Tag: 2023 College Football Season

Badgers defender listed in top 100 by PFF

Badgers defender listed in top 100 by PFF

The Wisconsin football team finished the 2023 campaign with a 7-6 overall record including their 35-31 loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl, but a bright spot emerged on their defense.

Safety Hunter Wohler was an animal for the Badgers, racking up 120 total tackles (74 solo), including a sack, while also adding two interceptions and six pass deflections over the team’s 13 contests.

Pro Football Focus ranked Wohler as the 79th overall player from the 2023 college football season, putting the nation on notice for the safety after his impressive junior campaign.

Wohler will be back for his fourth season in Madison this fall and he’ll look to improve upon his 2023 numbers.

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Oklahoma Sooners drop in final US LBM Coaches Poll of 2023

After their 10-3 season, where did the Oklahoma Sooners finish in the final US LBM Coaches Poll?

The 2023 season has come and gone, and what a ride it was. Michigan went undefeated and won the national championship. Georgia failed to make the playoff. Jordan Travis’ injury provided the biggest “what if?” of the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners improved in 2023, earning Brent Venables’ first 10-win season as a head coach. After their win over Texas, it felt like the playoff was a reasonable expectation. But losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State in back-to-back weeks spoiled what looked to be an incredible turnaround.

Still, it was a strong season that gives the Sooners a lot to look forward to as they get ready for the SEC.

Now that the season’s concluded let’s take a look at where the Sooners landed in the final US LBM Coaches Poll of the 2023 season.

More: Sooner Nation reacts on Social Media to Michigan’s national title win

Social media reacts to the Texas Longhorns’ loss in the Sugar Bowl

The Texas Longhorns lost in devastating fashion in the College Football Playoff and here’s how social media reacted.

In what many are calling the best College Football Playoff semifinal ever, the Texas Longhorns walked away empty handed.

After it looked like they weren’t going to get another significant chance to try to win their semifinal with Washington, the Longhorns moved the ball to the Huskies 15-yard line with a shot to win the game.

Four plays later, the Longhorns’ season ended in defeat. Steve Sarkisian inexplicably threw a swing pass to Jaydon Blue on first down, which gained zero yards but took time off the clock. On second down, Ewers threw the ball out of the end zone with Adonai Mitchell well covered. On third down, the Texas quarterback felt the pressure on the blitz and had to get rid of the ball. As he did, the clock nearly struck zero.

The officiating crew rightfully put one second back on the clock. On the final play, Ewers threw a jump ball to Mitchell in the end zone, which was knocked away by Washington cornerback Elijah Jackson to seal the win for the Huskies.

Washington moves on to take on the Michigan Wolverines in the College Football Playoff national championship, and Oklahoma fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Here’s how social media reacted.

Badgers tight end medically retires

Tight end decides to hang up his cleats

The Badgers football team had an eventful day Monday and potentially lost in the shuffle was the announcement from tight end Jack Pugh that he has medically retired.

Pugh did not appear in a game this season and he will step away from football officially to focus on his mental health and attempt to “finally find happiness” away from the sport.

The tight end was a three-star recruit coming out of Hilliard Bradley High School in Columbus, Ohio, but he only appeared in Wisconsin’s 23-16 loss to Minnesota last year during his three seasons with the Badgers.

Once a Badger, always a Badger though and Pugh will always have a home in Madison.

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Bama vs. Georgia, Washington vs. Oregon and more Championship Weekend Predictions

Championship weekend is finally here in college football, so let’s take a look at how we think it will play out.

While the Oklahoma Sooners finished their regular season at 10-2, they did not make it to the [autotag]Big 12 Championship[/autotag]. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t games that matter to the Sooners this weekend.

For instance, the [autotag]SMU Mustangs[/autotag], a team Oklahoma beat, will take on the [autotag]Tulane Green Wave[/autotag]. That matters because if SMU wins, they most likely will be ranked and represent the Group of Five in a New Year’s Six bowl game. That would go down as a ranked win for Oklahoma and boost their resume.

Also, if the Texas Longhorns win and then make the College Football Playoff, that could also boost Oklahoma’s resume and maybe get them into a New Year’s Six game as well. So, there is still a lot for Oklahoma fans to keep an eye on and cheer for this weekend.

