# 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the 154th season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at its highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The regular season began on August 26 and ended on December 9. The postseason began on December 15, and, aside from any all-star games that are scheduled, ended on January 8, 2024, with the College Football Playoff National Championship at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The Michigan Wolverines defeated the Washington Huskies by a score of 34–13 to claim the program's first national championship in the College Football Playoff (CFP) era, and their 12th overall. This was the tenth and final season of using the four team College Football Playoff (CFP) system, with the bracket being expanded to 12 teams for the 2024 season. The season's Heisman Trophy winner was LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels, who led all players in total yards and set the single-season passer rating record.

## Rule changes

The following rules changes were approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Committee for the 2023 season:
* Mirroring the NFL rule adopted in the 2005 NFL season, teams may not call consecutive timeouts during a single dead ball period.
* Accepted penalties committed on the last play of the first or third quarter will no longer result in an untimed down before the period ends. The penalty enforcement will be marked off and the second or fourth quarter will begin with the ball at the new spot. This modifies the rule adopted in the 1983 season.
* Modifying a rule adopted in the 1968 season, the game clock will no longer be stopped for first downs on offense except inside of the final two minutes of each half. This is similar to a rule used in the current incarnation of the UFL, as well as its predecessors, the USFL and XFL. The NFL does not stop the game clock for first downs at any time in the game. This rule was adopted for all NCAA Football divisions except Division III, who will still use the previous rule of clock stoppages on first down for the entire game.
* When there is not a replay official in the booth, the on-field officials will have optional replay available in the event of a coaches' challenge. This rule was trialed in the Division II Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in its 2022 conference season.
* Establishing guidelines for second-half warmup activities, including requiring teams to wait until the field is made available to return and having designated areas of the field to warm up.
* When teams are on the field, drones are not allowed over the playing surface or the team area.
* If a player receives a third targeting penalty in the same season (which requires a one-game suspension) and the penalty is overturned by the National Coordinator of Officials upon appeal, the suspension will be vacated.
* The area where "roughing/running into the kicker" protection ends was expanded to include when the kicker retreats more than five yards behind the spot the kicker was initially lined up to receive the snap. Previously the protection ended only when the kicker ran outside the tackle box before kicking the ball. The rule change was the result of a controversial play in the 2022 game between Missouri and Kentucky, where roughing was called after the Kentucky punter was hit while attempting a rushed kick following a botched snap which sailed more than 20 yards over his head.
Points of Emphasis for the 2023 season include:
* Continued emphasis on targeting, sideline control, concussions, feigning injuries and acts of taunting.
* Pre-snap actions by the offense designed to cause the defense to jump into the neutral zone (abrupt, quick, or jerky motions by the quarterback) and disconcerting signals by the defense designed to cause a false start or snap issues on offense (simulating cadence and other sounds or motions similar to the offense's snap signals, including the use of the "clap" on defense designed to be similar to the offense).
* Rules regarding illegal hits to the quarterback/passer will be more strictly enforced.

## Other headlines

* August 15 – Fresno State announced that the Bulldogs' home opener against Eastern Washington on September 9 would be the first-ever FBS game to be broadcast over linear television exclusively in Spanish. The city of Fresno is roughly 60% Hispanic, and the majority of Fresno State's enrollment is Hispanic. The game would be broadcast on UniMás in the Fresno and Bakersfield markets. English-language coverage was exclusively via streaming, with audio by Fresno State's radio broadcast team.
* August 29 – Arizona State announced a self imposed bowl ban for the 2023 season. The ban stems from allegations that Arizona State hosted high school recruits during the COVID-19 dead period. At the time of announcement, an NCAA infractions case was ongoing.
* October 4 – The NCAA announced several major changes to Division I football recruiting and governance rules:
** The window for athletes to enter the transfer portal was reduced. For FBS players, the portal now opens on the Monday after conference championship games are played and stays open for 30 days. For players participating in the postseason (i.e., bowl games, including the College Football Playoff), there is an additional 5-day window after the players' final game.
** The limit on "initial counters"—i.e., players who are receiving athletically related financial aid for the first time—was permanently eliminated. The previous limit of 25 had been suspended due to COVID-19 impacts.
** Football attendance requirements for FBS membership were eliminated, effective immediately.
** The application fee for transitioning from FCS to FBS increased from $5,000 to $5 million, effective immediately.
** Starting with the 2027–28 school year, FBS members must fund the equivalent of 210 full scholarships across all sports, and spend at least $6 million annually on such aid.
** Also starting in 2027–28, FBS members must provide at least 90% of the total number of allowed scholarships across 16 sports, including football. Schools that start FBS transitions in 2024–25 or later must meet both of the aforementioned limits by the end of their two-year transition.
* November 28 – Conference USA announced that Delaware, currently a member of the Coastal Athletic Association and its technically separate football arm of CAA Football, would start a transition from FCS to FBS in 2024 and join CUSA in 2025.
* December 1 – The two schools left behind by the effective demise of the Pac-12 Conference, Oregon State and Washington State, entered into a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference (MW) for at least the 2024 season. Each MW team will play one game against either of the so-called "Pac-2" schools. These games will not count in the MW standings, and the Pac-2 will not be eligible for the MW championship.

## Conference realignment

Two schools played their first FBS seasons in 2023. Sam Houston (from the Western Athletic Conference) and Jacksonville State (from the ASUN Conference) began transitions from Division I FCS in 2022 and joined Conference USA (CUSA) in July 2023.
Two other Independent schools, Liberty and New Mexico State, joined CUSA in 2023; those schools had respectively been full members of the ASUN and WAC.
Six schools from CUSA joined the American Athletic Conference for the 2023 season—Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA. This followed the departure of Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF from The American for the Big 12 Conference in 2023. In addition, BYU, previously an FBS independent, joined the Big 12.
| Team | Conference in 2022 | Conference in 2023 |
| BYU | Independent (FBS) | Big 12 |
| Charlotte | CUSA | American |
| Cincinnati | American | Big 12 |
| Florida Atlantic | CUSA | American |
| Houston | American | Big 12 |
| Jacksonville State | ASUN (FCS) | CUSA |
| Liberty | Independent (FBS) | CUSA |
| New Mexico State | Independent (FBS) | CUSA |
| North Texas | CUSA | American |
| Rice | CUSA | American |
| Sam Houston | WAC (FCS) | CUSA |
| UAB | CUSA | American |
| UCF | American | Big 12 |
| UTSA | CUSA | American |
The 2023 season was the last for 13 FBS teams in their current conferences, and was also the last for Army as an FBS independent.
| School | Current conference | Future conference |
| Arizona | Pac-12 | Big 12 |
| Arizona State | Pac-12 | Big 12 |
| Army | Independent (FBS) | American |
| California | Pac-12 | ACC |
| Colorado | Pac-12 | Big 12 |
| Kennesaw State | Independent (FCS) | CUSA |
| Oklahoma | Big 12 | SEC |
| Oregon | Pac-12 | Big Ten |
| SMU | American | ACC |
| Stanford | Pac-12 | ACC |
| Texas | Big 12 | SEC |
| UCLA | Pac-12 | Big Ten |
| USC | Pac-12 | Big Ten |
| Utah | Pac-12 | Big 12 |
| Washington | Pac-12 | Big Ten |
One FCS school, Kennesaw State, started the transition of its program to FBS in the 2023 season by leaving the ASUN Conference and playing the 2023 season as an FCS independent. It joined CUSA in 2024.

## Stadiums

* Arizona State announced a 15-year naming rights agreement to change the name of their stadium to Mountain America Stadium.
* North Texas announced a naming rights agreement with the Denton Area Teachers Credit Union to change the name of their stadium to DATCU Stadium.

## Kickoff games

Rankings reflect the AP Poll entering each week.

