College football rankings 2023: Alabama outside Top 4 in preseason AP Top 25 prediction

College football rankings 2023, projected preseason AP Top 25: No. 15-11

15. TCU Horned Frogs (2022 record: 13-2)

There’s no harder team to project for the 2023 season — much less project where AP voters will rank them — than TCU. Coming off the run to the natty last year, they lost eight offensive starters, not the least of which were Max Duggan, Kendre Miller, and Quentin Johnston. Oh yeah, they also saw OC Garrett Riley depart. Sonny Dykes has worked the portal hard and Chandler Morris was the Week 1 starterlast year, but there are still some questions about if the Horned Frogs can sustain this success.

14. Oregon Ducks (2022 record: 10-3)

Bo Nix is back and there should be good feelings about what Dan Lanning is already working to build in Eugene. That being said, the weapons for Oregon have some uncertainty among them, but the offensive line is also replacing four starters. Let’s also not forget that Kenny Dillingham is gone as OC too, though Will Stein, formerly of UTSA, looks more than capable. The defense should improve with incoming transfers and another year of Lanning helping lead the way.

13. Washington Huskies (2022 record: 11-2)

Suffice it to say it looks like Kalen DeBoer was absolutely the right hire for Washington. And he brings back a Huskies team that should be a real threat to take the Pac-12 with Michael Penix Jr. surrounded by the likes of Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan. The front seven on defense looks dangerous too and the secondary improved with portal additions. Perhaps the biggest key will be surviving a sneaky tough schedule for the Huskies.

12. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2022 record: 9-4)

The jury is still out on Marcus Freeman’s head coaching bonafides, but landing Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman in the portal is a big win for Notre Dame, especially as they look to inject life into a sometimes-impotent offense. The Fighting Irish defense has questions as well, particularly in the trenches, but that’s less of a worry with Freeman. If Hartman elevates the passing offense, this could be a dangerous, dangerous team.

11. Tennessee Volunteers (2022 record: 11-2)

Joe Milton is the great needle-mover for Tennessee this season — it’s just that the needle could move either way. The former Michigan quarterback has a cannon arm and all the physical tools in the world, but the question is if Josh Heupel’s offense can rein him in to being an effective signal-caller. That will be difficult with a bevy of new weapons needing to step up. For the Vols to even hope of competing atop the SEC East, though, the defense still has strides it needs to make.