# 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the 153rd season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at its highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The regular season began on August 27 and ended on December 10. The postseason began on December 16, and, aside from any all-star games that are scheduled, ended on January 9, 2023, with the College Football Playoff National Championship at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The Georgia Bulldogs successfully defended their national championship when they defeated the TCU Horned Frogs, 65–7. It was the first time in the College Football Playoff era that a team won back-to-back championships. This was the ninth season of the College Football Playoff (CFP) system. The season's Heisman Trophy winner was USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams.

## Rule changes

The following rule changes were approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel for the 2022 season.
* In games featuring instant replay, when players are disqualified for a targeting call in the second half or in overtime (which requires a carryover penalty of sitting out the first half of the next scheduled game), an appeal process will be available to allow the National Coordinator of Officials to review tapes of the targeting penalty for consideration of not requiring the player to sit out the first half of the following game.
* Injury timeouts awarded due to "deceptive actions" during a game will also be able to be reviewed by the National Coordinator of Officials to determine what sanctions, if any, against teams who use this tactic, enforced at the conference or school level.
* Blocking below the waist will only be permitted inside the tackle box by linemen and stationary backs. Blocks below the waist outside of the tackle box are not allowed.
* The penalty for players who commit illegal blocks or contact after a signal for a fair catch is changed from 15-yards to 10-yards, and is no longer considered a personal foul.
* Defensive holding will remain a 10-yard penalty but will now always carry an automatic first down. Previously automatic first downs on defensive holding were awarded if the quarterback attempted a pass.
* Codifying the rule change made shortly after the 2021 ACC Championship Game, ball carriers who simulate a feet-first slide will be declared down at that spot. This rule has informally been referred to as the "Kenny Pickett Rule".
* Defensive players who commit unsportsmanlike conduct penalties during a pass or run play will have the 15-yard penalty enforced from the end of the run/pass like a personal foul penalty.
* Uniform rules were changed to require the sock/leg covering to go from the shoe to the bottom of the pants, similar to the NFL rule.
* Illegal touching (intentional) of a forward pass by an ineligible receiver now includes a loss of down penalty in addition to the yardage (5-yards).

## Other headlines

* March 1 – The Sun Belt Conference released its 2022 football schedule. Notably, the schedule included Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss, schools that had announced their departure from Conference USA and were then in a dispute with C-USA regarding their departure date, with Marshall having sued C-USA. The SBC release did not mention the dispute or the possibility that the three schools would not be able to join for the 2022 season.
* March 29 – C-USA and the three aforementioned schools reached a settlement that allowed said schools to join the SBC in July 2022.
* May 18 – The NCAA Division I Council voted to approve multiple changes to football administrative rules. Among these changes:
** Restrictions on how conferences determine which teams qualify for their conference title games were removed. The Pac-12 Conference was the first conference to scrap its divisions for the 2022 season. While it will continue its division-based scheduling model for that season, it announced that it would consider other models for future seasons.
** All annual signing limits were removed for the 2022–23 and 2023–24 academic years. Only the overall scholarship limits (85 players receiving athletically related financial aid throughout D-I football, with 63 full scholarship equivalents in FCS) remain in place for those seasons.
** A win over an FCS team will count toward bowl eligibility if the FCS team awards at least 80% of that subdivision's limit of 63 scholarship equivalents over a two-year rolling period, down from the previous 90%. This made permanent a change that the NCAA had made on an ad hoc basis in 2020.
** The council made permanent a set of criteria, originally established on an ad hoc basis in 2020, for filling bowl slots in seasons when the number of bowl slots is greater than the number of teams with .500 records.
* May 20 – The Mountain West Conference announced that it would eliminate its football divisions starting with the 2023 season.
* June 10 – The American Athletic Conference and the three schools set to depart from that league (Cincinnati, Houston, UCF) announced that they had reached a buyout agreement that will allow those schools to join the Big 12 Conference in 2023.
* June 16 – The American confirmed the 2023 entry date for the six schools scheduled to join that league from Conference USA—Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA.
* June 28 – The ACC approved a new football schedule format after the May 18 NCAA ruling. Starting in 2023, the conference will abandon its divisional model in favor of a "3–5–5" format in which each team plays 3 permanent rivals and 5 other conference teams each season, with the non-permanent opponents rotating so that each team will play every other conference member at least once home and once away in a four-year cycle. Under this format, the championship game will feature the top two teams in the conference standings.
* June 30 – The Big Ten Conference announced that UCLA and USC would join from the Pac-12 Conference in 2024, immediately after the current Pac-12 media contracts expire.
* August 18 – The Big Ten announced a new all-sports media rights deal, running from 2023 to 2030, with Fox, CBS, and NBC that will provide the conference a reported $7 billion. By the end of the deal, each of the 16 members (including 2024 arrivals UCLA and USC) will receive as much as $100 million annually.
* August 31 – The Division I Board of Directors adopted a series of changes to transfer rules.
** Transfer windows were adopted for all Division I sports. Student-athletes who wish to be immediately eligible at their next school must enter the NCAA transfer portal within the designated period(s) for their sport. For football, two windows were established: a 45-day window starting with the day after championship selections are made (in FBS, the College Football Playoff), and a spring window from May 1–15. Accommodations will be made for participants in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
** Student-athletes who experience head coaching changes, or those whose athletic aid is reduced, canceled, or not renewed, may transfer outside designated windows without penalty.
** Transferring student-athletes will be guaranteed their financial aid at their next school through graduation.
* September 2 – The Board of Managers of the College Football Playoff voted to expand the playoff from four teams to twelve teams starting in 2026, but encouraged CFP's commissioners to implement by 2024. The model is similar to the one discussed in 2021; the six highest rated conference champions plus six at-large teams would make up the playoff.
* October 14 – Conference USA announced that Kennesaw State, currently a member of the FCS ASUN Conference, would start a transition to FBS after the 2022 football season and join C-USA in 2024.
* October 19 – Mississippi State announced that freshman offensive lineman Sam Westmoreland had died two days before his 19th birthday. The cause of death was being investigated, but foul play was not suspected.
* October 21 – San Jose State freshman running back Camdan McWright was killed when he was struck by a school bus while riding an electric scooter near the university campus. The Spartans' scheduled game for the next day against New Mexico State was postponed and was planned be made up later in the season, however this never occurred.
* October 26 - The Big Ten Conference released its 2023 schedules and retained the divisional alignment. The conference is expected to eliminate divisions once USC and UCLA join in 2024.
* November 5 – SMU defeated Houston 77–63, with the two teams combining for a new FBS record of 140 points in regulation. The previous record of 137 had been set when Pittsburgh defeated Syracuse 76–61 in 2016. SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai also set school and American Athletic Conference records with 9 touchdown passes, and tied an FBS record for touchdown passes in a half with 7 in the first half.
* November 12 – Carlton Martial of Troy recorded his 546th tackle to break the Division I FBS record for most tackles in a career.
* November 13 – Three Virginia players—junior receivers Devin Chandler and Lavel Davis Jr., and junior edge rusher D'Sean Perry—were killed in a mass shooting in a parking garage on UVA's campus in Charlottesville. Junior running back Mike Hollins and another UVA student were wounded in the incident, which took place as a group of students was returning from a class field trip. Another student on the trip, former Cavaliers running back Christopher Jones Jr., was arrested the next day on multiple felony charges, including three counts of second-degree murder.
* November 16 – In the wake of the on-campus shooting three days earlier, Virginia canceled its final home game of the season against Coastal Carolina.
* November 17 – During a meeting in San Francisco, the Regents of the University of California, the governing board of the University of California system, set a date of December 14 for a special meeting to make a final determination on UCLA's planned move to the Big Ten.
* November 21 – Virginia and Virginia Tech agreed to cancel their rivalry game, originally set for November 26, in the wake of the UVA shooting. Both teams had already been eliminated from bowl eligibility.
* November 30 - The Rose Bowl signed an agreement to expand the College Football Playoff to 12 teams, clearing the way to begin the new playoff structure starting in 2024.
* December 11 – Mississippi State coach Mike Leach had been hospitalized from a personal issue.
* December 12 – In the evening, Mike Leach died "from complications due to a heart condition".
* December 14 - The UC Regents approved UCLA's move to the Big Ten. Additionally, conditions were made to mitigate athletes such as investing $12 million in beneficial services including nutritional support and charter flights to reduce travel time. UCLA must also pay the University of California, Berkeley an additional $2 to $10 million due to the move affecting the latter's athletic program, with the precise total being made once the Pac-12 completes its upcoming media rights deal.