### "Week 0"

The regular season began on Saturday, August 26 with seven games in Week 0.
* Aer Lingus College Football Classic
** No. 13 Notre Dame 42, Navy 3 (at Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland)
* Jacksonville State 17, UTEP 14
* Louisiana Tech 22, FIU 17
* San Diego State 20, Ohio 13
* No. 6 USC 56, San Jose State 28
* UMass 41, New Mexico State 30
* Vanderbilt 35, Hawaii 28

### Week 1

* Aflac Kickoff Game:
** Louisville 39, Georgia Tech 34 (at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia)
* Duke's Mayo Classic:
** No. 21 North Carolina 31, South Carolina 17 (at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina)
* Camping World Kickoff:
** No. 8 Florida State 45, No. 5 LSU 24 (at Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida)

### Week 2

* Allstate Crossbar Classic:
** No. 11 Texas 34, No. 3 Alabama 24 (at Bryant–Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama)

## Top 10 matchups

Rankings through Week 9 reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 10 and beyond will list College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that failed to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.

### Regular season

* Week 1
** No. 8 Florida State defeated No. 5 LSU, 45–24 (Camping World Kickoff, Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida)
* Week 4
** No. 6 Ohio State defeated No. 9 Notre Dame, 17–14 (Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana)
* Week 7
** No. 7 Washington defeated No. 8 Oregon, 36–33 (Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington)
* Week 8
** No. 3 Ohio State defeated No. 7 Penn State, 20–12 (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio)
* Week 11
** No. 3/2 Michigan defeated No. 10/9 Penn State, 24–15 (Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania)
** No. 2/1 Georgia defeated No. 9/10 Ole Miss, 52–17 (Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia)
* Week 12
** No. 5/5 Washington defeated No. 11/10 Oregon State, 22–20 (Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon)
* Week 13
** No. 3/3 Michigan defeated No. 2/2 Ohio State, 30–24 (Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan)

### Conference championship games

* No. 3/3 Washington defeated No. 5/5 Oregon, 34–31 (Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada)
* No. 8/8 Alabama defeated No. 1/1 Georgia, 27–24 (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia)

### Bowl games

* Cotton Bowl
** No. 9 Missouri defeated No. 7 Ohio State, 14–3 (AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX)
* Orange Bowl
** No. 6 Georgia defeated No. 5 Florida State, 63–3 (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL)
* Rose Bowl (CFB Playoff semifinal)
** No. 1 Michigan defeated No. 4 Alabama, 27–20$^{OT}$ (Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA)
* Sugar Bowl (CFB Playoff semifinal)
** No. 2 Washington defeated No. 3 Texas, 37–31 (Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA)
* CFB Playoff National Championship Game
** No. 1 Michigan defeated No. 2 Washington, 34–13 (NRG Stadium, Houston, TX)

## FCS team wins over FBS teams

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 9 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 24 (FCS) Southern Illinois | Northern Illinois | Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, Illinois | ESPN+ | 14–11 | 13,114 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | (FCS) Fordham | Buffalo | UB Stadium • Amherst, New York | ESPN+ | 40–37 | 15,854 |
| September 9 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 7 (FCS) Idaho | Nevada | Mackay Stadium • Reno, Nevada | MWN | 33–6 | 19,852 |
| September 16 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 8 (FCS) Sacramento State | Stanford | Stanford Stadium • Stanford, California | P12N | 30–23 | 23,848 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||||
* ↑ Bowl count includes the National Championship game.
* ↑ Idaho was a 5.5-point favorite at kickoff.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000028-QINU`"'

## Upsets

This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating AP Poll-ranked teams during the season.

### Regular season

* September 2, 2023
** Colorado 45, No. 17 TCU 42
* September 4, 2023
** Duke 28, No. 9 Clemson 7
* September 9, 2023
** Washington State 31, No. 19 Wisconsin 22
** Miami (FL) 48, No. 23 Texas A&M 33
* September 16, 2023
** Florida 29, No. 11 Tennessee 16
** Missouri 30, No. 15 Kansas State 27
* September 30, 2023
** Kentucky 33, No. 22 Florida 14
* October 7, 2023
** UCLA 25, No. 13 Washington State 17
** Georgia Tech 23, No. 17 Miami (FL) 20
** Wyoming 24, No. 24 Fresno State 19
* October 14, 2023
** Pittsburgh 38, No. 14 Louisville 21
** Arizona 44, No. 19 Washington State 6
** Oklahoma State 39, No. 23 Kansas 32
** Missouri 38, No. 24 Kentucky 21
* October 21, 2023
** Virginia 31, No. 10 North Carolina 27
** Minnesota 12, No. 24 Iowa 10
* October 28, 2023
** Kansas 38, No. 6 Oklahoma 33
** Arizona 27, No. 11 Oregon State 24
** Georgia Tech 46, No. 17 North Carolina 42
* November 4, 2023
** Oklahoma State 27, No. 10 Oklahoma 24
** Clemson 31, No. 12 Notre Dame 23
** Army 23, No. 17 Air Force 3
** Arizona 27, No. 20 UCLA 10
* November 11, 2023
** UCF 45, No. 15 Oklahoma State 3
** Texas Tech 16, No. 19 Kansas 13
* November 18, 2023
** Appalachian State 26, No. 18 James Madison 23$^{OT}$
** Clemson 31, No. 22 North Carolina 20
* November 25, 2023
** Kentucky 38, No. 9 Louisville 31
** Iowa State 42, No. 19 Kansas State 35

### Bowl games

Rankings in this section are based on the final CFP rankings released on December 3, 2023.
* December 27, 2023
** USC 42, No. 15 Louisville 28 (Holiday Bowl)
* December 28, 2023
** Boston College 23, No. 24 SMU 14 (Fenway Bowl)

## Conference standings

2023 American Athletic Conference football standings :
| 2023 American Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 22 SMU y$  8 –0  11 –3   Tulane y  8 –0  11 –3   UTSA  7 –1  9 –4   Memphis  6 –2  10 –3   South Florida  4 –4  7 –6   Rice  4 –4  6 –7   Navy  4 –4  5 –7   North Texas  3 –5  5 –7   UAB  3 –5  4 –8   Florida Atlantic  3 –5  4 –8   Charlotte  2 –6  3 –9   Tulsa  2 –6  4 –8   Temple  1 –7  3 –9   East Carolina  1 –7  2 –10   Championship: SMU 26, Tulane 14 $ – Conference championy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 6 Florida State y$  8 –0  13 –1   No. 19 Louisville y  7 –1  10 –4   No. 21 NC State  6 –2  9 –4   Georgia Tech  5 –3  7 –6   Virginia Tech  5 –3  7 –6   North Carolina  4 –4  8 –5   No. 20 Clemson  4 –4  9 –4   Duke  4 –4  8 –5   Miami (FL)  3 –5  7 –6   Boston College  3 –5  7 –6   Syracuse  2 –6  6 –7   Virginia  2 –6  3 –9   Pittsburgh  2 –6  3 –9   Wake Forest  1 –7  4 –8   Championship: Florida State 16, Louisville 6 $ – Conference championy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2023 Big Ten Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  East Division No. 1 Michigan xy$#^  9 –0  15 –0   No. 10 Ohio State  8 –1  11 –2   No. 13 Penn State  7 –2  10 –3   Maryland  4 –5  8 –5   Rutgers  3 –6  7 –6   Michigan State  2 –7  4 –8   Indiana  1 –8  3 –9   West Division No. 24 Iowa xy  7 –2  10 –4   Northwestern  5 –4  8 –5   Wisconsin  5 –4  7 –6   Minnesota  3 –6  6 –7   Illinois  3 –6  5 –7   Nebraska  3 –6  5 –7   Purdue  3 –6  4 –8   Championship: Michigan 26, Iowa 0 # – College Football Playoff champion^ – College Football Playoff participant$ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll |
| 2023 Big 12 Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 3 Texas y$^  8 –1  12 –2   No. 16 Oklahoma State y  7 –2  10 –4   No. 15 Oklahoma  7 –2  10 –3   Iowa State  6 –3  7 –6   No. 18 Kansas State  6 –3  9 –4   West Virginia  6 –3  9 –4   Texas Tech  5 –4  7 –6   No. 23 Kansas  5 –4  9 –4   UCF  3 –6  6 –7   TCU  3 –6  5 –7   Houston  2 –7  4 –8   BYU  2 –7  5 –7   Baylor  2 –7  3 –9   Cincinnati  1 –8  3 –9   Championship: Texas 49, Oklahoma State 21 ^ – College Football Playoff participant$ – Conference championy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2023 Conference USA football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 25 Liberty y$  8 –0  13 –1   New Mexico State y  7 –1  10 –5   Jacksonville State*  6 –2  9 –4   Western Kentucky  5 –3  8 –5   Middle Tennessee  3 –5  4 –8   UTEP  2 –6  3 –9   Sam Houston*  2 –6  3 –9   Louisiana Tech  2 –6  3 –9   FIU  1 –7  4 –8   Championship: Liberty 49, New Mexico State 35 $ – Conference championy – Championship game participant* – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rulesRankings from AP Poll | 2023 Mid-American Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  East Division Miami (OH) xy$  7 –1  11 –3   Ohio  6 –2  10 –3   Bowling Green  5 –3  7 –6   Buffalo  3 –5  3 –9   Akron  1 –7  2 –10   Kent State  0 –8  1 –11   West Division Toledo xy  8 –0  11 –3   Northern Illinois  5 –3  7 –6   Eastern Michigan  4 –4  6 –7   Central Michigan  3 –5  5 –7   Ball State  3 –5  4 –8   Western Michigan  3 –5  4 –8   Championship: Miami (OH) 23, Toledo 14 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant |
| 2023 Mountain West Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  UNLV y  6 –2  9 –5   Boise State y$  6 –2  8 –6   San Jose State  6 –2  7 –6   Air Force  5 –3  9 –4   Wyoming  5 –3  9 –4   Fresno State  4 –4  9 –4   Utah State  4 –4  6 –7   Hawaii  3 –5  5 –8   Colorado State  3 –5  5 –7   Nevada  2 –6  2 –10   New Mexico  2 –6  4 –8   San Diego State  2 –6  4 –8   Championship: Boise State 44, UNLV 20 $ – Conference championy – Championship game participant | 2023 Pac-12 Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 2 Washington y$^  9 –0  14 –1   No. 6 Oregon y  8 –1  12 –2   No. 11 Arizona  7 –2  10 –3   Oregon State  5 –4  8 –5   Utah  5 –4  8 –5   USC  5 –4  8 –5   California  4 –5  6 –7   UCLA  4 –5  8 –5   Washington State  2 –7  5 –7   Stanford  2 –7  3 –9   Arizona State*  2 –7  3 –9   Colorado  1 –8  4 –8   Championship: Washington 34, Oregon 31 ^ – College Football Playoff participant$ – Conference championy – Championship game participant * – Ineligible for postseason play due to self-imposed ban for 2020 recruiting violations Rankings from AP Poll | 2023 Southeastern Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Eastern Division No. 4 Georgia xy  8 –0  13 –1   No. 8 Missouri  6 –2  11 –2   No. 17 Tennessee  4 –4  9 –4   Kentucky  3 –5  7 –6   Florida  3 –5  5 –7   South Carolina  3 –5  5 –7   Vanderbilt  0 –8  2 –10   Western Division No. 5 Alabama xy$^  8 –0  12 –2   No. 9 Ole Miss  6 –2  11 –2   No. 12 LSU  6 –2  10 –3   Texas A&M  4 –4  7 –6   Auburn  3 –5  6 –7   Mississippi State  1 –7  5 –7   Arkansas  1 –7  4 –8   Championship: Alabama 27, Georgia 24 ^ – College Football Playoff participant$ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll |
| 2023 Sun Belt Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  East Division James Madison* x  7 –1  11 –2   Appalachian State y  6 –2  9 –5   Coastal Carolina  5 –3  8 –5   Old Dominion  5 –3  6 –7   Georgia State  3 –5  7 –6   Marshall  3 –5  6 –7   Georgia Southern  3 –5  6 –7   West Division Troy xy$  7 –1  11 –3   Texas State  4 –4  8 –5   Arkansas State  4 –4  6 –7   South Alabama  4 –4  7 –6   Louisiana  3 –5  6 –7   Southern Miss  2 –6  3 –9   Louisiana–Monroe  0 –8  2 –10   Championship: Troy 49, Appalachian State 23 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant* – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules | 2023 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 14 Notre Dame   –  10 –3   Army   –  6 –6   UConn   –  3 –9   UMass   –  3 –9   Rankings from AP Poll |

## Rankings

The top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls.

### Pre-season polls

AP :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Georgia (60) |
| 2 | Michigan (2) |
| 3 | Ohio State (1) |
| 4 | Alabama |
| 5 | LSU |
| 6 | USC |
| 7 | Penn State |
| 8 | Florida State |
| 9 | Clemson |
| 10 | Washington |
| 11 | Texas |
| 12 | Tennessee |
| 13 | Notre Dame |
| 14 | Utah |
| 15 | Oregon |
| 16 | Kansas State |
| 17 | TCU |
| 18 | Oregon State |
| 19 | Wisconsin |
| 20 | Oklahoma |
| 21 | North Carolina |
| 22 | Ole Miss |
| 23 | Texas A&M |
| 24 | Tulane |
| 25 | Iowa |
USA Today Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Georgia (61) |
| 2 | Michigan |
| 3 | Alabama (4) |
| 4 | Ohio State (1) |
| 5 | LSU |
| 6 | USC |
| 7 | Penn State |
| 8 | Florida State |
| 9 | Clemson |
| 10 | Tennessee |
| 11 | Washington |
| 12 | Texas |
| 13 | Notre Dame |
| 14 | Utah |
| 15 | Oregon |
| 16 | TCU |
| 17 | Kansas State |
| 18 | Oregon State |
| 19 | Oklahoma |
| 20 | North Carolina |
| 21 | Wisconsin |
| 22 | Ole Miss |
| 23 | Tulane |
| 24 | Texas Tech |
| 25 | Texas A&M |

### CFB Playoff final rankings

On December 3, 2023, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced its final team rankings for the year. It was the tenth and final season of the CFP era under four teams. This was the first time that an undefeated Power Five conference champion (Florida State) was left out of the semifinals.
| Rank | Team | W–L | Conference and standing | Bowl game |
| 1 | Michigan Wolverines | 13–0 | Big Ten champions | Rose Bowl (CFB playoff semifinal) |
| 2 | Washington Huskies | 13–0 | Pac–12 champions | Sugar Bowl (CFB playoff semifinal) |
| 3 | Texas Longhorns | 12–1 | Big 12 champions | Sugar Bowl (CFB playoff semifinal) |
| 4 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 12–1 | SEC champions | Rose Bowl (CFB playoff semifinal) |
| 5 | Florida State Seminoles | 13–0 | ACC champions | Orange Bowl |
| 6 | Georgia Bulldogs | 12–1 | SEC East Division champions | Orange Bowl |
| 7 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 11–1 | Big Ten East Division second place | Cotton Bowl |
| 8 | Oregon Ducks | 11–2 | Pac–12 second place | Fiesta Bowl |
| 9 | Missouri Tigers | 10–2 | SEC East Division second place | Cotton Bowl |
| 10 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 10–2 | Big Ten East Division third place | Peach Bowl |
| 11 | Ole Miss Rebels | 10–2 | SEC West Division second place (tie) | Peach Bowl |
| 12 | Oklahoma Sooners | 10–2 | Big 12 second place (tie) | Alamo Bowl |
| 13 | LSU Tigers | 9–3 | SEC West Division second place (tie) | ReliaQuest Bowl |
| 14 | Arizona Wildcats | 9–3 | Pac–12 third place | Alamo Bowl |
| 15 | Louisville Cardinals | 10–3 | ACC second place | Holiday Bowl |
| 16 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 9–3 | Independent | Sun Bowl |
| 17 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 10–3 | Big Ten West Division champions | Citrus Bowl |
| 18 | NC State Wolfpack | 9–3 | ACC third place | Pop-Tarts Bowl |
| 19 | Oregon State Beavers | 8–4 | Pac–12 fourth place (tie) | Sun Bowl |
| 20 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 9–4 | Big 12 second place (tie) | Texas Bowl |
| 21 | Tennessee Volunteers | 8–4 | SEC East Division third place | Citrus Bowl |
| 22 | Clemson Tigers | 8–4 | ACC sixth place (tie) | Gator Bowl |
| 23 | Liberty Flames | 13–0 | CUSA champions | Fiesta Bowl |
| 24 | SMU Mustangs | 11–2 | AAC champions | Fenway Bowl |
| 25 | Kansas State Wildcats | 8–4 | Big 12 fourth place (tie) | Pop-Tarts Bowl |

