The college football season really begins in October as the schedule gets tougher, making it much more clear who the real threats for the playoff are. This past weekend was very telling for several programs around the nation, for better or for worse.
Upsets are a part of conference play and no team is immune to a slip up against inferior competition. Georgia found that out the hard way as the reigning champs escaped Faurot Field with a 26-22 win over Missouri in a game they did not lead until the fourth quarter.
After looking unbeatable through the first few weeks, my (previously) ranked number one team has struggled in back-to-back games against Kent State and Mizzou, respectively.
While the recent results have been concerning, Georgia’s issues are mostly fixable. Turnovers and poor red zone offense have been the main culprits for the Bulldogs’ ugly wins, both issues that can be fixed overnight.
Georgia tumbled in my rankings due to the Mizzou game, however they are still in the thick of the championship picture and are still as dangerous as any team in the nation.
While the Dawgs needed all 60 minutes to put away the Tigers, the same wasn’t true for Alabama. Much has been made of the Crimson Tide’s recent road struggles, but they weren’t prevalent in Fayetteville on Saturday.
Despite losing Bryce Young early on to a shoulder injury, backup Jalen Milroe and the Tide cruised to a 23-point win over the Razorbacks.
Winning on the road against a ranked opponent is impressive enough, doing so without the Heisman Trophy winner is a sign of a national championship team.
The rushing offense was average by Bama standards a season ago, but the addition of Jahmyr Gibbs in the transfer portal has returned the Crimson Tide’s ground game to the high standard it is held to.
While some teams have exceeded expectations early in 2022, other fan bases need to re-calibrate their goals for this season.
One fan base that is doing so is that of Oklahoma who got mopped by TCU 55-24 just one week after losing at home to Kansas State. The Sooners are in unfamiliar territory as they have been one of the most consistent programs in the 21st century.
Despite what some hot take specialists tried to convince you over the summer, Lincoln Riley is a great coach and was a big loss for the Sooners.
Now I’m not bailing on Brent Venables, it’s only year one and he is attempting to restructure an entire program. These things take time and Venables didn’t bring a historic portal class like his predecessor did in Los Angeles.
Oklahoma’s biggest game of the year is this weekend with the “Red River Rivalry” being renewed with Texas. The Longhorns are out for revenge after losing last year’s Red River Showdown in the final seconds.
Texas also may have starting quarterback Quinn Ewers back after missing the last three games with a shoulder injury suffered against Alabama.
This weekend is also the rubber match between Alabama and Texas A&M, with the two programs trending in polar opposite directions entering Saturday night. While Alabama is coming off of their most impressive win of the year, A&M just got throttled by Mississippi State and are staring down a 3-3 start to 2022.
While both Nick Saban and Jimbo FIsher have chosen to leave their offseason kerfuffle in the rear view mirror, both teams and fan bases have had Saturday’s matchup circled since May.
Bryce Young’s status is still up in the air for Saturday and should he be unable to go on Saturday; things could be more competitive than expected.
Texas A&M was able to revive their season with a win over Bama the last time they met, but considering how 2022 has gone for the Aggies, there isn’t much optimism that they can pull off the upset for a second straight year.
College Football Top 25 Rankings
1. Alabama Crimson Tide(5-0) W vs Arkansas 49-26, last week-22.Ohio State Buckeyes(5-0) W vs Rutgers 49-10, last week-33.Clemson Tigers(5-0) W vs NC State 30-20, last week-44.Georgia Bulldogs(5-0) W vs Missouri 26-22, last week-15.Michigan Wolverines(5-0) W vs Iowa 27-14, last week-56.USC Trojans(5-0) W vs Arizona State 42-25, last week-67.Tennessee Volunteers(4-0) Bye Week, last week-78.Utah Utes(4-1) W vs Oregon State 42-16, last week-89.Oklahoma State Cowboys(4-0) W vs Baylor 36-25, last week-1310.Ole Miss Rebels(5-0) W vs Kentucky 22-19, last week-1911.Penn State Nittany Lions(5-0) W vs Northwestern 17-7, last week-1012.Oregon Ducks(4-1) W vs Stanford 45-27, last week-1413.NC State Wolfpack(4-1) L vs Clemson 30-20, last week-1114.Kentucky Wildcats(4-1) L vs Ole Miss 22-19, last week-915.BYU Cougars(4-1) W vs Utah State 38-26, last week-2016.TCU Horned Frogs(4-0) W vs Oklahoma 55-24, last week-unranked17.Wake Forest Demon Deacons(4-1) W vs Florida State 31-21, last week-unranked18.Mississippi State Bulldogs(4-1) W vs Texas A&M 42-24, last week-unranked19.UCLA Bruins(5-0) W vs Washington 40-32, last week-unranked20.Kansas State Wildcats(4-1) W vs Texas Tech 37-28, last week-2221.Kansas Jayhawks(5-0) W vs Iowa State 14-11, last week-2422.LSU Tigers(4-1) W vs Auburn 21-17, last week-unranked23.Syracuse Orange(5-0) W vs Wagner 59-0, last week-unranked24.Baylor Bears(3-2) L vs Oklahoma State 36-25, last week-1225.Washington Huskies(4-1) L vs UCLA 40-32, last week-15Dropped out of rankings- Texas A&M, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Florida State, Pittsburgh