10 Most Anticipated Rematches of the 2022 CFB Season
The 2022 college football season will be here before we know it. As we await the beginning of the regular season in late August, it's never too early to start looking ahead at some of the best games on the slate.
2021 gave us some incredible contests, including the Iron Bowl, Baylor-Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game and Michigan-Ohio State, to name a few.
Luckily for us, most of the teams that produced great games from last season will play each other once again. Let's run through some of the best upcoming rematches.
10. Oklahoma State at Baylor, Oct. 1
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2021 results
Oct. 2: Oklahoma State 24, Baylor 14
Big 12 title game: Baylor 21, Oklahoma State 16
Oklahoma State could've made it into the College Football Playoff last season had it not been for a huge goal-line stand from Baylor in the Big 12 title game.
Although Spencer Sanders threw four interceptions, he nearly led a go-ahead touchdown drive in the final minutes of the game. But on 4th-and-goal, Baylor's Jairon McVea stopped Cowboys running back Dezmon Jackson short of the end zone, sealing the Bears' victory.
Baylor will face Oklahoma State at home on Oct. 1 during the regular season next year, and both teams return plenty of talent.
Oklahoma State will get Sanders back, as well as two valuable receivers in Brennan Presley and Blaine Green. The Cowboys' QB finished his season against Notre Dame with a record-setting 496 total yards in the Fiesta Bowl win. Defensive linemen Brendon Evers and Brock Martin will also return for the Cowboys.
For the Bears, starting quarterback Gerry Bohanon, who actually missed the Big 12 title game due to injury, will be returning in 2022. Also back are four starting offensive linemen. On defense, Baylor will replace key players like safeties Jalen Pitre and JT Woods, as well as linebacker Terrel Bernard.
Maybe we'll get lucky and see these two meet again in the Big 12 Championship Game in 2022.
9. Stanford at Oregon, Oct. 1
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2021 result: Stanford 31, Oregon 24, OT
Stanford delivered one of the most shocking upsets in Week 5 by defeating Oregon at home. The Ducks were undefeated and had knocked off Ohio State on the road a few weeks prior, giving them the No. 3 ranking in the country. Stanford, meanwhile, was 2-2 on the season and an 8.5-point underdog.
Leading 24-17 with one second left, the Ducks were called for defensive holding on 4th-and-goal, giving Stanford one more chance. Tanner McKee then found Elijah Higgins for a touchdown to send the game into overtime.
Stanford scored a touchdown on the first possession in overtime and then got a stop to win 31-24 and deliver the first blow to Oregon's playoff hopes.
The Cardinal finished 3-9. The Ducks went 10-4 with two losses to Utah, the second coming in the Pac-12 Championship.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning will start a new era for the Ducks next season, replacing Mario Cristobal. One of the biggest transfers Oregon landed was former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix, who will be reuniting with his Tigers offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham.
Stanford, meanwhile, will get McKee back in 2022 but will have to replace its two top backs with Nathaniel Peat and Austin Jones both entering the transfer portal. Cardinal head coach David Shaw will be looking to avoid his third losing season in four years. Beating the Ducks once again is a good start for the Cardinal to try to get back to winning the Pac-12 North.
8. Texas vs. Oklahoma, Oct. 8
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2021 result: Oklahoma 55, Texas 48
Both programs will be entering the Red River Rivalry rematch in very different spots than they were last season. Texas entered this game last season 4-1 and ranked 21st in the country. Oklahoma, meanwhile, was undefeated and ranked sixth.
Texas ended the year 5-7. Oklahoma finished 11-2 but missed out on the playoff and Big 12 Championship Game. Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian will be looking to have a much better season than his first in Austin. Oklahoma, meanwhile, has a new head coach in Brent Venables, and quarterback Caleb Williams has since transferred to USC.
Speaking of Williams, he's the main reason this game was so great last season. Coming off the bench for a struggling Spencer Rattler, Williams led a furious OU comeback. The Sooners were down 18 points at halftime, but Williams led them to four fourth-quarter scoring drives, including a 52-yard touchdown pass, to get an incredible 55-48 victory.
In 2022, both teams will have new QBs, as Texas' Casey Thompson has since transferred to Nebraska. Venables will choose between true freshman Nick Evers and UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel under center.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Penn State at Auburn, Sept. 17
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2021 result: Penn State 28, Auburn 20
Next season, we'll get part two of a Penn State-Auburn home-and-home series. Last year, the game was played in Happy Valley in a white-out.