### Final rankings

| Rank | Associated Press | Coaches' Poll |
| 1 | Michigan (61) | Michigan (63) |
| 2 | Washington | Washington |
| 3 | Texas | Georgia |
| 4 | Georgia | Texas |
| 5 | Alabama | Alabama |
| 6 | Oregon | Florida State |
| 7 | Florida State | Oregon |
| 8 | Missouri | Missouri |
| 9 | Ole Miss | Ole Miss |
| 10 | Ohio State | Ohio State |
| 11 | Arizona | Arizona |
| 12 | LSU | LSU |
| 13 | Penn State | Penn State |
| 14 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| 15 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma |
| 16 | Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State |
| 17 | Tennessee | Tennessee |
| 18 | Kansas State | Louisville |
| 19 | Louisville | Kansas State |
| 20 | Clemson | Clemson |
| 21 | NC State | NC State |
| 22 | SMU | Iowa |
| 23 | Kansas | Kansas |
| 24 | Iowa | SMU |
| 25 | Liberty | West Virginia |

## Postseason

There are 41 team-competitive FBS post-season bowl games, with two teams advancing to a 42nd – the CFP National Championship game. Normally, a team is required to have a .500 minimum winning percentage during the regular season to become bowl-eligible (six wins for an 11- or 12-game schedule, and seven wins for a 13-game schedule). If there are not enough winning teams to fulfill all open bowl slots, teams with losing records may be chosen to fill all 82 bowl slots. Additionally, on the rare occasion in which a conference champion does not meet eligibility requirements, they are usually still chosen for bowl games via tie-ins for their conference.

### Conference summaries

Rankings in this section are based on CFP rankings released prior to the games.
| Conference | Championship game | Championship game | Championship game | Championship game | Overall Player of the Year/MVP | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Special Teams Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
| Conference | Date | Venue (Location) | Matchup | Result | Overall Player of the Year/MVP | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Special Teams Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
| ACC | Dec. 2, 2023 | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina) | No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 14 Louisville | Florida State 16–6 | Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State | Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State | Payton Wilson, LB, NC State | — | Mike Norvell, Florida State |
| American | Dec. 2, 2023 | Yulman Stadium (New Orleans, Louisiana) | SMU at No. 22 Tulane | SMU 26–14 | — | Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane | Trey Moore, LB, UTSA | LaJohntay Wester, WR/RS, Florida Atlantic | Willie Fritz, Tulane |
| Big Ten | Dec. 2, 2023 | Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, Indiana) | No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 16 Iowa | Michigan 26–0 | — | Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State | Johnny Newton, DL, Illinois | Dragan Kesich, PK, Minnesota; Tory Taylor, P, Iowa; & Cooper DeJean, RS, Iowa | David Braun, Northwestern (coaches & media) |
| Big 12 | Dec. 2, 2023 | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) | No. 7 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma State | Texas 49–21 | — | Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State | T'Vondre Sweat, DL, Texas | Austin McNamara, P, Texas Tech | Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State |
| CUSA | Dec. 1, 2023 | Williams Stadium (Lynchburg, Virginia) | New Mexico State at No. 24 Liberty | Liberty 49–35 | Kaidon Salter, QB, Liberty | Diego Pavia, QB, New Mexico State | Tyren Dupree, LB, Liberty | Ethan Albertson, PK, New Mexico State | Jamey Chadwell, Liberty Jerry Kill, New Mexico. |
| MAC | Dec. 2, 2023 | Ford Field (Detroit, Michigan) | Miami (OH) vs. Toledo | Miami (OH) 23–14 | — | Peny Boone, RB, Toledo | Matt Salopek, LB, Miami (OH) | Graham Nicholson, PK, Miami (OH) | Jason Candle, Toledo |
| MW | Dec. 2, 2023 | Allegiant Stadium (Paradise, Nevada) | Boise State at UNLV | Boise State 44–20 | — | Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State | Mohamed Kamara, DE, Colorado State | Jose Pizano, PK, UNLV | Barry Odom, UNLV |
| Pac-12 | Dec. 1, 2023 | Allegiant Stadium (Paradise, Nevada) | No. 3 Washington vs. No. 5 Oregon | Washington 34–31 | — | Bo Nix, QB, Oregon | Laiatu Latu, DE, UCLA | — | Kalen DeBoer, Washington |
| SEC | Dec. 2, 2023 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia) | No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8 Alabama | Alabama 27–24 | — | Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU | Dallas Turner, LB, Alabama | Will Reichard, PK/P, Alabama | Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri. |
| Sun Belt | Dec. 2, 2023 | Veterans Memorial Stadium (Troy, Alabama) | Appalachian State at Troy | Troy 49–23 | Jordan McCloud, QB, James Madison | Kimani Vidal, RB, Troy | Jalen Green, DE, James Madison | — | Curt Cignetti, James Madison |

### Conference champions' bowl games

Ranks are per the final CFP rankings, released in December 2023, with win–loss records at that time.
| Conference | Champion | W–L | Rank | Bowl game |
| American | SMU | 11–2 | 24 | Fenway Bowl |
| ACC | Florida State | 13–0 | 5 | Orange Bowl |
| Big Ten | Michigan$^{CFP}$ | 13–0 | 1 | Rose Bowl |
| Big 12 | Texas$^{CFP}$ | 12–1 | 3 | Sugar Bowl |
| CUSA | Liberty | 13–0 | 23 | Fiesta Bowl |
| MAC | Miami (OH) | 11–2 | – | Cure Bowl |
| Mountain West | Boise State | 8–5 | – | LA Bowl |
| Pac-12 | Washington$^{CFP}$ | 13–0 | 2 | Sugar Bowl |
| SEC | Alabama$^{CFP}$ | 12–1 | 4 | Rose Bowl |
| Sun Belt | Troy | 11–2 | – | Birmingham Bowl |
$^{CFP}$ College Football Playoff participant

### Bowl-eligible teams

* ACC (11): Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (FL), North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
* American (6): Memphis, Rice, SMU, South Florida, Tulane, UTSA
* Big 10 (9): Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Wisconsin
* Big 12 (9): Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, UCF, West Virginia
* C-USA (4): Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State, Western Kentucky
* MAC (6): Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo
* MW (7): Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming
* Pac-12 (8): Arizona, California, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington
* SEC (9): Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M
* Sun Belt (12): Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, James Madison, Georgia State, Louisiana, Marshall, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy
* Independent (1): Notre Dame
Number of bowl berths available: 82 Number of bowl-eligible teams: 79 Number of conditional bowl-eligible teams: 2 (Jacksonville State and James Madison) Number of teams qualified by APR: 1 (Minnesota)

