As the dust settles around the 2022 football season, let’s look ahead to the final Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings
Note: this isn’t our ranking of the best teams, but our prediction for how Coaches top 25 voters will slot them in the official poll
Predicting the final Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings
25. South Carolina. The Gamecocks put up a solid fight in the Gator Bowl against the Irish, but fell just short at the end, and are now losing some key players to the transfer portal.
24. Texas. After missing out on the Big 12 title race late in the year, the Longhorns then dropped the Alamo Bowl to the Washington Huskies, but have big pieces coming in from a solid recruiting class, led by quarterback Arch Manning.
23. Fresno State. The Bulldogs won nine straight games to finish the season, including a 29-6 victory over Washington State in the LA Bowl.
22. UCLA. The Bruins lost a heartbreaker to Pitt in the Sun Bowl and are about to lose key playmakers, but also gained a major coup in 5-star quarterback Dante Moore.
21. Mississippi State. An emotional win over Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl after the death of Mike Leach to kick off the Zach Arnett era.
20. Troy. One of the better early bowl games saw the Trojans take down UTSA and finish with 12 wins on the year.
19. Pittsburgh. Pitt may have lost quarterback Kedon Slovis to the transfer portal, but it also pulled off a dramatic, last-second win over UCLA in the Sun Bowl.
18. Oregon State. A strong finish for the Beavers, who beat Florida convincingly to close out the season.
17. Notre Dame. Marcus Freeman finishes Year 1 a winner after taking the Gator Bowl and moves into 2023 with transfer quarterback Sam Hartman coming in.
16. Oregon. Bo Nix is coming back and the Ducks knocked off North Carolina in the bowl, a strong foundation to keep building from next year.
15. LSU. Not a bad debut for Brian Kelly, beating Ole Miss and Alabama, playing for the SEC title, and smashing Purdue 63-7 in the Citrus Bowl.
14. Clemson. Some persistent questions surrounding this offense after a sluggish effort in the Orange Bowl loss to Tennessee and whether Clemson’s dynasty period is over.
13. U.S.C. Poor defense doomed the Trojans in two critical losses, in the Pac-12 title game and the Cotton Bowl, something Lincoln Riley will have to address this offseason.
12. Utah. Another unlucky injury for Cameron Rising in the Rose Bowl and the Utes lost to Penn State, but are Pac-12 champions for two straight years.
11. Kansas State. The Big 12 champion Wildcats played Alabama close early in the Sugar Bowl before the Tide made a comeback, and now star Deuce Vaughn is heading to the draft.
10. Tulane. A major statement for the Green Wave and the AAC after pulling off the dramatic win over USC in the Cotton Bowl.
9. Florida State. The Seminoles used a powerful running game and quarterback Jordan Travis to take down OU in the bowl, and now Travis is coming back in 2023.
8. Washington. A solid offensive output held off Texas in the Alamo Bowl, and the Huskies are getting quarterback Michael Penix back next season, too.
7. Penn State. James Franklin gets his win over a top 10 team after taking down Utah in the Rose Bowl, Sean Clifford’s last game.
6. Tennessee. Joe Milton could be the future at quarterback for the Vols after an important win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl, and Josh Heupel looks to get this team back in College Football Playoff contention again next year.
5. Alabama. A rout for the Tide over Kansas State in Bryce Young and Will Anderson’s last game as they head to the draft.
4. Ohio State. Just one point and one wide-left field goal kept the Buckeyes from playing for the national title in a hectic 1-point loss to Georgia.
3. Michigan. For the second straight year, UM lost in the College Football Playoff semifinal, but has two wins over Ohio State and a pair of Big Ten titles to build from.
2. TCU. We project that the Horned Frogs will lose the national championship, but with what remains of the roster and a solid transfer class, it should be a contender out of the Big 12 again in 2023.
1. Georgia. With a projected win in the CFP title game, that gives Kirby and the Bulldogs two straight, approaching dynasty consideration, and potentially replacing Nick Saban and Alabama as the kings of college football in this era to come.
More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams