[2022] Pre-Season Poll by TuscanSota

**TuscanSota** · June 14, 2022

Hey All,

Here are my thoughts on which teams I think are the top 25 heading into the 2022 CFB season:

Rank	Team	Coach	Description
1	Alabama	@thatfunk	The best looking team on paper heading into the season; coming off of an 11 win season, the Tide bring back most of their talent and are supposed to have one of the best offenses this year. With former Ohio State head coach heading the team, this is the team to beat.
2	Kentucky	@rabidsnowman	The team is going to have to look past Rashaan Lyons; fortunately the Wildcats have Michael Oliveros, the redshirt freshman to look to at QB. This team is in reloading; and with the team having gone far in the last year's playoffs, I expect a repeat and potentially a national championship.
3	California	@believer	Another preseason favorite, the Golden Bears defense looks more terrifying than last season. Should they pass the Pac 12 Gauntlet, the Bears should be able to finally win the Pac 12 and secure a playoff berth.
4	Wake Forest	AI	Apart from a questionable special teams squad, the Demon Deacons look very good on paper; they have one of the best secondaries in the league; along with a linebacker tandem with of Kenny Daniel and Khris Davis which should shut down any play coming through the middle of the field.
5	Notre Dame	@Coach123	Notre Dame has their first ever coach and looks to succeed past last year's 7-5 season. Expectations are high for the Fighting Irish. The team has one of the best WR core in seniors Danny Maronde, Sophomore Josh Gaudin and Junior Nick Joseph-Day; Sophomore QB Izaah Plawecki will have plenty of support for the Irish to tear through opposing team's secondaries. The Irish will need to win two crucial road games at Pittsburgh and Central Michigan, along with a home-game against Oklahoma should they be eligible for the Playoffs. Much to look forward to with this team.
6	Central Michigan	AI	Despite no coach, Central Michigan has one of the best defenses in the league. The Chips are expected to win the MAC, although formidable teams such as Western Michigan, Ohio and Northern Illinois will make this a tough year for them.
7	Oklahoma	AI	The Sooners have perhaps the best defensive line in the country with seniors DE Kyle Wilson and DT Deontez Thomas; with sophomore DE Omarius Beasley stepping up, the Sooners will be out for revenge this season for the Big 12. To start the season, Oklahoma will need to prove themselves against Kentucky, TCU, and Notre Dame. The Sooners do have a home advantage against Baylor; but this will be perhaps the toughest schedule on paper for any team looking to win the playoffs.
8	Wisconsin	@kwheele	With Jamzz stepping down and Kwheele taking the reigns of the program the Badgers have the best odds for winning the Big 10 and becoming eligible for the playoffs. Their toughest road game is Ohio State in week 5; but should the Badgers pass that, the Big 10 West is theirs to lose.
9	Houston	@mahrowkeen	Coach Mahrowkeen has been slowly building up the Cougars into a formidable program with one of the best recruiting classes from last season. Senior QB Devonta Doyle will be the go-to player on offense, and should be more than ready to lead the Cougars with a formidable schedule including a road match against San Diego State, a home game with Texas A&M and a favorable end-of-season game against the National Champion Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
10	Baylor	@Vivid	The Age of Evan Cooper is over, the time for Travis Knebel has come. The Bears lucked out with a loss to UNT in the Playoffs; but despite this, the Bears have plenty of reason to make a return. Travis Knebel already looks like one of the best QBs in the league and will be a favorite to watch in the Big 12. Baylor has a couple of repeat OOC games this year with an early matchup with a Ryan-Johnson-less Texas State and a visit to Pullman against... me?
11	Rutgers	AI	Rutgers wants revenge. After losing in the Big 10 Championship game last season, the Scarlet Knights are packed and ready to rebound. Star Runningback Jeff Holley should be formidable this season and will be a problem for Big 10 defenses this season. The biggest games this season should be a home game with San Diego State in Week 0, a Road Game against the Buckeyes in Week 6, and the Week 13 matchup against Penn State.
12	Ohio State	AI	After losing their coach to Alabama, Ohio State's lock-in as the Big 10 East contender is a toss-up. The Buckeyes still have plenty of talent to make them contenders such as duo RBs Doug Brothers and Wayne Hughes; and the Buckeyes still have a favorable schedule with big matchups to Wisconsin and Rutgers at home. The only thing that will make or break the team this year will be if the Buckeyes can rally with the loss of leadership from the program.
13	Virginia	@Wahoo	Outside of the AI-led Wake Forest, the Cavaliers are my go-to team for the ACC this year. Virginia has one of the nation's best QBs in Corey Johnson, and what some project to be one of the most reliable TEs this season in Ramik Phelps. They have a very favorabel schedule and don't even face against the Demon Deacons in the regular season; which I'm projecting they will for the ACC Conference Championship. Biggest games this season should be against Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech.
14	Texas State	AI	The Bobcats no longer have Ryan Johnson to rely on, but that won't stop the Bobcats from making the playoffs this season. QB Justin DeShields is returning for his senior year and looks to be one of the best QBs in the Sunbelt, and a defensive secondary with Darqueze Basile will make receiving matchups difficult for opponents. Should the Bobcats survive a home game with Baylor and BYU and road games with Duke and TCU, we should see Texas State making a return to the playoffs.
