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10 major storylines for the 2023 college football season

By Andrew Miller

Georgia coach Kirby Smart celebrates with fans after the NCAA College Football National Championship game between TCU and Georgia on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. Georgia won 65-7.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart celebrates with fans after the NCAA College Football National Championship game between TCU and Georgia on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. Georgia won 65-7. /
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Nov 26, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Lathan Ransom (12) tackles Michigan Wolverines running back Blake Corum (2) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus DispatchNcaa Football Michigan Wolverines At Ohio State Buckeyes
Nov 26, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Lathan Ransom (12) tackles Michigan Wolverines running back Blake Corum (2) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus DispatchNcaa Football Michigan Wolverines At Ohio State Buckeyes /

The race for the Big Ten (B)east

Perhaps the most intriguing divisional race for the 2023 CFB season is in the Big Ten East, or as the slide title suggests, the Big Ten “Beast”. I call it that because no other division in the sport has three sure-fire national championship contenders.

Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State are all capable of winning it all in 2023. That makes for what should be a remarkable divisional race, and frankly, conference championship race, as the East winner is almost certainly the conference winner.

The Wolverines have won the last two Big Ten titles with consecutive playoff berths and have plenty of experience back. The Buckeyes are still loaded on offense and should see improvement on defense after being a missed field goal away from defeating UGA in the playoffs last season. And the Nittany Lions finally seem to have a roster ready to compete with Michigan and Ohio State.

But there are still questions for that group too. Michigan has yet to show that it can actually win in a playoff setting. Ohio State suddenly has a problem with beating Michigan and loses QB CJ Stroud. Penn State still hasn’t reached the playoff under James Franklin and is also relying on an inexperienced (though immensely talented) QB to finally be the difference.

Still, all three of these teams have a national championship ceiling. And we’ve seen that it’s possible for more than one to reach the playoff. This division race will be must-watch, and it’s well within the realm of possibility that we see a three-way tie atop the standings.

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