So, let’s take a look at how I think the games will play out, and we’ll go in the order of when they will be played.

Texas secures top spot in Big 12 Power Rankings after final week of the regular season

How does the Big 12 stack up after the final week of the regular season? Here are this week’s power rankings.

The 2023 college football season has been a thrill ride from start to finish. In its lone season as a 14-team conference, the Big 12 did not disappoint. There were fantastic games throughout the conference schedule that brought us to a dramatic final weekend of the regular season.

The Sooners will look back on this season, knowing they missed an opportunity to reach the Big 12 title game. Their performances against Kansas and Oklahoma State were the difference. And although there was some officiating negligence in the loss to the Cowboys, the Sooners also gave the ball away three times in the loss in Bedlam. Combined, the Sooners turned the ball over six times in their two losses and just seven times total in their other 10 games.

Take care of the football and the Sooners are playing for the Big 12 title this weekend.

Week 13 provided a thrilling overtime game between Oklahoma State and BYU. Iowa State and Kansas State played down to the wire in a wintery Farmageddon. Texas beat Texas Tech by 50 with Brett Yormark in attendance, and West Virginia made good on their promise to the preseason media poll look foolish.

After the final week of the regular season, let’s take a look at this week’s Big 12 Power Rankings.

Latest AP Top 25 Poll sees a change of scenery in the Top 4

One of the SEC’s future programs stayed pat while Georgia and Alabama look to face off in the SEC Championship game potentially.

Texas A&M (7-5, 4-4 SEC) finished the 2023 regular season in disappointing fashion, falling 42-30 to No. 13 LSU behind the quarterback and Heisman favorite Jayden Daniels’ four-touchdown performance, as interim head coach Elijah Robinson will finish the year at 1-1, yet a bowl game awaits.

While Texas A&M is way on the outside looking in, the SEC as a whole continued to represent in the newest AP Top 25 Poll, including Alabama’s last-second miraculous win on the road vs. an unranked Auburn team, who will now take on top-ranked Georgia in the SEC Championship game for a shot at the College Football Playoffs.

Finishing the 2023 regular season in a similar fashion, the Aggies struggled immensely against the pass, as a lack of depth and size in the secondary plagued the team four out of the five losses the program sustained. While Texas A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork continues his search for the program’s 31st head coach, the recent debacle regarding the potential hire of Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops was just plain bizarre.

Ahead of the final College Football Playoff Poll after the conclusion of Championship weekend, Michigan, Washington, Florida State, and Oregon moved up one spot each as the 2, 3, 4, and 5 spots, as undefeated Georiga continues its rain at No.1.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:

Tennessee 98, Clemson 57, Kansas St. 41, Utah 40, Troy 7, Kansas 6, New Mexico St. 5, Kentucky 4, Memphis 1, North Carolina 1, Miami (Ohio) 1.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Oklahoma Sooners just outside the top 10 in latest US LBM Coaches Poll

The Oklahoma Sooners finished the regular season just outside the top 10 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll.

The Oklahoma Sooners had a shot to extend their season as the BYU Cougars took Oklahoma State to the brink on Saturday. But as the football was ripped out of the BYU player’s hands, the Sooners’ hopes of reaching the Big 12 title game were ripped away as well.

At 10-2, the Sooners improved from their 6-7 season in 2022. However, the way they got to 10-2 feels a bit underwhelming. This was a team that had chances to beat Kansas and Oklahoma State. Those losses loom large, with Oklahoma narrowly missing the conference championship game.

Still, it was a season of progress, reflected in the reality that they even had a chance to play for a title after their 2022 season. As the regular season comes to a close, the Sooners finished No. 12 in the nation in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

The Sooners are the fourth-highest-rated two-loss team behind Missouri, Penn State, and Ole Miss.

At the top of the poll are the Georgia Bulldogs, who moved to 12-0 and extended their winning streak to 29 games. They’ll take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC title game.

Michigan moved back into the No. 2 spot after their win over Ohio State. Jim Harbaugh or not, the Wolverines have simply kept winning. Iowa poses a strong defensive challenge, but it looks like Michigan will get a spot in the playoff.

Washington’s last-second field goal secured their undefeated regular season. All that stands in the way of a trip to the playoff is their rematch with the Oregon Ducks.

