2022 College Football - Week 1
Aug 31, 2022 18:27:26 GMT -6
Funkytown, OdinHammer, and 1 more like this
Post by Uncle on Aug 31, 2022 18:27:26 GMT -6
With the 2022 NFL preseason over and rosters trimmed to 53 players, it's nearly time to get ready for that big Week 1 matchup between the Vikings and Packers at US Bank...
...but before we get to NFL action, there's a full weekend of College Football this Labor Day weekend, and when I say full, I mean there are solid games from Thursday evening all the way through Monday evening. If you wanted to just be a couch potato from Thursday through Monday night and watch nothing but College Football, then all the networks and channels have you covered!
There are typically some really dull College Football weekends with very few decent games in the middle of the season, so fans should soak-up weekends like these when they can.
Thursday, 9/1
West Virginia @ #17 Pittsburgh - 7PM ET (ESPN)
The post-Kenny Pickett era begins at Pitt as USC transfer QB Kendon Slovis takes the reigns of a Pitt team that lost 2023 Draft prospect WR Jordan Addison (transferred to USC), but still features a very good returning Pitt defense that got after opposing teams in 2021 on their way to the ACC title. West Virginia counters with Georgia transfer QB JT Daniels, who is trying to resurrect his career and make a name for himself heading into the 2023 Draft season. Both QB's are sort of in that middle-of-the-pack of possible late Day 2 / Day 3 QB's who need bounce-back seasons after transferring and this should be a very enjoyable early season QB battle to watch. Fun fact: this game between West Virginia and Pitt is nicknamed the "Backyard Brawl" - typically played every year but has been on hiatus since conference realignment shelved it for more than a decade. We don't normally get rivalry games until "Rivalry Week" late into the college season in November, so this is a nice, early natoinally-televised treat for fans.
Penn St @ Purdue - 8PM ET (FOX)
Penn St. was rolling along early in the 2021 season until they lost their starting QB, Sean Clifford, in the "BIG10 Game of the Year 1.0" at Iowa. Clifford is back for his 6th year at Penn St (typicallly unheard of these days), and although they did lost some talent in the 2022 Draft, they do return some 2023 Draft Talent on defense in the form of CB Joey Porter, Jr. Purdue will be countering with their 2023 Draft prospect, Aidan O'Connell, who quietly won 9 games for the boilermakers in 2021 and has stirred up a bit of "buzz" this past offseason. We typically don't get confernence matchups early in the season like this, so this is another Thursday Night treat; it should be a great atmosphere and another QB vs QB matchup.
Friday, 9/2
Illinois @ Indiana - 8PM ET (FS1)
Yet another BIG10 Conference game early in the College season. Typically I wouldn't spotlight a game between these two schools as it's not "must-see-TV" unless you're a fan of either school, but there wasn't another game to spotlight on Friday and Illinois might be a little bit of a surprise team in the BIG10 this season after handily winning their Week 0 matchup against a tough Wyoming team. Illinois features Syracuse QB transfer Tommy DeVito and RB Chase Brown who ran for 1,005 yds in 2021 and 151 yds & 2 TD's last week against an allegedly tough Wyoming defense. If Illinois gets to 2-0 and 1-0 in the BIG10 Conference, they could be going bowling come Bowl Season.
Saturday, 9/3
North Carolina @ Appalachian St - Noon ET (ESPNU)
I mentioned last week that NC could be susceptible to an early season letdown and although they did beat FAMU 56-24, FAMU had several ineligible players that didn't make the trip and were able to put up some yards and points against NC. This is going to be a tough atmosphere for NC to play in and App St. is going to treat this game like their Super Bowl as NC is one of two Power 5 school they'll face - the other one is next week at College Station and #8 Texas A&M where they will be massive underdogs. If Mack Brown and the Tar Heels can avoid the upset, they could make a little noise in the ACC after a down year in 2021.
