Who will have a much better 2023 than 2022? There are a number of teams in college football looking to bounce back from disappointing 2022 seasons. Here are 10 teams that we think will show some notable improvement year-over-year. They are listed in alphabetical order.
Auburn (5-7 in 2022)
Hugh Freese was hired to make Auburn immediately competitive in the SEC West. And beat Alabama, of course. The former Ole Miss coach has been recruiting well through the transfer portal and must fix an offense that has been in shambles during Bryan Harsin’s tenure as coach. Freeze can call plays with the best of them all in college football and how well those plays work will depend on the quarterback. Robbie Ashford returns after rushing for 710 yards a season ago and is competing with Payton Thorne, a Michigan State transfer.
The SEC West and annual rivalry games are a challenge, but the non-conference schedule includes a trip to Cal and three must-win games. Throwing in games at Vanderbilt and games against Mississippi schools at home and a winning season is the expectation.
Nick Bromberg
Boston College (3-9)
There wasn’t much that went well at Boston College last fall. The Eagles saw ACC offensive lineman Christian Mahogany go down with a season-ending knee injury over the summer. It was a sign of things to come for BC, which has seen its offensive line decimated by injuries. The line struggled mightily in its efforts to protect Phil Jurkovec and open up lanes for the once heralded rushing game.
Now, with Mahogany back and a few transfers joining a group that got a lot of experience last fall, the streak should be much better. As a result, the offense has to make strides even with Jurkovich leaving Pete and Z. Flowers for the NFL. Ryan O’Keefe, a transfer from UCF, is a great pickup at receiver.
BC also added multiple turnovers in the minors. Jeff Hafley, now in his fourth season at BC, is a defensive coach by trade. If this group can pull through, BC’s defense could be pretty stingy with a solid fullback squad and a group of pass attackers led by Donovan Eziruaku. Don’t be surprised if you end up in a bowl game.
– Sam Cooper
Cal (4-8)
Cal has not been to a bowl game since 2019 and has a realistic shot at returning to the postseason. Offense has always been an issue in Justin Wilcox’s tenure, and Jake Spavital is back as the team’s offensive coordinator after a stint as head coach of Texas. The first order of business is to see if TCU transfer Sam Jackson or NC State transfer Ben Finley is the starting quarterback. Quality QB play will go a long way.
The offensive line returns every start, Jaydn Ott runs back and the receiver set is very deep. The defense gave up nearly 28 points per game a season ago and should get better too. Cale’s luck in one-result games should also turn around at some point. Six of the Bears’ eight losses in 2022 were by possession.
Nick Bromberg
Colorado State (3-9)
Jay Norvell’s first season at Fort Collins was ugly. The Rams had one of the worst offenses in college football and failed to score more than 19 points in a single game all season.
But there are plenty of reasons for optimism here. Nevada was 3-9 in Norville’s first season with the Wolf Pack and made the jump to five games the second year. There could be a similar leap forward in Fort Collins. Clay Millen returned to quarterback after completing more than 70% of his passes in 10 games, and the team added former North Dakota State Kobe Johnson in the transfer gate. Johnson rushed for nearly 2,600 yards in his NDSU career. Torrey Horton was CSU’s MVP receiver in 2022 after following Norville of Nevada and also running back.
Just having a middle offense would be a huge step forward for the Rams. Getting an improved offensive line play will be key. Don’t be surprised if CSU hangs up with Colorado in Week 2.
Nick Bromberg
Florida Atlantic (5-7)
Florida Atlantic had two 11-win seasons in Lane Kiffin’s three-year tenure as Owls coach, but could not replicate that kind of success under Willie Taggart. And even though FAU is making the transition from Conference USA to American Athletic Conference, there are reasons to believe the Owls could do a very good first year under Tom Hermann.
Hermann got a bad rap, but he did a decent job at Texas going 32-18 in a four-year period. He also went 22-4 in two seasons in Houston. The guy could train and be an upgrade on Taggart. He also brought in an old friend, Casey Thompson, to play quarterback. Herman Thompson was assigned to Texas and Thompson also spent a season as a starter at Nebraska.
On top of adding Thompson, FAU is fielding two first returns, three top four receivers and three starters on the offensive line. There is also a lot of reproduction in the field of defense. FAU’s defense wasn’t great last year, but it was a positive sign in the transfer gate era, as Herrmann has managed to retain several players.
From a schedule perspective, FAU avoids Memphis and SMU and will play both UTSA and Tulane at home. Owls are a sneaky competitor in AAC.