Florida State remained undefeated despite the loss of Jordan Travis with a win over Florida. If they can beat Louisville in the ACC title game, the Seminoles should earn the No. 4 seed in the playoff.

Oregon, Ohio State, Texas, and Alabama take the 5-8 spots. Oregon, Texas, and Alabama have a shot to sneak into the playoff. For the Ducks and the Crimson Tide, the path is clear; win on championship weekend and you’re in. For Texas, they might need a bit more help.

Here is the full US LBM Coaches Poll following Week 13.

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Georgia 12-0 1,571 (61) –
2 Michigan 12-0 1,460 (1) +1
3 Washington 12-0 1417 +2
4 Florida State 12-0 1403 +1
5 Oregon 11-1 1278 +1
6 Ohio State 10-1 1250 -4
7 Texas 11-1 1226 –
8 Alabama 11-1 1182 –
9 Missouri 10-2 1034 +1
10 Penn State 10-2 967 +1
11 Ole Miss 10-2 937 +1
12 Oklahoma 10-2 895 +1
13 LSU 9-3 780 +1
14 Louisville 10-2 716 -5
15 Arizona 9-3 681 +1
16 Notre Dame 9-3 602 +1
17 Iowa 10-2 553 +2
18 Tulane 11-1 549 –
19 Oklahoma State 9-3 253 +2
20 North Carolina State 9-3 303 +4
21 Oregon State 8-4 253 -6
22 Liberty 12-0 236 –
23 Tennessee 8-4 209 –
24 SMU 10-2 135 +1
25 James Madison 11-1 79 +5

Schools Dropped Out

No. 20 Kansas State

Others Receiving Votes

Toledo 68; Clemson 64; Utah 54; Kansas State 54; Troy 25; Kansas 15; West Virginia 10; UNLV 4; San Jose State 1; New Mexico State 1;

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

By the Numbers: No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners vs. TCU Horned Frogs

A statistical look at how the Oklahoma Sooners and TCU Horned Frogs stack up heading into their Black Friday Showdown.

The Oklahoma Sooners vs. the TCU Horned Frogs may look like a mismatch based on their records coming into the game. However, the [autotag]TCU Horned Frogs[/autotag] are a bit reminiscent of the Sooners from 2022, who struggled in one-score games.

TCU was really good in one-score games a year ago, but haven’t been as fortunate this season. They’re a young team that has had some growing pains. In particular, they’ve gone as redshirt freshman [autotag]Josh Hoover[/autotag] has gone. When he’s protected the football, the Horned Frogs have been hard to beat.

The same can be said for the Sooners. In their two losses, Oklahoma turned the ball over six times. In their other nine games, the Sooners turned the ball over just six times.

The other big storyline in this game is the health of [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag]. Brent Venables said earlier in the week that he expects Gabriel to be available. But if he’s not, Jackson Arnold will get the first start of his career. We’ve seen some good things from the true freshman former five-star quarterback. But how will he respond to his first start on a short week?

This game has a chance to be a weird one given the early kickoff and coming on Black Friday. Will the home Sooners show up? Will they stay explosive in the passing game even if it is [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] at the helm?

Here’s a statistical look at the two sides for this Black Friday affair in this week’s By the Numbers.

Big 12 Bowl Projections: Sooners take on Rising Power in Pacific Northwest in latest Bowl Projections

The Oklahoma Sooners head into the regular season finale still with a shot to make the Big 12 title game. They have to beat TCU on Friday and hope for some good things to go their way, but there’s still a chance. A win over the Horned Frogs would …

The Oklahoma Sooners head into the regular season finale still with a shot to make the Big 12 title game. They have to beat TCU on Friday and hope for some good things to go their way, but there’s still a chance.

A win over the Horned Frogs would give Brent Venables his first 10-win season as a head coach and Oklahoma the bounce-back season they needed heading into the SEC in 2024.

With bowl season right around the corner, the Big 12 has eight teams that have earned bowl eligibility. BYU, UCF, and TCU can all earn bowl bids if they can pick up a win this Saturday.

BYU plays Oklahoma State. A Cougars win and a Sooners win puts Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game.

Here’s a look at the latest Big 12 bowl projections from USA TODAY Sports.