This one was pretty close throughout, with an exciting finish. The Nittany Lions took a 28-20 lead with a Noah Cain touchdown run (and ensuing extra point) with 10:48 to go.
But with less than five minutes left, Auburn managed to drive down to Penn State's 2-yard line. QB Bo Nix's fourth-down pass fell incomplete, but the Tigers got the ball back with 33 seconds left. Nix drove the offense down to the PSU 26, but the Nittany Lions defense stopped the Tigers' last pass play as time expired.
Round two of this one won't have Nix, who has since transferred to Oregon. But it will have Penn State QB Sean Clifford, who threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns in this game last year.
6. Texas A&M at Alabama, Oct. 8
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2021 result: Texas A&M 41, Alabama 38
TAMU was one of just two teams to defeat Alabama last season. After this victory, Jimbo Fisher also became the first former Nick Saban assistant to beat his former boss (until Kirby Smart did so in the CFP national title game).
The end of this game was wild. Alabama took a 38-31 lead—its first lead since the first quarter—with five minutes left in the fourth. But Aggies quarterback Zach Calzada, who has since transferred to Auburn, played hero late. He put together a 65-yard touchdown drive that tied the game at 38 with three minutes to go.
Following a Bama three-and-out, Calzada emerged from the injury tent after taking a shot on his TD pass. He drove the Aggies offense down to Alabama's 30 to set up a game-winning field goal to complete the upset.
Alabama finished the year SEC champions and made it to the CFP national title game, whereas TAMU finished 8-4. But Fisher and the Aggies have been building momentum this offseason.
Texas A&M's 2022 recruiting class made history as 247Sports' highest-rated class. The Aggies' 2022 class surpassed Bama's historic 2021 class.
Calzada is no longer an Aggie, but Fisher has talented QBs to choose from as his starter. His initial 2021 starter before he got injured, Haynes King, will be back next year, and LSU transfer Max Johnson will also be an option. Bama QB Bryce Young as well as most of the Tide defense will be back in 2022.
Fisher made some indirect comments toward Saban on national signing day when discussing NIL deals and the effect they have on recruiting. I wouldn't be surprised if this is brought up in the days leading up to the game. TAMU hasn't won in Tuscaloosa since 2012, when Johnny Manziel and the Aggies upset the Tide. Could Fisher defeat Saban twice in two seasons? It would be quite the accomplishment, if so.
Hopefully the rematch is half as good as 2021's game was.
5. Oklahoma State at Oklahoma, Nov. 19
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2021 result: Oklahoma State 37, Oklahoma 33
The 2021 edition of Bedlam made the rivalry's nickname feel quite fitting. This game featured two interceptions, a muffed punt resulting in a touchdown, a safety and a missed field goal.
It was a 24-24 game entering the second half. In Oklahoma State's opening possession of the third quarter, the Sooners defense forced a fumble that was recovered by the Cowboys in their own end zone for a safety. The Sooners struck again after OK State's Brennan Presley muffed a punt that was recovered for a touchdown by Oklahoma to give the Sooners a 33-24 lead.
OK State missed a field goal on the ensuing drive. Then it failed to capitalize on recovering a Sooners fumble on Oklahoma's 36, as QB Spencer Sanders threw an interception.
Finally, the Cowboys were able to score on a 37-yard run from Sanders with 13:52 left to make it 33-31 OU. The game's momentum shifted with 9:43 left, as OU's Eric Gray fumbled on a punt return to give Oklahoma State the ball back on the Sooners' 5-yard line.
Oklahoma State scored a touchdown with 8:54 left to make it 37-33. The Cowboys defense kept Oklahoma off the board, sealing OK State's win and a trip to the Big 12 championship.
For 2022's rematch, Oklahoma will have some new faces on the sidelines. Gone is Lincoln Riley, now at USC, along with QB Caleb Williams, also now a Trojan. New OU head coach Brent Venables will look to get his first-ever win in Bedlam. OK State, meanwhile, will have Sanders back under center next season.
4. Michigan State at Michigan, Oct. 29
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2021 result: Michigan State 37, Michigan 33
Michigan State gave Michigan its only loss of the 2021 regular season. The Wolverines led 30-14 after they scored with 6:47 left in the third. It seemed quite improbable for Sparty to come back and win this one, but they did anyway.
Kenneth Walker III's fifth touchdown run, and third of the second half, gave Michigan State a 37-33 with 5:08 left.
