College Football Rankings 2022: NCAA Top 25 Predictions After Opening Saturday

There were plenty of impressive performances from top college football teams on Saturday, which brought the first full slate of games in the 2022 season. But no program made a bigger statement than Georgia, the defending national champions.

The Bulldogs, who began the year ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, had a dominant showing against No. 11 Oregon, cruising to a 49-3 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Ducks could end up among the top contenders in the Pac-12 this year, but they were clearly no match for Georgia.

Many of the top-ranked teams in the country were victorious in their season openers. The most notable exceptions were No. 5 Notre Dame, which dropped a tight contest against No. 2 Ohio State, and No. 7 Utah, which went on the road and got upset by unranked Florida.

Week 1 of the 2022 season isn't quite done. LSU and Florida State are going head-to-head on Sunday, while No. 4 Clemson and Georgia Tech will face off on Monday. But most of the action is complete, so we should have a pretty good idea of what the new AP poll will look like when it's released Tuesday.

Here's a prediction for how the AP Top 25 poll will look heading into Week 2 now that nearly every team in the nation has started its season.

Projected AP Top 25 Poll

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ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 03: A view of the game logo during the college football game between the defending National Champion Georgia Bulldogs and the Oregon Ducks on September 3, 2022 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

1. Alabama (1-0)

2. Georgia (1-0)

3. Ohio State (1-0)

4. Clemson (0-0, plays Monday vs. Georgia Tech)

5. Texas A&M (1-0)

6. Michigan (1-0)

7. Oklahoma (1-0)

8. Notre Dame (0-1)

9. Baylor (1-0)

10. Oklahoma State (1-0)

11. Arkansas (1-0)

12. USC (1-0)

13. Michigan State (1-0)

14. Miami (1-0)

15. Florida (1-0)

16. Pittsburgh (1-0)

17. Wisconsin (1-0)

18. Utah (0-1)

19. Kentucky (1-0)

20. Ole Miss (1-0)

21. NC State (1-0)

22. Wake Forest (1-0)

23. Houston (1-0)

24. BYU (1-0)

25. Tennessee (1-0)

Alabama Will Still Be in the Top Spot

AP Photo/Vasha Hunt

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young throws a pass during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against Utah State, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

Georgia was more impressive in its shellacking of Oregon than Ohio State was in its gritty win over Notre Dame. Because of that, the Bulldogs will jump the Buckeyes in the poll. But neither is going to supplant Alabama from the top spot this week.

While the Crimson Tide didn't have a challenging Week 1 matchup (at home against Utah State), they went out and did what the No. 1 team in the country should do in that type of game. Bryce Young, the defending Heisman Trophy winner, threw five touchdown passes and ran for another while leading Alabama to a 55-0 rout.

If that game had been even slightly close, perhaps Georgia could take over the No. 1 spot in the poll. But the Tide decimated the Aggies, building a 41-point lead by halftime, and have no reason to be bumped down to No. 2 by the voters.

Maybe Georgia is a better team than Alabama, and that's something that could become clear later in the season. But for now, the Crimson Tide will remain No. 1 until there's a stronger reason for them to not be in that spot.

Notre Dame Will Remain in the Top 10

AP Photo/David Dermer

Notre Dame wide receiver Braden Lenzy looks at the scoreboard during the fourth quarter of the team's NCAA college football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State won 21-10. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Every team wants to open a season 1-0. Notre Dame didn't, but that doesn't change the fact that the Fighting Irish are a good team that faced a challenging Week 1 road matchup. And they shouldn't be penalized for putting that game on their schedule.

The Notre Dame-Ohio State contest was one that could have gone either way. Playing in a hostile environment at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, the Fighting Irish had a three-point lead at halftime and deep into the third quarter.

But the Buckeyes scored the final 14 points of the night, getting into the end zone twice in the final 15 minutes and 17 seconds to put away the Irish and notch a 21-10 victory. But in the process, Notre Dame proved it can hang with a team that is likely to be the class of the Big Ten and a probable College Football Playoff contender.

While the Fighting Irish will likely drop a few spots in the poll, they shouldn't fall out of the top 10. Expect to see them somewhere around the No. 8 ranking when the poll comes out Tuesday.

Arkansas, Florida Will Be Biggest Risers

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - SEPTEMBER 03: K.J. Jefferson #1 of the Arkansas Razorbacks runs the ball in the second quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on September 03, 2022 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Georgia wasn't the only SEC team that defeated a ranked opponent on Saturday. Arkansas and Florida each did the same thing, and both programs should be rewarded by the poll voters this week.

The No. 19 Razorbacks opened the season against No. 23 Cincinnati, which is coming off a College Football Playoff appearance last season. The Bearcats may have lost a lot of talent to graduation, but they're still a strong team that should be one of the better Group of Five programs in the country.

Arkansas led the entire way, jumping out to a 14-point lead by halftime. KJ Jefferson threw three touchdown passes and ran for another, guiding the Razorbacks to a 31-24 victory. They should be on the cusp of the top 10 after that performance.

Meanwhile, Florida was the only unranked team to take down a ranked opponent in Week 1. The Gators played a close game against No. 7 Utah, and they were trailing in the final minutes. But Anthony Richardson led Florida on a 14-play, 75-yard game-winning drive, scoring a 1-yard touchdown run with one minute and 25 seconds left to secure a 29-26 home win.

Richardson was impressive, as the sophomore quarterback fueled the Gators' offense with three rushing touchdowns. Now, they're set to break into the top 25 and could end up around the Nos. 14-16 range.