Predicting the Winner of Each College Football Conference in 2022

The path to college football's ultimate goal is winning a conference championship. For teams with limited access to the College Football Playoff, winning the league title is that peak.

Cincinnati became the first Group of Five team in the College Football Playoff last season. Houston finished 12-2 in 2021 and returns a lethal QB-WR combination in Clayton Tune and Nathaniel Dell. UCF and SMU also have a reasonable shot to contend next season, but Houston might be the strongest team.

Clemson finished 10-3 last season. The Tigers have a good defensive line and are expected to be one of the best defenses in the country. Clemson plays at Wake on September 24 and at NC State the following week.

The Big Ten champion is expected to come from the East Division. Michigan is the reigning champion. Ohio State has won the league for four straight years. Iowa and Wisconsin have six of the eight trips to the championship game.

Oklahoma has a lot of changes to make, but it's a good team. Baylor needs to replace a bunch of production at receiver and in the secondary. Oklahoma State has major turnover to address in both personnel and coaching. Texas has talent, plenty of upside and earned approximately zero trust. Kansas State is again a stable mid-tier squad thanks to a terrific pass rush and the arrival of Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez.

After Marshall's departure, Conference USA has three teams: UTSA, Western Kentucky and UAB. Uab has won the last three titles. UBS has been the most consistent team of the group.

Toledo has fallen short of preseason expectations lately. The defense is returning a majority of its havoc-creators, including Jamal Hines and Desjuan Johnson. Dequan Finn had a strong freshman year with 2,549 yards from scrimmage and just two interceptions in 250 passing attempts.

Boise State and Fresno State are the favorites to win the CFP championship in 2022. They met in the 2014, 2017 and 2018 title games. Boise State beat Fresno 40-14 during the regular season last year.

Utah has represented the South Division in the Pac-12 Championship Game in each of the last three full seasons. The Utes are better built for a title pursuit behind an experienced group on both sides of football. Oregon is handily the North front-runner despite losing coach Mario Cristobal to the Miami Hurricanes.

Alabama is the preeminent SEC team. Georgia is a national champion. Alabama and Georgia have played in the last eight conference championship games. Georgia will avoid all of Alabama, Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M in regular-season crossover play.

Marshall and James Madison are joining the Sun Belt this season. The Thundering Herd have the preposterous luck of hosting all three games in their debut season, including the home games. Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina and Georgia State are the main contenders in the East Division. Louisiana is the favorite in West Division, while the West is clearly the favourite in East.