Coming into the 2022 college football season, Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian believes that his team has “knocked the warts off” and will perform much better than the 5-7 record that they posted last season. The team has Bijan Robinson returning at tailback, where he hopes to be part of the Heisman Trophy conversation. Quarterback Quinn Ewers, who grew up in Texas playing for Southlake Carroll High School, had opted out of his senior season so that he could graduate early and enroll at Ohio State for the spring semester of his first year of college eligibility. He has since transferred to Texas, looking to help the Longhorns return to national contender status. The culture of entitlement in Austin is strong, though, and it holds among boosters and filters down to players as well. Can the Longhorns turn things around before entering the gauntlet known as the SEC, after years of failure to contend in the Big 12? This is one question for College Football betting enthusiasts to ponder ahead of this coming season. Looking ahead to Week 1, we have some sleepers for you to consider.
NCAA News: Sleeper Picks for Week 1
West Virginia at Pitt
These teams are finally renewing the Backyard Brawl, a venerable rivalry that had gone dormant since 2011. Pitt comes in as the defending ACC champions, although quarterback Kenny Pickett, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist, has gone across town to play for the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers. USC quarterback Kedon Slovis transferred east to see if he can get back to the flashy numbers he put up as a freshman. J.T. Daniels has transferred to West Virginia to burnish his resume ahead of the next NFL draft. Daniels started out at OHio State before transferring to Georgia for two seasons. West Virginia has won the last three meetings in this rivalry, but Pitt has jumped ahead of them in the college football pecking order. Pitt to win and cover.
Clemson at Georgia Tech
These teams are making the somewhat unusual decision to start conference play in Week 1, although Clemson hopes that this will not be a competitive game. In 2021, the Tigers almost lost in a 14-8 nailbiter. Clemson had to make a goal-line stand, and they also fell on a fumble in the end zone to notch a safety in the waning seconds. This showed the country that Clemson’s offense was going to have problems, a trend that held all season long. D.J. Uiagalelei returns after a difficult season at quarterback for Clemson, and if the offense staggers at all in the early going, this could be another game that is much closer than Dabo Swinney would like. Georgia Tech to cover.
Cincinnati at Arkansas
Sam Pittman has the Razorbacks back in business in the SEC West, with quarterback K.J. Jefferson returning alongside several key additions in the transfer portal. Cincinnati made the College Football Playoff last year but lost quarterback Desmond Ridder to the NFL. It will be difficult for the Bearcats to put together another unbeaten season, but Luke Fickell has installed a solid system on both sides of the ball. I expect the AAC to come down to Houston or SMU and Cincinnati in the conference championship, but I think Cincinnati has too many hiccups with a new quarterback to beat the Razorbacks on the road in their season opener. Arkansas to win and cover.
Penn State at Purdue
Sean Clifford and Aidan O’Connell are the dueling quarterbacks here, so we will see if signal-callers who didn’t hop right to the NFL can deliver value. Penn State had a terrific 2022 recruiting class, and those true freshmen will need to contribute right away if the Nittany Lions are going to contribute. Purdue’s offense has improved in recent seasons, so expect the Boilermakers to kep this one close. Purdue to cover.
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