Too early for the Top 25 for the 2022 College Football season

SALT LAKE CITY – The KSL Sports team will move on to our 2022 college football season next year on our Way-Too-Early Top 25 list.

The Georgia Bulldogs are the national champions, but the KSL Sports crew still spins in 1st place with Bama.

A total of seven of our KSL Sports staff participated in this Way-Too-Early survey. Here are the results.

Too early for Top 25

Let’s dive into the rankings.

Record 2021: 13-2

The fall of Alabama to Georgia in the national championship will not suddenly end the dynasty that Tide has built under Nick Saban. If anything, Saban is more energetic than ever.

The Tide is coming back, as is Heisman winner Bryce Young, and now they have a huge chip on their shoulders.

Record 2021: 11-2

During the epic Rose Bowl game, we got an insight into Buckeyes ’abilities in 2022. QB CJ Stroud and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba are one of the best tandems in college football next season.

Marvin Harrison Jr. seems ready to take on a prominent role in the Buckeye attack as well. The questions are on the defense side, but bringing Jim Knowles up as a defense coordinator will make the world good for the Buckeyes.

Record 2021: 14-1

The Georgia Bulldogs are the national champion for the first time since 1980. Kirby Smart has established himself as probably the second best coach in the country after Saban. The way Smart accumulates talent may elevate him to the top of his profession right now.

It will be interesting to see how Georgia handles the defending national champion. There is no zero question about their talent between hedges.

Record 2021: 10-3

The drowning year at Clemson is currently 10-3. But don’t be surprised if Dabo Sweeney pulls the “little‘ ol Cleoleon ”card again next season. They have the best abilities of ACC and now they are starting to offer players from the transfer portal.

Record 2021: 8-4

Jimbo Fisher dropped the country’s No. 1 recruiting class in 2022. But will Jimbo finally get answers in QB status? Max Johnson, the son of former Super Bowl champion Brad Johnson, will move from LSU to A&M to lead the talented Aggies.

Fisher has a pedigree for the national championship, and they showed they could defeat Alabama. The ranking of the top five in this Way-Too-Early survey is based on their potential. Can they seize the opportunity now?

Record 2021: 12-2

Mike Gundy has shown that he can adapt to his staff. Once a high-flying attack, Pokes has a malicious identity on the defensive side. They lost defense coordinator Jim Knowles to the Ohio State, but those who got the DC job inherited a team built to fight for the Big 12 title and maybe the playoffs.

Record 2021: 12-2

Jim Harbaugh showed he could get Michigan past the Ohio State hurdle. He led Wolverines ’first college football playoffs. But will Harbaugh return or will he return to the NFL? In addition, there will be questions about how to replace the do-it-all defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson.

Record 2021: 11-2

Brian Kelly leaves the bay to lead LSU. For the first time, head coach Marcus Freeman will step in. Notre Dame’s players strongly backed Freeman, who rose from the role of defense coordinator to head coach.

Who will replace Jack Coan as a quarterback is a great story for the Irish except Freeman.

Record 2021: 10-4

Defensive Pac-12 Champions will return key figures, including quarterback Cam Rising, who made Utes run by the end of the season. Tight Brant Kuithe surprised many when he announced he would return for another year.

Utah opens the season in the SEC country against Florida in a game that could give Utes an inside track as an early choice for the playoffs.

Record 2021: 9-4

Two of Wisconsin’s four losses in 2021 concerned teams that ranked in the top five in the final rankings of the College Football playoffs. Graham Mertz returns as quarterback and Braelon Allen seems ready to be the next awesome badger runner.

Record 2021: 11-3

Wake Forest was so close to winning the ACC title in 2021. In this far too early top 25, however, they seem ready to be back among themselves in 2022. Almost everyone will return next year, including QB Sam Hartman as well as that. the schedule looks favorable due to weak non-conferences and Clemson will come to Winston-Salem.

Record 2021: 12-2

Defending Big 12 champion Baylor Bears maintained Dave Aranda, whose name was waved in almost every coaching carousel last fall. One of the football coaches in college football, Aranda, has created a physical football identity in Waco. One of the main performers of that physicality is nose-tackle Siaki Ika, who was once a star in East High in Salt Lake.

Record 2021: 11-2

No one in this Way-Too-Early Top 25 has probably gone through more change than the Oklahoma Sooners. Lincoln Riley in Los Angeles Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione found a familiar well to find his next head coach, an established star defense coordinator. It worked 23 years ago when they hired Bob Stoops from Florida; they hope Clemson’s Brent Venables will produce a similar dominant position.

