Who's making the college football playoffs in 2023?
It's time to summarize the results of our survey of top contenders around the nation.
For the last two weeks I’ve been examining college football programs across the country in search of teams I think have playoff potential.
One more time, I’m judging these teams primarily based on the following criteria:
Elite athleticism in the space force, particularly wide receiver and defensive tackle.
Rule of three defense (do you have at least three top notch cover men in the secondary?)
Pass game sophistication. Ideally a dropback passing game but at the very least some high level methods of involving game changing receivers.
Here at America’s War Game we’re big believers in air power and air power negation.
I explained the criteria and how I evaluate teams for championship quality in the opening post.
Thus far in its young history, the college football playoff has tended to include one team from each of four major regions.
At times the greater North/Midwest gets two teams in, once the southeast pulled off that feat. Back in 2011 the National Championship featured two SEC West teams but that’s considerably less common as those teams have to go through each other.
The overall field is loaded and there are going to be quite a few teams nationally with big, not unrealistic expectations for playoff glory who find themselves watching from home. The debate around the four who get in might be the most contentious we’ve ever seen, especially given some of the conference realignment of late and the sour grapes attached.
Let’s talk through the main contenders and who I think will actually get in.
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