The Final Countdown: 2023 College Football Season Will Be One To Remember, As The Landscape Drastically Changes

Are you ready? This is certainly a rhetorical question as the 2023 college football season begins this week. But the landscape around the current product on the field will see drastic changes after this season, whether or not that is better for the sport is up to you.

The summer of realignment has been chaotic to say the least, which seems like an understatement to be honest. We could go back to Oklahoma and Texas setting off the fireworks in 2021 by making the move to the SEC as the tipping point. But the rollercoaster around college sports was just getting started.

What was once a premier conference, the Pac-12 has been gutted by realignment. It all started with USC and UCLA bolting for the Big Ten. Most thought they could survive, leaving the 'Conference of Champions' to rebuild its brand by expanding on its own. Turns out, this was the beginning of the end, as the Big 12 first took their money, then their soul.

We all know the story by now, as the 'Four Pillar' schools decided it was best to move on. It all started with Colorado making the jump. Now, only four teams remain. And as of this writing, all of them are trying to decide what their next move will be.

But as we start the 2023 season, it's not just the Pac-12 we're all focused on. It's all of college football and a future that is unknown to most. We know where these schools are headed, but we have no idea what it's truly going to look like this time next year.

New Schools, New Logos And New Big 12 Destinations

While the Big-12 was making moves to setup its future, four new schools will start their new journey in the conference this season. UCF, Houston, BYU and Cincinnati will start playing in the formidable Big-12, looking to make an early splash. It will certainly take some time to get used to seeing UCF playing the likes of TCU or West Virginia on a yearly basis. Meanwhile, BYU finally makes the move away from being an independent.

Welcome to the new world. But don't worry Cougar fans, you'll have a friend (Utah) joining you soon enough.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns sings The Eyes of Texas with the team after the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 10, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

As for Texas and Oklahoma, this season will almost feel like a retirement tour. Every Big-12 school on their schedules will be looking to give them a parting gift, in the form of a loss or a chorus of extra loud boos. The buildup for their exit to the SEC has been brewing for years. And on the way out, Texas is favored to win the conference title. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, we've seen what happens when high expectations are put on the team. Maybe 2023 will be the year they finally break the streak and hold up the trophy in Dallas.

I imagine Commissioner Brett Yormark is quietly hoping the Longhorns fall short of that goal, along with Oklahoma. But however you slice it, with all the new teams starting, and the two teams departing, this will be a memorable year for the Big 12. Who knows, maybe we see the new blood takeout the old guard, only time will tell.

SEC Once Again Preparing For Change. Georgia Three-Peat?

Eleven years ago it was Texas A&M and Missouri joining the SEC, bringing a new look to the conference, and now the conference is preparing for expansion. As Georgia prepares to chase its third straight national championship, with a number of teams ready to challenge the Bulldogs, the conference is once again on the cusp of change.

After what feels like an eternity, Texas and Oklahoma will officially join the SEC in July of 2024. So, the final season of fourteen teams is upon us, but this isn't the only aspect of change. This will be the last time we see East and West divisions, with the SEC moving away from the format in 2024. Obviously this is a massive change, which will be interesting to see unfold once the new playoff format arrives.

There's also the scheduling format, which was a major talking point during the off-season. While the SEC decided to punt on the opportunity for a nine-game conference schedule, these talks will once again ramp up after the season. The SEC is calling this a 'one year schedule', with eight conference games. It's obviously a band aid until the Longhorns and Sooners join, giving them another year to decide.

The Bulldogs Remain The Team To Beat

The overwhelming storyline of 2023 will be Georgia's quest for a three-peat, obviously. But at the same time, all eyes will be on Nick Saban's Alabama team, who have been questioned for most of the off-season. Is this the end of the Crimson Tide era? No, but some folks are having a good time with the question. Now they'll try to silence the critics with a quarterback situation that is still filled with more questions than answers.

As for the rest of the conference, there is no shortage of storylines. This will be quite the test for Jimbo Fisher, who's trying to revive the Aggies. For the East, it's all about who will start nipping at the heels of Georgia. Can Tennessee take the next step under Josh Heupel? And what to make of Shane Beamer's Gamecocks. I'd say there are enough key storylines to follow out of the SEC, as we enter the last before the new additions arrive.

Big Ten's Final Season Of Only Traveling To LA For Rose Bowl

At the current moment, Big Ten officials are putting together travel plans for the 2024 season. The additions of USC and UCLA will present a travel nightmare for most athletic teams on campuses around the conference, but football should be just fine.

Rose Bowl Stadium is seen in advance of the Rose Bowl Game on December 20, 2022 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

The current schedule format will change, with multiple trips to the West Coast scheduled to take place. So soak it up now, Big Ten fans. And while some folks have complained, this does present a new trip for fans to embark on, outside of the famous Rose Bowl. So now, we get one final season of Big Ten football before the California era begins.

College Football Playoff's Expanding To 12 Teams In 2024

The final season of the 4-team playoff ends in Houston, and the chaos of a 12-team format begins in 2024. Teams will now have a little wiggle room in the regular season, where an early loss won't hamper their goal of playing for a title.

A product of the twelve-team format leads us to playoff games in home stadiums. This is where college football will take the next step towards the future. A home playoff game in Columbus, Ohio during the month of December sounds freezing, but entertaining. Either way, we end the four-team era this season, which will lead to further chaos around college football.

So, embrace the 2023 season, soak it up. A new era of the sport is coming, and the playoffs will change the landscape of the college football regular season.

We made it, week zero has finally arrived.