### Bowl-ineligible teams

* ACC (3): Pittsburgh, Virginia, Wake Forest
* American (8): Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Navy, North Texas, Temple, Tulsa, UAB
* Big 10 (5): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue
* Big 12 (5): Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, TCU
* C-USA (5): FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Sam Houston, UTEP
* MAC (6): Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Kent State, Western Michigan
* MW (5): Colorado State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State
* Pac-12 (4): Arizona State, Colorado, Stanford, Washington State
* SEC (5): Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
* Sun Belt (2): Louisiana–Monroe, Southern Miss
* Independent (3): Army, UConn, UMass
Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 51

### Conference performance in bowl games

Division I FBS :
| Conference | Games | Record | Record | Record | Bowls | Bowls |
| Conference | Games | W | L | Pct. | Won | Lost |
| ACC | 11 | 5 | 6 | .455 | Gasparilla, Birmingham, Military, Fenway, Gator | Boca Raton, Duke's Mayo, Holiday, Pinstripe Pop-Tarts, Orange |
| American | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | Frisco, Boca Raton, Liberty | First Responder, Military, Fenway |
| Big 12 | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 | Independence, Guaranteed Rate, Duke's Mayo Texas, Pop-Tarts | Gasparilla, Alamo, Liberty, Sugar |
| Big Ten | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 | Las Vegas, Quick Lane, Pinstripe, Music City, Rose, Championship | Cotton, Peach, ReliaQuest, Citrus |
| C-USA | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | New Orleans, Famous Toastery | New Mexico, Fiesta |
| MAC | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Myrtle Beach, Camellia | Cure, 68 Ventures, Quick Lane, Arizona |
| Mountain West | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | New Mexico, Armed Forces, Arizona | LA, Famous Idaho Potato, Hawaii, Guaranteed Rate |
| Pac-12 | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 | LA, Holiday, Alamo, Fiesta, Sugar | Independence, Las Vegas, Sun, Championship |
| SEC | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 | Cotton, Peach, Orange, ReliaQuest, Citrus | Texas, Gator, Music City, Rose |
| Sun Belt | 12 | 5 | 7 | .417 | Cure, Famous Idaho Potato, 68 Ventures, Hawaii, First Responder | Myrtle Beach, New Orleans, Famous Toastery, Frisco, Birmingham, Camellia, Armed Forces |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Sun | — |
Source:
Note: The only independent team that played in an FBS bowl game was Notre Dame.

### College Football Playoff

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Championship | Championship | Championship |
| January 1 – Rose BowlRose Bowl, Pasadena | January 1 – Rose BowlRose Bowl, Pasadena | January 1 – Rose BowlRose Bowl, Pasadena | | |
| 1 | Michigan (OT) | 27 |
| 4 | Alabama | 20 | January 8 – National ChampionshipNRG Stadium, Houston | January 8 – National ChampionshipNRG Stadium, Houston | January 8 – National ChampionshipNRG Stadium, Houston |
| | | | 1 | Michigan | 34 |
| January 1 – Sugar BowlCaesars Superdome, New Orleans | January 1 – Sugar BowlCaesars Superdome, New Orleans | January 1 – Sugar BowlCaesars Superdome, New Orleans | 2 | Washington | 13 |
| 2 | Washington | 37 |
| 3 | Texas | 31 |
* view
* talk

### All-star games

Each of these games features college seniors, or players whose college football eligibility is ending, who are individually invited by game organizers. These games are scheduled to follow the team-competitive bowls, to allow players selected from bowl teams to participate. The all-star games may include some players from non-FBS programs.
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which debuted in 2012 and was played 12 times through January 2023, was discontinued. The East–West Shrine Bowl relocated from Nevada (where its prior two editions had been played) to Texas.
| Date | Time (EST) | Game | Site | Television | Participants | Results |
| Jan. 13 | 12:00 p.m. | Hula Bowl | FBC Mortgage Stadium Orlando, Florida | CBS Sports Network | Team Kai Team Aina | Kai 24 Aina 17 |
| Jan. 20 | 11:00 a.m. | Tropical Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida | Varsity Sports Network | American Team National Team | American 17 National 17 |
| Feb. 1 | 8:00 p.m. | East-West Shrine Bowl | Ford Center at The Star Frisco, Texas | NFL Network | West Team East Team | West 26 East 11 |
| Feb. 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Senior Bowl | Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, Alabama | NFL Network | National Team American Team | National 16 American 7 |
| Feb. 24 | 4:00 p.m. | HBCU Legacy Bowl | Yulman Stadium New Orleans, Louisiana | NFL Network | Team Gaither Team Robinson | Gaither 10 Robinson 6 |

## Awards and honors
### Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player
| Player | School | Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total |
| Jayden Daniels | LSU | QB | 503 | 217 | 86 | 2,029 |
| Michael Penix Jr. | Washington | QB | 292 | 341 | 143 | 1,701 |
| Bo Nix | Oregon | QB | 51 | 205 | 322 | 885 |
| Marvin Harrison Jr. | Ohio State | WR | 20 | 78 | 136 | 352 |
| Jordan Travis | Florida State | QB | 8 | 19 | 23 | 85 |
| Jalen Milroe | Alabama | QB | 4 | 8 | 45 | 73 |
| Ollie Gordon II | Oklahoma State | RB | 1 | 2 | 24 | 31 |
| Cody Schrader | Missouri | RB | 1 | 2 | 22 | 29 |
| Blake Corum | Michigan | RB | 3 | 2 | 15 | 28 |
| J. J. McCarthy | Michigan | QB | 1 | 7 | 4 | 21 |

### Other overall

| Award | Winner | Position | School |
| AP Player of the Year | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| SN Player of the Year | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| Walter Camp Award | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| Maxwell Award | Michael Penix Jr. | QB | Washington |
| Lombardi Award | Laiatu Latu | DE | UCLA |

### Special overall

| Award | Winner | Position | School |
| Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began as walk-on) | Cody Schrader | RB | Missouri |
| Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player) | Travis Hunter | WR/CB | Colorado |
| Jon Cornish Trophy (top Canadian player) | Elic Ayomanor | WR | Stanford |
| Campbell Trophy ("academic Heisman") | Bo Nix | QB | Oregon |
| Academic All-American of the Year | Rome Odunze | WR | Washington |
| Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete) | Ladd McConkey | WR | Georgia |

### Offense

Quarterback
| Award | Winner | School |
| Davey O'Brien Award | Jayden Daniels | LSU |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award | Jayden Daniels | LSU |
| Manning Award | Jayden Daniels | LSU |
Running back
| Award | Winner | School |
| Doak Walker Award | Ollie Gordon II | Oklahoma State |
Wide receiver
| Award | Winner | School |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Marvin Harrison Jr. | Ohio State |
Tight end
| Award | Winner | School |
| John Mackey Award | Brock Bowers | Georgia |
Lineman
| Award | Winner | Position | School |
| Rimington Trophy (center) | Jackson Powers-Johnson | C | Oregon |
| Outland Trophy (interior lineman on offense or defense) | T'Vondre Sweat | DT | Texas |
| Joe Moore Award | N/A | OL | Washington |

### Defense

| Award | Winner | Position | School |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player) | Xavier Watts | S | Notre Dame |
| Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player) | Payton Wilson | LB | NC State |
| Lott Trophy (defensive impact) | Junior Colson | LB | Michigan |
Defensive front
| Award | Winner | School |
| Dick Butkus Award (linebacker) | Payton Wilson | NC State |
| Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end) | Laiatu Latu | UCLA |
Defensive back
| Award | Winner | Position | School |
| Jim Thorpe Award | Trey Taylor | S | Air Force |

### Special teams

| Award | Winner | School |
| Lou Groza Award (placekicker) | Graham Nicholson | Miami (OH) |
| Ray Guy Award (punter) | Tory Taylor | Iowa |
| Jet Award (return specialist) | Zachariah Branch | USC |
| Patrick Mannelly Award (long snapper) | Joe Shimko | NC State |

