We’ve finally made it! The 2023 college football season is officially underway (well, kind of) as Week Zero presents several interesting matchups, including the season opener for 13th-ranked Notre Dame, who will face Navy at 1:30 p.m. CT on NBC.
For Texas A&M, seven days separate the Aggies from the start of their 2023 redemption tour, beginning with a home matchup vs. New Mexico on Saturday, Sept. 2, before traveling to Miami, Florida, to take on the Miami Hurricanes on Sept. 9.
Littered with offseason storylines surrounding A&M’s immense struggles in 2022, new OC Bobby Petrino’s offensive pedigree and extensive experience should infuse a burst of explosive play to a unit ranked 93rd in the country in total offense last season. Last week, On3 writer Jesse Simonton released his list of ten “bold predictions” ahead of the 2023 season, and after finishing 5-7 (2-6 SEC), what’s bolder than predicted a complete turnaround a year after complete turmoil?
Coming in at No.10, Simonton believes that Petrino will immediately impact the Aggies offense and drastically increase their points per game average, which stood at 23 PPG in 2022.
“I’m optimistic that two of the more marquee coordinator hires this offseason will pay immediate dividends in 2023. In College Station, the Aggies haven’t averaged over 30 points per game since the shortened COVID 2020 season, and it topped 36 points per game once the entire 2022 season (38-23 win over LSU).”
“The engine may combust eventually, so don’t look under the hood this fall, but the Fisher-Bobby Petrino pairing will work in 2023. The Aggies return an OL that projects to be much improved. Sophomore quarterback Connor Weigman will be better in Year 2 and there are oodles of skill-talent (wideouts Evan Stewart, Noah Thomas and Ainias Smith, 5-star freshman tailback Rueben Owens).”
Jimbo Fisher has yet to announce the starting quarterback, as sophomore Conner Weigman continues to battle veteran southpaw Max Johnson. Still, whoever ends up claiming the job, Simonton is right on point in noting the exceptional talent at wide receiver and running back, providing a plethora of offensive weapons at either signal caller’s disposal.
It may take a game or two for Bobby Petrino’s system to reach a state of consistency, but when it’s it’s all said and done, the results should speak for themselves.
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