Looking ahead to Week 1 of the 2022 college football season here are five bold predictions.
We all got our introduction back to college football last week but now that the season gets underway for real this week, the excitement level is through the roof.
We’ve got a slew of top-25 matchups and games that are going to impact the College Football Playoff in Week 1.
Ohio State-Notre Dame, Georgia-Oregon, and Arkansas-Cincinnati are just a few of the best matchups this week, but let’s get into our first bold prediction which has to do with Notre Dame football and Ohio State.
Ohio State wins easily against Notre Dame football
Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman has gotten a lot of praise for what he’s done on the recruiting trail, but he hasn’t done anything on the field (except lose to Mike Gundy).
This is going to be his first game as full-time head coach and going into the Horseshoe is a big ask, especially since the Ohio State Buckeyes are loaded with talent, and on a mission after losing to Michigan last season.
I don’t think this game is going to be as bad as Michigan State last season, but I don’t think it’s competitive in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame’s defense is going to be really good but it’s going to be hard for any defense to slow down an offense with C.J. Stroud, TreVeyon Henderson Henderson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, plus a talented O-line people don’t talk much about.
I also don’t see the Irish having much success against the Ohio State defense. The environment is going to be hostile and the Buckeyes will win by at least three touchdowns.
An early Heisman favorite
The Ohio State-Notre Dame football game is going to be so huge, might as well spend two bold predictions on it.
I’ve already said the Buckeyes will win, but the reason they will win will be quarterback C.J. Stroud who is going to take control of the Heisman race after one of his patented performances with about 400 yards passing and five touchdowns.
I know, Ohio State had two receivers drafted in the first round but Henderson is also going to carry the football a lot and Smith-Njigba, in my opinion, is the second-best player in the country outside of Will Anderson.
The problem is that he doesn’t play quarterback. He’s going to have a standout performance though and so is Stroud. Notre Dame football fans might think I’m crazy but last year in Ann Arbor against a really good Michigan defense, Stroud still put up 27 points and threw for 394 yards.
The Irish pass rush needs to get home and I don’t think it will be enough to knock Stroud off his game. He takes the early lead in the Heisman race with his teammates not far behind.
Florida football beats Utah and other SEC dominance
The SEC conference is going to have a big first week. The biggest game outside of Notre Dame and Ohio State is Georgia and Oregon.
The Dawgs are the defending national champs and will face their former DC as the Oregon head coach in Dan Lanning. Lanning brought Bo Nix with him from Auburn to likely be the starting quarterback and while that should help win games in the Pac-12, I don’t see it being good enough to beat Georgia.
The Bulldog defense lost a bunch of stars, but it’s not void of talent. Kirby Smart is as good as it gets and he’ll prove it. Plus, Stetson Bennett will do his thing and the Dawgs will win by at least two touchdowns.
In terms of a bold prediciton, one of mine is that Florida football is going to pull an upset over No. 7 Utah. Anthony Richardson could be poised for a big year and this Florida team is still loaded with tons of elite recruits.
Billy Napier is a proven winner and while Utah is going to be really good, heading into the Swamp Week 1 won’t be easy and I think the Napier era gets off to a dream start.
The SEC difference is real and the heat could impact the Utes too. By the way, Arkansas will end any thoughts of Cincinnati being back in the playoff on Saturday night as KJ Jefferson announces (with a stellar game) his own bid for the Heisman.
Penn State football makes a statement
When you look at the talent level of the Penn State football team heading into the 2022 season, it looks like a squad that should be ranked in the Top 25.
The Nittany Lions were close but after a 7-6 season and an 11-11 record over the past two years, some voters are taking the wait-and-see approach.
Well on Thursday, Penn State football fans and college football fans everywhere will get a glimpse of a really good football team against Purdue.
Sean Clifford is back and healthy and if he can play the way he did two years (he started to down the stretch) Penn State football could be in the New Year’s Six.
The Nittany Lions have elite talent at running back again (see freshmen Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen) and added a solid EDGE in Chop Robinson from the transfer portal to go along with a really good recruiting class.
Purdue is tough and always good for an upset at home, but Penn State won’t be overlooking the Boilermakers or QB Aidan O’Connell and they’ll show everyone they are a top-15 team.
First-year coaches roll
I’ve already predicted a tough loss for Marcus Freeman on Saturday night but for the most part, I think it’s going to be a good weekend for first-year head coaches at big-time programs.
Lincoln Riley hosts Rice and he’s going to make USC football fans happy as they watch Caleb Williams have a huge night in his debut for the Trojans. I expect around 50 points.
I also think Napier and Florida football are being underestimated. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Gators made a run at a major bowl this season and won nine or 10 games.
The schedule isn’t that hard and if Anthony Richardson lives up to the hype, this team could really be a dark horse in the SEC. It’s one of the 15 most talented teams in the country according to the Blue-Chip ratio from 247 sports and that’s not meaningless as I expect we’ll see on Saturday.
With the right head coach, blue-chip programs can turn around quickly and after this weekend, Florida, USC, Oklahoma, and LSU are all going to feel good about their choices. Notre Dame will again soon, the Irish just have a brutal opening game.