Recruits are signed, coaching staffs are set, spring practice is finished, and the transfer deadline has passed.
After five chaotic months, college football rosters for the 2022 season are (mostly) finalized.
The following rankings have been updated from our initial tossing of darts, which was published in early January.
1. Alabama (previous: 1): Quarterback Bryce Young and unstoppable edge rusher Will Anderson combine to form the best offense-defense tandem in the country. The other 20 starters aren’t bad, but the Tide really needs to find a better coach. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Utah State
2. Ohio State (2): The offense we saw in the Rose Bowl should be good enough to carry the Buckeyes back to the CFP. And we suspect new coordinator Jim Knowles (hired away from Oklahoma State) will make an immediate impact on the wobbly defense. And as you can see following this sentence, an immediate impact is vital. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Notre Dame
3. Georgia (3): Lose 15 players to the NFL Draft and regression is inevitable. But the Dawgs could be 80 percent of what they were and still be better than 99 percent of the teams in the FBS. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Oregon
4. Notre Dame (8): Difficult to be anything but impressed with the job rookie coach Marcus Freeman has done thus far (even if his job really hasn’t started). He has the roster to keep the Irish rolling, thanks to former boss Brian Kelly. Opener: Sept. 3 at Ohio State
5. Utah (6): The trip to Gainesville will frame the season: Win, and the Utes become a playoff frontrunner; lose, and they might have to settle for defending their Pac-12 title. Attrition has been limited, aside from the loss of star linebacker Devin Lloyd to the NFL. Opener: Sept. 3 at Florida
6. Texas A&M (5): Eventually, Jimbo Fisher will break through in the SEC West — just not anytime soon. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Sam Houston
7. Oklahoma (10): Somebody has to win the wide-open Big 12. With transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel (from UCF), the Sooners have an incrementally better chance than Baylor and Oklahoma State. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. UTEP
8. Florida (7): Our top sleeper pick, to the extent that a program with multiple national titles can be considered a sleeper. First-year coach Billy Napier inherits a handful of premium recruiting classes and should get the Gators turned around quickly. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Utah
9. Michigan (9): The Wolverines haven’t recruited quite well enough to fully offset the personnel losses. Next season takes them back to familiar ground: second place in the Big Ten East. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Colorado State
10. Clemson (4): The regression was substantial and swift in the post-Trevor Lawrence era. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei must play to the level of his Southern California peers at Alabama (Bryce Young) and Ohio State (CJ Stroud) in order for the Tigers to return to the playoff stage. Opener: Sept. 5 vs. Georgia Tech
11. Cincinnati (11): The hits were significant: UC lost nine players to the NFL Draft, including quarterback Desmond Ridder. But we won’t dare underestimate Luke Fickell’s stockpile of talent. The team to beat in the AAC until proven otherwise. Opener: Sept. 3 at Arkansas
12. Houston (13): The Cougars should be the second-best team in their current conference (AAC) and one of the best in their new conference (Big 12). Opener: Sept. 3 at UTSA
13. USC (24): For all the focus on Lincoln Riley’s use of the portal to overhaul the skill positions, the changes defensively are central to our elevated expectations, particularly linebackers Shane Lee (Alabama) and Eric Gentry (ASU) and cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (Colorado). Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Rice
New USC coach Lincoln Riley could have his new team in the mix to win the conference as soon as Year 1.
14. Baylor (12): The loss of quarterback Gerry Bohanon isn’t as impactful — he was beaten out in spring ball by Blake Shapen — as the massively elevated expectations weighing on coach Dave Aranda’s program. There’s no catching anyone by surprise in ’22. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Albany
15. Mississippi (18): The Lane Train does not stop because its starting quarterback (Matt Corral) jumps to the NFL. (Jaxson Dart, the USC transfer, is competing to take over.) Fortunately for the sport, the Rebels will remain relevant. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Troy
16. Wake Forest (22): The ACC runner-up was hardly a one-hit wonder, especially with quarterback Sam Hartman returning for his super-senior season. Coach Dave Clawson has built a program that can sustain success. Opener: Sept. 1 vs. VMI
17. Oklahoma State (12-2): The Cowboys’ stellar season was fueled by a veteran defense with a top-flight coordinator. The defense returns just four starters, while the coordinator (Jim Knowles) left for Ohio State. Opener: Sept. 1 vs. Central Michigan
18. BYU (15): The Cougars only have two chances to beat up on the Pac-12, not five, but with a loaded defense and veteran quarterback (Jaren Hall), they should be just fine in Year Last as an Independent. Opener: Sept. 3 at USF
19. LSU (21): Brian Kelly should immediately maximize the inherited personnel, which was vastly better than it showed last season. Expect the new-coach bounce to be significant in Baton Rouge. Opener: Sept. 4 vs. Florida State
20. Oregon (17): We aren’t convinced quarterback Bo Nix (from Auburn) will play well enough, often enough for the Ducks to make a serious playoff run, but the defense should be good enough to compete for the Pac-12 title. That said, if the Ducks start the season 1-0, we’ll have to reassess. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Georgia
21. Wisconsin (16): We start our evaluation of the Badgers with the same question each year: Is there a compelling reason they shouldn’t be ranked? Usually, the answer is no. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Illinois State
22. Arkansas (24): The SEC West is insane. Also, there are a lot of good teams in the division. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Cincinnati
23. Fresno State (20): Jeff Tedford’s back in charge of the program, and Jake Haener’s back in charge of the offense. The Bulldogs just might be the third-best team in the West behind Utah and we-have-no-clue. Opener: Sept. 1 vs. Cal Poly
24. NC State (NR): We were impressed by the Wolfpack’s discipline, consistency and explosiveness in slinging accusations at UCLA in the aftermath of the Holiday Bowl cancellation. Also, opportunity abounds in the mediocre ACC. Opener: Sept. 3 at East Carolina
25. Kentucky (25): With 14 returning starters, the Wildcats should have another successful season as long as they don’t play St. Peter’s. Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Miami (Ohio)
Also considered (alphabetical): Boise State, Coastal Carolina, Iowa, Miami, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Penn State, Pittsburgh, San Diego State, Tennessee, Texas, UCF, UCLA, Utah State, UTSA and Washington State
