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25 biggest college football storylines for the 2022 season

By Michael Thompson

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JANUARY 10: The National Championship Trophy is seen on the field prior to the 2022 CFP National Championship Game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JANUARY 10: The National Championship Trophy is seen on the field prior to the 2022 CFP National Championship Game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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WEST POINT, NY – OCTOBER 23: Sam Hartman #10 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons runs for a touchdown against the Army Black Knights at Michie Stadium on October 23, 2021 in West Point, New York. (Photo by Edward Diller/Getty Images)
WEST POINT, NY – OCTOBER 23: Sam Hartman #10 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons runs for a touchdown against the Army Black Knights at Michie Stadium on October 23, 2021 in West Point, New York. (Photo by Edward Diller/Getty Images) /

12. Who wants the ACC?

The debate about Clemson is not theirs alone, but really defines the state of the ACC this year. It’s possible we see multiple contenders this season for a CFP berth. It’s also possible we see an eight or nine-win team win the ACC.

We already talked about Clemson’s ceiling and floor, but who else is out there this year? In the Coastal, you likely have reigning conference champs Pittsburgh, Mack Brown’s North Carolina Tar Heels, and Cristobal’s Hurricanes as the three teams that will truly compete for the division crown.

In the Atlantic, we have the aforementioned Clemson Tigers, but we also have Wake Forest and NC State as serious contenders to the conference and a dark horse playoff berth.

Wake Forest was one of the great stories in college football last season. The Atlantic division champs averaged over 40 points a game last year on their way to an 11-win season and a Gator Bowl victory. The orchestrator of this dynamic play-action vertical passing game was quarterback Sam Hartman. The hopes of finishing the job this year and winning the ACC took a hit when it was announced that Hartman is out indefinitely due to a non-football-related medical procedure.

First off, I hope that Sam Hartman is OK, life is about much more than football. Football this season is also much better off with Hartman playing. I hope he is OK and gets a chance to play this season.

The Demon Deacons will hand the job to start the season to freshman Mitch Griffis, a dual-threat quarterback that has a little different style of play than Hartman. With Wake Forest hosting Clemson in Week 4, you have to hope that Hartman will get a chance to lead Wake Forest I to one of the biggest games in their program’s history. A win there could vault the Demon Deacons into the top 10 early in the season.

NC State has gotten much of the buzz this off-season as the sexy pick to win the ACC. The 13th-ranked Wolfpack come into this season with a victory over Clemson last year on their belts, a 9-3 season that ended with no bowl game (COVID-19), and a senior quarterback in Devin Leary who’s throwing “missiles” that has NFL eyes on him.

A favorable schedule puts the Wolfpack at home for most big-time games, other than their week five showdown in Death Valley. If Dave Doeren and his squad can somehow take a victory that night, there’s a real chance they are favored in every game and are in a prime position to crash the playoff party.

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