6 (10-win) college football teams that are flying under the radar in 2022
By John Scimeca
Preseason mania is reaching a fever pitch in college football fanbases throughout the country now that conference media days are completed and the final preparations in fall camp are set in place.
While a handful of teams will begin play in the fabled “Week Zero” on Aug. 27, most teams will kick off the 2022 season during the weekend of Sept. 3 — with college football several programs beginning a couple of days earlier with a Thursday, Sept. 1 kickoff.
Several 10-win squads from last year are entering the 2022 season with lower expectations — underestimate them at your own risk, however.
For many teams, new faces abound on the roster due to the transfer portal’s eased rules allowing players to move programs freely. Perhaps a player is back from injury from the year before, and maybe a former standout has departed to the NFL and must be replaced. Coaching staffs, too, have changed considerably for many teams in the past eight months, and a few new high school recruits could be poised to make a splash this fall.
It’s part of what makes preseason predictions such imprecise guesswork — and no one can be exactly sure about which teams are hungry after a lackluster 2021 season vs. which teams are mentally fragile and could collapse with the first or second tough setback.
Some coaches may be facing high expectations and the proverbial hot seat. Some players have put in the reps this spring and summer and are ready for a breakout season. Maybe other players who excelled in 2021 have read too many of their press clippings this preseason.
Some teams like Texas, LSU, and USC tend to be overrated before each season mainly based on program prestige, reputation, and annual college football recruiting rankings. Who would’ve guessed that the Longhorns, the Tigers, and the Trojans would finish the year with losing records after a Top 25 preseason ranking in August 2021?
That being said, there are six teams that won 10 or more games last year that don’t seem to be garnering much respect this preseason. I think that all six of these teams (listed below) could surpass the offseason expectations and match their 2021 results, if not improve them.
As we are now just days away from the kickoff of the 2022 football season, which six teams with double-digit wins last year are flying under the radar?