SEC+3: 2022 Week One Picks

 

Dear Reader,

First, I'm grateful for you reading this post. Whether you enjoy my picks or not, somehow you found yourself here, reading this. Luck might have it, that this is my TENTH (1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9..10...YES 10!!!!) season of picking college football games.

By now, most of you know the drill:

Each week during the college football season, I'll pick each Southeastern Conference game, along with three of the biggest games across the country. 

Usually, the "Plus 3" involves Clemson, as a lot of my readers are Clemson fans. I might not care for their team, but I do appreciate them reading! Without Clemson, we don't have a rivalry here in the Palmetto State that creates all the hype and fun of college sports in South Carolina.

By the way, don't @ me with the "it's not really a rivalry" comments Clemson fans. I was trying to be nice!

Here's my record from 2021: 96-38

Here's the SEC+3 Week One Picks:

Thursday 9/1

Ball State @ Tennessee

I'm not going to go too in-depth with this pick, but I do like Tennessee to get started off fast. There's a path to 10-wins for the Vols in 2022, and this game is a good start.

The Pick: Tennessee 52 Ball State 13

Louisiana Tech @ Missouri

Missouri showed signs of life last season at times, but the Tigers will have to go back to what made football successful in the past in CoMo: running the football and playing solid defense. I'll be watching to see if Mizzou is able to reveal some kind of identity or scheme on offense, but I feel like I've watched this game with Louisiana Tech before at Williams-Brice a few years back.

The Pick: Missouri 21 Louisiana Tech 17

Saturday 9/3

Sam Houston @ #6 Texas A&M

Jimbo Fisher signed a huge class this offseason!!! Much to the ridicule and speculation of other coaches in the conference, but he was still able to get these kids to bring an enormous amount of talent to a team that wasn't bad to start! Will this be the year for A&M to get over the hump of the SEC West? Stay tuned...

The Pick: Texas A&M 45 Sam Houston 10

#11 Oregon vs. #3 Georgia - Atlanta, GA

Really this is a home game for Georgia, and it will be interesting to see if the Bulldogs can continue off of bringing home a National Championship. This is one of the biggest games of the opening weekend slate, and Bo Nix would want nothing more to ruin Kirby Smart's first game back on the turf since winning the Natty. 

Fortunately for Kirby, his squad is still loaded. I think the Bo Nix move to Oregon can be successful, but it might be a tough opening week for the Ducks.

The Pick: Georgia 34 Oregon 13

#23 Cincinnati @ #19 Arkansas

It will be interesting to see how Cincy returns to yet another big stage to preform. Especially after the Bearcats were to first non-Power 5 team to get a playoff berth last season. This is a sneaky matchup this week for the Razorbacks, and the Bearcats put the Hogs on upset alert.

The Pick: Cincinnati 28 Arkansas 27

Troy @ #21 Ole Miss

I really think Troy will make some plays in this game, but I think Ole Miss will make a lot more. It will be fun to see what new weapons Lane Kiffin has been developing since we've seen the Rebels last...

The Pick: Ole Miss 41 Troy 14

Miami (OH) @ #20 Kentucky

Kentucky fans, ya'll need to tell your coach to chill. If you haven't seen the clip of the "suspended" incident that Mark Stoops had with a reporter, it's worth a look. Maybe Stoops will find some joy after some "MACtion" Saturday.

The Pick: Kentucky 35 Miami (OH) 10

#7 Utah @ Florida

I will say that this would not be my idea of a perfect debut game as a head coach in the SEC, like it is for Florida head coach Billy Napier. Utah will have to play through a rowdy Gainesville crowd, the humidity and heat of Florida, and a Gators team that's out to prove legitimacy in 2022. 

Utah is still a top 10 team for a reason, however, and the Utes will win a physical game to start the Billy Napier Era in Florida.

The Pick: Utah 28 Florida 24

Mercer @ Auburn

Auburn faces a decent squad from the FCS, and this will be a good chance for the Tigers to run a tune-up game against a Mercer team that started the season 1-0 last weekend. The Auburn faithful will be looking for some hope after 2021 wasn't much short of a disappointment.

The Pick: Auburn 45 Mercer 20

Elon @ Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt being 2-0 and sitting at the top of the standings in the SEC sure is going to be weird.

