Way too early bowl predictions for the 2023 college football season
By John Buhler
Orange Bowl: Clemson Tigers vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
To me, I think this is the most compelling matchup that isn’t a playoff game. Even though Clemson didn’t win the ACC and Penn State came up short in the Big Ten, they would have made the playoff in the four-team format in 2024 had it not expanded to 12. Clemson is about a year away and if Michigan weren’t otherworldly, Penn State may have made the playoff instead of the Wolverines.
For now, we’ve got James Franklin vs. Dabo Swinney and Drew Allar vs. Cade Klubnik. The coaching is outstanding, but these are the two quarterbacks to keep an eye on in the 2025 or 2026 NFL Draft. They played a little bit last year, but we’re going to get the equivalent of Caleb Williams vs. Drake Maye in this. There is always that won non-playoff bowl game to watch, and this one is it!
And this game will absolutely live up to the hype. It will be like USC vs. Tulane in the Cotton Bowl last year and Utah vs. Ohio State in the Rose Bowl two years ago. We’ve been due for a tremendously stellar Orange Bowl, and baby, we’re getting it! The big difference in this one is Manny Diaz’s defense shows up in clutch moments. He will be a college head coach again soon.
This game is going to be so incredible that we are hoping they meet in the playoff again next year.
Prediction: Penn State over Clemson