6 (10-win) college football teams that are flying under the radar in 2022
By John Scimeca
Kentucky Wildcats
2021 record: 10-3 (5-3 SEC)
This offseason saw a recent and well-publicized spat between John Calipari and Mark Stoops, the head coaches of the Kentucky men’s basketball and football programs. While the disagreement may have highlighted that the Wildcats football team is pretty decent and that the men’s hoops team wants funds for its proposed new practice facility, Stoops has done an incredible job at turning things around in Lexington, Ky.
Last year’s Wildcats knocked off Florida and LSU en route to its second 10-win finish in the past four seasons. Kentucky returns quarterback Will Levis, who threw for 2,826 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2021, and brought in talented transfers like former Virginia Tech wideout Trayvion Robinson (113 career catches).
It’s a tall order to beat the defending national champs, but Kentucky could hope to be in a position to win the SEC East with a win vs. Georgia at home in the penultimate weekend of the 2022 regular season.
Houston Cougars
2021 record: 12-2 (8-0 American)
The Cougars won 12 games for only the third time in school history last year, although they lost the AAC title game to Cincinnati before the Bearcats advanced to the College Football Playoff. Houston, at the No. 24 preseason spot, enters this season ranked just behind Cincinnati (No. 23).
Don’t be surprised if Houston surges and becomes the Group of 5 qualifier for a New Year’s Six bowl game this fall. Quarterback Clayton Tune is back and is just 2,000 yards from becoming the third quarterback in school history to throw for 10,000 career passing yards. He’s got all-conference wide receiver Nathaniel Dell (90 catches, 1,329 yards, and 12 touchdowns last year) back in addition to several new impact transfers.
There are road trips to Texas Tech and SMU, sure, but the Cougars could still make a serious run at going undefeated like the Bearcats did last year.
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Look for head coach Dana Holgorsen and this year’s bunch of Cougars eager to enter the Big 12 on a high note next year — that is, with a 2022 AAC trophy in hand.