By now, all but two teams are looking ahead to the 2024 season. Bowls are over, team banquets have wrapped up and awards have been distributed.
But there's still time to look back at the most valuable players for the nation's top 25 teams, based on the final CFP rankings. I reached out to coaches and dove into the numbers to gauge the players who meant the most to their team's success in 2023. The goal also was to get a representative sample rather than only a list of quarterbacks. Although Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and several standout quarterbacks appear below, so do players at other positions who helped their teams throughout the fall.
Actual team MVP selections informed my picks but didn't completely determine them if there was some debate at the top.
Listed in the order of the final College Football Playoff rankings:
1. Michigan: Mike Sainristil, DB
I covered the Wolverines' final three regular-season games and the Big Ten championship. Sainristil consistently jumped out with his playmaking ability in the back end of the defense. He led the team with five interceptions and had a Big Ten-leading two pick-sixes, while adding two forced fumbles, six pass breakups and two sacks. Despite being one of the smaller players on the field (5-foot-10, 182 pounds), Sainristil has made numerous massive plays for a Michigan defense loaded with talent but lacking many true superstars. He was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week four times, including in the league championship game, when he forced two fumbles against Iowa to set up Michigan scores. His performance down the stretch during coach Jim Harbaugh's league-imposed suspension stood out to those inside the program. "The big moments of the season that Mikey came up big, with interceptions and forced fumbles and touchdowns, he's definitely the MVP," a Michigan source said.
2. Washington: Michael Penix Jr., QB
Although Penix was the Heisman Trophy runner-up and would have been a deserving winner, he faced some stiff competition for team MVP from wide receiver Rome Odunze, who is having an exceptional season as Penix's top target. Still, Penix gets the nod after following up his breakthrough 2022 season with another outstanding performance, highlighted by immaculate downfield passes. He had 16 touchdown passes in Washington's first four games and had multiple touchdown passes in 10 of 12 regular-season games. Penix shined in two wins against Oregon and a road victory against USC. After being limited by health issues in the second half of the season, Penix torched Texas in the CFP semifinal win, completing 29 of 38 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns. He's the first FBS player with at least 4,500 passing yards in consecutive seasons since Patrick Mahomes in 2015 and 2016. Penix leads the FBS in passing for the second consecutive season and won the Maxwell Award, as well as MVP of the Pac-12 championship game.
3. Texas: T'Vondre Sweat, DT
The Longhorns' massive and powerful defensive line became their signature unit during the team's first run to the CFP, and Sweat was (literally) right in the middle of it. The 6-foot-4, 362-pound senior entered the national spotlight, earning unanimous All-America honors -- becoming the first Texas defensive tackle to do so since Kenneth Sims (1981). Sweat won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior lineman, and set or tied career highs with 45 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 7 quarterback hurries and 4 pass breakups. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year helped Texas rise to No. 3 nationally in rushing defense. "People talk about [quarterback Quinn] Ewers and [wide receiver Xavier] Worthy, but you can figure out how to cover Worthy," a Big 12 assistant said. "That damn defensive tackle, you can't keep him out of your backfield. You can't run it, you can't throw it when he's in the game."
4. Alabama: Dallas Turner, LB
Alabama was a flawed team with some exceptional parts, leading to a difficult MVP decision. I had leaned toward quarterback Jalen Milroe entering the CFP semifinal, and also considered All-SEC cornerback Terrion Arnold, who led the team in both interceptions (5) and pass breakups (11). Milroe showed significant improvement, finishing with 23 touchdown passes and six interceptions, while completing 65.9% of his passes and displaying excellent downfield passing skills. But Alabama doesn't win an SEC championship without its defense and the contributions from Turner, who led the Tide in sacks (11), tackles for loss (15.5) and quarterback hurries (13), while adding two forced fumbles. An SEC quarterbacks coach who faced Alabama said Turner was the most disruptive player on the field. The first-team All-America selection won SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors and was in the mix for national awards.
5. Florida State: Jordan Travis, QB
The College Football Playoff selection committee essentially made the choice here, keeping FSU out of the playoff despite a 13-0 record and an ACC championship because of Travis' broken leg sustained Nov. 18. Travis was tremendous for the Seminoles, passing for 2,756 yards with 20 touchdowns and only two interceptions on 324 attempts. He completed about 64% of his passes for the second straight year and remained a run threat, tallying seven rushing touchdowns for the fourth straight year. The ACC Player of the Year finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, was a finalist for the Manning Award and became FSU's all-time leader in total offense.