## Conference realignment

One team played its first FBS season in 2022. James Madison started a transition from Division I FCS in 2022, joining the Sun Belt Conference. As a full Sun Belt member, it met FBS scheduling requirements in the 2022 season, allowing it to be counted as an FBS opponent for scheduling purposes and to skip the first year of the normal two-year transition process.
Three other teams joined the Sun Belt from Conference USA in 2022. Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss, while initially reported to be making said move in 2023, announced their intent to move in 2022. C-USA had insisted that all three were bound to that league through the 2022–23 school year. Following a brief legal dispute, the parties reached a settlement allowing the schools to leave at the end of June.
| Team | Former conference | New conference |
| James Madison | CAA (FCS) | Sun Belt |
| Marshall | C-USA | Sun Belt |
| Old Dominion | C-USA | Sun Belt |
| Southern Miss | C-USA | Sun Belt |
The 2022 season was the last for 12 FBS teams in their current conferences or as FBS independents:
| Team | Current conference | Future conference |
| BYU | Independent | Big 12 |
| Charlotte | C-USA | American |
| Cincinnati | American | Big 12 |
| Florida Atlantic | C-USA | American |
| Houston | American | Big 12 |
| Liberty | Independent | C-USA |
| New Mexico State | Independent | C-USA |
| North Texas | C-USA | American |
| Rice | C-USA | American |
| UAB | C-USA | American |
| UCF | American | Big 12 |
| UTSA | C-USA | American |
In addition to James Madison, two other FCS teams started transitions to FBS in the 2022 season. They will not join their future FBS conferences until 2023.
* Jacksonville State will leave the ASUN Conference for C-USA.
* Sam Houston will leave the Western Athletic Conference for C-USA.

## Stadiums

This was the first season for San Diego State at Snapdragon Stadium, replacing the since-demolished San Diego Stadium after playing at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson for two seasons in 2020 and 2021. The Aztecs played their first game in the new stadium against the Arizona Wildcats on September 3, 2022.

## Kickoff games

Rankings reflect the AP Poll entering each week.

### "Week Zero"

The regular season began on Saturday, August 27 with eleven games in Week 0.
* Aer Lingus College Football Classic (Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland): Northwestern 31, Nebraska 28
* Florida State 47, Duquesne 7
* North Carolina 56, Florida A&M 24
* Illinois 38, Wyoming 6
* Vanderbilt 63, Hawaii 10
* Western Kentucky 38, Austin Peay 27
* UNLV 52, Idaho State 21
* Nevada 23, New Mexico State 12
* Utah State 31, UConn 20
* Florida Atlantic 43, Charlotte 13
* North Texas 31, UTEP 13

### Week 1

The majority (85%) of FBS teams opened the season on Labor Day weekend. Three neutral-site "kickoff" games were held.
* Chick-fil-A Kickoff:
** No. 3 Georgia 49, No. 11 Oregon 3 (at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA)
** No. 4 Clemson 41, Georgia Tech 10 (at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA)
* Louisiana Kickoff:
** Florida State 24, LSU 23 (at Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA)
* ↑ Bowl count includes the National Championship

## Top 10 matchups

Rankings through Week 9 reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 10 and beyond list College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that were not in the top 10 in one of the two polls are noted.

### Regular season

* Week 1
** No. 2 Ohio State defeated No. 5 Notre Dame, 21–10 (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH)
* Week 5
** No. 5 Clemson defeated No. 10 NC State, 30–20 (Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC)
* Week 7
** No. 6 Tennessee defeated No. 3 Alabama, 52–49 (Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN)
** No. 5 Michigan defeated No. 10 Penn State, 41–17 (Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI)
* Week 8
** No. 10 Oregon defeated No. 9 UCLA, 45–30 (Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR)
* Week 10
** No. 3 Georgia defeated No. 1 Tennessee, 27–13 (Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA)
** No. 10 LSU defeated No. 6 Alabama, 32–31 $^{OT}$ (Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA)
* Week 13
** No. 3 Michigan defeated No. 2 Ohio State, 45–23 (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH)
* Week 14
** No. 10 Kansas State defeated No. 3 TCU, 31–28 $^{OT}$ (2022 Big 12 Championship Game, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX)

### Bowl games

* Orange Bowl
** No. 6 Tennessee defeated No. 7 Clemson, 31–14 (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL)
* Sugar Bowl
** No. 5 Alabama defeated No. 9 Kansas State, 45–20 (Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA)
* Fiesta Bowl (CFB Playoff semifinal)
** No. 3 TCU defeated No. 2 Michigan, 51–45 (State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ)
* Peach Bowl (CFB Playoff semifinal)
** No. 1 Georgia defeated No. 4 Ohio State, 42–41 (Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA)
* National Championship
** No. 1 Georgia defeated No. 3 TCU, 65–7 (SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA)

## FCS team wins over FBS teams

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 7:00 p.m. | (FCS) William & Mary | Charlotte | Jerry Richardson Stadium • Charlotte, NC | ESPN3 | 41–24 | 13,940 |
| September 3 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 19 (FCS) Delaware | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | 14–7 | 30,542 |
| September 10 | 4:00 p.m. | (FCS) Eastern Kentucky | Bowling Green | Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH | ESPN3 | 59–57 $^{7OT}$ | 17,376 |
| September 10 | 5:30 p.m. | No. 8 (FCS) Incarnate Word | Nevada | Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV | NSN | 55–41 | 14,092 |
| September 10 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 15 (FCS) Holy Cross | Buffalo | UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY | ESPN+ | 37–31 | 16,933 |
| September 10 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 16 (FCS) Weber State | Utah State | Maverik Stadium • Logan, UT | MWN | 35–7 | 17,781 |
| September 17 | 11:00 a.m. | (FCS) Southern Illinois | Northwestern | Ryan Field • Evanston, IL | BTN | 31–24 | 23,146 |
| September 24 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 7 (FCS) Sacramento State | Colorado State | Canvas Stadium • Fort Collins, CO | KCDO | 41–10 | 25,445 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. |||||||||
* ↑ Sacramento State was a 4.5-point favorite at kickoff.

