As the 2023 college football season fast approaches, analysts have begun to release their preseason top 25 rankings giving people insight into how they feel about some of the top teams in the country heading into the season.
One of the latest to do so is Fox Sports national football analyst RJ Young, who revealed his top 25 Wednesday. Young is high on Dabo Swinney and Clemson, having the Tigers ranked No.8 in the country.
As I wrote last month, the short but punchy fact is that new Clemson play-caller Garrett Riley did more at TCU than Clemson did last season, with considerably less than the Tigers had.
The Tigers haven’t seen a 3,000-yard passer since Trevor Lawrence left in 2020. And they haven’t seen a 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher in the same year since 2019. Lawrence threw for 3,665 with 36 TDs and eight INTs while Travis Etienne had 2,046 yards from scrimmage, including 1,614 on the ground with 23 total TDs that year.
At TCU last year, Max Duggan passed for 3,698 with 32 TDs to eight INTs, while Kendre Miller accounted for 1,515 from scrimmage.
If Riley can get Duggan-Miller production out of Cade Klubnik and Will Shipley, expect Clemson to win a CFP invitation for the first time since 2020.
Young knows the key to a strong season for Clemson in 2023. If Riley lives up to the hype and the Tigers’ offense gets back on track, they will be one of the best teams in the country.
Clemson ranked as the top ACC team for Young, with Florida State landing at No.10 in Young’s rankings.
Following a tremendous win against defending SEC West champ LSU and a punctuating one against Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl, Mike Norvell’s Noles are looking to win the first conference title in his tenure since 2014.
Many have the Seminoles as the top team in the ACC, but Young didn’t buy into that hype. The Tigers’ ceiling is too big to ignore, with Riley running the Clemson offense.
Clemson has a strong opportunity to make a run at another College Football Playoff appearance in 2023.
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