The time for great rejoicing is here for college football. While the games in Week 0 have served as an appetizer, the official start of the college football season comes with a full schedule on Week 1.
And the main course is about as good as you could script: No. 2 Ohio State hosting No. 5 Notre Dame. It’s a matchup of two of the sport’s elite programs that have won a multitude of national championships and featured a slew of Heisman Trophy winners. As an added element, former Buckeyes player Marcus Freeman returns to Columbus for he start of his first full season as coach of the Fighting Irish.
No. 3 Georgia and No. 12 Oregon face off in Atlanta in the other major matchup. This game has a similar story line as former Bulldogs defense coordinator Dan Lanning is now the coach of the Ducks. It’s a big opportunity for Oregon to plant a flag for the Pac-12, while the Bulldogs hope to start their title defense on the right foot.
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No. 22 Cincinnati and No. 23 Arkansas and is the other ranked showdown of the weekend. The Razorbacks want to build on their nine-win season last year. But the Bearcats have other ideas following a run to the College Football Playoff.
It’s sure to be an exciting weekend of action. A look at our Week 1 predictions.
Week 1 college football bold predictions
Scooby Axson
The season of chalk begins in earnest and since the schedule is filled with questionable matchups across the board, here is something that really isn’t bold. Upsets are what fuels college football, but not a single Top 25 team will lose this weekend to an unranked opponent. There will also be no FCS vs. FBS upsets.
Jace Evans
Florida will pull off the first major upset of the 2022 season in taking down No. 8 Utah. Little is expected of the Gators this year – too little, in my opinion. This is still Florida, and there’s still plenty of talent here for Billy Napier to work with in his first season. Quarterback Anthony Richardson could become a star in the SEC, and this game may serve as his breakout. Plus, Florida will have a major home-field advantage – “The Swamp” in early September just sounds unpleasant.
Paul Myerberg
Cincinnati upsets Arkansas on the road to reclaim front-runner status…