Grind on the Gridiron

The chaos of college football is ever present in the 2022-23 season

The 2022 season brought a mixed bag of championship favorites that continue to tussle for the title. Though Georgia and Alabama have dominated the league in the past, Oregon and Texas were projected to offer stiff competition this year with highly rated, yet previously unproven talent. As fall turns into winter, some ranked teams have fallen flat on their faces while others have risen to the forefront of conference races.

Along the Bay Area front, the California Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinals have left a lot to be desired. Cal started off the season 3-1 with a close loss to Notre Dame, but has lost four straight games since then, including to lowly Colorado. Meanwhile, Stanford has continued to struggle ever since losing Christian McCaffrey to the NFL, getting thumped by USC and UCLA, and losing inexplicably in the final seconds against Oregon State. Despite a nail-biter win over Notre Dame, Stanford has struggled with limited room for growth as top end talent continues to decline.

Closer to home, the San Jose State Spartans recently faced a major tragedy. On the morning of October 21, running back Camdan McWright was struck and killed by a bus in San Jose. San Jose State and New Mexico State subsequently postponed their game as the team and community came together to mourn him, a life that was taken far too quickly at the young age of 18.

The Spartans wore their hearts on their sleeves the week after as they honored McWright in a matchup against Nevada, with McWright’s family in attendance. The Spartans fought hard and won 35-28 in what must have been the most difficult game in the program's history. In this game, the Spartan program showed how football is family and a brotherhood, no matter the team. 

Expanding to look at the nation as a whole, several big matchups early on caught the attention of football fans everywhere. #11 Oregon faced #3 Georgia in a battle in Atlanta, where the Bulldogs romped the Ducks by a final score of 49-3. The game was a disappointing debut for new Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning, who departed the defending national champion Bulldogs after last season.

The Alabama Crimson Tide faced the University of Texas Longhorns, and 100,000 of their fans, in Austin on Sept. 10. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young faced a new challenge without two of his 2021 all-American receivers, working to find other skill position players like Jahmyr Gibbs. The Crimson Tide won the game 20-19, barely scrounging the win via a field goal with 10 seconds left in the 4th quarter. For the Longhorns, the game was a missed opportunity, especially after starting quarterback Quinn Ewers went down with a shoulder injury in the first half.

Despite catching a lot of criticism for a mediocre program in the 2010’s, the Tennessee Volunteers have unleashed a new level of power this season thanks to senior quarterback Hendon Hooker and dynamic receiver Jalin Hyatt. Leading the offense to an 8-0 record and #2 AP poll ranking in the country so far this season, Hooker has stepped up for the program and continues to change the Tennessee reputation for the better. In perhaps the biggest game of the season, the #2 Volunteers will make the trek to Athens, Georgia to face the #1 Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 5.

Opposingly, several previously top-level teams have fallen short of preseason expectations, including the Texas A&M Aggies, Michigan State Spartans and Oklahoma Sooners. With some of the best talent and coaching in the country, the poor records this season are disappointing and surprising, with only Oklahoma currently possessing a winning record. That said, the fallback of these teams has paved the way for teams like the TCU Horned Frogs, Oregon State Beavers and UCLA Bruins to take advantage and grind towards rankings in the top 25 for the first time in years.

Conference races are racing towards the end as the season comes into week 9, with neck and neck competition. Soon, the contenders will be separated from the pretenders. College football’s chaos is back and better than ever, and the excitement continues to grow as the season winds down.