College football Week 1 Top 25 picks and bold predictions – USA TODAY

The time for great rejoicing is here for college football. While the games in Week 0 have served as an appetizer, the official start of the college football season comes with a full schedule on Week 1.
And the main course is about as good as you could script: No. 2 Ohio State hosting No. 5 Notre Dame. It’s a matchup of two of the sport’s elite programs that have won a multitude of national championships and featured a slew of Heisman Trophy winners. As an added element, former Buckeyes player Marcus Freeman returns to Columbus for he start of his first full season as coach of the Fighting Irish.
No. 3 Georgia and No. 12 Oregon face off in Atlanta in the other major matchup. This game has a similar story line as former Bulldogs defense coordinator Dan Lanning is now the coach of the Ducks. It’s a big opportunity for Oregon to plant a flag for the Pac-12, while the Bulldogs hope to start their title defense on the right foot. 
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No. 22 Cincinnati and No. 23 Arkansas and is the other ranked showdown of the weekend. The Razorbacks want to build on their nine-win season last year. But the Bearcats have other ideas following a run to the College Football Playoff.
It’s sure to be an exciting weekend of action. A look at our Week 1 predictions.
Scooby Axson
The season of chalk begins in earnest and since the schedule is filled with questionable matchups across the board, here is something that really isn’t bold. Upsets are what fuels college football, but not a single Top 25 team will lose this weekend to an unranked opponent. There will also be no FCS vs. FBS upsets.
Jace Evans
Florida will pull off the first major upset of the 2022 season in taking down No. 8 Utah. Little is expected of the Gators this year – too little, in my opinion. This is still Florida, and there’s still plenty of talent here for Billy Napier to work with in his first season. Quarterback Anthony Richardson could become a star in the SEC, and this game may serve as his breakout. Plus, Florida will have a major home-field advantage – “The Swamp” in early September just sounds unpleasant.
Paul Myerberg
Cincinnati upsets Arkansas on the road to reclaim front-runner status in the American and the (very, very) early race for the New Year’s Six. Given the Bearcats’ losses, including quarterback Desmond Ridder and cornerback Ahmad Gardner, expectations heading into the opener are that UC will be playing better football in the second half of the year and still contend for the Top 25. Winning on the road against a Power Five opponent from the SEC would shake that up and show the program’s staying power under Luke Fickell.
Erick Smith
There going to be a Week 1 shocker and it’s going to come from the Lone Star State. Texas-San Antonio is hosting No. 25 Houston with the Cougars being a trendy pick to possibly reach the New Year’s Six. But it’s the Roadrunners who get a substantial boost to their resume with a big win, led by quarterback Frank Harris.
Eddie Timanus
The financial reality of college football, as we explored earlier this week in our annual look at guarantee games, generally dictates that teams from major conferences rarely have to leave home to play opponents from outside the Power Five leagues. But curiously, two ACC schools from North Carolina’s famed Triangle region are doing just that this weekend, hitting the road to play in-state opponents.
Which one will lose? Probably not N.C. State, which will head to the coast to take on East Carolina. The Wolfpack will bring a No. 13 ranking and an extremely talented team to Greenville.
It is North Carolina that is making the riskier road trip, heading west to meet Appalachian State. The Tar Heels were able to get in a Week 0 tune-up against an undermanned Florida A&M squad. The Mountaineers also have experienced QB Chase Brice and a stable of talented running backs to lead the offense. Oh yeah, and App State knocked off the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill in 2019, so this year’s version will not lack confidence.
Dan Wolken
There’s been a lot of hype about North Carolina State coming into the season – too much, really. And when that happens, history suggests disappointment is right around the corner. The Wolfpack may not have to wait long for the air to come out of the balloon. Opening up on the road against East Carolina is a massive trap game and the Pirates are going to be up to the challenge. Mike Houston, who is an outstanding coach, finally got East Carolina pointed in the right direction last year by going 7-5. I would expect yet another leap for the Pirates this season, and when they have it going Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is a really tough place to play. ECU knocked off a lot of ACC teams in its heyday, and I think they’re right on the verge of getting back to that level.  

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