## Upsets

This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating AP Poll-ranked teams during the season.

### Regular season

During the regular season, unranked FBS teams defeated ranked FBS teams 44 times.
* September 3, 2022
** Florida 29, No. 7 Utah 26
* September 10, 2022
** Appalachian State 17, No. 6 Texas A&M 14
** Marshall 26, No. 8 Notre Dame 21
** Washington State 17, No. 19 Wisconsin 14
** Texas Tech 33, No. 25 Houston 30 $^{2OT}$
* September 17, 2022
** Washington 39, No. 11 Michigan State 28
** Tulane 17, No. 14 Kansas State 10
* September 24, 2022
** Kansas State 41, No. 6 Oklahoma 34
** Texas Tech 37, No. 22 Texas 34 $^{OT}$
** Middle Tennessee 45, No. 25 Miami (FL) 31
* September 30, 2022
** UCLA 40, No. 15 Washington 32
* October 1, 2022
** Mississippi State 42, No. 17 Texas A&M 24
** TCU 55, No. 18 Oklahoma 24
** Purdue 20, No. 21 Minnesota 10
** Georgia Tech 26, No. 24 Pittsburgh 21
* October 8, 2022
** South Carolina 24, No. 13 Kentucky 14
** Notre Dame 28, No. 16 BYU 20
** Arizona State 45, No. 21 Washington 38
* October 15, 2022
** Oklahoma 52, No. 19 Kansas 42
** Georgia Southern 45, No. 25 James Madison 38
* October 22, 2022
** LSU 45, No. 7 Ole Miss 20
* October 29, 2022
** Louisville 48, No. 10 Wake Forest 21
** Notre Dame 41, No. 16 Syracuse 24
** UCF 25, No. 20 Cincinnati 21
** Missouri 23, No. 25 South Carolina 10
* November 4, 2022
** Washington 24, No. 24 Oregon State 21
* November 5, 2022
** Notre Dame 35, No. 5 Clemson 14
** Texas 34, No. 13 Kansas State 27
** Michigan State 23, No. 14 Illinois 15
** Kansas 37, No. 18 Oklahoma State 16
** Pittsburgh 19, No. 22 Syracuse 9
* November 12, 2022
** Arizona 34, No. 9 UCLA 28
** Boston College 21, No. 17 NC State 20
** UConn 36, No. 19 Liberty 33
** Purdue 31, No. 21 Illinois 24
* November 19, 2022
** South Carolina 63, No. 5 Tennessee 38
** Georgia Tech 21, No. 13 North Carolina 17
** Arkansas 42, No. 14 Ole Miss 27
** Navy 17, No. 17 UCF 14
** Oklahoma 28, No. 24 Oklahoma State 13
* November 24, 2022
** Mississippi State 24, No. 20 Ole Miss 22
* November 25, 2022
** NC State 30, No. 18 North Carolina 27 $^{2OT}$
* November 26, 2022
** Texas A&M 38, No. 6 LSU 23
** South Carolina 31, No. 7 Clemson 30
** James Madison 47, No. 23 Coastal Carolina 7

### Bowl games

Rankings in this section are based on the final CFP rankings released on December 4, 2022.
* December 30, 2022
** Pittsburgh 37, No. 18 UCLA 35 (Sun Bowl)
** Maryland 16, No. 23 NC State 12 (Duke's Mayo Bowl)
* January 2, 2023
** No. 16 Tulane 46, No. 10 USC 45

