Which U.S. Regions Can Be Most Proud of Their College Football Teams?
Class College Competitors
Not all states are created equal when it comes to college football. There are 125 FBS college football teams in the United States, but which state has the finest college football team? A few states do not even have a college football team, although many colleges have many teams. The 2022 college football regular season has ended, and as the season comes to a close before the playoffs, we thought we’d look at the finest teams in the country right now. We’re on our way to the College Bowl games, and what better way to celebrate than by looking at the top college teams competing for victory?
Tennessee Volunteers
The Volunteers defeated five ranked teams at the time of the game this season. That’s two more than they had in the previous five seasons when they finished 3-19 against rated opponents. Tennessee has also defeated as many top-25 opponents for the first time since Phillip Fulmer’s national championship team in 1999. Six of their victories in a 13-0 season that year were against rated opponents. The Volunteers embarrassed their fellow SEC East members this season by outslugging Alabama, beating LSU by 27 points, and holding Kentucky to 205 yards.
Georgia Bulldogs
As the defending national champions and current number one seed, Georgia has the best odds of winning the championship. They haven’t won a game by less than double digits since an October 1st victory over Missouri, which was their only one of the season. They trounced Oregon by 46 points to start the season, then beat LSU by 20 points to win the SEC title, with double-digit wins in between. The Bulldogs boast the nation’s eighth-ranked offense, averaging 491.9 yards per game, headed by the 17th-ranked rushing offense, which averages 207 yards per game. On the other hand, Georgia has a great passing game led by quarterback Stetson Bennett, making the squad extremely balanced.
Ohio State Buckeyes
This season, Ohio State and Georgia alternated as National Championship favorites, with Ohio State typically trailing Georgia on the odds list. All of that changed when Ohio State lost to an unbeaten Michigan team. As a result, they were on the verge of missing the College Football Playoff. Ohio State’s most challenging test will come in the semi-finals versus Georgia. If they defeat the Bulldogs, they would be slight underdogs versus Michigan in the National Championship game.
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines mainly had gone under the radar — and in the shadows of Ohio State — but that is no longer the case after a thrashing of the Buckeyes in Columbus. The Wolverines followed it up with a 21-point victory against Purdue to clinch back-to-back Big Ten titles and the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff, pitting them against No. 3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. Jim Harbaugh sought to demonstrate that last year’s performance was no fluke and has succeeded. You certainly wouldn’t bet against the Wolverines going all the way this year.
TCU Horned Frogs
Is it possible for TCU to win the national championship this season? They were not anticipated to make the CFP before the season started, but here they are as the third seed. Like Ohio State, their most recent defeat can act as motivation for their upcoming game. Their first opponent will be Michigan, who hasn’t been this good in a long time. Michigan’s lack of CFP experience may offer them a shot to pull off the upset. Blake Corum, perhaps their finest player, is out for the season due to a knee injury. Although you don’t like to see anyone being injured, you have to feel this is a plus for TCU.
Washington Huskies
Washington had a rough season in Kalen DaBoer’s first year as head coach. Still, Michael Penix Jr. Was a continuous positive for this club. Penix Jr. Finished second in the country in throwing yards with 4,354 and 29 touchdowns. According to PFF, he also had 25 big-time throws and only seven turnover-worthy plays. The Huskies lead the country in third down conversion rate at 56.3%. They are tough to remove from the field and rank best in pass-down EPA and success rate. They will meet Texas in their final game of the season, and although they are slight underdogs, the Huskies can deliver one final bite this season and end it on a high.
