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The 2023 season

Michigan finished No. 1 in the final AP poll, 15–⁠0 under Jesse Minter, Jay Harbaugh, Mike Hart, Sherrone Moore, Jim Harbaugh, after it beat Washington 34–⁠13 in the CFP National Championship. The biggest game by the rankings: No. 1 Michigan 34, No. 2 Washington 13 (Jan 8, 2024). One FBS team finished unbeaten. 54 ranked teams lost to unranked or lower-ranked opponents.

Heisman Trophy: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU, who also won the Walter Camp, Davey O’Brien, Unitas Golden Arm and Manning.

The Heisman vote: Jayden Daniels 2,029 points, Michael Penix Jr. 1,701
PlayerPoints1st2nd3rd
Jayden Daniels QB, LSU2,02950321786
Michael Penix Jr. QB, Washington1,701292341143
Bo Nix QB, Oregon88551205322
Marvin Harrison Jr. WR, Ohio State3522078136
Jordan Travis QB, Florida State8581923
Jalen Milroe QB, Alabama734845
Ollie Gordon II RB, Oklahoma State311224
Cody Schrader RB, Missouri291222
Blake Corum RB, Michigan283215
J.J. McCarthy QB, Michigan21174

First-, second- and third-place votes (3, 2 and 1 points), from the season’s Wikipedia article, as published.

The 2023 Holy Cross team
The 2023 Holy Cross team: November 18: The Crusaders beat the Georgetown Hoyas, 31–⁠10Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The 2023 Holy Cross season →

Scoreboards

Final AP poll

1Michigan (61)Big Ten
2WashingtonPac-12
3TexasBig 12
4GeorgiaSoutheastern Conference
5AlabamaSoutheastern Conference
6Florida StateAtlantic Coast Conference
6OregonPac-12
8MissouriSoutheastern Conference
9Mississippi StateSoutheastern Conference
10Ohio StateBig Ten
11ArizonaPac-12
12LSUSoutheastern Conference
13Penn StateBig Ten
14Notre DameFBS Independents
15OklahomaBig 12
16Oklahoma StateBig 12
17TennesseeSoutheastern Conference
18Kansas StateBig 12
19LouisvilleAtlantic Coast Conference
20ClemsonAtlantic Coast Conference
21NC StateAtlantic Coast Conference
22SMUAmerican Athletic Conference
23KansasBig 12
24IowaBig Ten
25LibertyConference USA

Biggest upsets

Oct 21, 2023Virginia 31, 10North Carolina 27Virginia +24
Sep 2, 2023Colorado 45, 17TCU 42Colorado +20
Oct 7, 2023Georgia Tech 23, 17Miami 20Georgia Tech +19.5
Nov 4, 2023Army 23, 17Air Force 3Army +18.5
Dec 28, 2023Boston College 23, 17SMU 14Boston College +13.5
Sep 4, 2023Duke 28, 9Clemson 7Duke +12.5
Nov 18, 2023App State 26, 18James Madison 23App State +11.5
Nov 25, 2023Iowa State 42, 19Kansas State 35Iowa State +11.5
Oct 28, 2023Georgia Tech 46, 17North Carolina 42Georgia Tech +11
Oct 28, 2023Kansas 38, 6Oklahoma 33Kansas +9
Dec 1, 20233Washington 34, 5Oregon 31Washington +9
Dec 2, 2023Miami (OH) 23, 23Toledo 14Miami (OH) +8.5

Ranked teams that lost as the betting favorite, the longest shots first, with the winner’s odds on the line; before lines are on file, ranked teams beaten by unranked or lower-ranked ones.

Most exciting games

Sep 9, 2023Florida International 46, North Texas 39
Nov 24, 2023Utah State 44, New Mexico 41
Sep 2, 2023Colorado 45, 17TCU 42
Sep 9, 2023Akron 24, Morgan State 21
Nov 4, 2023Arkansas 39, Florida 36
Dec 16, 2023Jacksonville State 34, Louisiana 31
Sep 2, 2023Wyoming 35, Texas Tech 33
Oct 21, 2023Old Dominion 28, App State 21

By CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index: how far each team’s chance of winning swung, play by play. Games with an FBS team, decided by 16 points or fewer.