## Conference standings

2022 American Athletic Conference football standings :
| 2022 American Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 9 Tulane y$  7 –1  12 –2   UCF y  6 –2  9 –5   Cincinnati  6 –2  9 –4   SMU  5 –3  7 –6   Houston  5 –3  8 –5   East Carolina  4 –4  8 –5   Navy  4 –4  4 –8   Memphis  3 –5  7 –6   Tulsa  3 –5  5 –7   Temple  1 –7  3 –9   South Florida  0 –8  1 –11   Championship: Tulane 45, UCF 28 $ – Conference championy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Atlantic Division No. 13 Clemson xy$  8 –0  11 –3   No. 11 Florida State  5 –3  10 –3   Syracuse  4 –4  7 –6   Louisville  4 –4  8 –5   NC State  4 –4  8 –5   Wake Forest  3 –5  8 –5   Boston College  2 –6  3 –9   Coastal Division North Carolina xy  6 –2  9 –5   No. 22 Pittsburgh  5 –3  9 –4   Duke  5 –3  9 –4   Georgia Tech  4 –4  5 –7   Miami (FL)  3 –5  5 –7   Virginia  1 –6  3 –7   Virginia Tech  1 –6  3 –8   Championship: Clemson 39, North Carolina 10 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2022 Big Ten Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  East Division No. 3 Michigan xy$^  9 –0  13 –1   No. 4 Ohio State ^  8 –1  11 –2   No. 7 Penn State  7 –2  11 –2   Maryland  4 –5  8 –5   Michigan State  3 –6  5 –7   Indiana  2 –7  4 –8   Rutgers  1 –8  4 –8   West Division Purdue xy  6 –3  8 –6   Illinois  5 –4  8 –5   Iowa  5 –4  8 –5   Minnesota  5 –4  9 –4   Wisconsin  4 –5  7 –6   Nebraska  3 –6  4 –8   Northwestern  1 –8  1 –11   Championship: Michigan 43, Purdue 22 ^ – College Football Playoff participant$ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll |
| 2022 Big 12 Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 2 TCU y^  9 –0  13 –2   No. 14 Kansas State y$  7 –2  10 –4   No. 25 Texas  6 –3  8 –5   Texas Tech  5 –4  8 –5   Oklahoma State  4 –5  7 –6   Baylor  4 –5  6 –7   Oklahoma  3 –6  6 –7   Kansas  3 –6  6 –7   West Virginia  3 –6  5 –7   Iowa State  1 –8  4 –8   Championship: Kansas State 31, TCU 28$^{OT}$ ^ – College Football Playoff participant$ – Conference championy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2022 Conference USA football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  UTSA y$  8 –0  11 –3   North Texas y  6 –2  7 –7   Western Kentucky  6 –2  9 –5   Middle Tennessee  4 –4  8 –5   UAB  4 –4  7 –6   Florida Atlantic  4 –4  5 –7   Rice  3 –5  5 –8   UTEP  3 –5  5 –7   FIU  2 –6  4 –8   Charlotte  2 –6  3 –9   Louisiana Tech  2 –6  3 –9   Championship: UTSA 48, North Texas 27 $ – Conference championy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2022 Mid-American Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  East Division Ohio xy  7 –1  10 –4   Buffalo  5 –3  7 –6   Bowling Green  5 –3  6 –7   Miami (OH)  4 –4  6 –7   Kent State  4 –4  5 –7   Akron  1 –7  2 –10   West Division Toledo xy$  5 –3  9 –5   Eastern Michigan x  5 –3  9 –4   Western Michigan  4 –4  5 –7   Ball State  3 –5  5 –7   Central Michigan  3 –5  4 –8   Northern Illinois  2 –6  3 –9   Championship: Toledo 17, Ohio 7 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll |
| 2022 Mountain West Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Mountain Division Boise State xy  8 –0  10 –4   Air Force  5 –3  10 –3   Wyoming  5 –3  7 –6   Utah State  5 –3  6 –7   Colorado State  3 –5  3 –9   New Mexico  0 –8  2 –10   West Division No. 24 Fresno State xy$  7 –1  10 –4   San Diego State  5 –3  7 –6   San Jose State  5 –3  7 –5   UNLV  3 –5  5 –7   Hawaii  2 –6  3 –10   Nevada  0 –8  2 –10   Championship: Fresno State 28, Boise State 16 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2022 Pac-12 Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 12 USC y  8 –1  11 –3   No. 10 Utah y$  7 –2  10 –4   No. 8 Washington  7 –2  11 –2   No. 15 Oregon  7 –2  10 –3   No. 17 Oregon State  6 –3  10 –3   No. 21 UCLA  6 –3  9 –4   Washington State  4 –5  7 –6   Arizona  3 –6  5 –7   California  2 –7  4 –8   Arizona State†  1 –7  1 –9   Stanford  1 –8  3 –9   Colorado  1 –8  1 –11   Championship: Utah 47, USC 24 $ – Conference championy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll | 2022 Southeastern Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Eastern Division No. 1 Georgia xy$#^  8 –0  15 –0   No. 6 Tennessee  6 –2  11 –2   No. 23 South Carolina  4 –4  8 –5   Kentucky  3 –5  7 –6   Florida  3 –5  6 –7   Missouri  3 –5  6 –7   Vanderbilt  2 –6  5 –7   Western Division No. 16 LSU xy  6 –2  10 –4   No. 5 Alabama x  6 –2  11 –2   No. 20 Mississippi State  4 –4  9 –4   Ole Miss  4 –4  8 –5   Arkansas  3 –5  7 –6   Auburn  2 –6  5 –7   Texas A&M  2 –6  5 –7   Championship: Georgia 50, LSU 30 # – College Football Playoff champion^ – College Football Playoff participant$ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participantRankings from AP Poll |
| 2022 Sun Belt Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  East Division Coastal Carolina xy  6 –2  9 –4   James Madison* x  6 –2  8 –3   Marshall  5 –3  9 –4   Georgia Southern  3 –5  6 –7   Appalachian State  3 –5  6 –6   Georgia State  3 –5  4 –8   Old Dominion  2 –6  3 –9   West Division No. 19 Troy xy$  7 –1  12 –2   South Alabama x  7 –1  10 –3   Southern Miss  4 –4  7 –6   Louisiana  4 –4  6 –7   Louisiana–Monroe  3 –5  4 –8   Texas State  2 –6  4 –8   Arkansas State  1 –7  3 –9   Championship: Troy 45, Coastal Carolina 26 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant* – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rulesRankings from AP Poll | 2022 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 18 Notre Dame   –  9 –4   Liberty   –  8 –5   BYU   –  8 –5   New Mexico State   –  7 –6   Army   –  6 –6   UConn   –  6 –7   UMass   –  1 –11   Rankings from AP Poll |

## Rankings

The top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls.

### Pre-season polls

AP :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Alabama (54) |
| 2 | Ohio State (6) |
| 3 | Georgia (3) |
| 4 | Clemson |
| 5 | Notre Dame |
| 6 | Texas A&M |
| 7 | Utah |
| 8 | Michigan |
| 9 | Oklahoma |
| 10 | Baylor |
| 11 | Oregon |
| 12 | Oklahoma State |
| 13 | NC State |
| 14 | USC |
| 15 | Michigan State |
| 16 | Miami (FL) |
| 17 | Pittsburgh |
| 18 | Wisconsin |
| 19 | Arkansas |
| 20 | Kentucky |
| 21 | Ole Miss |
| 22 | Wake Forest |
| 23 | Cincinnati |
| 24 | Houston |
| 25 | BYU |
USA Today Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Alabama (54) |
| 2 | Ohio State (5) |
| 3 | Georgia (6) |
| 4 | Clemson |
| 5 | Notre Dame |
| 6 | Michigan |
| 7 | Texas A&M |
| 8 | Utah |
| 9 | Oklahoma |
| 10 | Baylor |
| 11 | Oklahoma State |
| 12 | Oregon |
| 13 | NC State |
| 14 | Michigan State |
| 15 | USC |
| 16 | Pittsburgh |
| 17 | Miami (FL) |
| 18 | Texas (1) |
| 19 | Wake Forest |
| 20 | Wisconsin |
| 21 | Kentucky |
| 22 | Cincinnati |
| 23 | Arkansas |
| 24 | Ole Miss |
| 25 | Houston |

### CFB Playoff final rankings

On December 4, 2022, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced its final team rankings for the year.
| Rank | Team | W–L | Conference and standing | Bowl game |
| 1 | Georgia Bulldogs | 13–0 | SEC champions | Peach Bowl (CFP semifinal) |
| 2 | Michigan Wolverines | 13–0 | Big Ten champions | Fiesta Bowl (CFP semifinal) |
| 3 | TCU Horned Frogs | 12–1 | Big 12 first place | Fiesta Bowl (CFP semifinal) |
| 4 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 11–1 | Big Ten East Division second place | Peach Bowl (CFP semifinal) |
| 5 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 10–2 | SEC West Division co-champions | Sugar Bowl (NY6) |
| 6 | Tennessee Volunteers | 10–2 | SEC East Division second place | Orange Bowl (NY6) |
| 7 | Clemson Tigers | 11–2 | ACC champions | Orange Bowl (NY6) |
| 8 | Utah Utes | 10–3 | Pac-12 champions | Rose Bowl (NY6) |
| 9 | Kansas State Wildcats | 10–3 | Big 12 champions | Sugar Bowl (NY6) |
| 10 | USC Trojans | 11–2 | Pac-12 first place | Cotton Bowl (NY6) |
| 11 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 10–2 | Big Ten East Division third place | Rose Bowl (NY6) |
| 12 | Washington Huskies | 10–2 | Pac-12 second place (tie) | Alamo Bowl |
| 13 | Florida State Seminoles | 9–3 | ACC Atlantic Division second place | Cheez-It Bowl |
| 14 | Oregon State Beavers | 9–3 | Pac-12 fifth place (tie) | Las Vegas Bowl |
| 15 | Oregon Ducks | 9–3 | Pac-12 second place (tie) | Holiday Bowl |
| 16 | Tulane Green Wave | 11–2 | AAC champions | Cotton Bowl (NY6) |
| 17 | LSU Tigers | 9–4 | SEC West Division co-champions | Citrus Bowl |
| 18 | UCLA Bruins | 9–3 | Pac-12 fifth place (tie) | Sun Bowl |
| 19 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 8–4 | SEC East Division third place | Gator Bowl |
| 20 | Texas Longhorns | 8–4 | Big 12 third place | Alamo Bowl |
| 21 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 8–4 | Independent | Gator Bowl |
| 22 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 8–4 | SEC West Division third place (tie) | ReliaQuest Bowl |
| 23 | NC State Wolfpack | 8–4 | ACC Atlantic Division third place (tie) | Duke's Mayo Bowl |
| 24 | Troy Trojans | 11–2 | Sun Belt champions | Cure Bowl |
| 25 | UTSA Roadrunners | 11–2 | C-USA champions | Cure Bowl |