#11 Oregon @ #3 Georgia - 3:30PM ET (ABC)
You typically don't get two games of both teams ranked in the top 11 in the same weekend, and we're getting that this weekend during Week 1. Georgia's DC from 2021, Dan Lanning, is now the HC in Oregon and he'll come back to Georgia to take on the National Champs, so there's plenty of storylines here. Plus, former Auburn QB, Bo Nix, could be the starting QB for the Ducks. Georgia had one of the best College defenses of all-time in 2021 and carried that all the way to the National Title and they lost a ton of NFL-quality players to the 2022 Draft, but they obviously recruit really well and are returning some 2023 Draft prospects. Oregon won an early season matchup in Columbus, OH last year vs Ohio St so this should not be a cakewalk for the Bulldogs at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
#23 Cincinnnati @ #19 Arkansas - 3:30PM ET (ESPN)
Cincinnati was one of the big stories in College Football in 2021, being the 1st non-Power 5 school to make the College Football Playoffs. They have won all of their 22 regular season matchups the last 2 seasons before being tripped-up by SEC team in Bowl games the last 2 seasons (vs Alabama last year and vs Georgia the year before). The Bearcats lost a ton of NFL talent in the 2022 Draft so there are questions on whether they can continue their regular season success, especially an early-season test on the road to a ranked SEC Team. Arkansas has some dreams of their own in 2022 to make some noise in the SEC West and return QB KJ Jefferson, along with many key defenders, including 2023 S prospect Jalen Catalon. If you're a Vikings fan, you have to keep an eye on Arkansas OC Ricky Stromberg, who's expected to be one of the to OC's drafted in the 2023 Draft, and the Vikings need to be looking to replace Bradbury in 2023. The last Arkansas OC that was drafted in the NFC North, Frank Ragnow, didn't turn out too bad...
#7 Utah @ Florida - 7:00PM ET (ESPN)
Utah was another great story in 2021 as they beat Oregon twice down the stretch in 2021 to take the PAC-12 and nearly pulled off a Rose Bowl win vs Ohio St. The difference for the Utes was QB Cam Rising, who came in for Utah early in the season and played extremely well - so well, that he's a very popular "under-the-radar" QB name to watch heading into the 2023 Draft season. If he can pull off a win at The Swamp, then he won't be so "under-the-radar" anymore and he may start to garner Round 1 conversations. Speaking of Round 1 QB conversations, Florida QB Anthony Richardson has sparked Round 1 "buzz" all offseason, mostly because of his physical attributes. Richardson is 6'4", 237 lbs and built similar to Cam Newton and like Newton, Richardson is hard to bring down in the running game where he posted 401 yds on just 51 attempts with 3 TD's in just 7 games. He has a big arm and all the physical assets you want, but has turnover issues and will definitely need to take a redshirt season in the NFL to adjust to reading defenses and having the game slow down enough. Richardson is only a Redshirt Sophomore, so it's not 100% certain he bolts to the NFL after the 2022 season, but if you're projected to be a Top 10 pick (McShay has him going #6 to Carolina), then you're better off leaving when you can. Another very interesting QB vs QB matchup here.
#5 Notre Dame @ #2 Ohio St - 7:30PM ET (ABC)
It doesn't get too much bigger than this on opening weekend - two Top 5 ranked teams going head-to-head with the winner probably having an early season advantage for a College Playoff spot. Ohio St is favored at home in this one, but like I previously mentioned, Oregon came into Columbus last year on upset the Buckeyes with a ball-controlled approach, and Utah nearly did the same thing in the Rose Bowl this past season - it took an unbelievable performance from Ohio St QB CJ Stroud and their 2023 WR prospect Jaxson Smith-Njigba, to pull that out. The Buckeyes will have the offensive weapons at QB (Stroud), RB (TreVeyon Henderson) and WR (Smith-Njigba), but their are very suspect on defense, and the Fighting Irish counter with a very good OL (including an 2023 OC prospect Jarrett Patterson) and some playmakers on defense, including DE Isaiah Foskey, who could be the 2nd EDGE player off the Board in the 2023 Draft behind Alabama's Will Anderson. If the Fighting Irish can slow the game down, score TD's instead of FG's when they get in Ohio St territory, and hold the Buckeyes offensive weapons back a bit, they have a shot.