The AP poll, week by week

The AP poll’s top 10 in 2023, week by week1510152025Wk 1Wk 3Wk 5Wk 7Wk 9Wk 11Wk 13Wk 15FinalOhio State: Wk 1 No. 3, Wk 2 No. 5, Wk 3 No. 6, Wk 4 No. 6, Wk 5 No. 4, Wk 6 No. 4, Wk 7 No. 3, Wk 8 No. 3, Wk 9 No. 3, Wk 10 No. 3, Wk 11 No. 3, Wk 12 No. 3, Wk 13 No. 2, Wk 14 No. 6, Wk 15 No. 7, Final No. 1010 Ohio StateMississippi State: Wk 1 unranked, Wk 2 unranked, Wk 3 unranked, Wk 4 unranked, Wk 5 unranked, Wk 6 unranked, Wk 7 unranked, Wk 8 unranked, Wk 9 unranked, Wk 10 unranked, Wk 11 unranked, Wk 12 unranked, Wk 13 unranked, Wk 14 unranked, Wk 15 unranked, Final No. 99 Mississippi StateMissouri: Wk 1 unranked, Wk 2 unranked, Wk 3 unranked, Wk 4 unranked, Wk 5 No. 23, Wk 6 No. 21, Wk 7 unranked, Wk 8 No. 20, Wk 9 No. 16, Wk 10 No. 14, Wk 11 No. 16, Wk 12 No. 11, Wk 13 No. 10, Wk 14 No. 9, Wk 15 No. 9, Final No. 88 MissouriFlorida State: Wk 1 No. 8, Wk 2 No. 4, Wk 3 No. 3, Wk 4 No. 4, Wk 5 No. 5, Wk 6 No. 5, Wk 7 No. 4, Wk 8 No. 4, Wk 9 No. 4, Wk 10 No. 4, Wk 11 No. 4, Wk 12 No. 4, Wk 13 No. 5, Wk 14 No. 4, Wk 15 No. 4, Final No. 66 Florida StateOregon: Wk 1 No. 15, Wk 2 No. 13, Wk 3 No. 13, Wk 4 No. 10, Wk 5 No. 9, Wk 6 No. 8, Wk 7 No. 8, Wk 8 No. 9, Wk 9 No. 8, Wk 10 No. 6, Wk 11 No. 6, Wk 12 No. 6, Wk 13 No. 6, Wk 14 No. 5, Wk 15 No. 8, Final No. 66 OregonAlabama: Wk 1 No. 4, Wk 2 No. 3, Wk 3 No. 10, Wk 4 No. 13, Wk 5 No. 12, Wk 6 No. 11, Wk 7 No. 11, Wk 8 No. 11, Wk 9 No. 9, Wk 10 No. 8, Wk 11 No. 8, Wk 12 No. 8, Wk 13 No. 8, Wk 14 No. 8, Wk 15 No. 5, Final No. 55 AlabamaGeorgia: Wk 1 No. 1, Wk 2 No. 1, Wk 3 No. 1, Wk 4 No. 1, Wk 5 No. 1, Wk 6 No. 1, Wk 7 No. 1, Wk 8 No. 1, Wk 9 No. 1, Wk 10 No. 1, Wk 11 No. 1, Wk 12 No. 1, Wk 13 No. 1, Wk 14 No. 1, Wk 15 No. 6, Final No. 44 GeorgiaTexas: Wk 1 No. 11, Wk 2 No. 11, Wk 3 No. 4, Wk 4 No. 3, Wk 5 No. 3, Wk 6 No. 3, Wk 7 No. 9, Wk 8 No. 8, Wk 9 No. 7, Wk 10 No. 7, Wk 11 No. 7, Wk 12 No. 7, Wk 13 No. 7, Wk 14 No. 7, Wk 15 No. 3, Final No. 33 TexasWashington: Wk 1 No. 10, Wk 2 No. 8, Wk 3 No. 8, Wk 4 No. 8, Wk 5 No. 7, Wk 6 No. 7, Wk 7 No. 7, Wk 8 No. 5, Wk 9 No. 5, Wk 10 No. 5, Wk 11 No. 5, Wk 12 No. 5, Wk 13 No. 4, Wk 14 No. 3, Wk 15 No. 2, Final No. 22 WashingtonMichigan: Wk 1 No. 2, Wk 2 No. 2, Wk 3 No. 2, Wk 4 No. 2, Wk 5 No. 2, Wk 6 No. 2, Wk 7 No. 2, Wk 8 No. 2, Wk 9 No. 2, Wk 10 No. 2, Wk 11 No. 2, Wk 12 No. 2, Wk 13 No. 3, Wk 14 No. 2, Wk 15 No. 1, Final No. 11 Michigan
The top 10 of the final AP poll and where each stood every week before it; a gap is a week out of the Top 25. Hover or tab to a line for its weeks.

