Ranking the 5 best college football states entering the 2022 season
By Austin Lloyd
College football is a regional game, causing some states to perform better in it than some others. Who will be at the top of the totem pole next season?
When thinking of a powerful state in the world of college football, most people would think of Alabama before New Mexico. It’s nothing personal against one or in favor of the other, it’s just that some states are better at the game.
This isn’t some rare phenomenon, either. The states that are noticeably good/bad at the whole college football thing gain such reputations for being that way on a fairly consistent basis. With that said, there will almost always be a mismatch when comparing Florida’s teams to Colorado’s.
But there are some teams who have shown great promise in becoming strong college football states for the foreseeable future, and they deserve their recognition for doing so. After all, college football isn’t just Alabama, Ohio State, and Texas.
So without further ado, here are the top five best college football states entering the 2022 season.
Honorable Mention: Florida
Once upon a time, the state of Florida was the best that college football had to offer on a yearly basis. But while times may have changed drastically since then, 2022 could see a rise in talent.
The Florida Gators have recently acquired successful head coach Billy Napier, who has wasted no time in trying to return UF to glory in his first offseason stretch there. As for Florida State, the Seminoles 2022 recruiting could be worse, and head coach Mike Norvell just might be beginning to find a rhythm.
Similar to the Gators, the Miami Hurricanes also have a promising new guy at the helm in Mario Cristobal. Along with him, the Canes also hold the third-place spot in the ACC for 2022 recruiting (just above FSU, which sits in fourth).
Lastly, Central Florida has been one of the state’s most formidable challenges over the past several seasons and even topped UF in a bowl game to finish off its 2021 with a bang.
With most of the Florida hype coming from what all could happen, Florida will have to remain as nothing more than an honorable mention. But if just half of the array of possibilities for 2022 are fulfilled (which has a good chance of happening), the Sunshine State will be a force to be reckoned with.