The QB situation is interesting when Caleb Williams leaves when former UCF chief Dillon Gabriel steps in as the assumed QB1.

Record 2021: 9-4

Light the jukebox; Sam Pittman feels he’s another SEC candidate at Hogs. In two years, Pittman has revamped the evolution of the Arkansas program, which had remained unclear during Chad Morris. QB KJ Jefferson is a massive 6 feet 3, 245 pounds.

The Hogs may not be good enough to beat the entire SEC, but they are certainly one of the toughest teams.

Record 2021: 7-6

Penn State locked head coach James Franklin in a massive extension contract. With this great 10-year contract, expectations are high. QB Sean Clifford returns for the sixth year to lead the Nittany Lions team, which lost 21 points in all five of their usual losses, including games against Ohio State and Michigan.

Record 2021: 10-4

Oregon hired Georgia Defense Coordinator Dan Lanning as head coach. Lanning’s first test? His former team at the Bulldogs in Atlanta. Oregon took over Auburn QB Bo Nix’s commitment from the transfer portal.

Record 2021: 11-2

Mel Tucker was the second beneficiary of the wild coaching carousel. He will be locked on the shores of Red Cedar for the next decade. Sparty surprised all 11 wins in the 2021 season; now the challenge is to replicate this success next season. The defense should be tough as nails again, and Kenneth Walker’s likely heir to the runner is a move to Wisconsin, Jalen Berger.

Record 2021: 10-3

BYU’s consecutive double-digit winning seasons have made Cougars feel comfortable guiding the program under the leadership of head coach Kalani Sitake. 2022 is the last season of BYU as FBS Independent before moving on to the Big 12 conference.

BYU’s attack this fall is explosive with QB Jaren Hall, WR Puka Nacua and a deep, talented line of attack.

Record 2021: 10-4

Iowa is a model of consistency under Kirk Ferentz, the country’s longest-serving head coach. In the Hawkeyes defense, many believed they would get into the playoffs in 2021, but the attack betrayed them. So it’s time for QB Spencer Petras to do or break.

Record 2021: 4-8

USC was the biggest winner in the Coaching Carousel bill for Lincoln Riley. For the first time since Pete Carroll wandered the sidelines in LA, Trojans feel like they have a chance to be awesome again. If they drop Caleb Williams off the transfer portal, they could immediately fight in Pac-12 in Riley’s first year.

Record 2021: 7-6

Tennessee seems to have some stability as Josh Heupel’s head coach. The Vols made an explosive attack and scored an average of almost 40 points per match. In addition, they received good news when quarterback Hendon Hooker announced his return for the sixth year.

Record 2021: 13-1

The Cinderella Cincinnati Bearcats don’t seem to be slowing down soon under Luke Fickell. Does anyone predict they will go to the playoffs? No, as the 22nd place in this Way-Too-Early Top 25 listing shows, but Fickell has built a consistent winner with an attitude they can have with anyone.

The most significant compensable loss will come to corner defender “Sauce” Gardner, who may be the defensive number one in the 2022 NFL draft.

Record 2021: 12-2

Houston coach Dana Holgorsen saw the seat warm up slightly at the start of the 2021 season, but it cooled significantly with 12 wins. When Clayton Tune returned to QB, Houston could become a team to win the AAC.

Record 2021: 7-5

Mario Cristobal brings energy and excitement to his alma mater who desperately wants to get back into the national debate. The good news for Cristobal is that he inherits one of the best young QB in college football in Tyler Van Dyke, which should get Miami to compete in the Coastal Division in Marion’s first year.

Miami has also been an attractive destination for Transfer Portal players for years; The Canes could rise in this Way-Too-Early Top 25 depending on who they add from now on.

Record 2021: 10-3

Lane Kiffin has made Ole Miss the coolest item. Unfortunately, the rebels are losing QB to Matt Corral, but the good news for Hotty Toddy is that they got second place Zach Evans out of the portal, which should be considered a powerful attack on The Grove.

Receiving votes

Listed in alphabetical order

Air Force, Auburn, Coastal Carolina, Fresno State, Iowa State, Kentucky, LSU, NC State, Pitt, Texas, Utah State.

Mitch Harper is the host of the BYU Insider and Cougar Tracks podcast on KSLsports.com (SPACE) and Cougar Sports on Saturday (Saturday 12-15) at KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.

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