Random Thoughts Extra: 2022 Schedules

Despite Disney’s best efforts to kill college football, the sport will be played this fall and should be another enjoyable season.

HOLY WAR

BYU vs Notre Dame, Oct 8 (in Sin City, aka Las Vegas, NV)

Mormons versus Catholics. To the winner goes the love and full grace of God Almighty.

URBAN BOWL

Utah at Florida, Sept 3

I can’t wait to see the halftime show.

WEEK 1 ELIMINATORS?

Notre Dame at Ohio State, Sept 3

In the end if the loser of this game does so by a close margin and runs the table, they might still get in the playoff. A blowout probably eliminates the loser.

DYING TREND?

Oregon vs Georgia, Sept 3 (Atlanta, GA)

Are we seeing the final days of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff on a major level? Alabama completed their final participation in the Atlanta game last season with a pounding of Miami-FL. Under normal circumstances, Kirby Smart mimics whatever Nick Saban does. However, he already had his Bulldogs signed up to return to the Dome in 2024 to play Clemson. Perhaps teams are not as afraid of playing UGA as they are Bama.

Florida State vs. LSU, Sept 4 (Nawlins)

These two shells of their former selves will meet at the Superdome for the first Louisiana Kickoff. It is practically a home game for the Bayou Bengals. If they intend to have more of these games, New Orleans seems to be jumping on this bandwagon at the wrong time.

FIRST DATE

Cincinnati at Arkansas, September 3

This would have been a funner game last year. But with nine Bearcats selected in April’s 2022 NFL Draft, it doesn’t seem likely they can hang with the Hogs.

REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD

West Virginia at Pitt, Sept 1

It’s the renewal of the Backyard Brawl after a decade-long hiatus. The two bitter rivals broke up back when realignment fever annihilated the Big East. The first of 104 meetings began in 1895 and played every season from 1943 to 2011. With commissioners “encouraging” OOC games with fellow Power-5 teams, the two teams will thankfully renew acquaintances in Week 1 at Heinz Field.

Missouri at Kansas State, Sept 10

These two have faced off 97 times but none since the 2011 season. The Tigers move to the SEC snapped 85 consecutive years of facing off on the gridiron.

WHAT WERE WE THINKING?

North Dakota State at Arizona, Sept 17

Since 2010 several poor naive FBS teams put the Bisons on their schedule. And they all came away losers.

• 2010: NDSU 6 Kansas 3
• 2011: NDSU 37 Minnesota 24
• 2012: NDSU 22 Colorado State 7
• 2013: NDSU 24 Kansas State 21
• 2014: NDSU 34 Iowa State 14
• 2016: NDSU 34 Iowa State 14

No FBS team has dared schedule them since. Until now. Do they not have internet in Tucson?

BIGGEST FCS VS. FBS PAYOUT

Would you have guessed the biggest FCS vs FBS payout will be Idaho at Indiana? The Hoosiers are dishing out $1.3 million to have the Vandals travel to Bloomington September 10th.

Florida is paying Eastern Washington $750,000 to upset them in the Swamp on October 1. EWU will be getting a second big payday for the sum of $635,000 when Bo Nix and Oregon derp it up against the Eagles in Week 2.

Alabama is paying Austin Peay $600,000 for a November clash. Auburn is donating the same amount to Mercer for a Week 1 rendezvous.

LAMEST NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

UCLA’s non-conference slate is comprised of home games with Bowling Green, Alabama State, and South Alabama.

RUNNER-UPS

Michigan hosts Colorado State, Hawaii, and UConn. I suppose Sisters of Mercy Teachers College wasn’t available.

Minnesota welcomes New Mexico State, Western Illinois, and Colorado to Defund HQ.

LAMEST NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE, SEC

Ole Miss opens with Troy, Central Michigan, at Georgia Tech and Tulsa.

HOME SWEET HOME

Ohio State’s first five games are at home: Notre Dame, Arkansas State, Toledo, Wisconsin, Rutgers.

BOLDEST OOC SCHEDULING

Struggling Georgia Tech has lined up OOC games with Ole Miss and at UCF to go with the annual ass-whooping to Georgia which is in Athens this season.

Most intriguing SEC scheduling goes to Arkansas who visits BYU and hosts Cincinnati and Liberty.

TOUGHEST OCTOBER SCHEDULE

Mississippi State has Texas A&M, Arkansas, at Kentucky, at Alabama from Oct. 1 to 22.

LOW MILEAGE

Texas plays all their games within the confines of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas this season.

ODDEST WEEK ZERO MATCH-UP

Vanderbilt 63 Hawaii 10 - F

I am pretty sure these two programs never met on the gridiron before last Saturday. I can’t imagine who out of the Hawaii and Vandy administrators spun a globe and picked the other school when looking for future opponents.

MOST INTRIGUING SEPTEMBER SEC GAME

Arkansas vs Texas A&M (Arlington, TX), Sept. 24

LEAST INTRIGUING SEPTEMBER SEC GAME

Vanderbilt at Alabama, Sept. 24

NEW TEAM JOINING FBS IN 2022

James Madison will start a transition from Division I FCS in 2022, joining the Sun Belt Conference. As a full Sun Belt member, JMU will meet FBS scheduling requirements in the 2022 season, allowing them to be counted as an FBS opponent for scheduling purposes. The Dukes are led by former Bama assistant (2007–2010) Curt Cignetti.

OLD TEAMS LEAVING FBS IN 2022

Vanderbilt. Just kidding. But, really. They should be demoted to FCS.