College football season—wait, take a deep breath—is back.
For the next four months, we'll spend our Saturdays virtually welcoming 131 Football Bowl Subdivision teams (and occasional lower-division visitors) into our homes. Once in a while, you and I may personally travel into their environments too.
The tailgates, the sun-soaked games in the South, the brisk afternoons in the Midwest and early mornings in the West—they're no longer on the horizon. It's all here.
And it's time to chase a national title.
Every week, B/R's panel of experts will provide picks and more. Your crew for 2022 is Max Escarpio, David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Kerry Miller, Morgan Moriarty and Brad Shepard.
In this preseason edition, we're looking at storylines, sleeper teams, Heisman Trophy candidates, the College Football Playoff and more.
What's Your Favorite Storyline for 2022?
Morgan Moriarty
I can't wait to see which transfer-portal moves have the biggest on-field impact.
Schools that made the biggest splashes in the portal include Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, Ole Miss and Texas.
Alabama is always a playoff contender. But a player such as Georgia Tech transfer running back Jahmyr Gibbs can elevate the Alabama offense to new heights in 2022.
Oklahoma is beginning a new era under head coach Brent Venables; can UCF transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel lead the Sooners to a playoff berth? Lincoln Riley brought a ton of talent with him to USC from Oklahoma, including quarterback Caleb Williams. Is it enough to help the Trojans navigate a tough schedule?
Ole Miss and Texas have outside shots to contend. Still, both teams landed big names from the portal, including Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (from USC) and running back Zach Evans (from TCU) and Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (from Ohio State).
David Kenyon
From the 2017 season through 2020, the national hierarchy stayed overwhelmingly consistent.
Clemson (ACC), Ohio State (Big Ten) and Oklahoma (Big 12) won their respective conference each year. Alabama (SEC) and Oregon (Pac-12) both earned two league titles, and Alabama made the CFP in another one of those years too.
Overall, the quintet of Bama, Clemson, independent/ACC Notre Dame, Ohio State and OU combined for 14 of the 16 CFP qualifiers in that four-year stretch.
But the 2021 season brought a power shift. Pitt claimed the ACC, while Michigan ascended in the Big Ten and Baylor took the Big 12. Utah finally broke through in the Pac-12, as well.
Will the changing of the championship guard be temporary? Will the traditional powers—namely Clemson, Ohio State and OU—regain their place? Or can an NC State or Miami or Wisconsin, Iowa, Oklahoma State, etc., create a trend?