2022 Season Set To Open August 27

Although the first week of the season starts with a very abbreviated schedule, the opening weekend on August 27 is upon us. Highlighted by Nebraska and Northwestern squaring off in Dublin Ireland, the opening weekend shows a scant schedule of less than 15 games with only 7 between FBS versus FBS opponents. Labor Day weekend, week two on the schedule is the traditional opening weekend and offers a King's feast of highly anticipated games. Thursday September 1 kicks off the party with the renewal of an old rivalry between West Virginia hosting Pittsburgh. The series between these two rivals dates to 1895 with the Panthers holding a 61-40-3 lead. They have not met since the 2011 season. The fireworks kick off full force on Saturday September 3 as Cincinnati looks to extend their national prominence by travelling to SEC country to face Arkansas. I can hear the HOG CALL already reverberating through the Ozarks. Oregon and Georgia face off in Atlanta while Utah, the pre-season PAC 12 favorite, visits the Swamp to tackle Florida. In the prime time night game the most highly anticipated match finds Notre Dame travelling to the Horseshoe to battle Ohio State. These two college football king pins have only met 6 times, with the last two being in Bowl Games. The Fighting Irish won the first two way back in 1935 and 1936, with the Buckeyes taking the last 4. With both teams being highly ranked, Notre Dame #9 and Ohio State #8, the winner is likely to jump at or near the top of week 2's Billingsley Report due out the Tuesday after Labor Day. The Sunday night game finds Florida State at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge to face new LSU head coach Brian Kelly. The Monday night Labor Day game features Clemson at Georgia Tech. Needless to say the 2022 season should be an interesting one, full of upsets and surprises. Will someone be able to knock the SEC off their perennial perch? Perhaps Ohio State, Notre Dame, Clemson, Utah, or maybe even a rebuilt Oklahoma or upstart Texas? Hmmm…. maybe the hyped up USC? Time will tell. Let the games begin!     

Washington Edges Oregon 36-33

In a epic battle between bitter rivals, meeting for the last time as members of the PAC 12, Washington outlasted the Ducks 36-33. Oregon missed a 43 yard field goal as time was running out that would have sent the game into overtime. The win propelled the Huskies to #2 in this week's Billingsley Report and squarely adds Washington into the conversation of potential playoff contenders.   Around the Nation: One week after beating Notre Dame, Louisville tasted their first defeat, falling on the road at Pittsburgh 38-21. North Carolina remained undefeated, keeping pace with Florida State. The Tar Heels handled Miami (Fla.) 41-31 while the Seminoles blasted Syracuse 41-3. The Rock Chalk Jayhawk train suffered a derailment in Stillwater as Kansas fell to surging Oklahoma State 39-32. Notre Dame hosted USC and burst the Trojans undefeated bubble. The Irish dominated the game 48-20 giving Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams their first loss of the year. Air Force moved to 6-0 with a 34-27 win over MWC contender Wyoming. Alabama survived a scare by the Razorbacks, nipping Arkansas 24-21 and Tennessee held off stubborn Texas A&M 20-13. Billingsley Projections post Monday.  

Oregon nips Ohio State 32-31

In a battle of Big 10 Titans (I still can't wrap my head around that statement), the Ducks prevailed in a back and forth tussle with the Buckeyes. Ohio State appeared positioned to kick a game winning field goal but the last second ticked off the clock as the Buckeye QB slid trying to gain a few precious more yards before the attempt. Something tells me we will see these two powerhouses play again, and maybe twice, before a National Champion is crowned.  Pittsburgh remained unbeaten after squeaking by California 17-15 in an ACC conference game. Can I just say this? I miss the Pac 12! Cal and Stanford in the ACC? Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA in the Big 10? It's more than this old timer can handle. Hell, I still miss the Big 8 and the SWC. Those were the days, the 1950's thru the 1970's were college footballs greatest years.  Penn State had the comeback of the day, scoring 14 late points to move the game with USC into overtime, then beating the Trojans 33-30. Iowa finally showed some offensive muscle, pounding Washington 40-16. The Hawkeyes are now 4-2. The Big 12 is all up for grabs, although BYU and Iowa State lead the pack at 6-0. Kansas State, Texas Tech and Arizona State are all 5-1.  Oklahoma scored the first points in the Red River Rivalry to lead 3-0….. and never saw the light of day again. The Longhorns smothered the Sooners with 34 straight points. I just took a look at Oklahoma's upcoming schedule, Yikes. South Carolina, Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama and LSU. I don't believe Oklahoma will be going bowling this year. LSU won a thriller over Ole Miss 29-26. Hard to beat the Tigers in Death Valley at night. And Vandy did it again, pulling off another upset, this time on the road over Kentucky 20-13. The Commodores now stand at 4-2. Nashville may never stop celebrating.  Texas remains #1 in this week's Billingsley Report, followed closely by Oregon. As the season unfolds I doubt anyone will go undefeated and we could be looking at several two loss teams in the CFP. Anyone want to bet a 3 loss SEC or Big 10 team might sneak in at #12? Wouldn't surprise me in the least. Projections will be posted Tuesday. 

Oregon Escapes Camp Randall With 16-13 win

Wisconsin's 4th quarter jump around was really jumping Saturday night as the Badgers had the Ducks on the ropes with a 13-13 tie. Talk about a seismic shift in the rankings but that would certainly have created one. Saturday's results leave a lot of head scratching already with Georgia's whipping of Tennessee just one week after falling to Ole Miss ( who was idle this week), the SEC looks like anybody's guess. With only two weeks left in the regular season things have no choice but to clear up fast. That Texas trip to College Station in two weeks looks monumental.   Miami (Fla.) was idle but SMU and Clemson kept pace in the race for the ACC crown. The Ponies downed BC 38-28 and The Tigers slipped by Pittsburgh late 24-20. Tulane punched their ticket to the AAC title game with a resounding 35-0 win over Navy.  The Big 10 continues to dominate the top of this weeks rankings but Texas slipped up a notch to #2 after a 20-10 win on the road over old time SWC rival Arkansas. BYU lived on the edge with close games all season and some how survived, but their luck ran out against Kansas Saturday night as the Cougars just couldn't overcome their numerous errors. The Jayhawks flew home with a shocking 17-13 win. The Big 12 is totally up for grabs. BYU, Colorado and Arizona State have taken the lead with Kansas State and Iowa State not out of it yet. Boise State appears to still be a favorite for the CFP but if Army beats Notre Dame this Saturday that will change. South Carolina pulled out a last minute win over Missouri to rise to 7-3 on the season, good enough for a #16 ranking this week. The upcoming rivalry game with Clemson is shaping up to be a doosy. Projections post Tuesday.