Pro Football Focus releases way-too-early 2022 college football rankings

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•04/18/22•

Jonathan Wagner

This past offseason in college football is going to be remembered for a long time. Before the 2021 season even came to a close, the chaotic coaching carousel began. Many big-named coaches changed teams, and a ton of high-profile players switched teams across the nation as well due to the transfer portal. Following all of the changes, Pro Football Focus has taken a way-too-early stab at the 2022 college football Top 25 rankings.

There are some familiar teams at the top of PFF’s early Top 25 college football rankings, although Georgia, the defending National Championship winners, is not at the top spot. That honor instead belongs to Alabama. The Crimson Tide return a lot of young building blocks on both sides of the ball. Alabama won the SEC Championship over Georgia last year, but the Bulldogs had the last laugh in the title game.

Georgia loses some key pieces from last year’s team, notably on defense. The Bulldogs lose a ton of players from its historically dominant 2021 unit. But the team still returns a ton of talent. Ohio State comes in at No. 2. The Buckeyes ended the year strong, and return two Heisman hopefuls on offense.

Clemson rounds out the top four, with Michigan coming in at No. 5. The Tigers had a down year last season and are looking for a return to the College Football Playoff in 2022. Michigan made the CFP last year as the No. 2 seed, but lost in the semifinal to Georgia. Texas A&M makes a massive leap up to No. 6, largely due to an impressive 2022 recruiting class, which ranks as the best in all of college football.

Cincinnati, the fourth seed in the CFP last season, is not listed in PFF’s Top 25. The Bearcats lose a lot of talent to the NFL Draft, and Houston leaps them from the AAC in these rankings.

Way-too-early college football Top 25 rankings from PFF

  1. Alabama Crimson Tide
  2. Ohio State Buckeyes
  3. Georgia Bulldogs
  4. Clemson Tigers
  5. Michigan Wolverines
  6. Texas A&M Aggies
  7. Utah Utes
  8. USC Trojans
  9. Oklahoma Sooners
  10. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
  11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  12. Arkansas Razorbacks
  13. Pittsburgh Panthers
  14. Texas Longhorns
  15. South Carolina Gamecocks
  16. Miami Hurricanes
  17. NC State Wolfpack
  18. Kentucky Wildcats
  19. BYU Cougars
  20. Baylor Bears
  21. Wisconsin Badgers
  22. Tennessee Volunteers
  23. Houston Cougars
  24. Ole Miss Rebels
  25. Oregon Ducks

PFF also included a few teams that just barely missed out on its Top 25 rankings. Those teams are Oklahoma State, LSU, Cincinnati, Iowa, and Michigan State.