t get much worse. Joining the Trojans from the Pac-12 are No. 10 Washington, No. 12 Oregon, No. 19 Oregon State and No. 22 Utah.
But once again, the expectation is that every team will be chasing the Bulldogs.
1. Georgia (2022 record: 15-0)
With Stetson Bennett gone, there will be a decision to make at quarterback among Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff, Gunner Stockton and potentially an unknown transfer, should Kirby Smart bring an outsider into the mix. The Bulldogs will also lose standouts such as defensive tackle Jalen Carter. But look for Georgia to reload and be up for the challenge of…