– Sam Cooper
Kentucky (7-6)
After winning 10 games in 2021, Kentucky fell to a 7-6 record in 2022 despite the return of star quarterback Will Levis for his senior season. The biggest problem for the UK has been the offensive line, but the Wildcats should be better up front this year based on a few added transfers that will allow a few players to slip back to their natural positions in the trenches.
Elsewhere on offense, Kentucky brought in quarterback Devin Leary from NC State. Leary was injured for much of the 2022 season, so it’s easy to forget he was one of the best QBs in the country in 2021. Leary has a lot of talent around him as Kentucky brought back its top three receivers and added Vanderbilt transfer Ray Davis at running back. Furthermore, Liam Coen returns as offensive coordinator after a short stint in the NFL.
Defensively, the UK have a front seven led by Deone Walker at centre, JJ Weaver at the edge and Trevin Wallace at full back. There are some questions in the secondary, but it’s an expert position for coach Mark Stoops.
Georgia is too good for Kentucky to realistically compete for the SEC East title, but this team can win nine or 10 games.
– Sam Cooper
Louisiana (6-7)
Louisiana has gone 34-5 combined in the last four seasons under Billy Napier. For the most recent season, Napier left for Florida and Michael Desormeaux was promoted to head coach. With so many veteran players still going, it would have been a rebuilding year for the Ragin’ Cajuns even if Napier had stuck around but it would still have been a surprise to see UL barely making a ball game.
Louisiana should do better in 2023 even though it won’t be a favorite in the Sun Belt West (South Alabama and Troy seem poised for strong seasons). Louisiana had some tough luck last year, going 0-4 in a single-point game. This year, UL has one of the easiest schedules in the Sun Belt. Cajuns avoid App State, Coastal Carolina, and James Madison — the top three projected teams in the Sun Belt East in the preseason conference poll.
There is some notable human toll, so it may be another year before Louisiana returns to contention for the Sun Belt title. At the same time, this looks like a team that can win eight or nine games.
– Sam Cooper
Miami (5-7)
Miami’s first season under Mario Cristobal was a disaster, but the Hurricanes are now flying under the radar and could come back with a good season.
Last season, both of Cristobal’s coordinators failed spectacularly and all of the promise Miami has shown in 2021, particularly from quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, is nowhere to be found. Defensively, Miami gave up plenty of big plays and showed a lack of effort at times, but there are reasons to believe things will be better in 2023.
Van Dyck should be a better fit in Shannon Dawson’s attack, there is a much improved offensive line and a strong group of skill position players to work with. On the other hand, freshman defensive coordinator Lance Guidry has nails like Leonard Taylor and Achim Messidor up front, one of the best safety duos in the country and a pickup at linebacker in Washington State transfer Francisco Mawegua.
Miami isn’t of the caliber of Clemson or Florida State in the ACC, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Hurricanes finish in the top four in the conference and play in a decent bowl game.
– Sam Cooper
Oklahoma (6-7)
The Sooners should be in the mix for a Big 12 title in their final year in the conference. There is too much talent on the list to repeat the disappointment in 2022.
Oklahoma still scored nearly 33 points per game preseason and averaged 6.2 yards per game; There was no significant decline after the departure of Lincoln Riley. The biggest upset about the Sooners in 2022 was the defense. I lost 30 points per game and allowed basically the same yardage per game as I did in 2021.
The defense should improve a lot in Brent Venables’ second season as head coach, and transfers like LB Dasan McCullough and DL Trace Ford will be of immediate impact. With Dillon Gabriel returning as QB and transfers like WR Brenan Thompson and OL Walter Rouse, the offense will be good again, too.
OU may not be in contention for a playoff spot, but it also won’t have consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1997 and 1998—especially with such an easy schedule.
Nick Bromberg
Texas A&M (5-7)
Things should get better at College Station in 2023, right? If they don’t, the drama will be off the charts. The addition of Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator should mean a huge step forward for an Aggie offense that has been inconsistent at best over the past few seasons. But will he be the play’s exclusive caller, or will Jimbo Fisher still make some decisions?
Conner Wegman showed promise in 2022 and didn’t pick up an interception. The offense is missing Devon Achan but WR Ainias Smith is back after a season ending injury and WR Evan Stewart could be one of the best players in the SEC. The defense brings back six starters among the forward seven and this should help a run defense that was damaged over and over a season ago. Visiting Miami without a conference is tough, and A&M is plotting a road trip to Tennessee. But there is no excuse for this Aggie team for not posting a successful season.
Nick Bromberg