College Football Playoff, 2022 New Year’s Six projections after Week 3
College Football Playoff
Peach Bowl
1 Alabama v 4 USC
Fiesta Bowl
2 Ohio State vs 3 Oklahoma
In my projected College Football Playoff, I have two heavy favorites in Alabama and Ohio State, squaring off against the two teams that made the biggest noise all off-season.
In the Peach Bowl, I have Lincoln Riley and the Trojans making the CFP in year one in LA. Behind the dynamic duo of Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison, USC has scored over 40 points in each of their three games. While they have been impressive, they will be in for a unique test next week, traveling to Corvallis and facing the upstart and undefeated Oregon State Beavers.
The Trojans’ reward? Nick Saban, Bryce Young, and Will Anderson Jr. Alabama is projected to dominate yet again, and take the top seed in the CFP. The Tide was pushed by Texas but rebounded in their 63-7 victory over Louisiana Monroe. The story for Alabama over Georgia remains the same. Bama probably has two of the best players in college football in Will Anderson Jr and Bryce Young. Bama stays on top in the projections for now.
On the other half of the bracket, I have Ohio State returning after missing out on the playoff last year. Right now, I don’t think there’s a better offense, and quarterback in the country than C.J. Stroud right now. Stroud has an 11 to 0 TD/INT ratio…yeah, that’s pretty good.
While Jaxson Smith-Njigba has been injured and inconsistent, it is Marvin Harrison Jr that has exploded onto the scene, giving fans flashbacks to his father and his incredible career in Indianapolis. The Buckeyes look like one of the best teams in the country, as they head into Big Ten play with a home date against Wisconsin.
Facing off against the Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl will be third-seeded Oklahoma Sooners. In what used to be a special rivalry, the Oklahoma Sooners ended those memories very quickly, in a 49-14 drubbing in Lincoln. Dillon Gabriel continues to make all the right decisions for the Sooner offense, as they were at 49 points early in the second half before pulling out their starters. It was a merciful decision by Oklahoma, as 70 points were not out of the question.
It’s now been three games, but Venables has worked this defensive unit into the best Oklahoma has seen since the last time Venables was at Oklahoma. They are quick, elite at getting tackles for losses, and so far have shown to be solid in the open field, something that destroyed Riley’s defenses repeatedly.
Considering what we have seen from OU, they appear to be knocking on the door of teams that can legitimately win a game or even the whole thing in the CFP.
College Football Playoff National Championship
1 Alabama v 2 Ohio State
Three weeks into our projections, and we continue to hold the line: Alabama vs Ohio State in the national championship. In a rematch from 2021, nearly all the pieces changed.
Ranking the Week 3 upsets in college football. dark. Next
Many teams (Georgia) will have something to say about this projection, but for now, we project the biggest stars in the game to meet in the Land of stars.