College football is just a few weeks away and the month of September looks to be full of great action-packed games. Although it’s month 1 of the season, many of these games will hold a lot of weight at the end of the season when college football playoff votes start.
Once again, all eyes will be on the big 4 of college football, Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson are all expected to compete for a title. After these four, the month of September will give us a group of teams who will emerge as real contenders for one of the four spots in the playoffs.
Here are the five must-see games of September.
11 Oregon at 3 Georgia, Sept. 3
When this match-up was created I don’t believe Oregon thought it would be with a new head coach. Former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning gets the opportunity to stun the country in Athens, GA. Oregon will be introducing a new starting quarterback as well and a new defensive philosophy. However, Georgia is coming off an impressive national championship run in 2021. Although the Dawgs lost a lot of players from last year’s team, head coach Kirby Smart has this program built to withstand the losses. It will be interesting to see how Oregon decides to defend Stetson Bennett, considering he was thought to be the weak link of the 2021 national championship team.
5 Notre Dame at 2 Ohio State, Sept. 3
Another primetime game to start the year off and with another first-year head coach. Notre Dame will try to pull off the upset with new head coach Marcus Freeman. Freeman led the defense for the Fighting Irish last season, but this year as head man he will need to sure up the offense. The defense for the Irish should be the strength of the team while the offense for Ohio State would be the same. Containing Ohio State’s QB C.J. Stroud and endless amounts of elite offensive weapons will be easier said than done. Hopefully, the new era of Irish football looks like one that can win championships and not just come close to it.
1 Alabama at Texas, Sept. 10
This game is expected to favor Alabama like most of their games this year, but Texas has an offense that might very well give Alabama’s defense a run for their money. New incoming QB transfer Quin Ewers will a get shot at shocking the world. This game will also be considered a measuring stick game for the Sarkisian lead Longhorns. If Texas can be competitive in this game, it could be the start of a great year and maybe a rematch in the college football playoffs. The X-factor in this game will be the play of Alabama QB Bryce Young. Young returns to defend his Heisman Trophy and lead the Tide to a national championship. If the Big 12 offenses were lighting up the Texas defense last year with sub-par QB play, we can only imagine the amount of yards Young will put up on that defense.
16 Miami at 6 Texas A&M, Sept. 17
Two programs looking to take the next step will face off each other. These programs have played only 3 times with Miami leading 2-1. The difference between these two programs is that Jimbo Fisher is leading the Aggies. Jimbo is 7-1 against Miami and those match-up wasn’t even close. Maybe the score looked close in some, but majority of them were one-sided all game.
Miami’s new head coach Mario Cristobal will have his biggest test of his first year just 3 weeks in. Fortunately, Miami has one of the better quarterbacks returning in 2022 and a quality coaching staff to prepare Miami for this game.
For Texas A&M, this game is a way for them to flex their muscle and show the world they are who they think they are. For Miami, this will be a measuring stick game to see how much better they are compared to 2021. If Miami is truly to return, the Canes must win these types of games.
19 Arkansas at Texas A&M, Sept. 24
This game will either be Texas A&M’s way of getting back into the college football playoff conversation after a loss to Miami or a way to further show the country they have arrived. Arkansas on the other hand cannot and should not be overlooked. Last year, the Razorbacks won this match-up 20-10. If the Aggies or the Razorbacks are going to make a real run at the SEC championship, they will need to win this game.
