As the 2023 college football season quickly comes to a close, with only the bowl season remaining, there were a few teams, as always, that surprised all of us.
These were the severely under-the-radar teams that no one really expected to do much given their circumstances, whether that was due to new coaching staffs, lack of talent, or, if nothing else, historical context. But there they were, week-to-week causing fits and upsets to teams on their schedule. Mind you, these aren't all nine or 10-win teams, although there are a few of those. These are teams that made great strides this season and far exceeded expectations.
With that said, let's get into the most surprising college football teams of 2023.
Arizona Wildcats
It's been since 2017 since Arizona football has participated in bowl season. It's been even longer since they've had a 10-win season (2014). But that's exactly what the Wildcats are on the precipice of, with an Alamo Bowl matchup waiting against Oklahoma on Dec. 28.
In Year 3, Jedd Fisch not only got Arizona to its first winning season in six years, but he also flirted with playing for the Pac-12 title in its final year, which is remarkable considering not only the competition in the conference this season but where the Wildcats were as a program.
Fisch's first year in Tucson, the Wildcats won only one game, and last season won five. So he's bumped his win total up by at least four games the past two seasons, and with a bowl game victory over the No. 12 Sooners, he can do one better than that. You simply can't say enough about this Arizona team this season. They definitely surprised people.
Louisville Cardinals
In Scott Satterfield's four seasons at Louisville, the best he got the Cardinals to was eight wins twice. When Jeff Brohm came in from Purdue to replace Satterfield, who left for Cincinnati, no one expected the Louisville alum to take the Cardinals to the ACC title game in Year 1. But that's exactly what happened.
Brohm got the Cardinals to 10 wins for the first time in 10 years, getting as high as ranked 10th in the College Football Playoff rankings. They have a chance to get to 11 wins when they face USC in the Holiday Bowl.
Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern football started their season in the worst way imaginable by losing their longtime head coach due to a hazing scandal. Most wouldn't have faulted the Wildcats for dialing it in for a season and resetting for 2024. But new head coach David Braun didn't allow that to happen. In fact, he far surpassed anything his predecessor accomplished over the last two seasons, where the Wildcats only won four total games and lost 20.
Braun got Northwestern football to seven wins and back to a bowl game with a chance for eight. Again, considering the circumstances and how difficult it is to win at that program, this was a surprising yet phenomenal Year 1 for Braun.
Missouri Tigers
The Missouri football program is often overlooked given that they reside within the other powerhouse programs in the SEC. Eliah Drinkwitz's team this season made a lot within the conference remember who they were, however.
The Tigers went 10-2, finishing second in the SEC West and are ranked 9th in the CFP rankings. Their first 10-win season since 2014 has earned them a trip to a New Year's Six bowl, the Cotton Bowl, against No. 7 Ohio State. Drinkwitz had only won six games each in his first two seasons, losing both bowl games. If he and the Tiger can pull an upset over the Buckeyes, it will be massive.
South Florida Bulls
In the last four seasons, the Bulls have won just eight games. This season, they make their return to bowl season in the Boca Raton Bowl against Syracuse, their first bowl game since 2018.
Coming from Tennessee as Josh Heupel's offensive coordinator, Alex Golesh has reinvigorated the South Florida program in just one season, as getting to 6-6 is a massive accomplishment. Winning two games or fewer the past three seasons, no one would have faulted the first-year head coach for not getting to a bowl game. Also, don't forget that this is the same team that hung with Alabama back in Week 4, losing only 17-3.
UNLV Rebels
When's the last time you've heard anything about UNLV football? Do most of you know that UNLV even has a football team? It's understandable if you didn't. The Rebels have consistently been one of the worst teams in college football. They've had nine consecutive losing seasons, with only seven winning seasons total in school history. They haven't made a bowl game since 2013 or won one since 2000, only playing in four lifetime.
With that said, you could say that UNLV is the most surprising team in all of college football in 2023. What Barry Odom has done with the program, to get them to their first winning season in 10 years and their first nine-win season in 39 years is miracle work.
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