### Coaches

| Award | Winner | School |
| Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year | Mike Norvell | Florida State |
| Paul "Bear" Bryant Award | Mike Norvell | Florida State |
| AFCA Coach of the Year | Kalen DeBoer | Washington |
| AP Coach of the Year | Kalen DeBoer | Washington |
| Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year | Kalen DeBoer | Washington |
| Home Depot Coach of the Year | Kalen DeBoer | Washington |
| Sporting News Coach of the Year | Kalen DeBoer | Washington |
| Walter Camp Coach of the Year | Kalen DeBoer | Washington |
| George Munger Award | Kalen DeBoer | Washington |

#### Assistants

| Award | Winner | Coordinator | School |
| AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year | Phil Parker | Defensive coordinator | Iowa |
| Broyles Award | Phil Parker | Defensive coordinator | Iowa |

### All-Americans

The following players were recognized as consensus All-Americans for 2023. Unanimous selections are followed by an asterisk (*).
2023 Consensus All-Americans :
| Name | Position | Year | School |
| Jayden Daniels | Quarterback | Senior | LSU |
| Ollie Gordon II* | Running back | Sophomore | Oklahoma State |
| Cody Schrader | Running back | Senior | Missouri |
| Marvin Harrison Jr.* | Wide receiver | Junior | Ohio State |
| Malik Nabers* | Wide receiver | Junior | LSU |
| Rome Odunze | Wide receiver | Junior | Washington |
| Brock Bowers* | Tight end | Junior | Georgia |
| Joe Alt* | Offensive line | Junior | Notre Dame |
| Jackson Powers-Johnson* | Offensive line | Junior | Oregon |
| Olu Fashanu | Offensive line | Junior | Penn State |
| Cooper Beebe* | Offensive line | Senior | Kansas State |
| Zak Zinter* | Offensive line | Senior | Michigan |
| Jonah Elliss | Defensive line | Junior | Utah |
| Johnny Newton | Defensive line | Junior | Illinois |
| Laiatu Latu* | Defensive line | Senior | UCLA |
| T'Vondre Sweat* | Defensive line | Senior | Texas |
| Edgerrin Cooper | Linebacker | Junior | Texas A&M |
| Dallas Turner | Linebacker | Junior | Alabama |
| Payton Wilson* | Linebacker | Senior | NC State |
| Beanie Bishop | Defensive back | Senior | West Virginia |
| Cooper DeJean* | Defensive back | Junior | Iowa |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | Defensive back | Junior | Alabama |
| Malaki Starks | Defensive back | Sophomore | Georgia |
| Xavier Watts* | Defensive back | Junior | Notre Dame |
| Graham Nicholson | Kicker | Junior | Miami (OH) |
| Tory Taylor* | Punter | Senior | Iowa |
| Travis Hunter | All-Purpose/Return Specialist | Sophomore | Colorado |

## Coaching changes
### Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2023, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled game but before its bowl game. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2023, see 2022 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| Northwestern | Pat Fitzgerald | July 10, 2023 | Fired | David Braun (named full-time on November 15) |
| Michigan State | Mel Tucker | September 27, 2023 | Fired | Harlon Barnett (interim) |
| Texas A&M | Jimbo Fisher | November 12, 2023 | Fired | Elijah Robinson (interim) |
| Boise State | Andy Avalos | November 12, 2023 | Fired | Spencer Danielson (named full-time on December 3) |
| Mississippi State | Zach Arnett | November 13, 2023 | Fired | Greg Knox (interim) |
| Syracuse | Dino Babers | November 19, 2023 | Fired | Nunzio Campanile (interim) |
| Oregon State | Jonathan Smith | November 25, 2023 | Hired by Michigan State | Kefense Hynson (interim, bowl) |
| Duke | Mike Elko | November 27, 2023 | Hired by Texas A&M | Trooper Taylor (interim, bowl) |
| James Madison | Curt Cignetti | November 30, 2023 | Hired by Indiana | Damian Wroblewski (interim, bowl) |
| Tulane | Willie Fritz | December 3, 2023 | Hired by Houston | Slade Nagle (interim, bowl) |
| Troy | Jon Sumrall | December 8, 2023 | Hired by Tulane | Greg Gasparato (interim, bowl) |

### End of season

The list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of season.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement | Previous position |
| San Diego State | Brady Hoke | November 13, 2023 | Retired (effective at end of season) | Sean Lewis | Colorado offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach |
| Michigan State | Harlon Barnett (interim) | November 25, 2023 | Hired as Defensive Backs Coach by Northwestern | Jonathan Smith | Oregon State head coach |
| New Mexico | Danny Gonzales | November 25, 2023 | Fired | Bronco Mendenhall | Virginia head coach |
| Indiana | Tom Allen | November 26, 2023 | Hired As Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach by Penn State | Curt Cignetti | James Madison head coach |
| Houston | Dana Holgorsen | November 26, 2023 | Fired | Willie Fritz | Tulane head coach |
| UTEP | Dana Dimel | November 26, 2023 | Fired | Scotty Walden | Austin Peay head coach |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Terry Bowden | November 26, 2023 | Fired | Bryant Vincent | New Mexico offensive coordinator |
| Mississippi State | Greg Knox (interim) | November 26, 2023 | Permanent replacement | Jeff Lebby | Oklahoma offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach |
| Texas A&M | Elijah Robinson (interim) | November 27, 2023 | Hired as Defensive Coordinator By Syracuse | Mike Elko | Duke head coach |
| Middle Tennessee | Rick Stockstill | November 27, 2023 | Fired | Derek Mason | Oklahoma State defensive coordinator |
| Syracuse | Nunzio Campanile (interim) | November 28, 2023 | Permanent replacement | Fran Brown | Georgia defensive backs coach |
| Oregon State | Kefense Hynson (interim) | November 28, 2023 | Permanent replacement | Trent Bray | Oregon State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach |
| Nevada | Ken Wilson | December 1, 2023 | Fired | Jeff Choate | Texas co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach |
| Wyoming | Craig Bohl | December 6, 2023 | Retired (effective at end of season) | Jay Sawvel | Wyoming defensive coordinator and safeties coach |
| James Madison | Damian Wroblewski (interim) | December 7, 2023 | Hired as Assistant Offensive Line Coach by Maryland | Bob Chesney | Holy Cross head coach |
| Duke | Trooper Taylor (interim) | December 7, 2023 | Hired as Associate Head Coach/Running Backs Coach by Texas A&M | Manny Diaz | Penn State defensive coordinator |
| Tulane | Slade Nagle (interim) | December 8, 2023 | Hired as Special teams/Tight Ends Coach by LSU | Jon Sumrall | Troy head coach |
| Troy | Greg Gasparato (interim) | December 18, 2023 | Hired as Defensive Coordinator by Tulane | Gerad Parker | Notre Dame offensive coordinator and tight ends coach |
| New Mexico State | Jerry Kill | December 23, 2023 | Hired as Consultant by Vanderbilt | Tony Sanchez | New Mexico State wide receivers coach |
| Alabama | Nick Saban | January 10, 2024 | Retired | Kalen DeBoer | Washington head coach |
| Washington | Kalen DeBoer | January 12, 2024 | Hired by Alabama | Jedd Fisch | Arizona head coach |
| Arizona | Jedd Fisch | January 14, 2024 | Hired by Washington | Brent Brennan | San Jose State head coach |
| South Alabama | Kane Wommack | January 15, 2024 | Hired as co-defensive coordinator by Alabama | Major Applewhite | South Alabama offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach |
| San Jose State | Brent Brennan | January 16, 2024 | Hired by Arizona | Ken Niumatalolo | UCLA tight ends coach |
| Buffalo | Maurice Linguist | January 16, 2024 | Hired as co-defensive coordinator by Alabama | Pete Lembo | South Carolina associate head coach and special teams coordinator |
| Michigan | Jim Harbaugh | January 24, 2024 | Hired by Los Angeles Chargers | Sherrone Moore | Michigan offensive coordinator and offensive line coach |
| Boston College | Jeff Hafley | January 31, 2024 | Hired as defensive coordinator by Green Bay Packers | Bill O'Brien | New England Patriots offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach |
| UCLA | Chip Kelly | February 9, 2024 | Hired as offensive coordinator by Ohio State | DeShaun Foster | UCLA running backs coach |
| Georgia State | Shawn Elliott | February 15, 2024 | Hired as tight ends coach by South Carolina | Dell McGee | Georgia running backs coach |

