The 2022 college football schedule is full of must-see matchups. With so many epic showdowns, it’s difficult to pick one that stands out above the pack.
Yet given recent events, the top choice might not be too shocking.
Brandon Marcello picked his 10 most-anticipated matchups for the upcoming season on 247Sports. Days after a public tussle between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher, an October 8 meeting between Alabama and Texas A&M occupies the No. 1 spot.
Though the Crimson Tide will be heavy favorites at home, the Aggies pulled off a 41-38 upset in their SEC showdown last season. As Marcello noted, Fisher also “just secured the best recruiting class in 247Sports Composite history,” which led Saban to accuse him of buying their incoming players.
“This might not be the year to hit the apex, particularly with the Tide built to demolish everyone with a favorable home schedule, but this game is flush with storylines (don’t forget Fisher became the first former Saban assistant to defeat him last season) and the potential for an upset, along with upsetting the balance of power in the SEC, is too good to ignore,” Marcello wrote. “This might be the game of the year in the powerful SEC over the next half decade.”
Marcello’s second-rated matchup also involves Alabama. Saban will encounter another past assistant, Steve Sarkisian, when the Crimson Tide and Texas Longhorns meet on September 10.
Saban’s accusations against Texas A&M, and Fisher’s furious response, up the ante for their meeting at Bryant-Denny Stadium this fall.