Student football continues, with the first full week of games starting Thursday.
Who will be in the College Football Playoff? Which teams will surprise the nation? Will Bryce Young be able to defend his Heisman Trophy? This is one of the many hot questions this fall.
With that in mind, FOX college football analyst Joel Klatt offered his current Top 10 as well as sleeper teams for the 2022 season on the latest episode of “Breaking the Hustle.”
Alabama and Ohio State lead Joel Klatt’s top 10 preseason games
Joel Klatt presents his preseason top 10 teams as well as sleeper teams for the 2022 college football season.
1. Alabama
Klatt’s Thoughts: “I think Bama, what they bring back with their quarterback, Bryce Young and Will Anderson, is going to be very difficult for everybody else to overcome.”
2. Ohio State
Klatt’s Thoughts: “Ohio State, we know their issues: It’s on the defensive side. It’s probably the best offense in college football.”
[How Jaxon Smith-Njigba became Ohio State’s next great receiver]
3. Georgia
Klatt’s Thoughts: “Georgia is obviously replacing all those great defensive players, but they still have 14 five-stars on their roster.”
4. Clemson
Klatt’s Thoughts: “Clemson, replacement [both] coordinators, it’s obviously a big deal.”
5. Utah
Klatt’s Thoughts: “Utah and Kyle Whittingham have created something really special. Remember Cameron Rising when he was their starting quarterback, they were great late last year and really made a run. I love Utah. I have them No. 5. I think they are the class of the Pac-12 and can make the playoffs for the first time in the conference in quite a while.”
6. Michigan
Klatt’s Thoughts: “In my opinion, I think this might be the second, third best offense in all of college football. They are going to trade quarterbacks early in the year. JJ McCarthy and Cade McNamara, each of them will start in the first two weeks, but they have weapons around them.”
7. Notre Dame
Klatt’s Thoughts: “Notre Dame is a really quality team. I thought they exceeded expectations last year. They’re going to be better at the line of scrimmage. I like what Notre Dame is bringing back.”
[Week 1 lookahead: Who is feeling the pressure?]
8. Texas A&M
Klatt’s Thoughts: “What a class they had recruiting. Clearly, they will have to improve, especially in SEC play. Last year, 4-4 in SEC. They’ve got to get better there, their quarterback play as it relates to interceptions and turnovers.”
9. North Carolina State
Klatt’s Thoughts: “North Carolina State has quietly built something very good. Dave Doren, their head coach, has been great. Devin Leary, their quarterback, is back. They have 10 starters back on a defense that was the second-ranked defense in the ACC, so North Carolina State must be really good.”
10. USC
Klatt’s Thoughts: “USC will be good offensively. We know that. The question is, what are they like defensively? Remember, they gave up 37 points per game in the Pac-12 last year. Their defense was tough. the reason they went 1-6 in their last seven. They’ve got to fix their defense and they’ve got to fix the line of scrimmage.”
Klatt’s Bedroom Teams: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin
Klatt likes the trio of Big Ten West teams, but the Golden Gophers’ favorable schedule and returning players pique his interest the most.
Klatt’s thoughts on Minnesota: “They’re avoiding both big guys, Michigan and Ohio State. They have Tanner Morgan back, their quarterback. Kirk Chiarocca is back, their offensive coordinator who Morgan had a great year with a couple of years ago. They brought back Mo Ibrahim, their running back who tore his Achilles against Ohio State in that first game last year. If you remember him shredding Ohio State’s defense in that first half…
“If there’s a sleeper team going from unranked to potentially top 10 or thereabouts, look for Minnesota to row that boat with PJ Fleck.”
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