Sunday, 9/4
Florida St @ LSU - 7:30PM ET (ABC)
The Noles got off to a great start vs a cupcake in Week 0 and now they face their first real test of whether they are "back" as a program when they travel to the Superdome to take on LSU, coached by former ND HC Brian Kelly. LSU is still rebuilding a bit after a few down years the last two seasons and one of these programs is going to establish credibility and build momentum towards the future with a win vs a solid opponent. I think FSU and HC Mike Norvell will get a bit of a "pass" with the fans if they lose a close game on the road in the Tiger's backyard, but if they get blown out, the seat in Tallahassee will start to get pretty warm.
Monday, 9/5
#4 Clemson @ Georgia Tech - 8:00PM ET (ESPN)
Even though this is technicallly a road game for Clemson, it's at a somewhat neutral site for both schools at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta and the Tigers will have plenty of support there. All eyes will be on Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei and which version of him we'll get: the one from 2020 when he scored 6 all-purpose TD's and had almost 800 yds of offense in 2 starts, or the 2021 version when he started all year and threw just 9 TDs and 10 INTs for the ACC's 2nd-worst per-game offense? If he wants to be in the 2023 QB conversation, he'll need a big game vs an unranked opponent in an nationally-televised game. The good thing for him is that Clemson does have 2023 Draft prospects on defense, which should slow Georgia Tech down enough to give him great field position. On the other side, Georgia Tech QB Jeff Sims is a 2023 Draft QB prospect in his own right, but he'll need his OL to hold up enough vs Clemson's really good DL. Some College experts are predicting that Clemon will have the best defense in College Football in 2022 so I would expect a long night for Georgia Tech's OL in this one - it'll just be interesting to see how the Yellow Jackets QB, Jeff Sims, does in very unfavorable conditions. If he puts up a decent performance vs a great defense, he'll start to garner some 2023 conversations.
QB Battles to Watch this Weekend:
Kendon Slovis (Pitt) vs JT Daniels (West Virginia)
Sean Clifford (Penn St) vs Aidan O'Connell (Purdue)
Cam Rising (Utah) vs Anthony Richardson (Florida)
DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson) vs Jeff Sims (Georgia Tech)
...but before we get to NFL action, there's a full weekend of College Football this Labor Day weekend, and when I say full, I mean there are solid games from Thursday evening all the way through Monday evening. If you wanted to just be a couch potato from Thursday through Monday night and watch nothing but College Football, then all the networks and channels have you covered!
There are typically some really dull College Football weekends with very few decent games in the middle of the season, so fans should soak-up weekends like these when they can.
Thursday, 9/1
West Virginia @ #17 Pittsburgh - 7PM ET (ESPN)
The post-Kenny Pickett era begins at Pitt as USC transfer QB Kendon Slovis takes the reigns of a Pitt team that lost 2023 Draft prospect WR Jordan Addison (transferred to USC), but still features a very good returning Pitt defense that got after opposing teams in 2021 on their way to the ACC title. West Virginia counters with Georgia transfer QB JT Daniels, who is trying to resurrect his career and make a name for himself heading into the 2023 Draft season. Both QB's are sort of in that middle-of-the-pack of possible late Day 2 / Day 3 QB's who need bounce-back seasons after transferring and this should be a very enjoyable early season QB battle to watch. Fun fact: this game between West Virginia and Pitt is nicknamed the "Backyard Brawl" - typically played every year but has been on hiatus since conference realignment shelved it for more than a decade. We don't normally get rivalry games until "Rivalry Week" late into the college season in November, so this is a nice, early natoinally-televised treat for fans.
Penn St @ Purdue - 8PM ET (FOX)
Penn St. was rolling along early in the 2021 season until they lost their starting QB, Sean Clifford, in the "BIG10 Game of the Year 1.0" at Iowa. Clifford is back for his 6th year at Penn St (typicallly unheard of these days), and although they did lost some talent in the 2022 Draft, they do return some 2023 Draft Talent on defense in the form of CB Joey Porter, Jr. Purdue will be countering with their 2023 Draft prospect, Aidan O'Connell, who quietly won 9 games for the boilermakers in 2021 and has stirred up a bit of "buzz" this past offseason. We typically don't get confernence matchups early in the season like this, so this is another Thursday Night treat; it should be a great atmosphere and another QB vs QB matchup.
