College football rankings 2023: 5 teams in Top 25 who will be the first to lose

College football rankings: Tulane will be the 4th ranked team to lose in 2023

Tulane was an incredible story last year, finishing the season at 12-2 thanks to a thrilling Cotton Bowl upset of USC. They come into 2023 with a touch of respect from the voters ranked No. 24.

The problem is they face No. 22 Ole Miss in Week 2.

It could be a huge opportunity for Willie Fritz to make an early statement against Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss. More likely, it’s going to be an early disappointment.

Running back Tyjae Spears was the architect of that Cotton Bowl triumph and he’s gone to the NFL along with LB Dorian Williams and S Macon Clark.

The Green Wave do return the core of their offensive line as well as quarterback Michael Pratt and defensive standout CB Jarius Monroe. So they will be good again this year…just not as capable of taking down a team like Ole Miss.

The Rebels return quarterback Jaxson Dart but running back Quinshon Judkins will power Kiffin’s usually-high-powered offense while the defense should be improved under new DC Pete Golding.