By Christopher Farbolin

The first full weekend of the 2022 season is in the books, and an eventful Labor Day weekend reminded us all why we love this sport so much. We had missed extra points at the end of regulation, a wild shootout between North Carolina and Appalachian State, and Iowa winning a game 7-3 without scoring a touchdown. While many of the top teams played cupcakes in their opener, we also got to see a few of the preseason playoff hopefuls face off against real competition.

The most anticipated matchup from this past weekend was Ohio State hosting the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in a top-five showdown with major postseason implications. Despite a slow start, the Buckeyes controlled the second half and won by double digits thanks in large part to a dominant defensive effort.

The Fighting Irish were held to just 2.5 yards per rush and shutout in the final 40 minutes of action. Ohio State’s run defense was their undoing in 2021 and it appears to have made major strides, which is scary for the rest of the Big Ten.

While the Bucks didn’t dominate offensively as many had hoped, it is not a cause for concern. Many teams struggle to move the ball consistently in their opening game, especially when facing a defense as good as Notre Dame’s.

It also didn’t help that star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba left the game early due to a hamstring injury. The good news for Buckeye fans is Smith-Njigba isn’t expected to be out for more than a game or two. Once C.J. Stroud gets his top weapon back, this offense will live up to the hype it received all offseason.

An offense that did dominate in their opener was that of the Georgia Bulldogs, who are looking to repeat as national champs despite losing most of their historic defense from last season. The narrative that 2022 would be a step back year for the Dawgs took a hit on Saturday, as Georgia casually found the endzone on each of their first seven possessions.

Stetson Bennett had a career day against a hapless Oregon team, throwing for 368 yards and accounting for three touchdowns in a 49-3 route against the Ducks. After losing eight starters defensively, Georgia needs to rely more on their offense if they want to make another title run. Considering what we saw last Saturday, that shouldn’t be an issue for Georgia.

While the Buckeyes and Bulldogs took care of business as expected, the same could not be said for Utah, who slipped up in heartbreaking fashion against an upstart Gators squad led by first-year head coach Billy Napier. Florida has catapulted itself into everyone’s rankings after a dominant performance from QB Anthony Richardson.

Florida was expected to be a fringe bowl team in year one under Napier, but that is no longer the case. The Gators showed they could hold their own and outright beat a top-ten opponent. The best way to speed up a rebuild is to have elite quarterback play and a guy that can pull his team to wins, which Florida has in Richardson.

As for the team on the losing end last Saturday night, all hope is not lost for Utah and their dark horse playoff ambitions. Losing in their opener was obviously a major blow to their chances, but there is still a path for the Utes should they run the table and win the PAC-12.

Losing on the goalline against a team like Florida on the road isn’t the worst loss in the world and is one Kyle Wittignham’s squad can definitely bounce back from. The schedule is very manageable for the Utes going forward as they get USC at home, and they will be heavy favorites against the rest of their opponents.

Good news came off the field for Wake Forest as QB Sam Hartman, arguably the best signal caller in the ACC, has been medically cleared to return after previously being ruled out indefinitely. 

College Football Top 25 Rankings

1.Alabama Crimson Tide(1-0) W vs Utah State 55-0, last week-1

2.Ohio State Buckeyes(1-0) W vs Notre Dame 21-10, last week-2

3.Georgia Bulldogs(1-0) W vs Oregon 49-3, last week-3

4.Michigan Wolverines(1-0) W vs Colorado State 51-7, last week-5

5.Clemson Tigers(1-0) W vs Georgia Tech 41-10, last week-7

6.Arkansas Razorbacks(1-0) W vs Cincinnati 31-24, last week-9

7.Texas A&M Aggies(1-0) W vs Sam Houston State 31-0, last week-8

8.Michigan State Spartans(1-0) W vs Western Michigan 35-13, last week-10

9.Utah Utes(0-1) L vs Florida 29-26, last week-4

10.USC Trojans(1-0) W vs Rice 66-14, last week-13

11.Baylor Bears(1-0) W vs Albany 69-10, last week-14

12.Oklahoma Sooners(1-0) W vs UTEP 45-13, last week-15

13.NC State Wolfpack(1-0) W vs East Carolina 21-20, last week-6

14.Notre Dame Fighting Irish(0-1) L vs Ohio State 21-10, last week-12

15.Wisconsin Badgers(1-0) W vs Illinois State 38-0, last week-16

16.Oklahoma State Cowboys(1-0) W vs Central Michigan 58-44, last week-11

17.Florida Gators(1-0) W vs Utah 29-26, last week-unranked

18.Miami Hurricanes(1-0) W vs Bethune Cookman 70-13, last week-17

19.Penn State Nittany Lions(1-0) W vs Purdue 35-31, last week-19

20.Tennessee Volunteers(1-0) W vs Ball State 59-10, last week-20

21.Kentucky Wildcats (1-0) W vs Miami of Ohio 37-13, last week-18

22.BYU Cougars(1-0) W vs USF 50-21, last week-21

23.Wake Forest Demon Deacons(1-0) W vs VMI 44-10, last week-unranked

24.Pittsburgh Panthers(1-0) W vs West Virginia 38-31, last week-23

25.Ole Miss Rebels(1-0) W vs Troy 28-10, last week-24

Dropped out of rankings- Oregon, Mississippi State