Friday, 9/2
Illinois @ Indiana - 8PM ET (FS1)
Yet another BIG10 Conference game early in the College season. Typically I wouldn't spotlight a game between these two schools as it's not "must-see-TV" unless you're a fan of either school, but there wasn't another game to spotlight on Friday and Illinois might be a little bit of a surprise team in the BIG10 this season after handily winning their Week 0 matchup against a tough Wyoming team. Illinois features Syracuse QB transfer Tommy DeVito and RB Chase Brown who ran for 1,005 yds in 2021 and 151 yds & 2 TD's last week against an allegedly tough Wyoming defense. If Illinois gets to 2-0 and 1-0 in the BIG10 Conference, they could be going bowling come Bowl Season.
Saturday, 9/3
North Carolina @ Appalachian St - Noon ET (ESPNU)
I mentioned last week that NC could be susceptible to an early season letdown and although they did beat FAMU 56-24, FAMU had several ineligible players that didn't make the trip and were able to put up some yards and points against NC. This is going to be a tough atmosphere for NC to play in and App St. is going to treat this game like their Super Bowl as NC is one of two Power 5 school they'll face - the other one is next week at College Station and #8 Texas A&M where they will be massive underdogs. If Mack Brown and the Tar Heels can avoid the upset, they could make a little noise in the ACC after a down year in 2021.
#11 Oregon @ #3 Georgia - 3:30PM ET (ABC)
You typically don't get two games of both teams ranked in the top 11 in the same weekend, and we're getting that this weekend during Week 1. Georgia's DC from 2021, Dan Lanning, is now the HC in Oregon and he'll come back to Georgia to take on the National Champs, so there's plenty of storylines here. Plus, former Auburn QB, Bo Nix, could be the starting QB for the Ducks. Georgia had one of the best College defenses of all-time in 2021 and carried that all the way to the National Title and they lost a ton of NFL-quality players to the 2022 Draft, but they obviously recruit really well and are returning some 2023 Draft prospects. Oregon won an early season matchup in Columbus, OH last year vs Ohio St so this should not be a cakewalk for the Bulldogs at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
#23 Cincinnnati @ #19 Arkansas - 3:30PM ET (ESPN)
Cincinnati was one of the big stories in College Football in 2021, being the 1st non-Power 5 school to make the College Football Playoffs. They have won all of their 22 regular season matchups the last 2 seasons before being tripped-up by SEC team in Bowl games the last 2 seasons (vs Alabama last year and vs Georgia the year before). The Bearcats lost a ton of NFL talent in the 2022 Draft so there are questions on whether they can continue their regular season success, especially an early-season test on the road to a ranked SEC Team. Arkansas has some dreams of their own in 2022 to make some noise in the SEC West and return QB KJ Jefferson, along with many key defenders, including 2023 S prospect Jalen Catalon. If you're a Vikings fan, you have to keep an eye on Arkansas OC Ricky Stromberg, who's expected to be one of the to OC's drafted in the 2023 Draft, and the Vikings need to be looking to replace Bradbury in 2023. The last Arkansas OC that was drafted in the NFC North, Frank Ragnow, didn't turn out too bad...