### Final rankings

| Rank | Associated Press | Coaches' Poll |
| 1 | Georgia (63) | Georgia |
| 2 | TCU | TCU |
| 3 | Michigan | Michigan |
| 4 | Ohio State | Ohio State |
| 5 | Alabama | Alabama |
| 6 | Tennessee | Tennessee |
| 7 | Penn State | Penn State |
| 8 | Washington | Washington |
| 9 | Tulane | Tulane |
| 10 | Utah | Florida State |
| 11 | Florida State | Utah |
| 12 | USC | Clemson |
| 13 | Clemson | USC |
| 14 | Kansas State | Kansas State |
| 15 | Oregon | LSU |
| 16 | LSU | Oregon |
| 17 | Oregon State | Oregon State |
| 18 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| 19 | Troy | Mississippi State |
| 20 | Mississippi State | Troy |
| 21 | UCLA | UCLA |
| 22 | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh |
| 23 | South Carolina | South Carolina |
| 24 | Fresno State | Fresno State |
| 25 | Texas | Texas |

## Conference summaries

Rankings in this section are based CFP rankings released prior to the games.
| Conference | Championship game | Championship game | Championship game | Championship game | Overall Player of the Year/MVP | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Special Teams Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
| Conference | Date | Venue (Location) | Matchup | Result | Overall Player of the Year/MVP | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Special Teams Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
| ACC | Dec. 3, 2022 | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC) | No. 9 Clemson (Atlantic) vs. No. 23 North Carolina (Coastal) | Clemson 39–10 | Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina | Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina | Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh | — | Mike Elko, Duke |
| American | Dec. 3, 2022 | Yulman Stadium (New Orleans, LA) | No. 22 UCF (No. 2) at No. 18 Tulane (No. 1) | Tulane 45–28 | — | Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane | Ivan Pace Jr., LB, Cincinnati | Mason Fletcher, P, Cincinnati | Willie Fritz, Tulane |
| Big Ten | Dec. 3, 2022 | Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN) | No. 2 Michigan (East) vs. Purdue (West) | Michigan 43–22 | — | C. J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State | Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa | Jake Moody, PK, Michigan; Bryce Baringer, P, Michigan State; & Jaylin Lucas, RS, Indiana | Jim Harbaugh, Michigan (coaches & media) |
| Big 12 | Dec. 3, 2022 | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) | No. 3 TCU (No. 1) vs. No. 10 Kansas State (No. 2) | Kan St 31–28 OT | — | Max Duggan, QB, TCU | Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State | Derius Davis, RS, TCU | Sonny Dykes, TCU |
| C–USA | Dec. 2, 2022 | Alamodome (San Antonio, TX) | North Texas (No. 2) at UTSA (No. 1) | UTSA 48–27 | Frank Harris, QB, UTSA | DeWayne McBride, RB, UAB | KD Davis, LB, North Texas | Gavin Baechle, PK, UTEP | Jeff Traylor, UTSA |
| MAC | Dec. 3, 2022 | Ford Field (Detroit, MI) | Ohio (East) vs. Toledo (West) | Toledo 17–7 | Kurtis Rourke, QB, Ohio | Kurtis Rourke, QB, Ohio | Jose Ramirez, DE, Eastern Michigan | Alex McNulty, PK, Buffalo | Tim Albin, Ohio |
| MW | Dec. 3, 2022 | Albertsons Stadium (Boise, ID) | Fresno State (West) at Boise State (Mountain) | Fres St 28–16 | — | Brad Roberts, RB, Air Force | Viliami Fehoko, DE, San Jose State | Jack Browning, PK/P, San Diego State | Andy Avalos, Boise State |
| Pac-12 | Dec. 2, 2022 | Allegiant Stadium (Paradise, NV) | No. 4 USC (No. 1) vs. No. 11 Utah (No. 2) | Utah 47–24 | — | Caleb Williams, QB, USC | Tuli Tuipulotu, DL, USC | — | Kalen DeBoer, Washington Jonathan Smith, Oregon State |
| SEC | Dec. 3, 2022 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) | No. 1 Georgia (East) vs. No. 14 LSU (West) | Georgia 50–30 | — | Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee | Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama | Jack Podlesny, Georgia | Kirby Smart, Georgia |
| Sun Belt | Dec. 3, 2022 | Veterans Memorial Stadium (Troy, AL) | Coastal Carolina (East) at Troy (West) | Troy 45–26 | Grayson McCall, QB, Coastal Carolina | Todd Centeio, QB, James Madison | Carlton Martial, LB, Troy | — | Jon Sumrall, Troy |
* ↑ The Big Ten presents separate awards for its top placekicker, punter, and return specialist.

### Conference champions' bowl games

Ranks are per the final CFP rankings, released on December 4, 2022, with win–loss records at that time.
| Conference | Champion | W–L | Rank | Bowl game |
| ACC | Clemson | 11–2 | 7 | Orange Bowl (NY6) |
| American | Tulane | 11–2 | 16 | Cotton Bowl (NY6) |
| Big 12 | Kansas State | 10–3 | 9 | Sugar Bowl (NY6) |
| Big Ten | Michigan $^{CFP}$ | 13–0 | 2 | Fiesta Bowl (semifinal) |
| C-USA | UTSA | 11–2 | 25 | Cure Bowl |
| MAC | Toledo | 8–5 | – | Boca Raton Bowl |
| Mountain West | Fresno State | 9–4 | – | LA Bowl |
| Pac-12 | Utah | 10–3 | 8 | Rose Bowl (NY6) |
| SEC | Georgia $^{CFP}$ | 13–0 | 1 | Peach Bowl (semifinal) |
| Sun Belt | Troy | 11–2 | 24 | Cure Bowl |
$^{CFP}$ College Football Playoff participant

## Postseason

There are 41 team-competitive FBS post-season bowl games, with two teams advancing to a 42nd – the CFP National Championship game. Normally, a team is required to have a .500 minimum winning percentage during the regular season to become bowl-eligible (six wins for an 11- or 12-game schedule, and seven wins for a 13-game schedule). If there are not enough winning teams to fulfill all open bowl slots, teams with losing records may be chosen to fill all 82 bowl slots. Additionally, on the rare occasion in which a conference champion does not meet eligibility requirements, they are usually still chosen for bowl games via tie-ins for their conference.
Bowl game changes:
* The Bahamas Bowl is now sponsored by HomeTown Lenders.
* The game formerly known as the Outback Bowl was renamed as the ReliaQuest Bowl, following the end of sponsorship by Outback Steakhouse.
* The Cure Bowl is now sponsored by Duluth Trading Company.
* The Fiesta Bowl is now sponsored by Vrbo.
* The Pinstripe Bowl is now sponsored by Bad Boy Mowers.
* The Citrus Bowl is now sponsored by Kellogg's through its Cheez-It brand.
* The Frisco Football Classic will not be taking place this year, as it was a temporary replacement to accommodate all 84 bowl-eligible teams.