6. Georgia: Carson Beck, QB
The quarterback who replaced the incomparable Stetson Bennett more than held his own, helping Georgia to another undefeated regular season and extending the team's win streak to 29 games. A finalist for the Manning Award, Beck rose into the top 10 nationally in passing yards, passing efficiency and completion percentage, connecting on at least 65% of his attempts in every game. Beck twice completed 80% of his passes and played arguably his best football even after star tight end Brock Bowers went down with an ankle injury, recording multiple touchdown passes in wins over Missouri, Vanderbilt and Tennessee. "He can win them the national championship," an SEC coach said. "He's that good." Beck finished his first season as Georgia's starter with 3,941 pass yards and 24 touchdowns, completing 72.4% of his attempts.
7. Ohio State: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR
The only non-quarterback to attend the Heisman Trophy ceremony as a finalist was an easy pick for the Buckeyes' MVP. Ohio State has had a historic run of elite receivers, but Harrison might be remembered as the best of the bunch after recording 1,211 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns this fall. "He's definitely the guy," a Big Ten defensive coordinator said. Harrison became only the 11th Big Ten player to earn unanimous All-America honors for the second straight season, while collecting the Biletnikoff Award and the Chicago Tribune's Silver Football as Big Ten MVP. He recorded eight games of 100 receiving yards or more and scored touchdowns in 10 of 12 contests.
8. Oregon: Bo Nix, QB
When I visited Oregon this spring, I could sense the respect coaches and teammates had for the leadership, experience and talent of Nix. He followed a statistically superb first season as a Duck with an even better one. Nix led the nation with 364 completions, the most in team history, as well as completion percentage (77.5) and passing touchdowns (45), while throwing only three interceptions on 470 pass attempts. He won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting. Nix became only the second FBS player since 2000 with at least 40 touchdown passes and three or fewer interceptions through the first 13 games. "He's a coach in the building," Ducks coach Dan Lanning told ESPN during the season. "He's up here late each night. You'd think he was the one game-planning. He's a guy that our players listen to and a guy that challenges his teammates."
9. Missouri: Cody Schrader, RB
There are several good options at Missouri, both on offense -- Schrader, quarterback Brady Cook, wide receiver Luther Burden III -- and defense with Kris Abrams-Draine. But Schrader gets the nod after leading the SEC in rushing (1,627 yards), becoming a finalist for the Doak Walker Award and earning first-team AP All-America honors. He finished the regular season with five consecutive 100-yard rushing performances, eclipsing 200 yards in wins against Tennessee and Arkansas, and had 128 yards with a touchdown on 29 carries in a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State. Schrader also had a rushing touchdown in each of his final nine regular-season contests. "Just the individual performance, led the SEC in rushing, we don't beat Tennessee without him," a Missouri source said. "We probably don't beat a couple teams without Luther. That's a tough combination."
10. Penn State: Adisa Isaac, DE
The pick had to be from the nation's No. 1 defense, and there were several deserving options, including end Chop Robinson, linebackers Curtis Jacobs and Abdul Carter, and cornerback Daequan Hardy. But Isaac emerged as one of the nation's best pass-rushers, leading Penn State in both sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (16), while recording a forced fumble and four quarterback hurries. He combined for five tackles for loss against Ohio State and Michigan, and had a disruptive presence in wins over Iowa, Northwestern and Maryland. Isaac had six games with multiple tackles for loss during the past two seasons, which tied for most in the Big Ten.
11. Ole Miss: Jaxson Dart, QB
The Rebels' success in 2023 really stemmed from a collective effort. The defense featured four players with multiple interceptions and seven with at least 2.5 sacks (but none with more than 5.5). Running back Quinshon Judkins had another strong season with 1,158 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, earning first-team All-SEC honors, but the pick here is Dart. The junior quarterback maintained his trajectory, setting career highs for passing yards (3,364), passing touchdowns (23) and completion percentage (65.1). He also cut his interceptions total from 11 in 2022 to only five on 358 attempts. He was brilliant in wins over LSU and Texas A&M and also added 391 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the season.