Climbed

  1. Missouriunranked → No. 8
  2. Mississippi Stateunranked → No. 9
  3. Arizonaunranked → No. 11
  4. Oklahoma Stateunranked → No. 16
  5. OregonNo. 15 → No. 6

Fell

  1. USCNo. 6 → unranked
  2. UtahNo. 14 → unranked
  3. ClemsonNo. 9 → No. 20

From the season’s first AP poll (the preseason poll) to the final one.

The College Football Playoff

Semifinal

National Championship

Champion: Michigan

National leaders

Passing yards

  1. 1Michael Penix Jr. Washington4,903 yds
  2. 2Bo Nix Oregon4,508 yds
  3. 3Carson Beck Georgia3,941 yds
  4. 4Seth Henigan Memphis3,883 yds
  5. 5Jayden Daniels LSU3,812 yds

The NCAA’s official leader is Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), with 4,904 yds; our source has him at 4,903 yds.

Passing touchdowns

  1. 1Bo Nix Oregon45 TD
  2. 2Jayden Daniels LSU40 TD
  3. 3Michael Penix Jr. Washington36 TD
  4. 4Jordan McCloud James Madison35 TD
  5. 5Joey Aguilar App State33 TD

Rushing yards

  1. 1Ollie Gordon Oklahoma State1,731 yds
  2. 2Kimani Vidal Troy1,662 yds
  3. 3Cody Schrader Missouri1,617 yds
  4. 4Tahj Brooks Texas Tech1,545 yds
  5. 5Omarion Hampton North Carolina1,504 yds

The NCAA’s official leader is Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State), with 1,732 yds; our source has him at 1,731 yds.

Rushing touchdowns

  1. 1Blake Corum Michigan27 TD
  2. 2Ollie Gordon Oklahoma State21 TD
  3. T3Audric Estime Notre Dame18 TD
  4. T3Kairee Robinson San José State18 TD
  5. 5Jacory Merritt New Mexico17 TD

Receiving yards

  1. 1Rome Odunze Washington1,640 yds
  2. 2Malik Nabers LSU1,569 yds
  3. 3Ricky White UNLV1,483 yds
  4. 4Malik Washington Virginia1,426 yds
  5. 5Tetairoa McMillan Arizona1,402 yds

Receiving touchdowns

  1. 1Brian Thomas Jr. LSU17 TD
  2. 2Jalen Royals Utah State15 TD
  3. T3Malik Nabers LSU14 TD
  4. T3Marvin Harrison Jr. Ohio State14 TD
  5. T3Troy Franklin Oregon14 TD

Tackles

  1. 1Jay Higgins Iowa171 tkl
  2. 2Jason Henderson Old Dominion165 tkl
  3. 3M.J. Tafisi Utah State142 tkl
  4. 4Nickolas Martin Oklahoma State140 tkl
  5. 5Joseph Sparacio Eastern Michigan139 tkl

Sacks

  1. T1Jalen Green James Madison15.5 sacks
  2. T1Javon Solomon Troy15.5 sacks
  3. 3Trey Moore UTSA14 sacks
  4. 4Ahmed Hassanein Boise State12.5 sacks
  5. 5Laiatu Latu UCLA12 sacks

Interceptions

  1. T1Ricardo Hallman Wisconsin7 INT
  2. T1Xavier Watts Notre Dame7 INT
  3. T3Billy Bowman Oklahoma6 INT
  4. T3Dillon Thieneman Purdue6 INT
  5. T3Mike Sainristil Michigan6 INT

FBS players; season totals from CollegeFootballData.com player statistics.

