Hello college football fans,

It is officially October in the 2023 college football season.

One month into the season and pretty much everybody has a flaw or has gone the first four-to-five weeks of the season without it being revealed. Georgia and USC survived tough tests, as did Michigan and Texas.

Do we know who the four, or in the spirit of this weekly column – 12 best teams in the country are? Nope, not at all. However, October is when we start to get a lot more questions answered.

So, what does the AL.com Top 25 look like this week?

No. 25 Fresno State (5-0): In a very competitive Mountain West the Fresno State Bulldogs may be the best team in the league.

No. 24 UCLA (3-1): The Bruins have a fun matchup this week against fellow AL.com Top 25 squad, and conference rival (for one last time) Washington State.

No. 23 Kentucky (5-0): A battle of SEC East leaders takes place this week with Kentucky on the road at Georgia. Winner gets a little bit of breathing room on the road to Atlanta.

No. 22 Oregon State (4-1): The Beavers have a fun October ahead of them, but they’ve gotta get past an annoying Cal team first.

No. 21 Missouri (5-0): The Missouri Tigers have a chance to send LSU’s season into a tailspin (just like 2020) with a victory in Columbia this Saturday.

No. 20 Duke (4-1): Sure, Duke lost to Notre Dame, but they’ll be a factor in the ACC. There’s no doubt.

No. 19 Miami (4-0): It is wild to say this, especially in these times but Miami will finally start conference play this week.

No. 18 Washington State (4-0): The Washington State Cougars may not have a league to play in next season, but they’re gonna make this Pac-12 finale one to remember.

No. 17 Kansas State (3-1): Back-to-back road games are much more important for the Wildcats in a wide-open Big 12.

No. 16 North Carolina (4-0): The Tar Heels are a group of undefeated teams that have a very difficult two weeks ahead of them. 2023 has been difficult to pinpoint top contenders, with a couple struggling consistently each week.

No. 15 Utah (4-1): The Utah Utes have survived four games without Cam Rising under center. This week’s loss to Oregon State enhances his need to be there. The Utes won’t be a factor in the Pac-12 without him.

No. 14 LSU (3-2): Sitting at 3-2 with plenty of SEC battles ahead of them. The margin for error at this point is zero.

No. 13 Oklahoma (5-0): OU undefeated, headed to the Cotton Bowl to play Texas. I don’t have to say anything else, do I?

No. 12 Notre Dame (4-1): It’s not college basketball, but Notre Dame did their best impression of “Survive and Advance” with a dramatic win over Duke this past Saturday.

No. 11 Tennessee (4-1): The Vols have bounced back from their stumble at Florida, now they have a week off with Texas A&M and Alabama soon after.

No. 10 Oregon (5-0): Mark the date, Oct. 14: Oregon at Washington. This could be the first of two showdowns between the PNW rivals.

No. 9 Alabama (4-1): We are going to learn a lot about Alabama in the month of October. First up, a trip to Texas A&M.

No. 8 USC (5-0): For a team that is undefeated and has high College Football Playoff aspirations, it is alarming that they continue to play so poorly on defense. It will cost them down the road, sooner than later.

No. 7 Penn State (5-0): Penn State travels to Ohio State in three weeks, you can comfortably call this a CFP quarterfinal.

No. 6 Ohio State (4-0): The Buckeyes were off this week, but I’m sure head coach Ryan Day is still mad at Lou Holtz.

No. 5 Washington (5-0): Solid victory on Saturday vs. Arizona, up next? The Oregon Ducks.

No. 4. Texas (5-0): Potentially the first of two meetings in Dallas between Texas and Oklahoma this Saturday in the Cotton bowl.

No. 3 Florida State (4-0): Sadly, a Virginia Tech-FSU showdown doesn’t have the juice it once did about 15-20 years ago.

No. 2 Michigan (5-0): Road test? Schmoad test! Michigan blasted Nebraska, playing like all title contenders should on the road.

No. 1 Georgia (5-0): Speaking of road tests, it was a very impressive effort from Georgia going on the road at Auburn. They’ve got a fun showdown with Kentucky this week.

What does next season’s 12-team playoff look like in 2023?

Projected 12-team CFP seedings and matchups (The Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl are the semifinal sites this season)

No. 12 Fresno State (highest ranked G5) at No. 5 Washington

No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Ohio State

No. 10 Oregon at No. 7 Penn State

No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 USC

Projected CFP Quarterfinals

Peach Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8 vs. No. 9 winner

Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 6 vs. No. 11 winner

Orange Bowl: No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 7 vs. No. 10 winner

Cotton Bowl: No. 4 Texas vs. No. 5 vs. No. 12 winner