Earliest Test for College Football's Top Contenders in 2022 Season

Even though September arrives first, most preseason talk discusses what might happen toward the end of college football's regular season.

Who wins each conference? Which programs make the College Football Playoff? Who brings home the national title, and will they be undefeated when it happens?

But that opening month often has a marquee opponent that kickstarts a successful campaign. Knock off that program, and the foundation is officially laid for a championship charge. On the other hand, a loss can substantially complicate that pursuit.

The eight teams highlighted each hold national title odds of +4000 or shorter on DraftKings. Other upsets can happen, but one matchup stands out as the first seemingly major test for these top contenders.

Title Odds: +4000

Perhaps the kindest introduction to the 2022 campaign belongs to Michigan. Each of the Wolverines' four September games is at home, and none of Colorado State, Hawaii or UConn figure to truly compete with the Maize and Blue.

Maryland could on Sept. 24 if its offense excels immediately, but we'll delay the pick until the ensuing Saturday.

Iowa City, after all, hasn't been kind to U-M.

Sure, the sample size extends well beyond the current personnel's time in college. But the Michigan program has dropped four straight games at Kinnick Stadium.

The good news is Michigan steamrolled Iowa 42-3 in last season's Big Ten Championship Game. The bad news is the Hawkeyes haven't finished worse than 5-2 at home since 2016—yet they upset Michigan that season anyway—and the 2022 squad projects to have a top-tier defense.

This matchup will be much tougher than the lopsided tilt in Indianapolis.

Title Odds: +4000

Oklahoma should have a favorable start to Brent Venables' tenure. No reasonable person will argue either UTEP or Kent State is more talented than the Sooners.

As always, mark a disclaimer that weird stuff happens; Tulane took OU to the wire in last year's opener. But the main concern for Oklahoma is a Sept. 17 trip to Nebraska, which fell only 23-16 in Norman last season and also stayed within one score of four ranked Big Ten opponents.

And more importantly, the Huskers have Casey Thompson.

The transfer from Texas is expected to start for Nebraska, and he brings some serious experience to Scott Frost's offense. Thompson threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns against the Sooners in 2021.

It's a safe bet OU won't be overlooking the Huskers this season, even as recent nemesis Kansas State awaits the following week.

Title Odds: +2500

Sam Houston is a successful FCS team on the brink of joining the FBS. The program is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Appalachian State, which made a successful transition to the highest level in 2014. Texas A&M opens the campaign at home against that duo.

But a hyped A&M defense gets a shot at Miami in Week 3.

Led by potential early NFL draft pick Tyler Van Dyke, the 'Canes travel to College Station on Sept. 17. Although the receiving corps is a question mark, Van Dyke merits a ton of respect after throwing for 2,931 yards and 25 touchdowns to six interceptions in just nine starts last season.

Texas A&M has home-field advantage—and the atmosphere should be wild for the 9 p.m. ET kick—but new Miami coach Mario Cristobal should bring a highly competitive team to town.

Title Odds: +2500

Lincoln Riley has a friendly debut with the Trojans, hosting Rice on the first weekend of September. The pressure ramps up a fair amount the next Saturday, though.

USC heads to Stanford, which has reason for optimism after disappointing full seasons in 2019 (4-8) and 2021 (3-9). Stanford, if you count Big 12-bound BYU, only trails one power-conference team in returning production, per ESPN's Bill Connelly.

While experience doesn't guarantee progress, it's usually beneficial.

Riley used the transfer portal to reshape the USC roster, so a direct comparison is unwise. Still, the Cardinal knocked off the Trojans 42-28 last season.

The prime-time kick on Sept. 10 will be a decent measuring stick for the start of Riley's first season.

Title Odds: +1000

Clemson opens the season against Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Don't fly past the Yellow Jackets, considering they only lost 14-8 at Clemson last season. Still, recent history has otherwise leaned heavily in the Tigers' favor, as they've won seven games in a row against their ACC rival.

Next for Clemson will be Furman and Louisiana Tech, two programs that—in theory—won't put together 60-minute battles. After that favorable stretch, Dabo Swinney's side travels to 2021 breakout team Wake Forest for a critical conference game on Sept. 24.

Clemson won last season's tilt 48-27, putting near-relentless pressure on star quarterback Sam Hartman and tallying seven sacks. The defense is expected to be excellent once again.

However, the Demon Deacons will be at home and should have a few more answers to Clemson's disruption.

Title Odds: +400

Finally, an opener makes the cut.

The first stop on Georgia's title defense tour includes a Sept. 3 clash with former defensive coordinator Dan Lanning. This offseason, he left Athens to become the head coach at Oregon.

Lanning navigated the highs and lows of the transfer portal, losing a few notable contributors but adding a handful of impact players—including former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix. But the Oregon boss also inherited an experienced group on both sides of the trenches that largely remains intact for 2022.

To be clear, Georgia is and will be a heavy favorite for the showdown. Take on any power-conference favorite, though, and it certainly qualifies as a major test.

Title Odds: +300

Ohio State sees Georgia's date with Oregon and raises the reigning champs a showdown with Notre Dame.

In the preseason Coaches Poll, the Buckeyes checked in second nationally with the Irish at No. 5. Even if the AP ranking is slightly different, the point is unchanged: This is the big game in Week 1.

Offense should not be an issue for Ohio State, which returns Heisman Trophy finalist C.J. Stroud, freshman star Tre'Veyon Henderson and All-American wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has star edge-rusher Isaiah Foskey and Northwestern transfer Brandon Joseph, an All-American safety two years ago.

Both units will be shaking the offseason rust, but it's a stellar duel to open the season.

Title Odds: +175

Given that Utah State is the reigning Mountain West champion, it'd be disrespectful to say the Aggies are an easy introduction to the 2022 campaign for Alabama.

This conversation isn't difficult, though. The following weekend, Sept. 10, the Crimson Tide travel to Texas.

Without question, it's a larger test for the Longhorns. They're attempting to move past a 5-7 record in Steve Sarkisian's debut season after he arrived from the Alabama staff. Vaunted transfer Quinn Ewers could be making his first career start as a college quarterback, too.

Nevertheless, the preseason favorite is once again Alabama. This journey to Austin will merely be the first time the Crimson Tide need to endure a noisy environment against a talent-filled roster to win that championship.

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