Saturday Blitz
Fansided

College football’s post-spring Top 25 power rankings for 2022 season

By Connor Muldowney

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud celebrates after a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter vs. the Utah Utes at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2022.Syndication The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud celebrates after a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter vs. the Utah Utes at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2022.Syndication The Columbus Dispatch /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
April 23, 2022; Austin, TX, USA; Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) looks for an open receiver during Texas’s annual spring football game at Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas on April 23, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Aaron E. Martinez-USA TODAY NETWORK
April 23, 2022; Austin, TX, USA; Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) looks for an open receiver during Texas’s annual spring football game at Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas on April 23, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Aaron E. Martinez-USA TODAY NETWORK /

Losing Desmond Ridder to the NFL is going to hurt, but there’s going to be an intriguing battle between Ben Bryant and Evan Prater for the starting job. The defense is also going to be solid and as long as the offense is decent, the Bearcats should contend for the New Year’s Six again.

I’m a little hesitant to go all-in on Iowa to win the Big Ten West because Spencer Petras is still at quarterback but I do think the Hawkeyes will be good enough to be ranked. The run game will be good like it usually is and the defense will be typical Iowa. Kirk Ferentz will have another above-average team on his hands.

The addition of Quinn Ewers from Ohio State should have the quarterback position looking much more favorable this season and Xavier Worthy will be one of the best receivers in college football. The offense will be solid whole the defense could be the difference between another bowl-less season under Steve Sarkisian and 10-plus wins.

Graham Mertz bounced back from a forgettable start to the 2021 season to finish strong as the Badgers went from Big Ten West afterthought to contender. Mertz should be one of the best quarterbacks in the conference this year, Braelon Allen may be a serious Heisman contender, and the defense will be stingy yet again. This feels like a potential Big Ten title team.

Pat Narduzzi seems to have turned Pitt around, but he has a major question to answer at receiver if Jordan Addison decides to transfer away. Either way, Pitt should be solid once again with Kedon Slovis at quarterback and a number of key returners from a team that went to a New Year’s Six bowl and won the ACC in 2021.

Dan Lanning takes over as head coach for Oregon after Mario Cristobal left for Miami and it feels like he’s bringing a winning attitude after leading a stout Georgia defense to a national title. Bo Nix is going to battle it out for the starting quarterback job after transferring in and talent is not lacking on this roster.

Home/College Football News