Week 0: The Kickoff to College Football

08/25/2023 Week 0: The Kickoff to College Football

By: Jeff Yoder

2023 College Football Kickoff: The Top-25 Players In College Football This Season

Here. We. Go. The 2023 College Football season kicks off tomorrow, and the shift in the sports calendar is officially here. Seven games get us started tomorrow afternoon (Sat. Aug. 26) with the unofficial “Week 0” before “Week 1” next weekend — 17 games on Thursday-Friday and more than 75 games next Saturday. We know the top dogs in the Preseason AP Poll — #1 Georgia, #2 Michigan, #3 Ohio State, #4 Alabama and #5 LSU. But do you know which players to keep an eye on?

 

The Top Players in College Football

It’s easy to track the best athletes on the pro level because they usually have longevity and consistency. In college football, the turnover in recruiting and transfers makes it difficult to keep up. We’re here to help. Everything changes as the season progresses, but here are the 25 best (and most important) players to watch as college football gets started, as well as some Heisman Trophy early favorites.

 

Top-10 Players

1. QB Caleb Williams (USC)

2. TE Brock Bowers (Georgia)

3. WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State)

4. RB Blake Corum (Michigan)

5. LB Harold Perkins Jr. (LSU)

6. QB Drake Maye (North Carolina)

7. QB Michael Penix Jr. (Washington)

8. DL Jared Verse (Florida State)

9. OL Joe Alt (Notre Dame)

10. DB Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama)

 

Rest of Top-25: 11. QB Jordan Travis (FSU) | 12. DE Mykel Williams (UGA) | 13. QB Bo Nix (ORE) | 14. QB Jayden Daniels (LSU) | 15. OL Olu Fashanu (PSU) | 16. WR Emeka Egbuka (OSU) | 17. LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (CLEM) | 18. RB Raheim Sanders (ARK) | RB TreVeyon Henderson (OSU) | 19. 20. LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson (UGA) | 21. WR Rome Odunze (WASH) | 22. OL Zak Zinter (MICH) | 23. QB Sam Hartman (ND) | 24. QB Quinn Ewers (TEX) | 25. RB Nick Singleton (PSU)

 

Top-5 Heisman Trophy Favorites (Odds)

1. QB Caleb Williams (USC) — +500

2. QB Jayden Daniels (LSU) — +900

3. QB Quinn Ewers (Texas) — +1000

4. QB Bo Nix (Oregon) — +1200

5. QB Jordan Travis (FSU) — +1200

 

Non-QB Heisman Trophy Favorites (Odds)

1. WR Marvin Harisson Jr. (OSU) — +2500

2. RB Blake Corum (MICH) — +3000

3. RB TreVeyon Henderson (OSU) — +4000

4. RB Nick Singleton (PSU) — +6600

5. TE Brock Bowers (UGA) — +8000

 

The 2023 College Football season kicks off tomorrow with seven games, but only two ranked teams are in action. Let’s play some football!

 

CFB Saturday Kickoff (Week 0)

Navy at #13 Notre Dame (Sat. 2:30 pm ET)

San Jose State at #6 USC (Sat. 8:00 pm ET)

 

Read More

B/R: College Football Picks: Week 0 Predictions for Every Game on Saturday

CBS Sports: Big 12 Expert Picks: Most Overrated & Underrated Teams in 2023

CP: The 25 Best Players Ahead of 2023 College Football Season, Ranked

 

Photo: Tom Pennington / Getty Images