The Georgia Bulldogs have won their second straight College Football Playoff National Championship, as they bested the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Peach Bowl, then destroyed the TCU Horned Frogs by a score of 65-7 in the title game. Georgia clearly has a stranglehold on college football at the moment but is there any team that can knock them off the mountain in 2023?
While the sensible thing to do is to let the Georgia football team enjoy their national title and bask in their glory, it's far too tempting to already think about the 2023 season- and specifically, the College Football Playoff.
So, who is the biggest threat to the ‘Dawgs in 2023? Could it be the upstart TCU Horned Frogs, who shocked the college football world en route to Texas' first College Football Playoff representative?
What about Ohio State football, who arguably was the closest team in the nation this year to knocking off the Bulldogs?
What about the Alabama Crimson Tide, who uncharacteristically missed out on the College Football Playoff this season?
Or is there a dark-horse team waiting in the wings to deny Georgia football a three-peat in 2023?
That's what we'll discuss here.
Without further ado, here are the biggest 2023 College Football Playoff threats to the Georgia Bulldogs.
Ohio State As College Football Playoff Contender?
If it's a list of threats to Georgia football, the Ohio State Buckeyes have to be on the list. The Buckeyes had the ‘Dawgs on the brink of defeat in the Peach Bowl, as they held a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter before Kirby Smart's bunch stormed back for the win.
One could make the argument that the College Football Playoff semifinal between these two teams was more of a contest than the actual National Championship was.
That's how well Ohio State played.
Yes, the Buckeyes are losing star quarterback CJ Stroud and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, among others.
But the Buckeyes still have Marvin Harrison Jr., arguably the best receiver in the nation.
They have head coach Ryan Day, who takes a lot of criticism but has done a whole lot of winning since he arrived in Columbus, even if he has faltered against Michigan in the last two years.
If Ohio State football can figure out their quarterback situation, there's no reason why they can't return to the Playoff in 2023.
And if they do, Day's bunch have proven they can go toe-to-toe with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Alabama A Primary Georgia Football Foe?
Who else? As long as Nick Saban is pacing the sidelines, the Crimson Tide will be a perennial College Football Playoff threat.
Yes, the Tide missed out on the playoff, something that has only happened twice since it was installed in college football.
Yes, they'll be losing cornerstones on both sides of the ball, as Bryce Young and Will Anderson head for the NFL.
But Saban would have had the best recruiting class in 2022 if not for Jimbo Fisher's monster effort- and he followed that up with another incredible effort on the trail, edging out Kirby Smart and Georgia football with the nation's number-one class in 2023.
How does seven 5-star recruits sound?
The Tide may have slipped a bit on the field in 2022, but there's no doubt that Saban still has it.
If there's anyone who can knock Georgia off the mountain, it's the team that has so often found themselves as the last one standing in college football.
The Crimson Tide.
Michigan A Threat to Georgia Football?
There are undoubtedly question marks surrounding the Wolverines in 2023. Will Jim Harbaugh return with NFL rumors swirling once again? Will JJ McCarthy continue to build on the momentum he picked up at the end of the 2022 season?
Who will step up on defense? Fortunately, Michigan will have Blake Corum back in 2023. If he's healthy coming off of that meniscus injury, this offense will have some punch.
Plus, this Wolverines team was arguably a questionable call away from being the team that got take a shot at Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
If Harbaugh is back- and it seems like he will be- the Wolverines have to be considered the Big Ten favorites and a serious contender for the national title in 2023.
USC A College Football Playoff Dark-Horse?
The Trojans may have collapsed in the Cotton Bowl against Tulane, but they still have a lot going for them in 2023.
Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams will be back under center for USC- giving them the biggest advantage at the most important position in the sport.
Head coach Lincoln Riley is one of the best in the business.
There are plenty of question marks about the defense, yes.
But Williams might just be good enough to overcome a bad defense.
If the Trojans are even merely average on that side of the ball, look out.
They are a dark-horse contender for the College Football Playoff in 2023.
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