Well ladies and gentlemen, it is almost that time of year again and I know you can’t wait. That’s right, I am talking about the return of college football. With all of the craziness that has happened with conference realignment and the insane number of coaching changes, this should be a really fun and action filled season. Let’s take a look at my list of the top ten most anticipated CFB matchups in 2022.

  1. USC @ Utah, October 15
Utah v USC
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This week seven match is really intriguing to me because If USC’s new head coach, Lincoln Riley, wants to get his Trojans to a Pac 12 title game, they are going to have go through Utah to do it. There is a lot of hype surrounding USC with a new coach at the helm and one best quarterback transfers in college in Caleb Williams.

Utah is going to be a tough veteran squad with their quarterback and leader returning in Cam Rising. This is a Utah team that has come on strong in the last five years and captured the Pac 12 title last season. They played a very talented Ohio State team tough in the Rose Bowl and are favored to repeat as Champions. If both teams can remain undefeated or even come in with just one loss, then this should be a very pivotal Pac 12 Matchup.

  1. Penn State @ Auburn, September 17
Auburn v Penn State
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This game is going to be a rematch of last year when Penn State defeated Auburn in Happy Valley with a score of 28-20. Auburn still has a choice to make at quarter with TJ Finley returning and Zach Calzada transferring from Texas A&M.

Many think that Sean Clifford will get the start again this season as he is the returning fourth year signal caller. He got Penn State off to hot start last year before going on losing streak. There was a lot of chirping going on in this game last year and expect the same this year.

  1. Noter Dame @ USC, November 26
USC v Notre Dame
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This has become one of college footballs on and off again rivalries with two schools not playing every year, but this will be the 90th meeting between the two teams. Noter Dame comes into this match up winning their last four meetings against USC and defeating the Trojans last year with a score of 31-16. This is exciting to me because you have two new coaches with Lincoln Riley for USC and Marcus Freeman of Noter Dame. This is a game that is normally intense and fun to watch and I expect the same for this year. Should be a pivotal game for both teams.

  1. Texas A&M @ Alabama, October 8
Alabama v Texas A&M
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This is going to be a fun one with a lot of trash talking going on. We all know what happen last season when the top ranked Tide went into Kyle Field and was handed an upset by the Aggies. The tensions for this game are even higher due to the recent smack talk between head coaches Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher. The coaches went at each other in regards to recruiting players with money. Fisher went on a rant an even called Saban a narcissist. Both coaches are going to play it off as if that won’t add fuel to the fire, but we all know it will.

  1. Florida State V LSU, September 4
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This one going to be huge for Tiger fans because it’s going to be Brian Kelly’s debut with the Tigers. With questions at quarterback, the tigers are going to see a different face from last season with Max Johnson transferring to Texas A&M. Mike Norvell, Florida States head coach, has made it clear that Jordan Travis will be the starter for the Seminoles after splitting time the last two seasons. This should be highly anticipated game for both programs as they are both trying to make this season a turnaround year. Whoever wins this game will gain a lot of momentum for the season ahead. Expect a loud and packed Super Dome.

  1. Utah @ Florida, September 3
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl - UCF v Florida
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This is going to be a huge matchup in college football’s opening weekend for multiple reasons. The Gators are trying turn their program around as Billy Napier will make his Florida debut in the swamp. Napier has received a lot of criticism for recruiting in his short time at Florida and already has a lot of doubters. He is going to have to prove them wrong quickly as they go against a veteran Utah team who is favored to repeat as Pac 12 Champions. This is going to be the second ever meeting between the two programs with the last one coming back in 1977. This should be a fun and physical battle in the Swamp, I can’t wait.

  1. Miami @ Texas A&M, September 17
Virginia Tech v Miami
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This going to be a highly anticipated top ten matchup between two teams that have a little too much hype around them in my opinion. This game might tell us if the hype surrounding them is real or not. Miami is looking brand new with Mario Cristobal set to go into his first season as head coach of the Hurricanes. His quarterback, Tyler Van Dyke, is getting a lot of attention as he was ranked in the pre-season top ten college quarterbacks list. This will be a test for Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies at Kyle Field. This will be the fourth ever meeting between the two teams and should be a big game.

  1. Noter Dame @ Ohio State, September 3
Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One Venture X - Ohio State v Utah
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This will be the first time we see Marcus Freeman take the field as the head Coach of the Fighting Irish. Freeman has talked a lot about this match up, so don’t be surprised if you see tempers flaring before and during the game. Ohio State comes in the season as one of the favorites to reach the playoff. They also return Heisman Finalist, C.J. Stroud and highly touted receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. This is going to be very pivotal match up with the winner having a really good chance a creating a path to the playoff for themselves.

  1. Georgia V Oregon, September 3
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This game will take place in Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta Georgia. This is going to be the second ever meeting between the two programs. This will be a show down between a coach and his disciple. Oregon’s new head coach, Dan Lanning, will make his debut with the Ducks against his former boss in Kirby Smart. The Dawgs are hot off of a national title and are even favored to return to the playoff again. This will be a physical match up as both teams come in with highly respected defenses.

1. Alabama @ Texas, September 10

Kansas v Texas
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This my top game on this list because I'm tired of hearing how Texas is back. Well guess what Longhorn fans, you have a chance to prove it to the nation. There will definitely be a lot of smack talk between the teams, so expect a physical and chippie game. Bama brings back Heisman winner Bryce Young along with who many consider to be the best player in the country in Will Anderson. Texas has some top talent of their own with their stud third year running back, Bijan Robinson, and former Five-star QB Quinn Ewers. A lot of eyes will be on this game, including mine.

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