5 Bold predictions for the rest of 2022 college football season

2. Auburn’s Bryan Harsin next college football coach to be fired mid-season

If it wasn’t clear that Auburn Head Coach Bryan Harsin was on the hot seat before the season started, those doubts were removed after the 41-12 shellacking the Tigers endured vs No. 22 Penn State in Week 3 on national television.

The school has an interim Athletic Director in place after Allen Green resigned last month, which is the perfect time to give Harsin his pink slip. This way, whoever is brought in as the next Athletic Director can start with a clean slate and hire their top choice to reboot this struggling football team.

Auburn has the No. 1 toughest remaining strength of schedule in the country (heading into Week 4), according to ESPN’s 2022 College Football Power Index. The team has games against five teams currently ranked in the Top 25 on the rest of their schedule: No. 1 Georgia, No. 16 Ole Miss, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 23 Texas A&M, and No. 2 Alabama.

I fear Harsin is one (maybe two at most) blow-outs away from being the next college football coach to be fired. Auburn is a school that demands excellence and Harsin has been the furthest thing from that since his tenure began in Dec. 2020.

4. USC Trojans will join Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State in the CFB Playoff

USC and Head Coach Lincoln Riley are going to waltz their way into this year’s College Football Playoff, along with heavy favorites Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State— teams all currently ranked in the top three.

USC has one of the most electric offenses in all of college football. They’ve shown they are worthy of consideration after outscoring their opponents152-59 through the first three weeks of the season.

Of the top remaining teams, USC has the easiest remaining strength of schedule, per ESPN’s power index. At No. 59, they are far behind other contenders Michigan (No. 25) and Clemson (No. 49).

The Trojans are expected to just have one major test left on their remaining slate of games and that’s a road game against No. 13-ranked Utah.

Considering Michigan has to survive tough bouts against No. 14 Penn State and No. 3 Ohio State, that’s two realistic opportunities in which they may take a loss. Not to mention a rival game vs Michigan State, a team that was ranked until a recent loss against the Huskies.

As for Clemson, they’ve got games against No. 21 Wake Forest, No. 12 NC State, and No. 25 Miami remaining on their 2022 slate. Notre Dame and Louisville could also be tough games, too late in the season.

USC should be easily favored in the rest of their games. If they can fend off Utah late in the season, it’ll give them a good argument to make the Playoff.