12. Oklahoma: Billy Bowman Jr., S
OU's MVP choice sparked some debate, as a strong case could be made for quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who had 3,660 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, and heroically lifted the Sooners past Texas and several other solid opponents (SMU, West Virginia). But the Sooners' turnaround in coach Brent Venables' second season could be traced to the defense and players like Bowman, who earned first-team All-Big 12 honors after a season filled with big plays. "Everything you would want," an Oklahoma source said. "Consistent, hardworking, leader. Dillon was Dillon, too. Dillon was tremendous." Bowman finished with six interceptions, which led the Big 12 and ranked second nationally, and returned three for touchdowns, most in the FBS. His 238 interception return yards also led the FBS.
13. LSU: Jayden Daniels, QB
The selection here should come as no surprise, and not just because Daniels won the Heisman Trophy. Imagine where a deeply flawed LSU team would have finished without an otherworldly performance from its quarterback, who passed for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns, while leading FBS quarterbacks in rushing average at 94.5 yards per game. As an LSU source noted, Daniels' constant willingness to learn stood out as he took his game from very good to elite in his second season with the Tigers. He accounted for four or more touchdowns in nine games and led the FBS in average total offense (412.2 ypg), while recording the highest passer rating in FBS history (208.01).
14. Arizona: Tetairoa McMillan, WR
Arizona produced several MVP candidates after a season few outside the program saw coming. Although freshman quarterback Noah Fifita, linebacker Jacob Manu and others were in the conversation, McMillan might have been the team's most consistent star. He had six or more receptions in 10 games, finishing with 90 catches for the season, and set an Arizona bowl record with 10 receptions in a win against Oklahoma. McMillan had at least 80 receiving yards nine times, including in each of his final six games. McMillan more than doubled his receptions total from his freshman season (39) and nearly doubled his receiving yards from 704 to 1,402, while earning third-team AP All-America honors. "What McMillan's been able to do is pretty special," an Arizona source said. "His willingness to go block, he caught 10 touchdowns this year, he doubled his production in yards from his freshman year to his sophomore year."
15. Louisville: Ashton Gillotte, DE
Louisville coach Jeff Brohm always will be known for offense, but the first-year coach and former Cardinals star quarterback rode a dynamic defense to the ACC championship game. Gillotte, who had 10 sacks in his first two seasons, emerged as a superstar, leading the ACC with 11 sacks and tying for third with 14.5 tackles for loss. He had at least 1.5 sacks in four games and also led Louisville in forced fumbles (three) while adding six quarterback pressures. "He's a pro player," defensive coordinator Ron English said. "He's got speed, he's got power, he's got the desire to be a good player. Ashton, he just keeps rushing."
No. 16. Notre Dame: Xavier Watts, S
Quarterback transfer Sam Hartman might have been the September MVP, but Notre Dame eventually became a defense-fueled team. Watts wasn't among Notre Dame's most decorated defensive backs entering the season, but he emerged as the unit's top playmaker. He put himself on the national radar in a dominant win over USC, as he twice intercepted 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, forced a fumble and returned another fumble for a touchdown. He tied for the FBS lead with seven interceptions, all of which led to Notre Dame points, and finished with 137 return yards. Watts, who wasn't involved in any takeaways during his first three seasons at Notre Dame, won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defender and was a first-team All-America selection.
17. Iowa: Jay Higgins, LB
Surprise, surprise, Iowa's pick is on the defensive side. The debate came down to Higgins and cornerback Cooper DeJean, who looked like the team MVP before breaking his leg during practice in November and missing the Hawkeyes' final four games, including the Big Ten championship and the Citrus Bowl. Although DeJean still earned All-America honors for his exploits both on defense and special teams, Higgins gets the nod as he appeared in all 14 games for the Hawkeyes, recording a Big Ten-leading 171 tackles -- tying a school record -- and ranking third nationally in tackles per game (12.2). He also had two sacks, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. "It's based on the body of work," a team source said. Higgins led Iowa in tackles in all but two games.
18. NC State: Payton Wilson, LB
Coach Dave Doeren has seen a lot of defensive standouts come through Raleigh during his tenure, but Wilson is at or near the top of the list. He won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the national defensive player of the year, the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Wilson led the ACC in both tackles (138) and tackles for loss (17.5), while recording six sacks and becoming a consistent factor in pass coverage with three interceptions, including a pick-six, and six pass breakups, which ranked second on the team. He also had 10 quarterback hurries.
