Much of the conversation in the college football season has revolved around realignment, collectives and TV contracts – all topics that have questioned what is to become of the future of the sport.
Once the 2022 season starts, however, we can put that on the shelf.
Let’s talk about the games. There are great Week 1 games, rivalry games, conference and nonconference games and top-five showdowns to look forward to this season.
MORE: SN’s 2022 Preseason All-America Team
These are the regular-season games (not including conference championship games) that we are looking forward to most with Week 1 (and Week 0!) fast approaching. Here are 11 games that match that description:
Best Week 1 game
Notre Dame at Ohio State (Sept. 3)
Should Notre Dame go to the Big Ten? Wait until you see the TV ratings on this one for confirmation. The Buckeyes are heavy favorites with an offense led by Heisman Trophy front-runner C.J. Stroud. Former Ohio State linebacker Marcus Freeman will be coaching in his first regular-season game for the Irish. These schools have met just six times, and the Buckeyes swept the last regular-season home-and-home in 1995-96. A new generation of fans from both sides will get to experience that intensity in prime-time.
MORE: Could Ohio State have the best offense of all-time?
Best Week 2 game
Alabama at Texas (Sept. 10)
Big Noon Kickoff in Austin. Texas gets the spotlight under second-year coach Steve Sarkisian, the former offensive coordinator for Nick Saban at Alabama. Quinn Ewers will be the focus if he wins the starting job. Can the Longhorns high-powered offense make it a four-quarter game against Alabama – which features Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and All-American linebacker Will Anderson? These teams haven’t met in the regular season since 1922.
DECOURCY: Arch Manning bought Steve Sarkisian some needed time at Texas
Next-best nonconference game
Utah at Florida (Sept. 3)
The Utes are 2.5-point favorites at The Swamp, where Florida hasn’t lost a home opener since 1989. Billy Napier is making his debut as the Gators coach, and there is quarterback intrigue with playmakers Cam Rising and Anthony Richardson. This is one of two huge games for the Pac-12 on opening weekend; with the other in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game between Oregon and Georgia. The Ducks are 17.5-point underdogs. Florida-Utah likely will be a closer game, and the CFP implications could last the whole season.
Best neutral-site game
Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (Sept. 24)
“Jerry World” will host this classic rivalry again, and the winner of this SEC West challenger matchup will be pegged as the team to take its best shot at Alabama later in the season. The Razorbacks broke a nine-game losing streak to the Aggies last season, and KJ Jefferson is one of the most-exciting QBs in the FBS. Jimbo Fisher is 10-5 in August/September with the Aggies, and he hasn’t made it to October with an unbeaten record (not counting 2020). Five of the seven matchups in Arlington since 2014 have been one-score games.
Best September conference game
Georgia at South Carolina (Sept. 17)
Not buying it? This could be the defending national champion’s toughest road game until November. Oklahoma transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler adds to the intrigue, though the Gamecocks will be coming off a tough road game at Arkansas. Williams-Brice Stadium can be a tough place to play, and the Bulldogs are 3-3 there since 2010 – albeit with three straight victories.
MORE: SEC predictions, impact transfers and more
Best October conference game
N.C. State at Clemson (Oct. 1)
Here is the most-important game on the ACC schedule. NC State has some playoff sleeper appeal around quarterback Devin Leary, who passed for 238 yards and four TDs in a 27-21 overtime victory last season. Clemson is looking to re-establish its ACC dominance, and they have the nation’s longest home winning streak at 34 games.
Best November conference game
Baylor at Oklahoma (Nov. 5)
Baylor coach Dave Aranda added some heat to this rivalry with a last-second field goal in a 27-14 victory last season, but it’s a different chapter with Oklahoma first-year coach Brent Venables now. The Bears are the defending conference champions. The Sooners have dominated the all-time series, but the teams are knotted at 4-4 when both are ranked in the Top 25. This should be a Big 12 championship game preview.
Best rematch
Clemson at Notre Dame (Nov. 5)
We could have gone Oklahoma-Nebraska here given that old-school rivalry will be in Lincoln, but we like this game better. Clemson and Notre Dame didn’t play last season, so this is the first meeting since 2020. The Irish beat No. 1 Clemson 47-40 in the regular season that year, but the Tigers returned the favor with a 31-14 victory in the ACC championship game. The last three matchups have been top-five showdowns, and this one will have CFP and ACC playoff implications.
Best potential top-10 matchup
Notre Dame at USC (Nov. 26)
Let’s have some fun. Let’s say Notre Dame gets to the final weekend of the season with one loss, and they travel to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where a one-loss USC team getting ready for the Pac-12 championship game is waiting. Freeman and Lincoln Riley are exactly what this rivalry needs. The Irish and Trojans haven’t played a top-10 showdown since 2006, which was one year after the “Bush Push” game.
Best best for a Game of the Century
Michigan at Ohio State (Nov. 26)
Of course, this is the real best rivalry game. Ohio State-Michigan was the most-watched regular-season game in 2021, and the Wolverines’ 42-27 victory gave some much-needed life to a one-sided rivalry. Michigan hasn’t won at Ohio State since 2000, and there is a chance both teams are 11-0 here. If that happens, then this could be No. 1 vs. No. 2. The other, more-realistic chance? Alabama meets Georgia in the SEC championship game with matching unbeaten records the following week – but that’s not a regular-season game.
DECOURCY: Michigan’s big win adds spice back to fading rivalry
SN’s Game of the Year
Texas A&M at Alabama (Oct. 8)
This is a turning point game in the SEC, and it should be at minimum a top-five showdown. Saban and Fisher will spend the week downplaying the significance of this game, but given the offseason back-and-forth the heat will be there. Fisher became the first Saban assistant to beat the teacher last season, and the Aggies’ 41-38 victory still reverberates. This game will elicit the most-viral over-reaction of the season no matter the result, and it’s going to set the course who wins the SEC West – and perhaps the national championship.
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