Ohio State, Alabama, Texas among 8 teams that need to beat their biggest rival in 2023
The 2023 college football season provided many examples of rivals beating the bully on the block. It happened in Knoxville when Tennessee beat Alabama; it was also on display when Washington toppled Oregon on the road, South Carolina knocked off Clemson, and it was especially evident when Michigan beat Ohio State for the second-straight season. Heading into 2023, plenty of teams need a victory over their rival, and below we listed eight of them.
It’s easy to qualify for this list. You don’t need to overcome a lengthy losing streak or bounce back from a blowout loss. Most examples listed involve a program getting back on track as it marches toward the College Football Playoff. There are other examples of teams that need to beat their rival to derail a potential power shift.
A couple of rivalries have both foes in need of a victory, so we added explanations throughout. It’s important to note that these are games that we believe have a chance to be close, so you won’t find Georgia pitted with Florida because there’s a significant gap between two programs despite it being one of the best rivalries in the sport.
Below are eight teams that need to beat their rival in 2023.
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