College Football's 2022 Final Four Dark Horses

Last season, the College Football Playoff had an ultimate dark horse make the final four in Cincinnati. Dark-horse teams are not considered playoff favorites at the start of the season. In fact, they are considered long shots to make it into the final four.

So who are some dark-horse candidates for next year's playoff? On this list, you won't see Alabama, Clemson, Georgia or Ohio State. The other four teams in the top eight of DraftKings' national championship odds—USC, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Michigan—were not eligible to be dark horses.

The following teams just might surprise everyone next season and make a final four run. Let's dive in!

Utah Utes

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If Utah hadn't lost nonconference games in September last season against BYU and San Diego State, it would have been a playoff team. The Utes dropped a game to Oregon State, too, in October. But they finished 8-1 in conference play to win the Pac-12 South, and they went on to win the Pac-12 by defeating Oregon 38-10 in the conference championship game.

In fact, that marked the second time that Utah beat Oregon handily last year. The Utes also destroyed the Ducks 38-7 in November. That was Oregon's second loss of the season and knocked it out of playoff contention. Utah finished the season with a 48-45 loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

Heading into 2022, the Utes have all the pieces for a playoff run. Returning is starting quarterback Cameron Rising, who threw for 2,493 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. He rushed for another 499 yards and six scores. Leading rusher Tavion Thomas will be back as well. Utah did lose receiver Britain Covey to the NFL draft, but head coach Kyle Whittingham landed some key transfer portal guys in Syracuse tight end Landon Morris, Idaho tight end Logan Kendall and Florida linebacker Mohamoud Diabate.

Utah opens the season with a road trip to face a struggling Florida program. If the Utes beat an SEC team on the road, they could find themselves in the playoff conversation early.

Arkansas Razorbacks

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Look, I know picking anyone other than Alabama to come out of the SEC West is foolhardy, but the Razorbacks could have a big year.

Head coach Sam Pittman has put together one heck of a turnaround in Fayetteville. His first season in 2020, Arkansas finished 3-7. One year later, Arkansas went 9-4, capped off with an Outback Bowl victory over Penn State. With some key returning players and a navigable schedule, the Razorbacks could have an even bigger season in 2022.

Arkansas will get back quarterback KJ Jefferson, who threw for 2,676 yards, 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Jefferson led the Razorbacks in rushing, too, with 664 yards and six touchdowns.

The Razorbacks will have to replace receiver Treylon Burks and leading rusher Trelon Smith, who is transferring to TCU. Receiver Warren Thompson, who had 304 yards on 19 receptions last season, and Oklahoma transfer Jadon Haselwood will have to fill that Burks void. Expect sophomore Raheim Sanders to carry the rushing load with Jefferson next season. Arkansas gets back four of its starting offensive linemen.

Arkansas' 2022 schedule sets up pretty nicely, with most of its bigger games at home. The Razorbacks' home slate includes notable games against Cincinnati, South Carolina, Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss. The toughest road games for Arkansas are BYU and Auburn.

Miami Hurricanes

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Miami once again has a new head coach in Mario Cristobal. It would be quite an accomplishment for the Hurricanes to make a playoff run during Cristobal's first season in Coral Gables. But don't count Miami out just yet.

One of the biggest reasons Miami could have a big year? The return of starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.

Van Dyke helped lead Miami to a 7-5 mark last year. He started the season as the backup to redshirt senior D'Eriq King but was called into action after King suffered a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery in early October.

Van Dyke, who will be a sophomore in 2022, threw for 2,931 yards, 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 10 games last season. He won the ACC Rookie of the Year award despite not playing a full season as the starter. Miami also returns leading running back Jaylan Knighton, and the Canes landed Ole Miss transfer running back Henry Parrish this offseason, too.

The biggest obstacle in the way of the Canes' playoff hopes is their schedule. Miami has to travel to Texas A&M to face the Aggies in Week 3. The Canes also have to go on the road to face Clemson on Nov. 19. Still, Miami should be in a good spot in the Coastal—it gets key ACC opponents in North Carolina, Florida State and Pitt at home.

NC State Wolfpack

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Yes, Clemson should be the favorite to win the ACC Atlantic in 2022. But keep in mind the Wolfpack were one of the three teams that beat the Tigers last season. NC State upset Clemson 27-21 in double overtime in Week 4, a win that snapped an eight-year losing streak to the Tigers. NC State finished the regular season 9-3, and it had a chance to reach 10 wins for the second time in school history until its bowl game against UCLA was canceled. 

A big reason the Wolfpack beat Clemson and had a big season was quarterback Devin Leary. Leary, who will be back in 2022, threw for 3,433 yards, 35 touchdowns and just five interceptions on the season. Against Clemson, he threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns, two of his TDs coming in overtime. 

Also back for NC State is receiver Thayer Thomas, who had 596 yards and eight touchdowns last season. The Wolfpack will return 11 starters on defense as well.

The biggest game on NC State's 2022 schedule, unsurprisingly, is the Oct. 1 road trip to Clemson. A win over the Tigers for a second consecutive season would be enough to vault the Wolfpack into the playoff conversation.

Michigan State Spartans

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Yes, the Big Ten favorites in 2022 will be Michigan and Ohio State. But don't count Sparty out next season. Especially since head coach Mel Tucker was given a 10-year, $95 million contract to remain in East Lansing despite being a hot candidate for head coaching vacancies last season. 

A big reason to believe in the Spartans is the return of Payton Thorne. The quarterback threw for 3,232 yards and 27 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Thorne will also get his leading receiver Jayden Reed back. Reed averaged 17.4 yards per reception last season and caught 10 touchdown passes.

Replacing running back Kenneth Walker III, who is headed to the NFL, will be key for MSU. The Spartans landed Colorado transfer Jarek Broussard this offseason. Broussard won the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year award in 2020 after he rushed for 895 yards and five touchdowns in six games. True freshman Davion Primm has been impressive in spring practices early on, too. On defense, secondary stars Xavier Henderson and Ronald Williams will be back to anchor the Sparty defense.

The biggest thing that might mess with Michigan State's playoff chances next season is its tough schedule. MSU's home slate includes games against Western Michigan, Akron, Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Rutgers and Indiana. Getting OSU at home is big, but Michigan State has to go on the road to face Michigan and Penn State later in the season. Sparty also has a Week 3 road trip to Washington. 

We'll see if MSU can be a surprise in the Big Ten next season.

BYU Cougars

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BYU finished last season 10-3, giving the Cougars consecutive double-digit-win seasons following 2020's 11-1 record. Although BYU finished the regular season 10-2, the highest the Cougars made it in the playoff rankings was 12th. But they might have a better chance at the playoff in 2022.

That's because BYU has a playoff-caliber schedule. The Cougars have home games against Arkansas, Baylor and Utah State. Those three teams went a combined 32-9 last season. The Cougars will also face Notre Dame, a consistent playoff contender, at Allegiant Stadium on Oct. 8.

BYU's road games include Oregon, Liberty, Boise State and Stanford. If the Cougars can navigate this schedule and come out with one loss or fewer, they would deserve to be in the playoff conversation.

In 2022, the Cougars will get back a lot of talent, including quarterback Jaren Hall, leading receiver Puka Nacua and leading tackler Ben Bywater.

Don't be surprised if BYU makes some playoff noise next season, folks.