2022 College Football Preview: 5 Teams Most Likely to Break into the Playoff
We are now 8 years into the playoff era in college football. Only 13 teams have made it into the playoff during that time, while Alabama and Clemson have dominated with 7 and 6 appearances respectively. Last year, Michigan and Cincinnati joined the club of playoff teams. Today I’ll be taking a look at the 5 teams who have never been to the playoff who are most likely to follow in their footsteps and make their first appearance this season.
It has been 6 years since a Pac-12 team made the playoff but I think Utah has a decent chance of breaking that streak this year. The Utes had a rough start to their 2021 campaign with losses to BYU and San Diego State. However, they were fantastic down the stretch, beating Oregon twice, winning the Pac-12 and taking Ohio State to the wire in the Rose Bowl. The Utes finished last year #4 in my ratings and return QB Cam Rising as well as the best line play in the conference. Utah could be favored in every game, with the key matchups being trips to Florida and Oregon and a home game against USC. This is the clear best team in the Pac-12 and a 12-1 campaign should be enough to get them into the playoff.
There’s not a team in college football that perplexes me more than NC State. The Wolfpack have all the ingredients of a winner- they play in a big city in a big football crazy state. However, they’ve never even gone to a BCS/NY6 bowl, much less the playoff. Last year’s team got over the hump and beat Clemson, but they were not able to win the ACC Atlantic after losses to Miami and Wake Forest. The Pack bring back veteran QB Devin Leary and a walloping 17 starters from the 2021 squad. The path to the playoff involves beating Clemson again, winning the ACC and losing no more than 1 game. It’s not likely, but they’ll be favored in every game except Clemson so it’s certainly possible.
Arguably no team has gotten more hype this offseason than Texas A&M. The Aggies continue to stack up huge recruiting classes and of course beat Alabama last year. My ratings love the talent on the Aggies’ roster but the schedule is absolutely brutal. They’ll be a double digit underdog in Tuscaloosa, but could be favored in every other game. A&M thought they deserved a playoff spot in 2020 after losing to Alabama and winning every other game. If they can pull that off this year, I think that they’ll get selected.
Wisconsin has been on the doorstep of the playoff multiple times, most recently in 2017 where they went 12-0 before falling in the Big Ten title game to Ohio State. My ratings absolutely love the Badgers’ offensive line, which could be the best in the country. Combined with returning QB Graham Mertz and a strong running game, the Badgers will have the second best offense in the Big Ten behind Ohio State. They do have to travel to Columbus in September, but like Texas A&M, this is a situation where one loss to an elite team and wins everywhere else should be enough to make the playoff.
I would argue that no team has had a more disappointing 21st century than Tennessee. After a dominant 1990s that featured a national title and multiple other top 10 finishes, it has been over 20 years since the Volunteers finished in the top 10. However, with Florida now rebuilding, the Vols look like the clear 2nd best team in the SEC East. The schedule is not easy as they play both Alabama and Georgia, as well as a fascinating non-conference game against Pitt. However, the skill talent here is phenomenal and my ratings say this is the 4th best team in the SEC behind Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M.