# 2023 Toledo Rockets football team

The 2023 Toledo Rockets football team represented the University of Toledo during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Rockets were led by eighth-year head coach Jason Candle and played their home games at the Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio. They competed as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Rockets won the West with a perfect conference record. Their quarterback Dequan Finn won Player of the Year and coach Jason Candle won coach of the year. Miami defeated them in the MAC Championship Game with a 23–14 upset victory. They played Wyoming in the Arizona Bowl, where they lost 15–16. The Rockets drew an average home attendance of 19,675 in 2023.

## Preseason
### Preseason polls
#### Coaches Poll

On July 20, the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Toledo was picked to finish first in the West. They received seven votes to win conference.
East :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Ohio | 63 (9) |
| 2 | Miami | 52 (2) |
| 3 | Buffalo | 51 (1) |
| 4 | Bowling Green | 35 |
| 5 | Akron | 26 |
| 6 | Kent State | 19 |
West :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Toledo | 66 (11) |
| 2 | Eastern Michigan | 55 (1) |
| 3 | Northern Illinois | 38 |
| 4 | Central Michigan | 37 |
| 5 | Ball State | 27 |
| 6 | Western Michigan | 23 |
Coaches poll (MAC Championship) :
| Rank | Team | Votes |
| 1 | Toledo | 7 |
| 2 | Ohio | 4 |
| 3 | Buffalo | 1 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 7:30 p.m. | at Illinois* | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN | L 28–30 | 48,898 |
| September 9 | 3:30 p.m. | Texas Southern* | | Glass BowlToledo, OH | ESPN+ | W 71–3 | 22,742 |
| September 16 | 7:00 p.m. | San Jose State* | | Glass BowlToledo, OH | ESPN+ | W 21–17 | 20,039 |
| September 23 | 1:30 p.m. | Western Michigan | | Glass BowlToledo, OH | ESPN+ | W 49–31 | 19,068 |
| September 30 | 3:30 p.m. | Northern Illinois | | Glass BowlToledo, OH | ESPNU | W 35–33 | 19,068 |
| October 7 | 12:00 p.m. | at UMass* | | Warren McGuirk Alumni StadiumHadley, MA | ESPNU | W 41–24 | 9,623 |
| October 14 | 2:00 p.m. | at Ball State | | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN | ESPN+ | W 13–6 | 7,673 |
| October 21 | 4:00 p.m. | at Miami (OH) | | Yager StadiumOxford, OH | ESPNU | W 21–17 | 17,321 |
| October 31 | 7:30 p.m. | Buffalo | | Glass BowlToledo, OH | ESPN2 | W 31–13 | 14,939 |
| November 8 | 7:30 p.m. | Eastern Michigan | | Glass BowlToledo, OH | ESPN2 | W 49–23 | 17,842 |
| November 14 | 7:00 p.m. | at Bowling Green | | Doyt L. Perry StadiumBowling Green, OH (Battle of I-75) | ESPN2 | W 32–31 | 20,590 |
| November 24 | 12:00 p.m. | at Central Michigan | No. 23 | Kelly/Shorts StadiumMount Pleasant, MI | ESPNU | W 32–17 | 8,612 |
| December 2 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Miami (OH) | No. 23 | Ford FieldDetroit, MI (MAC Championship Game) | ESPN | L 14–23 | 20,200 |
| December 30 | 4:30 p.m. | vs. Wyoming | | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ (Arizona Bowl) | The CW/Barstool Sports | L 15–16 | 30,428 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 23 | RV | RV |
| Coaches | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
Source: AP -
Coaches -
CFP -

## NFL Draft

The NFL draft was held at Campus Martius Park in Detroit, Michigan, on April 25–27, 2024. Additionally Chris McDonald, Dallas Gant, Judge Culpepper, and David Nwaogwugwu were signed as undrafted free agents.
Rockets who were picked in the 2024 NFL Draft:
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Team |
| 1 | 22 | Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Philadelphia Eagles |