19. Oregon State: Damien Martinez, RB
After earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors as a true freshman, Martinez continued to impact an Oregon State team that hovered around the top 10 in mid-November. Despite eclipsing 18 carries just twice all season, Martinez finished with 1,185 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He had six 100-yard rushing performances and four others of more than 80 yards. Martinez also had multiple receptions in four games, while once again earning first-team all-conference recognition. While Oregon State lost key players to the transfer portal on both sides of the ball following its coaching change, Martinez committed to remain with the Beavers in 2024.
20. Oklahoma State: Ollie Gordon II, RB
Gordon had a huge role in Oklahoma State's remarkable turnaround after a troubling start to the season. After recording only 19 carries in the first three games, he was one of several key players the coaches began leaning on and received tremendous production. Gordon went on to lead the FBS in rushing yards (1,732), yards from scrimmage (2,062) and 100-yard rushing performances (9). He eclipsed 120 rushing yards in six straight games and in eight of Oklahoma State's final nine regular-season games, then tacked on 118 yards and a touchdown in a Texas Bowl win over Texas A&M. Gordon won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back and earned first-team All-America honors. He will enter 2024 as a top Heisman candidate.
21. Tennessee: James Pearce Jr., DE
Pearce gave an improved Tennessee defense a legitimate pass-rushing presence in every game. He earned first-team All-SEC honors after recording 9.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback pressures. The true sophomore had more than one tackle for loss in five SEC games and led SEC defensive linemen in overall sacks. "He's a first-round [NFL] draft pick," a Tennessee source said. "He'll play one more season and get up outta here." Fellow pass-rusher Tyler Baron also deserves an MVP mention, as does running back Jaylen Wright, a second-team All-SEC selection who had 1,013 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
22. Clemson: Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB
The Tigers didn't have the season they envisioned, splitting their first eight games before an 8-4 overall finish. Clemson's defense wasn't as stifling as it has been in past years, but Trotter met expectations with another All-America season. A second-team AP All-America selection in 2022, Trotter received several first-team honors and was a finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker. He started every regular-season game before declaring for the NFL draft, and led Clemson in total tackles (88), tackles for loss (15) and sacks (5.5) through the regular season.
23. Liberty: Kaidon Salter, QB
Any team that enters bowl season undefeated will produce several MVP candidates, and Liberty certainly had its options. But Salter truly blossomed under first-year coach Jamey Chadwell, operating the spread-option offense at an extremely high level. The Flames led the FBS in rushing as the only team to average more than 300 yards per game on the ground. Salter not only eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns on the ground, but became a productive passer, finishing with 2,876 yards and 32 touchdowns with only six interceptions. He accounted for four or more touchdowns (pass or rush) in seven contests. The sophomore set team single-season records for touchdown passes, touchdowns responsible for (44), total offense (3,965 yards) and rushing yards by a quarterback (1,089).
24. SMU: Elijah Roberts, DE
The Ponies produced several excellent choices in a season that led to their first outright conference championship since 1982. Quarterback Preston Stone had 3,197 passing yards in 12 games (he missed the AAC championship and Fenway Bowl), with 28 touchdowns against only six interceptions. Tight end RJ Maryland shined with 518 yards and seven touchdowns. But SMU's defense allowed the program to take the next step and Roberts led the way. He finished with 9.5 sacks, ranking second in the AAC, while also leading SMU in tackles for loss (12.5) and quarterback hurries (7). He added two forced fumbles for a defense that led the AAC in fewest points allowed (17.8). "Elijah was a terror in our league," an SMU source said. "Not just against the pass, but also against the run."
25. Kansas State: Cooper Beebe, G
Offensive linemen rarely get recognized for their individual accomplishments, especially those at the guard positions. But Beebe once again established himself as a crucial part of Kansas State's success. He earned All-America honors and captured his second straight Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year honor, while finishing as a finalist for the Outland Trophy. The 6-foot-4, 335-pound Beebe helped Kansas State produce a top-10 rushing offense and rank in the top 15 in third-down conversions. "Offensive linemen don't necessarily get a lot, but when you're a consistent guy, when the offensive coaches can know where you'll be and, at minimum, you're going to get your job done, that says a lot," a Kansas State source said. "He doesn't score touchdowns, but he's getting a different award every day."