College Football 2023: Ranking the Best Position Units Right Now

While individual stars generate the most attention, college football teams can only excel because of a collective effort.

Halfway through the 2023 season, several positional units have put together a truly dominant run. That's not guaranteed to continue, of course—although some will—but those standout groups deserve a moment in the national spotlight before the closing stretch.

The ranking, while subjective, isn't an opinion about the most talented groups. In that case, Ohio State's receiving room would be listed. The choices are based on performance to date.

But don't worry, Buckeyes fans. You still have a unit featured.

8. Ohio State's Defensive Line

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J.T. Tuimoloau

Purely from a statistical perspective, Ohio State's defensive line seemingly lacks an overwhelming presence.

Flip on the games, however, and it's easy to refute that.

Junior defenders JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer have provided the Buckeyes—who rank second nationally at 4.0 yards allowed per snap—with a pair of nightmares on the edge. An anonymous coordinator called them "frickin' unbelievable," according to The Athletic.

In the middle, OSU has rotated Tyleik Williams, Michael Hall Jr. and Ty Hamilton with immense success. Williams leads the Bucks with six tackles for loss.

Ohio State, 6-0, enters Week 8's showdown with Penn State allowing only 9.7 points per game.

7. Georgia's Secondary

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Kamari Lassiter, Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson

Nothing comes easy against Georgia's secondary.

Through seven weeks, the Dawgs have surrendered no more than seven yards per throw in any game. Overall, they're ranked fifth in the country with 5.1 yards allowed per attempt.

Plus, the defensive backfield has snagged at least one interception in six contests. Tykee Smith headlines the group at four picks, while Malaki Starks has nabbed two. That doesn't even include Kamari Lassiter and Daylen Everette, who've combined for nine pass breakups.

Coverage is simply part of the story, too.

Smith (27 stops), Starks (25), Lassiter (21) and Javon Bullard (20) are four of the program's most productive tacklers. Dan Jackson (12) and Everette (10) are also top-10 contributors, setting a strong foundation for a stout UGA defense from the back forward.

6. Washington's Wide Receivers

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Ja'Lynn Polk and Rome Odunze

Hype: Matched.

Entering the season, we fully expected Washington to showcase a dynamic receiving corps. Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan are off to a tremendous start for the 6-0, fifth-ranked Huskies.

Odunze has reeled in 40 passes for 736 yards—the fourth-most in the nation—and six scores. Polk follows close behind with 32 receptions for 586 yards and five touchdowns, while McMillan has tallied 20 catches for 311 yards and three scores despite missing two games.

Behind them, UW has Germie Bernard (17/231/1) and tight end Jack Westover (14/127/4). Oh, and Giles Jackson notched six catches for 58 yards and a touchdown against Oregon in his season debut.

It's no wonder why quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has become the midseason Heisman Trophy favorite.

5. Duke's Secondary

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Myles Jones and Jeremiah Lewis

How about an out-of-nowhere choice? Last season, Duke posted average to below-average marks of 7.2 yards allowed per attempt, 257.3 yards per game and 25 touchdowns to a modest 10 interceptions.

This year, nobody can throw on the Blue Devils.

Duke ranks second nationally in yards allowed per pass (4.9) and eighth in yards per game (164.7). The lone offense to surpass five per throw was Notre Dame, and Sam Hartman still only completed 48.4 percent of his passes in the memorable 21-14 ND victory.

Myles Jones, Chandler Rivers, Al Blades Jr. and Joshua Pickett have combined to form a sticky quartet at corner. Along with do-everything nickel Brandon Johnson, safeties Jaylen Stinson, Jeremiah Lewis and Terry Moore are also in the top 10 in tackles for the Blue Devils.

Duke's ridiculous amount of depth in the secondary will soon be tested against Florida State (Oct. 21) and North Carolina (Nov. 11).

4. James Madison's Defensive Line

AP Photo/Vasha Hunt

James Carpenter and Mikail Kamara

I have never rooted so hard for a lack of bowl-eligible teams. The short version is James Madison can only appear in a bowl if selected over a 5-7 team.

But the Dukes completely deserve it.

Most impressively, JMU has assembled a suffocating front. The defense leads the nation in tackles for loss per game (9.3) thanks to Jalen Green (12.5), Mikail Kamara (11.5), Jamree Kromah (9.0) and James Carpenter (7.0). JMU only trails Penn State in sacks per game, too.

James Madison unsurprisingly also paces the FBS in rushing yards allowed per carry at just 1.5, and that average is still below 3.1 when excluding sacks.

3. Air Force's Offensive Line

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SAN JOSE, CA - SEPTEMBER 22: The Air Force offensive line waits for the snap in the game between the Air Force Falcons and the San Jose State Spartans on September 22, 2023, at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Larry Placido/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Air Force? More like Ground Force.

(I can feel the eye-rolling, and I'm OK with it.)

In seriousness, the Falcons' triple-option offense has punished the opposition on the way to a 6-0 start this season.

Air Force is atop the country in rushing yards per game and touchdowns, which are sensible given the team's volume. But the Falcons are also first nationally in third-down conversion rate (59.4 percent), boasting an outstanding 78.8 mark when running the ball in short-yardage situations.

Overall, the Falcons are 10th in yards per carry (5.6) and feature four players with 300-plus yards and three-plus touchdowns.

Join us in a technological golf clap for—from left to right—Adam Karas, Wesley Ndago, Thor Paglialong, Ethan Jackman and a split between Kaleb Holcomb and Mason Carlan at right tackle with contributions from Caleb Rillos, James Bryant, Mark Hiestand and Steven Iles.

2. Penn State's Linebackers

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Curtis Jacobs

The sum of Penn State's defense is even greater than its parts, and that's a truly preposterous concept.

Would you prefer a secondary that is first in yards allowed per throw (4.6) with one touchdown to seven interceptions? How about a D-line that's notched the sixth-most tackles for loss per game (8.5)?

Let's split the difference with the linebacking corps.

The unit is absolutely stacked, rotating between Curtis Jacobs, Dominic DeLuca, Abdul Carter and Kobe King—four of PSU's top seven tacklers—with reserves Tyler Elsdon, Tony Rojas and Keon Wylie each getting time, too. The reliability of the second level is a key reason the Nittany Lions are second nationally in yards allowed per carry (2.4).

If you think one of Penn State's other standout units should be featured, no problem. This defense is ferocious.

1. Michigan's Defensive Line

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Mason Graham

Seven weeks into the season, Michigan has allowed only 47 points (6.7 per game) and never more than 10 in a single game.

Exactly like Penn State, this is a matter of preference. Michigan's top three linebackers are also its leading tacklers, and the secondary has ceded just 6.0 yards per attempt with three scores to nine interceptions.

But there is just no end to the Wolverines' depth up front.

The strength of the D-line is the interior, which boasts Mason Graham, Kris Jenkins, Kenneth Grant, Rayshaun Benny and Cam Goode. On the edge, U-M has Jaylen Harrell, Josaiah Stewart, Braiden McGregor and Derrick Moore. Every single of them has multiple tackles for loss, and opponents have gained only 3.1 yards per carry.

Michigan has a real argument for being the most talented roster in the country, and there's no question the defensive line is on track to finishing as a premier unit.