2023 SCHEDULE

Slowly we turn…to 2023 

     We’re already firing up our “Tentative” 2023 schedule. Of course, subject to change for better opportunities or unavoidable personal issues. The former 2022 plan with new-found freedom turned out wonderfully! Retirement from the 40-hour+work weeks couldn’t be better. Relocation to Tennessee provided new travel opportunities taken advantage of.  The preseason Top Four all played on our schedule. In case you forgot, Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson graced our season. In the end, seven Top 25 FBS programs and two Top 25 FCS teams played on our slate.

This year, our goals, interests, and limitations send us in a different direction. However, as usual we already anticipate the excitement of another great, new schedule to look forward to months in advance. Our 2023 schedule football goals and interests are influenced by one major limitation in 2023. That would be our budget, of course, but for very good reason. Our daughter, Alex, gets married in the spring of 2024, so as many of you at this same stage of life can imagine, I should be happy that I can find a way to balance my checkbook between that worthy, exciting expenditure and my annual fall, football tour in 2023. This marks our 44th season on this unique, fun adventure.

2023 schedule closer to home

As usual, Collegefootballfan.com has plans for more new venues to be visited and travel strategies to allow us to see as many games as possible. However, most games will be within short driving distances to stay within our new budget. A new wrinkle works in our favor this year though. It comes from the new weekday schedule format utilized by ConferenceUSA to maximize our games within our monetary plans.

On our 2023 schedule through the month of October, teams of the C-USA will clash on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Due to our proximity to two conference rivals, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky, we will gladly be driving short distances to fill a seat or two when they play. Scan the stands when watching these two on TV on weekday evenings. I’ll probably be easy to spot in the bleachers since many “fans” will be home watching on television.

New FBS join 2023 schedule

In addition, conference changes, new FBS entries, and even wedding plans by two long-time friends influenced our game planning decisions to work within the self-imposed constraints of our budget. UTEP, Louisiana Tech, and Liberty among others join Conference USA. Jacksonville State (AL) and the Sam Houston Bearkats not only joined C-USA, but they also made the jump up from the FCS. Charlotte and five other schools joined the American Athletic to fill voids as three members move on to the Big XII. Regarding the wedding plans, we return to our home state of New Jersey for our 2023 schedule the weekend of October 6-8. We swear we said nothing, influenced nothing, and offered no one involved any bribes. On that weekend, the first wedding takes place on Friday evening and the second on Sunday afternoon. Saturday remains wide-open to attend a game at a traditional FCS favorite – Lafayette at Princeton.

Traditional favorites and new competitors

Our 2023 schedule continues to include our favorite teams (Penn State and Navy), to add new FBS members, to schedule some never-seen FCS competitors, and to visit several new venues. This starts our college football juices flowing six months before the pad-popping heats up in late August. We prioritize making points to get together with good friends, old and new, to continue more great times to continue our fantastic journey we never imagined would last for so many years ago.

      Mostly, we’ve already got solid game dates planned despite the “tentative” status of our 2023 schedule. We added the Mid-American MACtion contests as well as C-USA games for midweek night games. These will only add to our schedule if a game or two pops up on a current open date for us. Of course, kick-off times announced offer more possibilities as well if we can make a short drive between games. Am I crazy or what?

Competition remains the name of our games

This season, we don’t plan to see the preseason Top Four as we did during last season’s schedule. As usual though, we intend still to come up with as many competitive games to attend as possible. Several top pre-season favorites dot our slate. One or two may be in the Top Four. And of course, we have teams on the board with good chances to surprise “the experts” into the Top 25. We’ll roll with the punches.  For us, we consider planning all of this to be as much fun as actually going to the games.   Be sure to check us out for future updates.

2023 TENTATIVE COLLEGEFOOTBALLFAN.COM SCHEDULE

For the third year in a row, we'll see the MTSU Blue Raiders and the WKU Hilltoppers go at it. In 2023, the clash will take place on a Thursday night in Bowling Green. WKU leads our series, 2-0.
For the third year in a row, we’ll see the MTSU Blue Raiders and the WKU Hilltoppers go at it. In 2023, the clash will take place on a Thursday night in Bowling Green. WKU leads our series, 2-0.

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER

AUG 26 JACKSONVILLE STATE* 17 UTEP 14 JACKSONVILLE, AL**

SEPT 2 TENNESSEE 49 VIRGINIA 13 NISSAN STADIUM, NASHVILLE, TN

SEPT 9 UT MARTIN* 38 MISSOURI STATE* 31, MARTIN, TN**

SEPT 16 PENN STATE 30 ILLINOIS 13 CHAMPAIGN IL**

SEPT 23 COLORADO STATE 31 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 23 MURFREESBORO, TN

SEPT 28 WESTERN KENTUCKY 31 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 10, BOWLING GREEN, KY

SEPT 30 MISSOURI 38 VANDERBILT 21, NASHVILLE, TN

OCTOBER

OCT 4 JACKSONVILLE STATE 45 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 30, MURFREESBORO, TN

OCT 7 LAFAYETTE 12 PRINCETON 9, PRINCETON, NJ 

OCT 10 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 31 LOUISIANA TECH 23, MURFREESBORO, TN

OCT 12 SMU 31 EAST CAROLINA 10, GREENVILLE, NC** 

OCT 14 NAVY 14 CHARLOTTE 0, CHARLOTTE, NC**

OCT 21 AIR FORCE 17 NAVY 6, ANNAPOLIS, MD 

OCT 24 LIBERTY 42 WESTERN KENTUCKY 29, BOWLING GREEN, KY

OCT 28 FLORIDA STATE 41 WAKE FOREST 16, WINSTON-SALEM, NC

Navy and Air Force exchanged “prisoners” in Annapolis in 2015, Navy prevailed. The Mids will battle to take the CIC Trophy back in 2023.

NOVEMBER

NOV 4 AUBURN 31 VANDERBILT 15 NASHVILLE, TN

NOV 11 MICHIGAN 24 PENN STATE 15 STATE COLLEGE, PA

NOV 14 TOLEDO 32 BOWLING GREEN 31 BOWLING GREEN, OH**

*NOV 15 MIAMI (O.) 23 BUFFALO 10 OXFORD, OH**

NOV 18 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 34 TEXAS-EL PASO 30, MURFREESBORO, TN

NOV 25 TEXAS STATE 52 SOUTH ALABAMA 44, SAN MARCOS, TX

CHAMPIONSHIP AND BOWL SEASON

DEC 2 SBC CHAMIONSHIP GAME, TR0Y 49 APPALACHIAN STATE 23 , TROY, AL **

DEC 9 ARMY 17 NAVY 11, FOXBORO, MA

DEC 23 76 BIRMINGHAM BOWL, DUKE 17 TROY 10 , BIRMINGHAM,AL**

DEC 29 AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL, MEMPHIS 36 IOWA STATE 26 MEMPHIS, TN

DEC 30 TRANSPERFECT MUSIC CITY BOWL, MARYLAND 31 AUBURN 13 NASHVILLE, TN

In 2017, we saw Penn State knock off Michigan. On November 11, this could be our Game of the Year in our 2023 schedule.
In 2013, we saw Penn State knock off Michigan, 43-40, after four OTs. Ten years later on November 11, this could be our Game of the Year on our 2023 schedule.

* INIDICATES A NEW TEAM ON OUR SCHEDULE TO BE SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME

**INDICATES A NEW VENUE ON OUR SCHEDULE TO BE VISITED FOR THE FIRST TIME

                                                                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

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