#7 Utah @ Florida - 7:00PM ET (ESPN)
Utah was another great story in 2021 as they beat Oregon twice down the stretch in 2021 to take the PAC-12 and nearly pulled off a Rose Bowl win vs Ohio St. The difference for the Utes was QB Cam Rising, who came in for Utah early in the season and played extremely well - so well, that he's a very popular "under-the-radar" QB name to watch heading into the 2023 Draft season. If he can pull off a win at The Swamp, then he won't be so "under-the-radar" anymore and he may start to garner Round 1 conversations. Speaking of Round 1 QB conversations, Florida QB Anthony Richardson has sparked Round 1 "buzz" all offseason, mostly because of his physical attributes. Richardson is 6'4", 237 lbs and built similar to Cam Newton and like Newton, Richardson is hard to bring down in the running game where he posted 401 yds on just 51 attempts with 3 TD's in just 7 games. He has a big arm and all the physical assets you want, but has turnover issues and will definitely need to take a redshirt season in the NFL to adjust to reading defenses and having the game slow down enough. Richardson is only a Redshirt Sophomore, so it's not 100% certain he bolts to the NFL after the 2022 season, but if you're projected to be a Top 10 pick (McShay has him going #6 to Carolina), then you're better off leaving when you can. Another very interesting QB vs QB matchup here.
#5 Notre Dame @ #2 Ohio St - 7:30PM ET (ABC)
It doesn't get too much bigger than this on opening weekend - two Top 5 ranked teams going head-to-head with the winner probably having an early season advantage for a College Playoff spot. Ohio St is favored at home in this one, but like I previously mentioned, Oregon came into Columbus last year on upset the Buckeyes with a ball-controlled approach, and Utah nearly did the same thing in the Rose Bowl this past season - it took an unbelievable performance from Ohio St QB CJ Stroud and their 2023 WR prospect Jaxson Smith-Njigba, to pull that out. The Buckeyes will have the offensive weapons at QB (Stroud), RB (TreVeyon Henderson) and WR (Smith-Njigba), but their are very suspect on defense, and the Fighting Irish counter with a very good OL (including an 2023 OC prospect Jarrett Patterson) and some playmakers on defense, including DE Isaiah Foskey, who could be the 2nd EDGE player off the Board in the 2023 Draft behind Alabama's Will Anderson. If the Fighting Irish can slow the game down, score TD's instead of FG's when they get in Ohio St territory, and hold the Buckeyes offensive weapons back a bit, they have a shot.
Sunday, 9/4
Florida St @ LSU - 7:30PM ET (ABC)
The Noles got off to a great start vs a cupcake in Week 0 and now they face their first real test of whether they are "back" as a program when they travel to the Superdome to take on LSU, coached by former ND HC Brian Kelly. LSU is still rebuilding a bit after a few down years the last two seasons and one of these programs is going to establish credibility and build momentum towards the future with a win vs a solid opponent. I think FSU and HC Mike Norvell will get a bit of a "pass" with the fans if they lose a close game on the road in the Tiger's backyard, but if they get blown out, the seat in Tallahassee will start to get pretty warm.
Monday, 9/5
#4 Clemson @ Georgia Tech - 8:00PM ET (ESPN)
Even though this is technicallly a road game for Clemson, it's at a somewhat neutral site for both schools at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta and the Tigers will have plenty of support there. All eyes will be on Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei and which version of him we'll get: the one from 2020 when he scored 6 all-purpose TD's and had almost 800 yds of offense in 2 starts, or the 2021 version when he started all year and threw just 9 TDs and 10 INTs for the ACC's 2nd-worst per-game offense? If he wants to be in the 2023 QB conversation, he'll need a big game vs an unranked opponent in an nationally-televised game. The good thing for him is that Clemson does have 2023 Draft prospects on defense, which should slow Georgia Tech down enough to give him great field position. On the other side, Georgia Tech QB Jeff Sims is a 2023 Draft QB prospect in his own right, but he'll need his OL to hold up enough vs Clemson's really good DL. Some College experts are predicting that Clemon will have the best defense in College Football in 2022 so I would expect a long night for Georgia Tech's OL in this one - it'll just be interesting to see how the Yellow Jackets QB, Jeff Sims, does in very unfavorable conditions. If he puts up a decent performance vs a great defense, he'll start to garner some 2023 conversations.
QB Battles to Watch this Weekend:
Kendon Slovis (Pitt) vs JT Daniels (West Virginia)
Sean Clifford (Penn St) vs Aidan O'Connell (Purdue)
Cam Rising (Utah) vs Anthony Richardson (Florida)
DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson) vs Jeff Sims (Georgia Tech)