The 2023 U Sports football season began on August 25, 2023, with the defending champion Laval Rouge et Or visiting the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. On the following day, ten Ontario University Athletics teams, four Atlantic University Sport teams, and two RSEQ opened their schedules on August 26, 2023.^[1][2][3] On the following weekend, the six Canada West teams opened their seasons on September 1, 2023.^[4]

The conference championships were played on the weekend of November 11, 2023, and the season concluded on November 25, 2023, with the 58th Vanier Cup championship. The Vanier Cup game was held at Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston, Ontario, for the first time in its history.^[5] 27 university teams in Canada played U Sports football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.^[6]

On September 23, 2023, Manitoba Bisons kicker Maya Turner became the first woman to play in a U Sports regular season football game. She ended up kicking the game winning field goal in overtime for the Bisons in their game against the Regina Rams.^[7]

Schedules

On January 19, 2023, the OUA released their schedule which featured no major changes from the 2022 season, with 11 teams playing eight regular season games over nine weeks.^[1] The regular season will start on August 26, 2023, and end on October 21, 2023. Seven teams will qualify for the playoffs, which begin on October 28, 2023, with the top seed having a first-round bye.^[1] The 115th Yates Cup game is scheduled to be played on November 11, 2023.^[1]

On April 20, 2023, the AUS schedule was revealed with the first two games scheduled to be played on August 26, 2023.^[2] Five AUS teams will play eight games over 10 weeks with each team receiving two bye weeks.^[2] In a format change this year, the top four teams will qualify for the AUS playoffs rather than three, with two semi-final games determining the participants for the AUS championship.^[8] The Canada West schedule was announced on April 25, 2023, and the RSEQ schedule was revealed on April 27, 2023, with no major scheduling changes from the 2022 U Sports football season.^[3][4]

Regular season

Standings

Post-season awards

Award-winners

^{[9][10][11][12][13]}

All-Canadian Team

^[13]

Post-season

The Vanier Cup was played between the champions of the Mitchell Bowl and the Uteck Bowl, the national semi-final games. In 2023, as per the rotating schedule, the Atlantic conference's Loney Bowl championship team, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men, visited the Canada West Hardy Trophy winners, the UBC Thunderbirds for the Mitchell Bowl. The Yates Cup Ontario conference championship team, the Western Mustangs, visited the Québec conference Dunsmore Cup winners, the Montreal Carabins, for the Uteck Bowl.^[14] These games were played on November 18, 2023, while the Vanier Cup was played on November 25, 2023.^[14]

Conference championships

Atlantic University Sport

Canada West

Ontario University Athletics

Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec

National championship