15	Florida State	@Kirby	Some say hangover, some say rebuild. Either way, the Seminoles will be looking past both their National Championship loss and the graduation (and fall) of Matt Howard to find their future. Noles fans are big on Redshirt Sophomore Clayton McGee, while some are saying this team will need to rely on its defense to stay in games this season. Either way, the Noles will have a difficult season ahead with road games against UCLA and Tennessee to start, along with Michigan visiting Tallahassee. The conference schedule is favorable for the Seminoles with ACC contenders Boston College, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech all visiting the Seminoles this year. A back-to-back ACC championship is possible, but the Seminoles need to find their identity past Matt Howard.
16	UCLA	@Jmjacobs	UCLA should have the best offense in the Pac 12 this season, and there's plenty of reason as to why. QB Hiram Maronde returns as the starter, and will have plenty of help with Sr WR Andrew Jones and Sr RB Dan Garcia. Even more, the Offensive line looks to have made great improvements. The Bruins went big in recruiting last season and grabbed one of the best Ball Hawks in the league, Brad Crow. Bruins fans are already circling him as a starter, one which will be crucial for the Bruin's defensive backfield. Bruins should take the Pac 12 South, and are a dark horse for the Pac 12 Championship this year IMO.
17	Pittsburgh	AI	If Pittsburgh had a Coach that wasn't Skynet, this would be the year for Panther fans. You've got a talented QB in Korey Gonzalez and some of the best safeties in the ACC. Overall, Pittsburgh looks good on paper. Despite the 7-6 record last season, Pittsburgh looks to be one of the top contenders in a crowded ACC.
18	Oklahoma State	AI	Like the Buckeyes, Oklahoma State has an identity crisis after losing their coach to Wisconsin. The Cowboys will have one of the best defenses in the Big 12; but will need to find an identity on offense quick in order to compete in the Big 12.
19	Kansas	@Bundy	The Jayhawks may have went 5-7 last season. At a closer glance, the team won some very close matchups at the start of last season. When the Texas game came around, the Jayhawks struggled against most of their remaining matchups. This season, the Jayhawks have one of the best offensive lines in the Big 12, and should this team keep matchups close, the Jayhawks may be favored into a Big 12 championship. Jayhawks fans should be high on both their offense and their schedule as it appears to be favorable with key matchups against Texas, TCU, and Missouri at home.
20	Tulsa	@acewulf	The Golden Hurricane have won the national championship; and with the next season closing in, Tulsa will need to identify it's offense quick. Many of the teams starters have graduated but there are a couple of new faces who have finished their redshirts, who will be key roleplayers in getting Tulsa back to that Natty. Road games to Oklahoma, Wake Forest, Houston, Temple, and Alabama will make this very difficult for Tulsa; but should they survive it, the playoffs shouldn't be out of the question.
21	Temple	@SandyToez	New coach, new identity. With new leadership, the Owls look to improve on their 9-5 record this season. Key matchups to look for will home games against Pittsburgh, Tulsa, and SMU; with road games being against Houston and Tulane. Temple has plenty of depth all around save for their defensive line, making this team one of the strongest in the AAC outside of Houston.
22	Western Kentucky	AI	Western Kentucky looks good on paper, but that did not translate last season with their 3-9 record. There's not really a positive to take away from 2021 other than many of their closest games were losses. If the Hilltoppers can overcome this weakness, Western Kentucky should be the favorite for Conference USA. The team is rife with talent; all it needs is some luck.
23	Oregon State	AI	Dekoda Link has graduated, and Oregon State may have something left in the tank. The Beavers went 8-5, which was under expectations last season. The Beavers will need to identify their offensive identiy quick. Yefry Carter is supposedly the favorite to be the QB this season, but he's not Dekota. Oregon State's biggest strength will be their defense, which will be needed in key matchups with Stanford, Utah, and at home against California and Washington State.
24	TCU	AI	The Horned Frogs lost plenty of starters to the NFL draft and are essentially reloading this season. QB Andrew Solano will be the go-to for the team with Luke Trahan gone, and with WR tandem Oren Colon and Anthony Danks, the Horned Frogs should be expected to run the Air Raid this season. Defense is still strong with sr DE Chris Whalen and Sophomore ILB Travis Cravens. The Horned Frogs will need to develop cohesion with their offense and defense, fast; their matchup against SMU will be key, along with home games against Texas State and Oklahoma. Their toughest game on schedule should be the season-finisher against Baylor in Waco.
25	SMU	@VerifiedThing	In what was a rebuilding year, SMU went 7-6 with a Bowl Win against BYU. On Paper, the Mustangs have one of the best offensive lines in the AAC and will be tough to face for offenses. They do have favorable games in their schedule with a home game against TCU, but a slough of road matches with New Mexico, Houston, Georgia, and Temple. The Mustangs should improve from their 7-6 record this season, and is certainly within reach.