With Week 6 of the 2023 college football season now in the books, the cream has started to rise to the top. The College Football Playoff Rankings won't be released for another few weeks, but fans are beginning to see the top teams separate themselves from the competition.
Michigan has been dominant throughout the season. While it took Georgia a few weeks to get going, their dismantling of Kentucky this past week showed why Kirby Smart's team is No. 1. The Florida State Seminoles and Oklahoma Sooner have also gotten off to a hot start.
But, there have been a few teams who've fallen short of expectations during the early going. Which five college football teams have disappointed the most through the first six weeks of the 2023 season?
1. More was expected from Pittsburgh this season
The Pittsburgh Panthers were just outside the preseason Top 25 rankings, and a lot of experts and pundits throughout college football expected Pat Narduzzi's team to take a step forward in 2023.
Instead, the Panthers find themselves 0-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 1-4 overall. Pitt's only victory this season came in their opening contest against Wofford. Since then, they've lost to Cincinnati, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech.
Pittsburgh ended last season with five straight wins and posted a record of 9-4. The Panthers nearly took the ACC Coastal title away from UNC, which would have allowed Pitt to play in the ACC Championship.
That ship has already sailed this season. After losing four straight, including two consecutive conference losses, there's virtually no chance Pittsburgh will turn it around and make a run at the conference championship this season. That's especially true now that the ACC has done away with divisions.
2. The TCU Horned Frogs have fallen on hard times
Losing to Colorado in Week 1 was just the beginning for TCU. The Horned Frogs are an embarrassing 3-3 on the season after going all the way to the National Championship last season.
Now, it has to be said that Max Duggan is gone. That's a tough replacement for almost every college program. Duggan, who's currently on the Los Angeles Chargers roster, earned the Davey O'Brien Award last season and was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
But, I think it's fair to say that everyone expected more from Sonny Dykes in Year 2 at TCU. After dropping the first game of the year to Coach Prime and Buffaloes, the Horned Frogs ripped off three straight wins and were looking more like the team we all expected when the season began.
But, TCU has lost back-to-back games including an ugly 27-14 loss to the Iowa State Cyclones. TCU is 1-2 in conference and has Kansas State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Texas, among others, remaining on the schedule. There's an outside chance that TCU might not even make a bowl game this year.
3. LSU's title hopes are hanging by a thread
Don't bury LSU just yet, but Brian Kelly's team has to win every game remaining on their 2023 schedule. And we all know how difficult that can be in the Southeastern Conference.
Where has the Tigers' defense gone? LSU ranks 13th out of 14 teams in the SEC in points allowed. Do you want to take guess who No. 14 is? It's the Vanderbilt Commodores. That's right, LSU's 194 points allowed is second only to Vandy's 238.
LSU only has one loss in conference and still has a date with Alabama. So, while it seems out of reach at the moment, the Tigers still have a chance to win the SEC West and earn a spot in the conference championship.
LSU's loss in Week 1 to Florida State doesn't look too bad right about now, but the Tigers are in must-win mode for the rest of their 2023 campaign. The one saving grace for LSU is that five of their final six games are at home. That lone road game, however, is in Tuscaloosa.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels has played very well this season, but LSU's defense has been putrid. LSU's defense has allowed 31 points or more in four of their six games this season.
4. Clemson hasn't met expectations for the second year in a row
Cade Klubnik is not the guy. At least not yet. Klubnick is only 19 years old, so I'm not going to throw the sophomore QB under the bus. But aside from Clemson's lopsided victory over the Syracuse Orange, Klubnik has not quite ascended to the heights necessary to take the Tigers to the top.
Clemson is 2-2 in conference and 4-2 overall. The Tigers remain unranked in both the coaches poll and the AP Top 25 after narrowly defeating Wake Forest this past week; a game in which Klubnick threw for just over 130 yards.
Clemson got off on the wrong foot with a surprising loss in Week 1 to the upstart Duke Blue Devils. While the Tigers fought valiently against Florida State a few weeks back, ultimately, it was Seminoles who emerged victorious.
With both Duke and FSU still undefeated, it would take a Herculean effort for Dabo Swinney' team to get back into the hunt for the ACC Championship Game. UNC and Louisville are both undefeated as well.
The Clemson Tigers have a week off before heading to South Beach to take on the Miami Hurricanes. The loser of that game will be buried in the standings. Dabo is hoping to lead this team to victory, but it may already be too late.
5. Jimbo Fisher still hasn't brought Texas A&M to the promised land
The opportunity was there this past week for Texas A&M. With Alabama visiting Kyle Field, the Aggies had a chance to exorcise the demons. But Jalen Milroe played exceedingly well on the road and the Crimson Tide outlasted the Aggies 26-20.
That's only one conference loss for Jimbo Fisher this season, so there's still left to salvage the season. But Texas A&M has three tough road trips on the horizon with Tennessee, Mississippi, and LSU all away from College Station.
That loss to Miami didn't sting so much until the Hurricanes inexplicably ran a play this past week instead of taking a knee and running out the clock. The Canes lost the game in the waning seconds to Georgia Tech, and now that blot on Texas A&M's record doesn't look so hot.
With Connor Weigman now out for what's likely to be the remainder of the 2023 season with a foot injury, the ball will be in the hands of Max Johnson. The former LSU transfer is a veteran of the SEC, but losing Weigman could be the straw that broke the camel's back.