The Wolverines had a couple of chances to score late, but Sparty's defense came up huge. First, MSU stopped Michigan on 4th-and-3 from Sparty's 31-yard line with 1:43 left.
Following a three-and-out, the Wolverines had the ball back with 1:15 left. But Sparty's secondary picked off Cade McNamara to give Michigan State the incredible comeback victory.
Per usual, this game in 2022 will be huge in determining the Big Ten East standings. Although MSU head coach Mel Tucker was reportedly a candidate for several open head coaching jobs this coaching carousel, he is staying put in East Lansing. MSU will also return starting quarterback Payton Thorne and 1,000-yard receiver Jayden Reed. On defense, Xavier Henderson and Ronald Williams returning in the secondary is a huge plus.
With Jim Harbaugh, McNamara and a Michigan team that is ranked fourth in ESPN's S&P+ projections, there's no doubt that revenge will be on this team's mind. The Wolverines haven't lost three times in a row to MSU since the 2013-15 seasons.
We'll see if MSU can go on the road to get a huge win.
3. The Iron Bowl, Nov. 26
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2021 results: Alabama 24, Auburn 22
The 2021 Iron Bowl was the first-ever overtime game in the rivalry's long and storied history, and it was a fun one throughout.
Alabama's offense struggled but found momentum late in the game, and it tied things up off a Bryce Young 28-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds remaining. After the game went into its fourth overtime period, Auburn failed to score before Young hit John Metchie III to give Alabama an unforgettable victory.
2022's game should be entertaining. This time the game is Tuscaloosa, where Auburn hasn't won since 2010.
Bama will get Heisman Trophy winner Young back in 2022, as well as six of his starters on offense. The Tide's dominant linebacking corps of Will Anderson Jr., Henry To'oTo'o and Dallas Turner will also return along with most of the defense from 2021. Although losing John Metchie III and Jameson Williams to the NFL will hurt, the Tide should be in good shape depth-wise.
Although it looked as if Auburn might move on from Bryan Harsin this offseason, he will return next season. So will T.J. Finley and 1,000-yard rusher Tank Bigsby. The Tigers will also have former Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada, who beat Alabama last season. Auburn also gets back most of its starters along the defensive line back, a unit that should be a strength for the Tigers next year.
If Harsin wants to regain confidence with Auburn's decision-makers, beating Alabama in 2022 would be a good start.
2. Ole Miss at Arkansas, Nov. 19
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2021 result: Ole Miss 52, Arkansas 51
Oh man, this one was so much fun. This shootout included 103 total points and 1,287 total yards of offense.
With the game tied 45-45 with 1:22 left, the obvious game plan for Lane Kiffin and the Rebels would be to try to kick a game-winning field goal—or so you'd think. Instead, Ole Miss QB Matt Corral hit Braylon Sanders for a 68-yard touchdown. Kiffin launched his clipboard in celebration.
However, Arkansas put together a quick nine-play touchdown drive in the final seconds. Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman opted to go for two and the win, but KJ Jefferson missed on his pass attempt to give Ole Miss an incredible one-point win.
If this game is anything remotely close to this one, we're in for a treat. Ole Miss won't have Corral next season, but Kiffin has a couple of talented QB options to choose from in Luke Altmyer and USC transfer Jaxson Dart. KJ Jefferson will be back for Arkansas in 2022. Game on.
1. Michigan at Ohio State, Nov. 26
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2021 result: Michigan 42, Ohio State 27
There's no question that Ohio State will have revenge on its mind in 2022. Michigan defeated OSU for the first time since 2011 last season and knocked the Buckeyes out of the CFP race with its win.
This game will have a lot of the same cast, as well. Quarterbacks Cade McNamara and C.J. Stroud are both coming back in 2022. So is Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, who announced he'd be staying at Michigan despite interviewing for the Minnesota Vikings.
The Buckeyes may have missed out on the CFP for the first time since 2018, but OSU appears to be primed for a huge year in 2022. ESPN's S&P+ projection for 2022, which looks at returning production, recruiting and recent history, has the Buckeyes at No. 1 overall. Michigan checks in at No. 4.
Ohio State opens its 2022 season at home against Notre Dame in a huge game with playoff implications. A loss to the Irish would make the Michigan game even more crucial for the Big Ten East and playoff race.
Harbaugh gets a chance to prove that beating the Buckeyes isn't something that should only happen every 10 years, while OSU can show why it had a 10-year streak to begin with. Should be fun!
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