## Television viewers and ratings
### Top 10 most watched regular season games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the AP Poll (before 10/31) and CFP Rankings (thereafter).
| Rank | Date | Time | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Network | Viewers (millions) | TV ratings | Significance |
| 1 | November 25 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 2 Ohio State | 24 | No. 3 Michigan | 30 | Fox | 19.07 | 9.0 | The Game, College GameDay, Big Noon Kickoff |
| 2 | September 23 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 19 Colorado | 6 | No. 10 Oregon | 42 | ABC | 10.03 | 5.2 | |
| 3 | September 23 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 6 Ohio State | 17 | No. 9 Notre Dame | 14 | NBC | 9.98 | 5.1 | College GameDay |
| 4 | October 21 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 7 Penn State | 12 | No. 3 Ohio State | 20 | Fox | 9.96 | 5.3 | College GameDay, Big Noon Kickoff, rivalry |
| 5 | September 16 | 10:00 p.m. | Colorado State | 35 | No. 18 Colorado | 43 | ESPN | 9.30 | 4.9 | College GameDay, Big Noon Kickoff, Rocky Mountain Showdown |
| 6 | September 3 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 5 LSU | 24 | No. 8 Florida State | 45 | ABC | 9.17 | 4.7 | Camping World Kickoff |
| 7 | November 11 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 3 Michigan | 24 | No. 10 Penn State | 15 | Fox | 9.16 | 5.0 | Big Noon Kickoff, rivalry |
| 8 | November 25 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 8 Alabama | 27 | Auburn | 24 | CBS | 9.09 | 4.3 | Iron Bowl, SEC Nation |
| 9 | November 4 | 7:45 p.m. | No. 14 LSU | 28 | No. 8 Alabama | 42 | CBS | 8.82 | 4.6 | College GameDay, rivalry |
| 10 | September 9 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 11 Texas | 34 | No. 3 Alabama | 24 | ESPN/ESPN2 | 8.76 | 4.5 | Allstate Crossbar Classic, College GameDay |

### Conference championship games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the CFP Rankings.
| Rank | Date | Time | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Network | Viewers (millions) | TV ratings | Conference | Location |
| 1 | December 2 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 8 Alabama | 27 | No. 1 Georgia | 24 | CBS | 17.52 | 8.9 | SEC | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA |
| 2 | December 2 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 2 Michigan | 26 | No. 16 Iowa | 0 | Fox | 10.02 | 5.1 | Big Ten | Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN |
| 3 | December 1 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 5 Oregon | 31 | No. 3 Washington | 34 | ABC | 9.25 | 4.9 | Pac-12 | Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV |
| 4 | December 2 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 18 Oklahoma State | 21 | No. 7 Texas | 49 | ABC | 7.89 | 4.4 | Big 12 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX |
| 5 | December 2 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 14 Louisville | 6 | No. 4 Florida State | 16 | ABC | 7.03 | 3.8 | ACC | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
| 6 | December 2 | 4:00 p.m. | SMU | 26 | No. 22 Tulane | 14 | ABC | 1.88 | 1.0 | AAC | Yulman Stadium, New Orleans, LA |
| 7 | December 2 | 12:00 p.m. | Miami (OH) | 23 | Toledo | 14 | ESPN | 1.29 | 0.8 | MAC | Ford Field, Detroit, MI |
| 8 | December 2 | 3:00 p.m. | Boise State | 45 | UNLV | 10 | Fox | 1.26 | 0.7 | MW | Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV |
| 9 | December 2 | 4:00 p.m. | Appalachian State | 23 | Troy | 49 | ESPN | 0.372 | 0.2 | Sun Belt | Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy, AL |
| — | December 1 | 7:00 p.m. | New Mexico State | 35 | No. 24 Liberty | 49 | CBSSN | n.a. | n.a. | C-USA | Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, VA |

### Most watched non-CFP bowl games

| Rank | Date | Time | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Network | Viewers (millions) | TV ratings | Game | Location |
| 1 | January 1, 2024 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 21 Tennessee | 35 | Iowa | 0 | ABC | 6.79 | 3.5 | Citrus | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL |
| 2 | January 1, 2024 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 13 LSU | 35 | Wisconsin | 31 | ESPN2 | 4.61 | 2.4 | ReliaQuest | Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL |
| 3 | December 28 | 5:45 p.m. | Kansas State | 28 | No. 19 NC State | 14 | ESPN | 4.31 | 2.3 | Pop-Tarts | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL |
| 4 | December 28 | 9:15 p.m. | No. 14 Arizona | 38 | Oklahoma | 24 | ESPN | 3.93 | 2.2 | Alamo | Alamodome, San Antonio, TX |
| 5 | December 27 | 5:30 p.m. | West Virginia | 30 | North Carolina | 10 | ESPN | 3.84 | 2.0 | Mayo | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
| 6 | December 29 | 3:30 p.m. | Memphis | 36 | Iowa State | 26 | ESPN | 3.60 | 1.9 | Liberty | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, TN |
| 7 | December 27 | 8:00 p.m. | USC | 42 | No. 16 Louisville | 28 | FOX | 3.51 | 1.9 | Holiday | Petco Park, San Diego, CA |
| 8 | December 29 | 12:00 p.m. | Clemson | 38 | Kentucky | 35 | ESPN | 3.43 | 1.9 | Gator | EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, FL |
| 9 | December 29 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 16 Notre Dame | 40 | No. 19 Oregon State | 8 | CBS | 3.26 | 1.8 | Sun | Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX |
| 10 | December 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Northwestern | 14 | Utah | 7 | ABC | 3.09 | 1.7 | Las Vegas | Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, NV |

### New Year's Six and College Football Playoff games

| Rank | Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Network(s) | Viewers (millions) | TV ratings | Game | Location |
| 1 | January 1, 2024 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 1 Michigan | 27 | No. 4 Alabama | 20 | ESPN | 27.76 | 13.0 | Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal) | Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA |
| 2 | January 8, 2024 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 2 Washington | 13 | No. 1 Michigan | 34 | ESPN | 25.05 | 12.3 | CFP National Championship | NRG Stadium, Houston, TX |
| 3 | January 1, 2024 | 8:45 p.m. | No. 2 Washington | 37 | No. 3 Texas | 31 | ESPN | 18.77 | 9.3 | Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal) | Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA |
| 4 | December 30, 2023 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 5 Florida State | 3 | No. 6 Georgia | 63 | ESPN | 10.39 | 5.2 | Orange Bowl (NY6) | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL |
| 5 | December 29, 2023 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 7 Ohio State | 3 | No. 9 Missouri | 14 | ESPN | 9.72 | 4.9 | Cotton Bowl (NY6) | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX |
| 6 | December 30, 2023 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 11 Ole Miss | 38 | No. 10 Penn State | 25 | ESPN | 7.77 | 4.3 | Peach Bowl (NY6) | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA |
| 7 | January 1, 2024 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 23 Liberty | 6 | No. 8 Oregon | 45 | ESPN | 4.59 | 2.4 | Fiesta Bowl (NY6) | State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ |
Source:

