Before we pack up the 2023 college football season and turn our attention to the offseason roster shuffling and preparations for 2024 spring practice, we must rank every FBS team one final time. With the bowl games and College Football Playoff in the books, the experts at CBS Sports and 247Sports submitted final ballots for the CBS Sports 133, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team.
Most of the data that contributes to these rankings has been finalized for weeks, if not months. But when you consider the small margins between some of these similar teams across the country, the postseason performances did end up playing a role in final rankings adjustments.
The top of the rankings provide very little drama. Michigan and Washington finished in the Nos. 1 and 2 spots they respectively held going into the postseason. The Wolverines held firm after their first national title win since 1997, while the Huskies were able to do the same despite the 34-13 loss in the CFP National Championship. Texas, meanwhile, moved up to No. 3 in the final rankings, taking over a spot that was occupied by then-undefeated Florida State when votes were tallied after conference championship weekend. The Seminoles dropped from No. 3 to No. 6 after their historic Orange Bowl loss to Georgia, which moved up one spot to No. 5 finishing behind SEC Champion Alabama at No. 4.
There was some shuffling in the top 10 tied directly to a couple New Year's Six bowl results. Missouri taking down Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl led to a two-spot drop to No. 9 for the Buckeyes, while Ole Miss beating Penn State in the Peach Bowl provided a two-spot adjustment for both teams; the Rebels jumped up to No. 10 as the Nittany Lions were bumped down to No. 13.
Though it did not provide the biggest moves in the final CBS Sports 133 rankings, the Alamo Bowl stood out for its impact on how our voters see the top 15. Arizona's 38-24 win over Oklahoma saw the Wildcats nearly crack the top 10, finishing at No. 11, while the Sooners dropped five spots from No. 10 down to No. 15.
For more on some of the most notable adjustments from the end of the regular season to the final rankings, check out the Mover's Report below the top 25 table.
College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week, which are averaged together for our rankings. You can see the top 25 below and 26-133 on our rankings page.
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 15-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Washington | 14-1 | 2 |
| 3 | Texas | 12-2 | 4 |
| 4 | Alabama | 12-2 | 5 |
| 5 | Georgia | 13-1 | 6 |
| 6 | Florida State | 13-1 | 3 |
| 7 | Oregon | 12-2 | 8 |
| 8 | Missouri | 11-2 | 9 |
| 9 | Ohio State | 11-2 | 7 |
| 10 | Ole Miss | 11-2 | 12 |
| 11 | Arizona | 10-3 | 14 |
| 12 | LSU | 10-3 | 13 |
| 13 | Penn State | 10-3 | 11 |
| 14 | Notre Dame | 10-3 | 15 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 10-3 | 10 |
| 16 | Louisville | 10-4 | 16 |
| 17 | Oklahoma State | 10-4 | 24 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 9-4 | 28 |
| 19 | Kansas State | 9-4 | 26 |
| 20 | Liberty | 13-1 | 20 |
| 21 | NC State | 9-4 | 22 |
| 22 | Clemson | 9-4 | 25 |
| 23 | Oregon State | 8-5 | 19 |
| 24 | SMU | 11-3 | 17 |
| 25 | Kansas | 9-4 | 29 |
Biggest movers
- No. 18 Tennessee (+10): Holy Nico! This seems like big jump based on a bowl game, but what the Volunteers got in their 35-0 blanking of Iowa was both a vision of the future with Nico Iamaleava at quarterback and also an additional quality win for a profile that previously only had three wins over bowl teams (Kentucky, Texas A&M, UTSA).
- No. 17 Oklahoma State (+7): The mercurial Cowboys dropped three spots after a blowout loss to Texas in the Big 12 title game but rebounded nicely with a win over Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl. Mike Gundy's crew finished with wins over Oklahoma, Kansas State and Kansas — all teams ranked in our final top 25 — but also losses to South Alabama, UCF and Iowa State.
- No. 19 Kansas State (+7): Beating NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl provided a nice boost for the Wildcats in the final rankings. The Wolfpack State mostly held their position, while the Wildcats jumped up just ahead of NC State inside the top 20.
- No. 41 Duke (+7): The Blue Devils went 2-4 over their final six games after a 5-1 start, creating a slow slide down the rankings. Then, Mike Elko left for Texas A&M, Riley Leonard left for Notre Dame and interim coach Trooper Taylor was left to lead Duke into the bowl game against Sun Belt champion Troy. The program's resolve and depth was on full display in a hard-fought win against the Trojans, giving our voters motivation to bump Duke up in the ranking of eight-win teams.
- No. 33 USC (+6): No Caleb Williams, no problem for a USC group that showed plenty of motivation in spite of opt-outs in its Holiday Bowl win against Louisville. Quarterback Miller Moss' record-setting performance reversed what had been a downer of a late-season showing from USC and gives the program a nice bump heading into the offseason.
- No. 25 SMU (-7): Stock was high after going undefeated in conference play and winning 11 games in 2023, but falling to Boston College in the Fenway Bowl is going to make "top 20" feel a little bit like a stretch for many voters.
- No. 28 Tulane (-7): The Green Wave were without their head coach, star quarterback and several contributors, so it's tough to take too much from the performance. But similar to SMU, there was just not enough quality wins already on the profile to offset a bowl loss to Virginia Tech.
- No. 27 Iowa (-9): The other side of Tennessee's postseason rankings surge is 10-win Iowa taking a tumble after finishing the year with back-to-back shutout losses (26-0 vs. Michigan, 35-0 vs. Tennessee).
- No. 40 Miami (OH) (-10): We wrote about the RedHawks after conference championship weekend; they were one of the biggest risers with a 20-spot jump following their win over Toledo to claim the MAC title. But as voters reshuffled their top 50 in the wake of postseason results, Miami found itself giving up some ground after a rain-soaked loss to Appalachian State in the Cure Bowl.
- No. 47 Miami (-10): Miami fans may have been disappointed in the 7-5 regular-season record but could at least be encouraged by how the season ended. The Hurricanes beat Clemson, played both full-strength Florida State and Louisville close in one-score losses and finished the year thumping Boston College by 25 on the road. But disappointment is absolutely a fair reaction to the Pinstripe Bowl loss to Rutgers, which leaves Miami 12-13 overall since Mario Cristobal took over at his alma mater.
Check out the rest of the CBS Sports 133: Teams ranked 26-133
