It’s college football time! Well, almost.
The first games of the 2022 season are set for Saturday, August 27 — although only a handful of teams are playing in Week 0. But by Labor Day Weekend, we’ll have a full slate of games and some season-opening blockbuster matchups.
Now, we here at For The Win don’t pretend to have the ability to predict the future. However, that’s not stopping us from looking ahead to the season and dishing out some super bold predictions.
Will the College Football Playoff race be competitive and captivating? Will there be Heisman Trophy surprises? Is Georgia building a dynasty? Who’s getting fired by the end of the season?
Ahead of the 2022 season’s first kickoff, here are our bold predictions for how things will shake out by December.
1
The SEC will be deemed "down" this year
On the heels of another three-year streak of national championships, 2022 will relatively quickly be deemed a “down” year for the league thanks in part to some out of conference mismatches. Florida vs. Utah, Tennessee vs. Pitt and Auburn vs. Penn State all have very strong potential to go sideways for the SEC. Combine that with Georgia dealing with a heap of turnover after their national title run and by October, the experts could be asking if the SEC champ has a strength-of-schedule problem. — Matt Scalici
2
A defensive player will win the Heisman Trophy for the first time in 25 years
Considering the last defensive player to win was Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997, this may be too bold. Sure, we’ve seen defensive players as Heisman finalists. But this year, Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. will break through and actually win. Not only is he on a perennial championship-contending team that will surely give him an added boost in the eyes of voters, but he’s also a powerhouse quarterback-eating machine who’s as disruptive as he is fun to watch. He averaged more than one sack a game last season and led the nation with 17.5 on the year. Stay healthy, keep destroying offenses and Anderson should be a Heisman frontrunner. — Michelle Martinelli
3
Maryland will make some noise in the Big Ten this year
Of course, noise is relative. It isn’t going to win the conference by any means. But it’ll upset one of the giants in the East division (Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State) — something the Terrapins done just four times in eight years since joining the Big Ten — and continue building on last year’s success. — Prince J. Grimes
4
Texas will fire coach Steve Sarkisian after Year 2
If you’re looking for bold predictions, they don’t get much bolder than this. But Sarkisian’s honeymoon period in Austin is likely long gone after a 5-7 finish in Year 1, and if the Longhorns can’t make a significant leap forward with Quinn Ewers and two of the nation’s best skill-position players in running back Bijan Robinson and receiver Xavier Worthy, Texas will have no one left to blame but Sark. — Tyler Nettuno
5
Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be the second receiver in three years to win the Heisman Trophy
The superstar wideout was effectively already the Buckeyes’ No. 1 option last year. But with the departures of Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave to the NFL, Smith-Njigba should see an even higher volume of targets from preseason Heisman favorite C.J. Stroud. In some cases, that volume might not necessarily mean improved efficiency and explosiveness. When it comes to Smith-Njigba, look for him to thrive as an even greater focal point in the Ohio State attack. As if that was possible. — Robert Zeglinski
6
The University of Mississippi will beat Alabama and make it to the SEC Championship Game for the first time in school history
I don’t make game predictions as a personal rule. I’ve actually called some of the weirder college football outcomes of my lifetime (Mississippi at Alabama circa 2015, to use a totally random example), but I didn’t have the guts to say it out loud beforehand because… Oh no! What if I’m wrong? How will I ever overcome being owned by a bunch of random strangers on the internet?!
Look, if I’m wrong, I will do what every fan of my alma mater does in times of defeat — I will drink good bourbon beneath a chandelier, and deal with it.
Rebs by 1,000. — Alex McDaniel
7
Vanderbilt wins more games in 2022 than it did in 2020 and 2021 combined
And maybe 2019, too. The Commodores start with a soft schedule. That leaves the runway to learn on the fly and quarterback. Mike Wright has the chops to ruin some poor SEC team’s year. That probably won’t mean bowl eligibility, but it should be enough for the most successful season since 2018. — Christian D’Andrea
8
Kansas will become bowl eligible for the first time since 2008
Look, I know. I mean really, I KNOW. I covered this KU program during the Turner Gill-Charlie Weis-David Beaty eras. That was back when calling the team a “pile of crap” was one of the best things you could say about them. So just hear me out.
Lance Leipold is nothing like those other three guys and the talent on this roster is actually… getting noticed? Kenny Logan Jr. might be one of the more fearsome safeties in the Big 12 by the end of the year, Jalon Daniels has the making of a legit Power Five quarterback and tailback Devin Neal is a lot more elusive than opponents give him credit for.
But really this prediction goes back to Leipold, who needed just three years to produce an undefeated Division III championship season at Wisconsin-Whitewater and three years at Buffalo to become bowl eligible. Five wins could do it for Kansas in 2022, and, again, I KNOW, but Leipold’s coaching staff didn’t even get to work with the team last spring and the improvements made throughout the season were beyond what anyone could’ve expected. It’s tough to peg just how much a full offseason and recruiting cycle may launch this program back into relevance.
Plus, the Jayhawks get to play Texas again this year, so that’s an automatic win. — Blake Schuster
