This is the best time of the year as the college football season is here. As per the usual, the season technically kicked off last weekend, week zero, with a few games. The reason really gets going, in full swing this week with some big matchups this weekend. This opening weekend will set the tone for some teams, in what should be another fantastic college football season.

Last season saw history be made with the Cincinnati Bearcats becoming the first non-power 5 conference team to make the college football playoff. Every college football season provides some great games and with that, it will also give us heartbreak. One thing is certain, college football gives us moments of absolute brilliance and some of the most exciting moments in sports. Will we see another outsider crash the playoff? Will the Georgia Bulldogs once again reign supreme? What teams will overcome adversity to become the top team at the very end? Those are just some of the questions that will be answered as the college football season plays out. With the season about to head into full swing, we here at Impact Sports have come up with our preseason top 10, Heisman hopefulls and our four playoff teams, as we look ahead as to what to expect this season in college football.

Impact Sports Preseason Top 10:

  1. Ohio State
  2. Alabama
  3. Georgia
  4. Clemson
  5. Notre Dame
  6. Texas A&M
  7. Utah
  8. Oklahoma
  9. Michigan
  10. Baylor

Conference Champions:

ACC: Clemson
American: Cincinnati
Big Ten: Ohio State
Big 12: Oklahoma
Conference USA: UTSA
MAC: Miami
Mountain West: Fresno State
Pac-12: Utah
SEC: Alabama
Sun Belt: Coastal Carolina

The conference championship race is one to watch as the season plays out. With the exception of the ACC and Big Ten, the other eight conferences are up for grabs. Clemson and Ohio State should capture their respective conference championships. Houston and Cincinnati should battle it out in the American but the experience of Luke Fickell gives the Bearcats the advantage. In the Big 12, Oklahoma will have to fend off Baylor and Oklahoma State. The key factor will be how the loss of Lincoln Riley will affect the Sooners. Central Florida transfer Dillon Gabriel is the new man at quarterback for the Sooners. Can Gabriel be the man to lead the Sooners to another Big 12 title? Conference USA and the MAC will have multiple teams going after the crown. Texas San Antonio (UTSA) and Alabama-Birmingham will look to capture Conference USA. The MAC is a conference that is known to be an absolute pain in the neck of the Power 5 teams. This year, Chuck Martin and Redhawks will have to look out for Northern Illinois, Toledo and Kent State. The Redhawks have a good amount of experience returning and are expected to be the class of the MAC.

The Mountain West is a conference that is full of intrigue. Boise State will battle it out with Air Force for the Mountain division. In the West division, Fresno State and San Diego State will be the teams looking to book a spot in the title game. Fresno State returns with a well-known coach at the helm, Jeff Tedford. Tedford brings a wealth of experience and will be the reason the Bulldogs capture the Mountain West. Staying out west, the Pac-12 will be intriguing all season. With Lincoln Riley now at USC, the Trojans will be looking to return to national prominence. Coming off a Pac-12 title last year, the Utah Utes will come into this season as the favorites to repeat. The Oregon Ducks will be their hottest contender. The USC Trojans are not to be overlooked either and could cause Utah some problems. In the Sun Belt, Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall, is not only a Heisman sleeper, he is the guy who will help lead the Chanticleers to a Sun Belt championship. It won’t be easy though. Appalachian State and Georgia State will be contenders. The Sun Belt is a sneaky conference and could be one of the top conferences in the country this year.

Another year, another preseason poll loaded with the usual suspects. Once again, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide head into the season as one of the teams to beat after coming off a playoff final appearance. Saban and his crew have dominated the college football landscape and the SEC. This season could be much of the same. However, the defending national champions, Georgia Bulldogs, will look to make life hell for Saban. Georgia knocked off Alabama in the national championship game so revenge will be in the mind of the Crimson Tide. With these two premier teams battling it out for SEC supremacy, which titan will come out on top? In the Big Ten, Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes will have something to say about the SEC domination. Ohio State returns 13 starters from last season and are expected to once again capture the Big Ten Conference. The Michigan Wolverines won their first Big Ten championship game last season and come into this season ranked in the top 10. Do Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines have enough to once again knock off Ohio State and repeat as Big Ten champions?

Heisman hopefuls:

  1. C.J. Stroud (QB – Ohio State)
  2. Caleb Williams (QB – Southern Cal)
  3. Bryce Young (QB- Alabama)
  4. Bijan Robinson (RB – Texas)

The Heisman race is always fun to watch play out during the season. A bad came can be enough to unravel the hopes of a Heisman for some players. This year, the quarterbacks will run the show. With Ohio State and Alabama being the top two teams, their respective quarterbacks will reap the benefits in the Heisman picture. C.J. Stroud will look to continue his impressive showing at Ohio State, while Bryce Young will look to do the same in Tuscaloosa for the Crimson Tide. Oklahoma transfer Caleb Williams, followed his coach, Lincoln Riley to Southern California and will have an impressive season at quarterback for the Trojans. Bijan Robinson was a big name early last season for the Texas Longhorns, before falling off. This year, look for Robinson to have a solid season, culminating with a trip to New York.

Coach of the Year:

  1. Ryan Day (Ohio State)
  2. Kirby Smart (Georgia)
  3. Lincoln Riley (Southern Cal)
  4. Nick Saban (Alabama)

College Football Playoff:

  1. Ohio State
  2. Alabama
  3. Georgia
  4. Utah

Championship prediction: Ohio State over Alabama for National Championship

The college football playoff will once again be intriguing to see play out. The Cincinnati Bearcats crashed the party last year becoming the first non Power 5 team to make the playoff. This year doesn’t appear to have that situation in play. There just simply isn’t a team outside of the Power 5 that is will make a run at the playoff. Three of the four spots are all but guaranteed, with the fourth and final spot being up for grabs. Utah, Clemson and Oklahoma all look to be teams fighting to make that final spot. The Pac 12 will be of higher quality than the ACC and Big 12 this season. If Utah can navigate the Pac 12 safely, they should be the last team to make the playoff. Ohio State being the team to beat, will be the ones at the very end standing tall.

Week 1 Key Games: (All times EST)

9/1/22 – West Virginia @ #17 Pitt – 7:00 PM (ESPN)
9/3/22 – Colorado State @ #8 Michigan – 12:00 PM (ABC)
9/3/22 – #11 Oregon @ #3 Georgia – 3:30 PM (ABC)
9/3/22 – #23 Cincinnati @ #19 Arkansas – 3:30 PM (ESPN)
9/3/22 – #7 Utah @ Florida – 7:00 PM (ESPN)
9/3/22 – #5 Notre Dame @ #2 Ohio State – 7:30 PM (ABC)

The college football season is an absolute gong show to try and navigate. This year will be no different. This first true week will see some massive games on the schedule and ones that could take out top teams early. This week features three matchups where both teams are ranked. The midafternoon slate features Oregon and Georgia battling it out along with the Cincinnati Bearcats traveling down to SEC country to face the Arkansas Razorbacks. The amazing day ends with a top five battle as Notre Dame travels to Columbus to face the Buckeyes. A loss for some of these teams can take them out of the running for the playoff or at the very least, make things incredibly difficult for them to get back into it. The teams that can survive the early season upset, will hopefully ride their momentum into the bowl season. As with every year, sit back and buckle up because it is going to be a fun ride.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter   and

https://anchor.fm/chris-asbrock

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