### Bowl-eligible teams

* ACC (9): Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, NC State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Wake Forest
* American (7): Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane, UCF
* Big Ten (9): Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
* Big 12 (8): Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech
* C-USA (6): Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Rice, UAB, UTSA, Western Kentucky
* MAC (6): Bowling Green, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Ohio, Toledo
* Mountain West (7): Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, San Jose State, Utah State, Wyoming
* Pac-12 (7): Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State
* SEC (11): Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee
* Sun Belt (7): Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Louisiana, Marshall, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Troy
* Independent (5): BYU, Liberty, Notre Dame, UConn, New Mexico State
Number of bowl berths available: 82 Number of bowl-eligible teams: 80 Number of conditional bowl-eligible teams: 1 (New Mexico State)
Number of teams qualified by APR: 1 (Rice)
* ↑ Despite having a 5–7 record, Rice is bowl-eligible due to having the highest Academic Progress Rate among five-win teams.
* ↑ Despite having a 6–6 record with 2 wins over FCS teams, the NCAA granted a waiver for New Mexico State to be bowl-eligible due to their canceled game against San Jose State.

### Bowl-ineligible teams

* ACC (5): Boston College, Georgia Tech, Miami (FL), Virginia, Virginia Tech
* American (4): Navy, South Florida, Temple, Tulsa
* Big Ten (5): Indiana, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Rutgers
* Big 12 (2): Iowa State, West Virginia
* C-USA (5): Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, UTEP
* MAC (6): Akron, Ball State, Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan
* Mountain West (5): Colorado State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV
* Pac-12 (5): Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Stanford
* SEC (3): Auburn, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
* Sun Belt (7): Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia State, James Madison, Louisiana–Monroe, Old Dominion, Texas State
* Independent (2): Army, UMass
Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 49
* ↑ Despite having a 6–6 record, Appalachian State was bowl-ineligible as two of their wins were over FCS teams.
* ↑ James Madison was bowl-ineligible due to their transition from FCS to FBS.
* ↑ Despite having a 6–6 record, Army was bowl-ineligible as two of their wins were over FCS teams.

### College Football Playoff

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Championship | Championship | Championship |
| December 31 – Peach BowlMercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta | December 31 – Peach BowlMercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta | December 31 – Peach BowlMercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta | | |
| 1 | Georgia | 42 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 41 | January 9 – National ChampionshipSoFi Stadium, Inglewood | January 9 – National ChampionshipSoFi Stadium, Inglewood | January 9 – National ChampionshipSoFi Stadium, Inglewood |
| | | | 1 | Georgia | 65 |
| December 31 – Fiesta BowlState Farm Stadium, Glendale | December 31 – Fiesta BowlState Farm Stadium, Glendale | December 31 – Fiesta BowlState Farm Stadium, Glendale | 3 | TCU | 7 |
| 2 | Michigan | 45 |
| 3 | TCU | 51 |

### Conference performance in bowl games

| Conference | Total games | Wins-Losses (Pct) |
| SEC | 12 | 7-5 (.583) |
| ACC | 9 | 5–4 (.556) |
| Big Ten | 9 | 5–4 (.556) |
| MAC | 6 | 4–2 (.667) |
| American | 7 | 4–3 (.571) |
| Independents | 5 | 3-2 (.600) |
| C-USA | 6 | 3–3 (.500) |
| Mountain West | 7 | 3–4 (.429) |
| Pac-12 | 7 | 3–4 (.429) |
| Sun Belt | 7 | 3-4 (.429) |
| Big 12 | 9 | 2–6 (.250) |

### All-star games

Each of these games features college seniors, or players whose college football eligibility is ending, who are individually invited by game organizers. These games are scheduled to follow the team-competitive bowls, to allow players selected from bowl teams to participate. The all-star games may include some players from non-FBS programs.
| Date | Game | Site | Television | Participants | Results |
| Jan. 14 | Hula Bowl | FBC Mortgage Stadium Orlando, Florida 12:00 p.m. | CBS Sports Network | Team Kai Team Aina | Kai 16 Aina 13 |
| Jan. 21 | Tropical Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida 4:00 p.m. | Varsity Sports Network | American Team National Team | American 48 National 10 |
| Jan. 28 | NFLPA Collegiate Bowl | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 6:00 p.m. | NFL Network | American Team National Team | American 19 National 17 |
| Feb. 2 | East–West Shrine Bowl | Allegiant Stadium Paradise, Nevada 8:30 p.m. | NFL Network | West Team East Team | West 12 East 3 |
| Feb. 4 | Senior Bowl | Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, Alabama 2:30 p.m. | NFL Network | National Team American Team | National 27 American 10 |
| Feb. 25 | HBCU Legacy Bowl | Yulman Stadium New Orleans, Louisiana 4:00 p.m. | NFL Network | Team Robinson Team Gaither | Robinson 10 Gaither 3 |

## Awards and honors
### Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player
| Player | School | Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total |
| Caleb Williams | USC | QB | 544 | 168 | 63 | 2,031 |
| Max Duggan | TCU | QB | 188 | 357 | 142 | 1,420 |
| C. J. Stroud | Ohio State | QB | 37 | 119 | 190 | 539 |
| Stetson Bennett | Georgia | QB | 36 | 65 | 111 | 349 |
| Hendon Hooker | Tennessee | QB | 17 | 47 | 81 | 226 |
| Bryce Young | Alabama | QB | 17 | 28 | 34 | 141 |
| Blake Corum | Michigan | RB | 8 | 25 | 51 | 125 |
| Michael Penix Jr. | Washington | QB | 9 | 20 | 47 | 114 |
| Bijan Robinson | Texas | RB | 4 | 12 | 39 | 75 |
| Drake Maye | North Carolina | QB | 3 | 6 | 21 | 42 |

### Other overall

* AP Player of the Year: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
* Lombardi Award (top player): Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama
* Maxwell Award (top player): Caleb Williams, QB, USC
* SN Player of the Year: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
* Walter Camp Award (top player): Caleb Williams, QB, USC

### Special overall

* Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began as walk-on): Stetson Bennett, QB, Georgia
* Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player): Jack Colletto, LB, Oregon State
* Jon Cornish Trophy (top Canadian player): Chase Brown, RB, Illinois
* Campbell Trophy ("academic Heisman"): Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa
* Academic All-American of the Year: Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
* Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete): Dillan Gibbons, OL, Florida State
The Senior CLASS Award, honoring the outstanding senior student-athlete in several NCAA Division I sports, including football, has gone on hiatus. On September 13, 2022, the award operator, Premier Sports Management, announced that it would not present the award until it picks up a new corporate sponsor.