Conference champions

FBS

American Athletic Conference
SMU
Atlantic Coast Conference
Florida State
Big 12
Texas
Big Ten
Michigan
Conference USA
Liberty
Mid-American Conference
Miami (OH)
Mountain West Conference
Boise State
Pac-12
Washington
Southeastern Conference
Alabama
Sun Belt Conference
Troy

FCS

Big Sky
Montana
Big South–OVC Football Association
Gardner-Webb and UT Martin (shared)
Coastal Athletic Association
Richmond, UAlbany and Villanova (shared)
Ivy League
Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale (shared)
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Howard and North Carolina Central (shared)
Missouri Valley Football Conference
South Dakota State
Northeast Conference
Duquesne
Patriot League
Holy Cross and Lafayette (shared)
Pioneer Football League
Drake
Southern Conference
Furman
Southland Conference
Nicholls
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Florida A&M
United Athletic Conference
Austin Peay

Division II and below

Northeast 10
New Haven

From each program’s Wikipedia article, with the conference’s name that season. Titles come from the articles of today’s FBS and FCS programs, so a title shared with a school outside them lists only one champion.

Consensus All-Americans

24 playersAll 14 selectors’ teams

Players picked by enough of the major selectors to count as consensus, shown in bold in Wikipedia’s 2023 All-America article. Every selector’s teams, first to last, are on the 2023 All-America teams page.

The 2023 awards

Every award

Player of the year

By position

Defensive player of the year

Scholarship and character

Coaches

The champion’s staff

Every title staff

Michigan 34 on the staff list

  • Jim HarbaughJ. Ira and Nicki Harris Family head football coach
  • Sherrone MooreDonald C. Graham offensive line coach, offensive coordinator
  • Jesse MinterMatthew and Nicole Lester Family football defensive coordinator
  • Steve Clinkscalepassing game coordinator, defensive backs
  • Jay Harbaughsafeties, special teams coordinator
  • Kirk CampbellRobert McCollum Family quarterbacks coach
  • Mike Hartrunning backs coach
  • Ron Bellamywide receivers coach
  • Grant Newsometight ends
  • Mike Elstonrecruiting coordinator, defensive line
  • Chris Partridgelinebackers coach (part of the season)
Support staff (23)

Analysts and quality control

  • Rick Minter defensive analyst, interim linebackers
  • Doug Mallory defensive analyst
  • Bradford Banta special teams analyst
  • J.B. Brown special teams analyst
  • Mike Mallory special teams analyst
  • Jack Clark offensive analyst
  • Nick Gilbert offensive analyst
  • Bret Ingalls senior offensive analyst
  • Fred Jackson senior offensive analyst, running backs
  • Josh Sinagoga offensive analyst
  • Connor Stalions player personnel analyst

Strength and conditioning

  • Ben Herbert director of strength and conditioning
  • Sean Lockwood assistant strength and conditioning coach
  • Ben Rabe assistant strength and conditioning coach
  • Justin Tress assistant strength and conditioning coach
  • Devin Woodhouse assistant strength and conditioning coach

Operations and recruiting

  • Tom Gamble director of player personnel
  • Denard Robinson assistant director of player personnel
  • Albert Karschnia director of recruiting operations
  • Christina DeRuyter director of on Campus recruiting and operations
  • Paige Shiver assistant recruiting and operations director
  • Chris Bryant director of player development

Video, communications and other staff

  • Jack Harbaugh assistant head coach

The staff as the school listed it that season, roles in the source’s words (students and graduate assistants left out). Names link to coach pages where we have one, else to Wikipedia. Staff lists: Drew Hoover’s how-many-rings (MIT), from the schools’ media guides and staff pages.

The selection committee

The College Football Playoff committee that ranked the teams and picked the field in 2023, as Wikipedia lists its members by season (CC BY-SA). The list doesn’t name that season’s chair.

