Need some help with your college football bets? Well, our college football power rankings are back to help you make the tough decisions and find some added betting value this season — not to mention bragging rights for your favorite school.
Check back each week for Andrew Caley’s updated power rankings, where he lists his Top 25 teams in college football, highlighting the risers and fallers while also identifying some betting value in the college football futures market.
The 2022 initial rankings are here and those hoping for some type of shakeup at the top, look away. The big boys — Alabama, Ohio State, and Georgia — aren’t going anywhere.
Andrew Caley's college football power rankings
| Rank | Team | AP Rank | National Title Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 1 | +175 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 2 | +300 |
| 3 | Georgia | 3 | +400 |
| 4 | Utah | 7 | +5,000 |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 6 | +2,500 |
| 6 | Notre Dame | 5 | +4,500 |
| 7 | Clemson | 4 | +1,000 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 9 | +4,000 |
| 9 | Michigan | 8 | +4,000 |
| 10 | Baylor | 10 | +10,000 |
| 11 | NC State | 13 | +12,000 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | 18 | +8,000 |
| 13 | Miami | 16 | +9,000 |
| 14 | Mississippi | 21 | +10,000 |
| 15 | USC | 14 | +2,500 |
| 16 | Oregon | 11 | +9,000 |
| 17 | Penn State | NR | +10,000 |
| 18 | Oklahoma State | 12 | +9,000 |
| 19 | Michigan State | 15 | +12,000 |
| 20 | Kentucky | 20 | +12,000 |
| 21 | Pittsburgh | 17 | +12,000 |
| 22 | Cincinnati | 23 | +20,000 |
| 23 | Arkansas | 19 | +15,000 |
| 24 | Houston | 24 | +25,000 |
| 25 | BYU | 25 | +25,000 |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings. Compare updated national championship futures before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Initial reactions
No surprises at the top of my initial rankings. Alabama has the best player in the country on both sides of the ball in Bryce Young and Will Anderson and is motivated after last year’s loss to Georgia in the national championship. Ohio State gets the edge over Georgia because of all the players the Bulldogs have to replace on that historic defense.
The first surprise in my rankings comes in the form of Utah at No. 4. I saw this Utes team play one hell of a Rose Bowl against the Buckeyes, a game they probably should have won if not for an all-time performance from Ohio State wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But this Utah team proved it's for real. A few more teams I’m higher on than the market are Baylor (No. 10), North Carolina State (No. 11), and Mississippi (No. 14).
Some programs I’m not as high on include USC, Oklahoma State, and Texas. The Longhorns might be back, but not just yet they miss out on my Top 25 entirely.
The Utes keep Rising: Utah (No. 4)
As I said, I am high on the Utah Utes heading into 2022. While USC is the Pac-12 team getting all the hype, Utah is, for my money, still the best and most complete team in the conference. Quarterback Cameron Rising took over the starter’s role early in the season and never looked back, going 9-1 before that loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
But the Utes proved they can hang with the big dogs in that game. The offense, which scored over 36 points per game, has a chance to improve and while the defense lost star linebacker Devin Lloyd to the NFL, the Utah defensive front and secondary could be even better than it was last year.
While Utah still may be a step below the Alabamas and Ohio States of the college football world, it’s not that far below. A season-opening game at Florida should tell us a lot. If the Utes can manage to win that and defend their Pac-12 title, them to make the College Football Playoff isn’t out of the question, and at +425 it looks like a decent value.
A Trojan Horse: USC (No. 15)
Let’s pump the brakes on the USC Trojans for now, OK? Yes, there is reason for optimism in Southern California. The Lincoln Riley era begins, and he went to work right away in the transfer portal, bringing quarterback Caleb Williams with him from Oklahoma, Biletnikoff-winning wide receiver Jordan Addison from Pittsburgh, and running back Travis Dye from Oregon. Simply put, the offense has a chance to be phenomenal.
That said, Williams has played meaningful action in just eight college football games and he completed just 49.3% of his passes against the three most formidable defenses in the Big 12 last season (Baylor, OK State, Iowa State). The USC offensive line will also have to show major improvement while a defense that ranked 103rd in scoring leaves plenty to be desired.
There are just too many questions for a team with odds like this. We will be looking at ways to fade the Trojans this season, particularly early on, including Under their win total of 9.5 (-120).
