The air is filled with anticipation, tension, and the competitiveness of college football. The 2023-24 season is finally here and colleges from all around the country are ready to play football, the fans are even more excited for the countless new opportunities that this new season brings. College football is currently in Week 9 with some more intense matchups. In this article, we will take a dive into this college football season so far.
Here are the rankings as of now (AP Poll Top 25)
- Georgia
- Michigan
- Ohio State
- Florida State
- Washington
- Oklahoma
- Penn State
- Texas
- Oregon
- North Carolina
- Alabama
- Oregon State
- Ole Miss
- Utah
- Notre Dame
- Duke
- Tennessee
- USC
- LSU
- Missouri
- Louisville
- Air Force
- Tulane
- Iowa
- UCLA
Georgia has been the best team in college football through the first eight weeks. They boast an undefeated record and have scored more than 24 points in every game. Their quarterback, Carson Beck, is fourth in the nation in passing yards with 2147 yards. After a bye this week, they will matchup away at Florida which will be one of the best games next weekend.
Michigan is ranked second in the nation. Many people believe that it is an overreaction since Michigan has not played a ranked opponent yet this season. However, Michigan stayed undefeated by dominating instate rivals, Michigan State, by a score of 49-0.
Another exciting team this season is Washington. Their star quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. is leading the Heisman race. He is second in the nation in passing yards with 2301 and is fourth in passing touchdowns with 20. Washington is undefeated and ranked the 5th best team in the nation. This week they beat Arizona State (15-7) at home in a low scoring affair.
Florida State the mid-way point of the season strong, currently 4th in the nation with a record of 6-0. Florida State is fresh off a big win against Syracuse winning 41-3. The next team that they faced was Duke, who was ranked 16th in the nation with a 5-1 record heading into the game. This was definitely a closer game than Syracuse, but Florida State still came out on top. Their leading scorers have played a big role in their success. Quarterback Jordan Travis has a total of 1,482 passing yards. Running back Trey Benson has 463 rushing yards 65 carries and 6 touchdowns. Wide Receiver Keon Coleman has 418 receiving yards 29 receptions and 7 touchdowns. These 3 players can be credited as an area of success for the team but will they continue to do so?
Texas starts off the season quite strong with a record of 5-1 putting them at the number 8 rank in the nation. Coming off a very close loss against Oklahoma who is at the top of the Big XII. Texas was hungry for their 31-24 win against Houston who are 11th in their conference right now. The leading scorers for Texas who dominated against Houston include quarterback Quinn Ewers with 1,704 passing yards, running back Jonothan Brooks with an astonishing 726 rushing yards, 108 carries, and 6 touchdowns, and finally wide receiver Xavier Worthy with 453 receiving yards 34 receptions, and 3 touchdowns.
Oregon starts off their season ranked 9th right behind Texas with a record of 5-1. They came off a loss to dominant team Washington who is ranked 5th with a record of 7-0. A very close game establishing Oregon as a team to watch out for in the future. The leading scores for Oregon are Quarterback Bo Nix with 1,796 passing yards. Running back Bucky Irving with 520 rushing yards 72 carries and 5 touchdowns. Wide receiver Troy Franklin with an impressive 689 receiving yards 40 receptions and 8 touchdowns. Oregon is gained a needed win against 8th ranked team in their conference Washington State. This win will help put Oregon in a threatening spot that other teams would need to watch out for.
Notre Dame and USC had a huge game last Saturday. Notre Dame pulled the game away with a score of 48-20 after a stellar performance from the defense. Notre Dame was coming off of a loss to Louisville, whereas USC was undefeated up until this game. Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts had two picks against the no-longer front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, Caleb Williams. He had arguably the worst performance of his college football career, and followed it up this week with a loss to Utah. The Notre Dame students stormed the field after this huge win and are optimistic about the rest of their season.
Colorado has slipped out of the AP Top 25 Rankings. After a staggering 1-11 record in 2022, Colorado has made a huge jump with the addition of Deion Sanders. Players like Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter have been a huge help to this team’s success as well. Shedeur Sanders currently has the most passing yards in college football. Travis Hunter plays a rare two positions, one on offense and one on defense. He is coming off an injury but already shows signs of him coming back to his norm. The Colorado team was massively hyped up at the beginning of the season, but the hype soon fell after numerous losses. Although we see some success now, it will take more than just one season to see this effect fully take place.
