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5 college football teams that could make their first playoff in 2022

By Connor Muldowney

Jan 1, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (left) greets Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda at the end of the 2022 Sugar Bowl at the Caesars Superdome. Baylor won 21-7. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (left) greets Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda at the end of the 2022 Sugar Bowl at the Caesars Superdome. Baylor won 21-7. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 01: Head football coach Lincoln Riley of the USC attends the game between the USC Trojans and the Arizona Wildcats at Galen Center on March 1, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 01: Head football coach Lincoln Riley of the USC attends the game between the USC Trojans and the Arizona Wildcats at Galen Center on March 1, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

3. USC Trojans

An argument could be made about the Pac-12 being the most wide-open conference in college football next season. There’s no clear favorite and teams like Utah, Oregon, UCLA, and USC will all have chances to make the title game and take home a title.

But, as we’ve seen in years past, the Pac-12 champion will likely need to be undefeated in order to make the playoff because the strength of the conference isn’t quite as high as that of the Big Ten or SEC. The one team in the league that I could see making a push for an undefeated regular season is USC and that’s because of Lincoln Riley.

USC went out and made a power move this past offseason by stealing Riley away from Oklahoma before the Sooners appeared in their bowl game. He comes to USC as one of the nation’s top coaches and he brings with him a wealth of talent in the transfer portal, led by Caleb Williams.

If Williams continues to grow as a quarterback and lives up to that elite potential, he could lead USC to a magical season and even contend for a Heisman Trophy — he will be a favorite to win the award.

This USC team should be really good this year and its first playoff is within reach.

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