### Offense

Quarterback
* Davey O'Brien Award: Max Duggan, TCU
* Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (senior/4th year quarterback): Max Duggan, TCU
* Manning Award: Stetson Bennett, Georgia
Running back
* Doak Walker Award: Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
All receivers
* Fred Biletnikoff Award: Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
Tight end
* John Mackey Award: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Lineman:
* Rimington Trophy (center): Olusegun Oluwatimi, C, Michigan
* Outland Trophy (interior lineman on either offense or defense): Olusegun Oluwatimi, C, Michigan
* Joe Moore Award (offensive line): Michigan

### Defense

* Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player): Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama
* Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama
* Lott Trophy (defensive impact): Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama
Defensive front
* Dick Butkus Award (linebacker): Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa
* Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end): Caleb Murphy, Ferris State
Defensive back
* Jim Thorpe Award: Tre Tomlinson, CB, TCU

### Special teams

* Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Christopher Dunn, NC State
* Ray Guy Award (punter): Adam Korsak, Rutgers
* Jet Award (return specialist): Derius Davis, TCU
* Patrick Mannelly Award (long snapper): Chris Stoll, Penn State
* Peter Mortell Holder of the Year Award: Noah White, Louisiana Tech

### Coaches

* AFCA Coach of the Year: Sonny Dykes, TCU
* AP Coach of the Year: Sonny Dykes, TCU
* Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year: Willie Fritz, Tulane
* Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year: Sonny Dykes, TCU
* George Munger Award: Willie Fritz, Tulane
* Home Depot Coach of the Year: Sonny Dykes, TCU
* Paul "Bear" Bryant Award: Sonny Dykes, TCU
* Walter Camp Coach of the Year: Sonny Dykes, TCU

#### Assistants

* AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year: Mike Tressel, DC/LB, Cincinnati
* Broyles Award: Garrett Riley, OC/QB, TCU

### All-Americans
## Coaching changes
### Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2022, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled game but before its bowl game. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2022, see 2021 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| UAB | Bill Clark | June 24, 2022 | Retired (effective August 1) | Bryant Vincent (interim, bowl) |
| Nebraska | Scott Frost | September 11, 2022 | Fired | Mickey Joseph (interim) |
| Arizona State | Herm Edwards | September 18, 2022 | Fired | Shaun Aguano (interim) |
| Georgia Tech | Geoff Collins | September 25, 2022 | Fired | Brent Key (named on November 30) |
| Colorado | Karl Dorrell | October 2, 2022 | Fired | Mike Sanford Jr. (interim) |
| Wisconsin | Paul Chryst | October 2, 2022 | Fired | Jim Leonhard (interim, bowl) |
| Charlotte | Will Healy | October 23, 2022 | Fired | Peter Rossomando (interim) |
| Auburn | Bryan Harsin | October 31, 2022 | Fired | Cadillac Williams (interim) |
| South Florida | Jeff Scott | November 6, 2022 | Fired | Daniel Da Prato (interim) |
| Cincinnati | Luke Fickell | November 27, 2022 | Hired as head coach by Wisconsin | Kerry Coombs (interim, bowl) |
| Liberty | Hugh Freeze | November 28, 2022 | Hired as head coach by Auburn | Josh Aldridge (interim, bowl) |
| Coastal Carolina | Jamey Chadwell | December 4, 2022 | Hired as head coach by Liberty | Chad Staggs (interim, bowl) |
| North Texas | Seth Littrell | December 4, 2022 | Fired | Phil Bennett (interim, bowl) |
| Louisville | Scott Satterfield | December 5, 2022 | Hired as head coach by Cincinnati | Deion Branch (interim, bowl) |
| Purdue | Jeff Brohm | December 7, 2022 | Hired as head coach by Louisville | Brian Brohm (interim, bowl) |
| Mississippi State | Mike Leach | December 12, 2022 | Died | Zach Arnett (named on December 14) |

### End of season

This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement | Previous position |
| Charlotte | Peter Rossomando (interim) | November 15, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Biff Poggi | Michigan associate head coach (2020–22) |
| Nebraska | Mickey Joseph (interim) | November 25, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Matt Rhule | Carolina Panthers head coach (2020–22) |
| Arizona State | Shaun Aguano (interim) | November 26, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Kenny Dillingham | Oregon offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2022) |
| Florida Atlantic | Willie Taggart | November 26, 2022 | Fired | Tom Herman | Texas head coach (2017–20) |
| Stanford | David Shaw | November 27, 2022 | Resigned | Troy Taylor | Sacramento State head coach (2019–22) |
| Wisconsin | Jim Leonhard (interim) | November 27, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Luke Fickell | Cincinnati head coach (2017–22) |
| Tulsa | Philip Montgomery | November 27, 2022 | Fired | Kevin Wilson | Ohio State offensive coordinator (2017–22) |
| Texas State | Jake Spavital | November 27, 2022 | Fired | G. J. Kinne | Incarnate Word head coach (2022) |
| Western Michigan | Tim Lester | November 28, 2022 | Fired | Lance Taylor | Louisville offensive coordinator (2022) |
| UNLV | Marcus Arroyo | November 28, 2022 | Fired | Barry Odom | Arkansas defensive coordinator (2020–2022) |
| Auburn | Cadillac Williams (interim) | November 28, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Hugh Freeze | Liberty head coach (2019–22) |
| UAB | Bryant Vincent (interim) | November 30, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Trent Dilfer | Lipscomb Academy head coach (2019–22) |
| Colorado | Mike Sanford Jr. (interim) | December 3, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Deion Sanders | Jackson State head coach (2020–22) |
| South Florida | Daniel Da Prato (interim) | December 3, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Alex Golesh | Tennessee offensive coordinator (2021–22) |
| Liberty | Josh Aldridge (interim, bowl) | December 4, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Jamey Chadwell | Coastal Carolina head coach (2019–22) |
| Coastal Carolina | Chad Staggs (interim, bowl) | December 4, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Tim Beck | NC State offensive coordinator (2020–22) |
| Cincinnati | Kerry Coombs (interim, bowl) | December 5, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Scott Satterfield | Louisville head coach (2019–22) |
| Kent State | Sean Lewis | December 5, 2022 | Hired as offensive coordinator by Colorado | Kenni Burns | Minnesota RB coach and associate head coach (2017–2022) |
| Louisville | Deion Branch (interim, bowl) | December 7, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Jeff Brohm | Purdue head coach (2017–22) |
| Navy | Ken Niumatalolo | December 11, 2022 | Fired | Brian Newberry | Navy defensive coordinator (2019–22) |
| Purdue | Brian Brohm (interim, bowl) | December 13, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Ryan Walters | Illinois defensive coordinator (2021–22) |
| North Texas | Phil Bennett (interim, bowl) | December 13, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Eric Morris | Washington State offensive coordinator (2022) |

## Television changes

This is the final season of the Big Ten's television deal with ESPN, Fox and the Big Ten Network, and Conference USA's television deal with ESPN, Stadium, CBS Sports Network.
Prior to the season, ESPN signed a sublicence agreement with NFL Network. Select AAC, MAC and Sun Belt ESPN controlled conference games aired on the network as part of the agreement. The University of Oklahoma signed an agreement with ESPN+ prior to the season to launch SoonerVision. SoonerVision streams one regular season home game per year as well as the spring football game. Previously these aired on pay-per-view through Bally Sports Oklahoma.
Jason Benetti, formerly working for ESPN, and Noah Eagle, formerly working for CBS, joined Fox Sports as the #2 and #3 college football play-by-play commentators respectively. Benetti replaced Joe Davis, who became Fox's #1 MLB play-by-play commentator.