## Television changes

This is the first year of television deals for the Big Ten Conference and Conference USA. The Big Ten's deal includes CBS, NBC/Peacock, Fox/FS1 and the Big Ten Network. Conference USA's deal includes ESPN and CBS Sports Network. Due to the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group, starting this season, a package of ACC games produced by Raycom Sports that were previously aired on Bally Sports moved to The CW. The CW also acquired the rights to air the Barstool Sports produced broadcast of the Arizona Bowl. Locally, Fresno State reached an agreement with TelevisaUnivision stations KTFF-DT and KBTF-CD to air the first ever exclusively Spanish-language television broadcast in FBS history on September 9. This is also the final year of television deals for the Pac-12 Conference and the SEC. The SEC has signed a new deal with ESPN and the SEC Network, making 2023 the final year of the SEC on CBS. No new television deal was ever reached by the Pac-12.
Noah Eagle, formerly at Fox Sports, and Todd Blackledge, formerly at ESPN, joined NBC Sports in 2023 as the lead commentary team on Big Ten Saturday Night. Greg McElroy replaced Blackledge as ESPN's #2 college football color commentator. Derek Mason and Orlando Franklin also joined ESPN as color commentators. Jeff Levering replaced Eagle at Fox Sports, while Mark Ingram II replaced Reggie Bush on Fox's Big Noon Kickoff.
In November 2023, ESPN International reached agreements with Sky Sports NFL to carry packages of games and studio programs in college football and basketball (replacing TNT Sports, which had previously held rights to ESPN International content).

## Attendances

| # | College football team | Average attendance |
| 1 | Michigan Wolverines | 109,971 |
| 2 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 108,409 |
| 3 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 103,792 |
| 4 | Tennessee Volunteers | 101,915 |
| 5 | Texas Longhorns | 101,625 |
| 6 | LSU Tigers | 100,742 |
| 7 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 100,077 |
| 8 | Texas A&M Aggies | 99,234 |
| 9 | Georgia Bulldogs | 92,746 |
| 10 | Florida Gators | 89,587 |
| 11 | Auburn Tigers | 88,043 |
| 12 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 86,802 |
| 13 | Oklahoma Sooners | 83,741 |
| 14 | Clemson Tigers | 81,334 |
| 15 | Florida State Seminoles | 78,711 |
| 16 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 77,833 |
| 17 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 77,622 |
| 18 | Wisconsin Badgers | 75,391 |
| 19 | Michigan State Spartans | 70,211 |
| 20 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 69,250 |
| 21 | Washington Huskies | 68,814 |
| 22 | USC Trojans | 66,071 |
| 23 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 65,317 |
| 24 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 64,733 |
| 25 | Ole Miss Rebels | 63,721 |
| 26 | BYU Cougars | 61,944 |
| 27 | Kentucky Wildcats | 60,939 |
| 28 | Iowa State Cyclones | 60,384 |
| 29 | Missouri Tigers | 60,169 |
| 30 | Purdue Boilermakers | 58,248 |
| 31 | NC State Wolfpack | 56,919 |
| 32 | Oregon Ducks | 55,895 |
| 33 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | 54,491 |
| 34 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 54,455 |
| 35 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 53,891 |
| 36 | Colorado Buffaloes | 53,180 |
| 37 | Utah Utes | 52,499 |
| 38 | Kansas State Wildcats | 51,957 |
| 39 | Louisville Cardinals | 51,252 |
| 40 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 51,156 |
| 41 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 50,095 |
| 42 | Miami Hurricanes | 49,714 |
| 43 | Illinois Fighting Illini | 49,698 |
| 44 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | 49,251 |
| 45 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | 48,453 |
| 46 | Arizona State Sun Devils | 48,301 |
| 47 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 48,122 |
| 48 | UCLA Bruins | 47,951 |
| 49 | TCU Horned Frogs | 47,331 |
| 50 | Arizona Wildcats | 47,320 |
| 51 | Kansas Jayhawks | 45,888 |
| 52 | Indiana Hoosiers | 46,906 |
| 53 | UCF Knights | 44,015 |
| 54 | Baylor Bears | 43,388 |
| 55 | Virginia Cavaliers | 43,293 |
| 56 | Maryland Terrapins | 40,314 |
| 57 | Fresno State Bulldogs | 39,969 |
| 58 | California Golden Bears | 38,684 |
| 59 | Cincinnati Bearcats | 38,193 |
| 60 | South Florida Bulls | 37,944 |
| 61 | Oregon State Beavers | 36,969 |
| 62 | Boston College Eagles | 36,376 |
| 63 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 36,290 |
| 64 | Houston Cougars | 36,020 |
| 65 | Boise State Broncos | 35,867 |
| 66 | East Carolina Pirates | 35,115 |
| 67 | Appalachian State Mountaineers | 34,734 |
| 68 | Syracuse Orange | 34,045 |
| 69 | Stanford Cardinal | 33,219 |
| 70 | Navy Midshipmen | 30,804 |
| 71 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 30,609 |
| 72 | Memphis Tigers | 29,782 |
| 73 | Air Force Falcons | 29,616 |
| 74 | Army Black Knights | 29,016 |
| 75 | UTSA Roadrunners | 28,876 |
| 76 | Washington State Cougars | 28,023 |
| 77 | Troy Trojans | 27,121 |
| 78 | Colorado State Rams | 26,509 |
| 79 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 25,509 |
| 80 | James Madison Dukes | 25,372 |
| 81 | Duke Blue Devils | 25,111 |
| 82 | Tulane Green Wave | 25,021 |
| 83 | San Diego State Aztecs | 24,832 |
| 84 | Connecticut Huskies | 24,659 |
| 85 | UNLV Rebels | 23,661 |
| 86 | Southern Miss Golden Eagles | 23,275 |
| 87 | Marshall Thundering Herd | 23,198 |
| 88 | Wyoming Cowboys | 23,163 |
| 89 | SMU Mustangs | 22,616 |
| 90 | UAB Blazers | 21,543 |
| 91 | Georgia Southern Eagles | 21,543 |
| 92 | Texas State Bobcats | 21,543 |
| 93 | Northwestern Wildcats | 20,800 |
| 94 | Rice Owls | 20,542 |
| 95 | Tulsa Golden Hurricane | 20,187 |
| 96 | Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 20,033 |
| 97 | Toledo Rockets | 19,675 |
| 98 | Utah State Aggies | 19,282 |
| 99 | Ohio Bobcats | 19,005 |
| 100 | Liberty Flames | 18,911 |
| 101 | Florida Atlantic Owls | 18,603 |
| 102 | UTEP Miners | 18,160 |
| 103 | Old Dominion Monarchs | 17,847 |
| 104 | North Texas Mean Green | 17,761 |
| 105 | Western Michigan Broncos | 17,619 |
| 106 | South Alabama Jaguars | 17,190 |
| 107 | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | 17,120 |
| 108 | Nevada Wolf Pack | 16,998 |
| 109 | Eastern Michigan Eagles | 16,882 |
| 110 | San Jose State Spartans | 16,804 |
| 111 | Arkansas State Red Wolves | 16,747 |
| 112 | Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns | 16,664 |
| 113 | Central Michigan Chippewas | 16,350 |
| 114 | New Mexico Lobos | 15,982 |
| 115 | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | 15,796 |
| 116 | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | 15,710 |
| 117 | Georgia State Panthers | 15,594 |
| 118 | FIU Panthers | 15,290 |
| 119 | New Mexico State Aggies | 14,847 |
| 120 | Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks | 14,296 |
| 121 | Bowling Green Falcons | 13,462 |
| 122 | Temple Owls | 13,446 |
| 123 | Miami RedHawks | 13,395 |
| 124 | Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | 13,219 |
| 125 | Buffalo Bulls | 13,142 |
| 126 | Charlotte 49ers | 12,471 |
| 127 | Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors | 11,251 |
| 128 | Ball State Cardinals | 10,771 |
| 129 | Massachusetts Minutemen | 10,598 |
| 130 | Kent State Golden Flashes | 9,511 |
| 131 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 9,456 |
| 132 | Sam Houston Bearkats | 8,298 |
| 133 | Akron Zips | 7,237 |