Here are 5 college football topics to watch in 2022

Well, it was quite an adventure.

The college football season ended Monday night, when Georgia beat Alabama in the SEC Championship – er, national championship — to end the Bulldogs’ 41-year title drought.

This thrilling end to the season marked the end of an unforgettable year. Next season could be even more unforgettable.

Here’s a look at five topics to watch as the 2022 college football season approaches:

Since the College Football Playoff was established seven years ago, the Pac-12 has only been ranked in the sport’s top four seeding two times: Oregon (2014) and Washington (2016). Meanwhile, the SEC (10), ACC (7), Big Ten (6) and Big 12 (4) have all placed more teams in the CFP, with Notre Dame doing so twice and Cincinnati qualifying as the lone Group of 5 team.

First-time Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff said before the conference championship that the league was “very supportive of multiple proposals” for CFP expansion, which would eventually allow the Pac-12 to become a playoff regular.

“We have not indicated that we will vote against any of the proposals currently under discussion, either the eighth or the 12th,” Kliavkoff said.

For now, the CFP will remain at four teams. So which Pac-12 team will represent the conference in the CFP?

Right now, the Conference of Champions’ top football programs – USC, Oregon and Washington – are in a state of flux. USC hired Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma, and he seems like a good bet to lead the Men of Troy back to power… but will that happen in 2022? Will defending champion Dan Lanning’s experience as Georgia’s defensive coordinator help Oregon return to national prominence? Can Kalen DeBoer help the Huskies after a big win at Fresno State?

Or will the reigning Pac-12 champions stay on top? Utah ranks No. 7 in ESPN’s way-too-early 2022 poll, and Pac-12 Hotline’s Jon Wilner has the Utes ranked sixth.

So maybe Utah will be the Pac-12’s representative in the College Football Playoff.

It doesn’t bring water to the desert, but Jedd Fisch and his 24-hour crew appear to have revived the Arizona football program.

The Wildcats signed what is arguably the best 2022 recruiting class in program history, which includes six players from the highly talented Trinity League in Los Angeles: All-American receiver Tetairoa McMillan (Servite), All-American running back Rayshon “Speedy” Luke (St. John Bosco), four-star tight end Keyan Burnett (Servite), defensive end Taitai Uiagalelei (Mater Dei), quarterback Noah Fifita (Servite) and linebacker Jacob Manu (Servite). Arizona’s recruiting class is evaluated by 247Sports.com as the second-best class in the Pac-12 and the 20th-best class in the country.

Through the NCAA transfer portal, Arizona added former Washington State quarterback Jayden de Laura, UTEP receiver Jacob Cowing, USC edge rusher Hunter Echols, Michigan outside linebacker Anthony Solomon and UCLA safety DJ Warnell.

Fisch and his staff have convinced a lot of talented players of that vision, but will it translate into wins? The UA’s non-conference schedule opens with a game at San Diego State before the Wildcats face Mississippi State and FCS champion North Dakota State at home.

Before suffering a season-ending elbow injury, Texas running back and Tucson native Bijan Robinson was among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.

Over a five-week span, Robinson is averaging 150.4 rushing yards per game. He’ll once again be the Longhorns’ focal point on offense, whether the quarterback is Ohio State transfer Quinn Ewers or highly-rated freshman Maalik Murphy.

Only two Longhorns have won the Heisman: Earl Campbell (1977) and Ricky Williams (1998). Soon-to-be junior Robinson, who will likely be a favorite next season, could join them and become the first Tucsonan to win college football’s highest honor. He’ll likely have to defend against the previous winner, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson.

Three letters, millions of dollars. NIL, also known as name, image and likeness, allows student-athletes to earn money through sponsorship deals.

The first year of the NIL has been lucrative for college football’s top players: Alabama freshman cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry signed an endorsement deal with the beverage company, while Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young signed more than 14 NIL contracts worth more than $1 million before he even took his first snap. Former NFL quarterback Charlie Batch recently offered Oklahoma transfer Caleb Williams a $1 million endorsement deal for his investment firm if Williams would transfer to his alma mater, Eastern Michigan.

What will the NIL look like next year? Nobody knows.

The 2021 college football season was unaffected by the spread of COVID-19 until bowl season arrived. The coronavirus canceled five postseason games, including the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl on Dec. 31. (Boise State withdrew due to COVID-19 protocols, and Central Michigan accepted a bid to the Sun Bowl instead.)

Hopefully by next season, college football will be back to normal, including traditions. Hopefully it won’t be long before coaches are once again getting sprayed with a product related to their bowl game’s title sponsor. Maybe the winning coach of the Arizona Bowl will get a bucket full of Eegees on his head.