Bowls and playoff

Scoreboard
Dec 16, 2023Ohio 41, Georgia Southern 21Myrtle Beach Bowl
Dec 16, 2023Jacksonville State 34, Louisiana 31New Orleans Bowl
Dec 16, 2023App State 13, Miami (OH) 9Cure Bowl
Dec 16, 2023Fresno State 37, New Mexico State 10New Mexico Bowl
Dec 16, 2023UCLA 35, Boise State 22LA Bowl
Dec 16, 2023Texas Tech 34, California 14Independence Bowl
Dec 18, 2023Western Kentucky 38, Old Dominion 35Famous Toastery Bowl
Dec 19, 2023UTSA 35, Marshall 17Frisco Bowl
Dec 21, 2023South Florida 45, Syracuse 0Boca Raton Bowl
Dec 22, 2023Georgia Tech 30, UCF 17Gasparilla Bowl
Dec 23, 2023Duke 17, Troy 10Birmingham Bowl
Dec 23, 2023Northern Illinois 21, Arkansas State 19Camellia Bowl
Dec 23, 2023Air Force 31, 24James Madison 21Armed Forces Bowl
Dec 23, 2023Georgia State 45, Utah State 22Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Dec 23, 2023South Alabama 59, Eastern Michigan 1068 Ventures Bowl
Dec 23, 2023Northwestern 14, Utah 7Las Vegas Bowl
Dec 23, 2023Coastal Carolina 24, San José State 14Hawai’i Bowl
Dec 26, 2023Minnesota 30, Bowling Green 24Quick Lane Bowl
Dec 26, 2023Texas State 45, Rice 21First Responder Bowl
Dec 26, 2023Kansas 49, UNLV 36Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Dec 27, 2023Virginia Tech 41, 23Tulane 20Military Bowl
Dec 27, 2023West Virginia 30, North Carolina 10Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Dec 27, 2023USC 42, 16Louisville 28Holiday Bowl
Dec 27, 202322Oklahoma State 31, Texas A&M 23Texas Bowl
Dec 28, 2023Boston College 23, 17SMU 14Fenway Bowl
Dec 28, 2023Rutgers 31, Miami 24Pinstripe Bowl
Dec 28, 2023Kansas State 28, 19NC State 19Pop-Tarts Bowl
Dec 28, 202314Arizona 38, 12Oklahoma 24Alamo Bowl
Dec 29, 2023Clemson 38, Kentucky 35Gator Bowl
Dec 29, 202315Notre Dame 40, 21Oregon State 8Sun Bowl
Dec 29, 2023Memphis 36, Iowa State 26Liberty Bowl
Dec 29, 20239Missouri 14, 7Ohio State 3Cotton Bowl
Dec 30, 202311Ole Miss 38, 10Penn State 25Peach Bowl
Dec 30, 2023Maryland 31, Auburn 13Music City Bowl
Dec 30, 20236Georgia 63, 4Florida State 3Orange Bowl
Dec 30, 2023Wyoming 16, Toledo 15Arizona Bowl
Jan 1, 202413LSU 35, Wisconsin 31ReliaQuest Bowl
Jan 1, 202425Tennessee 35, 20Iowa 0Citrus Bowl
Jan 1, 20248Oregon 45, 18Liberty 6Fiesta Bowl
Jan 1, 20241Michigan 27, 5Alabama 20Rose Bowl, CFP Semifinal
Jan 1, 20242Washington 37, 3Texas 31Sugar Bowl, CFP Semifinal
Jan 8, 20241Michigan 34, 2Washington 13CFP National Championship

Rule book changes

Every rule book

The 2023 NCAA rule book against the one before: 1 new and 8 changed articles.

Rule 1: The Game, Field, Players and Equipment

  • Changed Rule 1-4-1 Recommended Numbering (Players and Playing Equipment)

Rule 2: Definitions

  • Changed Rule 2-2-4 When Ball Is Ready for Play (The Ball: Live, Dead, Loose, Ready For Play)

Rule 3: Periods, Time Factors and Substitutions

  • Changed Rule 3-2-3 Extension of Periods (Playing Time and Intermissions)
  • Changed Rule 3-3-4 Charged Team Timeouts (Timeouts: Starting and Stopping the Clock)
  • Changed Rule 3-4-4 (Delays/Clock Tactics)

Rule 8: Scoring

  • Changed Rule 8-3-2 Opportunity to Score (Try Down)

Rule 11: The Officials: Jurisdiction and Duties

  • New Rule 11-1-3 (Jurisdiction)
  • Changed Rule 11-2-2 (Responsibilities)

Rule 12: Instant Replay

  • Changed Rule 12-4-3 Location (Instant Replay Personnel, Equipment and Location)

Only the first sentence of each article is compared, so a change deeper in an article (most penalty clauses, the overtime procedure) doesn’t show here, and a change that shows may be rewording. No rule text is kept: only numbers and headings. Rule books: NCAA, via Pierce’s provision dataset (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0).