The Pick: Vanderbilt 51 Elon 17

Utah State @ #1 Alabama

This Alabama team looks to be one of the best during the dynasty that Nick Saban has built in his time in Tuscaloosa. Bryce Young could easily could be a repeat Heisman winner. Alabama will score over the usual 38 that I give the Crimson Tide each week.

The Pick: Alabama 61 Utah State 13

Memphis @ Mississippi State

Mike Leach and Mississippi State will need to start off solid to set the tone for the 2022 with a solid showing against Memphis to start the year.

The Pick: Mississippi State 41 Memphis 28

Georgia State @ South Carolina

Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliot brings a lot of storylines into Columbia Saturday. South Carolina will lose this game if they overlook this Georgia State team. This Georgia State squad has defeated Tennessee 2019 and gave Auburn everything but a loss in 2021. Elliot was the interim head coach for South Carolina in 2015 after Steve Spurrier cut out mid-season. Will Muschamp was chosen as Spurrier's eventual successor after the HBC's early mid-year departure, and Elliot left to take over a Georgia State program that wasn't having success.

Fast forward to present day, and you have the a South Carolina team that is trying to finally build on a year where the Gamecocks started to build momentum with a few exciting late-season wins in 2021 that allowed for an upset against a North Carolina team that started 2021 in the top 10. Georgia State represents the first of many tough challenges the Gamecocks will face on the 2022 schedule, and this will be a big time game for both teams.

I've gone back-and-forth on this game a good bit, but in the end, I think Coach Beamer will have enough talent for the Gamecocks to make a statement in the 2022 opener. I'll be interested in what kind of identity the South Carolina offense will try to establish early on, and the Gamecock defensive front will have a lot of work in front of it, trying to stop a team that was 8th in the FBS last season in rushing. This one will be fun under the lights of Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

The Pick: South Carolina 31 Georgia State 21

Sunday 9/4

Florida State vs. LSU - New Orleans, LA

This game is big in a lot of ways for both of these teams. It's a primetime matchup on a Sunday, which will be exactly one week before NFL Football takes over Sunday television.

I expect this game to be a sloppy one, where we'll probably see a couple big plays made on defense and special teams. I like for LSU to get a big debut win for its new, oddly-paired head coach, Brian Kelly. I like LSU because the Tigers always have a cycle of regional talent that flows in and out of Baton Rouge, and I expect that talent to make one or two of those big plays that I just wrote about.

The Pick: LSU 21 Florida State 14

+3 Games of Week One

#4 Clemson vs. Georgia Tech - Atlanta, GA

The Labor Day game of the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff is an ACC matchup that ended up being a very exciting game last year, when Georgia Tech almost completed the upset against the Tigers. That upset didn't happen until the Tigers ran into Pittsburgh later in the year. 

It will be interesting to see if Clemson will allow for super-freshman Cade Klubnick to make his debut against Georgia Tech if DJ Uiagalelei struggles early on like he did against teams last year in conference play. Lucky for Tiger fans, Clemson brings back a star-studded cast on defense, and I see the Tigers running away with this opening game. Then again, I did say that last year, too.

Another aspect of this game that I'm interested in is to see what different dynamics the new generation of coordinators will bring to this team. Will it be a similar offense, or will there be a few wrinkles? Also, what will a Clemson defense look like without one of the best defensive-minded coaches in the FBS in Brent Venables roaming the sidelines. We'll find out Monday.

The Pick: Clemson 35 Georgia Tech 13

#5 Notre Dame @ #2 Ohio State

No disrespect to Notre Dame fans, but how is your team ranked so high every year? This is one of the highest ranked opening week matchups that we have seen in a while. I don't think it will be as interesting as the rankings indicate, however.

The Pick: Ohio State 56 Notre Dame 21

Army @ Coastal Carolina

I know you're reading this thinking "why in the hell is Griff making this third game?" The answer is simple. This game intrigues me. Two different "option style" offenses that are complemented with good, physical defense makes this "must see" television for me. 

Can we call this game "Soldiers versus Mullets"?

The Pick: Coastal 38 Army 31

As always folks, thanks for reading my week one picks!!! If you want to see a game picked next week, have an opinion, or just want to say "hi," hit me up on Twitter @griffaldo or like us on Facebook.

If you want to see my old work, feel free to visit griffssports.blogspot.com and read some of last year's picks!

Happy Kickoff Weekend, y'all!