The College Football Playoff takes center stage on New Year’s Day as No. 1 Michigan plays No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl, while No. 2 Washington battles No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl. These pivotal games bring together several of the top players in college football, including 13 superstars that were named to the CBS Sports All-America Team.
Once again, several national award winners and finalists are highlighted. Washington leads the way with winners of the Maxwell Award (Michael Penix Jr.), Coach of the Year (Kalen DeBoer) and Joe Moore Award (offensive line). Michigan’s Junior Colson won the Lott IMPACT Trophy, while Texas’ T’Vondre Sweat captured the Outland Trophy.
But when it comes to the College Football Playoff, all awards are put to the side and the matchups are all that matter. This is the final year of the four-team College Football Playoff, which puts even more focus on the handful of key playmakers for each team. Next year, this list will have 12 teams from which to choose. With that said, here are the 20 most impactful players in the 2023 College Football Playoff field.
McCarthy is one of the toughest passers to read in college football. His standout moments are elite, headlined by incredible placement on a layered touchdown throw against Ohio State. However, Michigan has actively gone away from him in the biggest moments, including 34 consecutive rushing plays to put away a win over Penn State. McCarthy threw for just 349 yards in his final three regular season games. For comparison, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. averaged 324 yards passing per game.
Keep an eye on Bond as the potential breakout player of the College Football Playoff. The sophomore found his sea legs in the latter portion of the season, posting at least 75 yards in wins over Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia. Of course, he also caught the “Nightmare at Jordan-Hare,” a fourth-and-31 conversion that will go down as one of the biggest plays in program history. The Crimson Tide have been waiting for a receiver to break out a la Jameson Williams or DeVonta Smith; Bond has that potential.
Ulofoshio has been the unheralded do-everything player of Washington’s defense, leading the way with 83 tackles, six tackles for loss and a pick-six. The senior leader has, amazingly, been around since Chris Petersen’s last 10-win season in 2018, and he carries the confidence and experience from that time….
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