## Television viewers and ratings
### Most watched regular season games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the AP Poll (before 11/1) and CFP Rankings (thereafter).
| Rank | Date | Time | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Network | Viewers (millions) | TV ratings | Significance |
| 1 | November 26 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 3 Michigan | 45 | No. 2 Ohio State | 23 | Fox | 17.14 | 8.05 | Big Noon Kickoff, College GameDay, rivalry |
| 2 | November 5 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 1 Tennessee | 13 | No. 3 Georgia | 27 | CBS | 13.06 | 6.7 | College GameDay, rivalry |
| 3 | October 15 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 3 Alabama | 49 | No. 6 Tennessee | 52 | CBS | 11.56 | 6.1 | College GameDay, Third Saturday in October |
| 4 | September 10 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 1 Alabama | 20 | Texas | 19 | Fox | 10.60 | 5.7 | Big Noon Kickoff, College GameDay |
| 5 | September 3 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 5 Notre Dame | 10 | No. 2 Ohio State | 21 | ABC | 10.53 | 5.2 | College GameDay |
| 6 | November 12 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 9 Alabama | 30 | No. 11 Ole Miss | 24 | CBS | 8.71 | 4.8 | Rivalry |
| 7 | October 29 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 2 Ohio State | 44 | No. 13 Penn State | 31 | Fox | 8.27 | 4.5 | Big Noon Kickoff, rivalry |
| 8 | November 5 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 6 Alabama | 31 | No. 10 LSU | 32 | ESPN | 7.58 | 3.9 | Rivalry |
| 9 | September 4 | 7:30 p.m. | Florida State | 24 | LSU | 23 | ABC | 7.55 | 3.9 | Louisiana Kickoff |
| 10 | October 8 | 8:00 p.m. | Texas A&M | 20 | No. 1 Alabama | 24 | CBS | 7.15 | 3.9 | |

### Conference championship games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the College Football Playoff Rankings.
| Rank | Date | Time | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Network | Viewers (millions) | TV ratings | Conference | Location |
| 1 | December 3 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 14 LSU | 30 | No. 1 Georgia | 50 | CBS | 10.89 | 5.6 | SEC | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| 2 | December 3 | 8:00 p.m. | Purdue | 22 | No. 2 Michigan | 43 | Fox | 10.70 | 5.5 | Big Ten | Lucas Oil Stadium |
| 3 | December 3 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 10 Kansas State | 31 | No. 3 TCU | 28 | ABC | 9.41 | 5.3 | Big 12 | AT&T Stadium |
| 4 | December 2 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 11 Utah | 47 | No. 4 USC | 24 | Fox | 5.97 | 3.3 | Pac-12 | Allegiant Stadium |
| 5 | December 3 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 9 Clemson | 39 | No. 23 North Carolina | 10 | ABC | 3.47 | 1.9 | ACC | Bank of America Stadium |
| 6 | December 3 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 22 UCF | 28 | No. 18 Tulane | 45 | ABC | 2.70 | 1.5 | AAC | Yulman Stadium |
| 7 | December 3 | 4:00 p.m. | Fresno State | 28 | Boise State | 16 | Fox | 1.94 | 1.0 | MW | Albertsons Stadium |
| 8 | December 3 | 12:00 p.m. | Toledo | 17 | Ohio | 7 | ESPN | 721K | 0.4 | MAC | Ford Field |
| 9 | December 3 | 3:30 p.m. | Coastal Carolina | 26 | Troy | 45 | ESPN | 332K | 0.2 | Sun Belt | Veterans Memorial Stadium |
| n/a | December 2 | 7:30 p.m. | North Texas | 27 | UTSA | 48 | CBSSN | n.a. | n.a. | C-USA | Alamodome |

#### Notes

* ↑ CBSSN is not Nielsen rated so the viewership and TV rating is unknown

### Most watched non-CFP bowl games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the College Football Playoff Rankings.
| Rank | Date | Time | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Network | Viewers (millions) | TV ratings | Game | Location |
| 1 | December 30, 2022 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 21 Notre Dame | 45 | No. 19 South Carolina | 38 | ESPN | 5.8 | 3.1 | Gator Bowl | TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL |
| 2 | December 29, 2022 | 5:30 p.m. | Oklahoma | 32 | No. 13 Florida State | 35 | ESPN | 5.4 | 2.9 | Cheez-It Bowl | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL |
| 3 | December 29, 2022 | 9:00 p.m. | No. 20 Texas | 20 | No. 12 Washington | 27 | ESPN | 4.8 | 2.6 | Alamo Bowl | Alamodome, San Antonio, TX |
| 4 | December 28, 2022 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 15 Oregon | 28 | North Carolina | 27 | Fox | 4.0 | 2.1 | Holiday Bowl | Petco Park, San Diego, CA |
| 5 | December 28, 2022 | 5:30 p.m. | Arkansas | 55 (3OT) | Kansas | 53 | ESPN | 3.9 | 2.1 | Liberty Bowl | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, TN |
| 6 | December 23, 2022 | 6:30 p.m. | Wake Forest | 27 | Missouri | 17 | ESPN | 3.5 | 1.8 | Gasparilla Bowl | Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL |
| 7 | January 2, 2023 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 17 LSU | 63 | Purdue | 7 | ABC | 3.3 | 1.9 | Citrus Bowl | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL |
| 8 | December 31, 2022 | 12:00 p.m. | Iowa | 21 | Kentucky | 0 | ABC | 3.0 | 1.7 | Music City Bowl | Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN |
| 9 | December 29, 2022 | 2:00 p.m. | Syracuse | 20 | Minnesota | 28 | ESPN | 2.75 | 1.5 | Pinstripe Bowl | Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY |
| 10 | December 30, 2022 | 12:00 p.m. | Maryland | 16 | No. 23 NC State | 12 | ESPN | 2.7 | 1.6 | Duke's Mayo Bowl | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |

### New Year Six and College Football Playoff semifinal games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the College Football Playoff Rankings.
| Rank | Date | Time | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Matchup | Network(s) | Viewers (millions) | TV ratings | Game | Location |
| 1 | December 31, 2022 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 4 Ohio State | 41 | No. 1 Georgia | 42 | ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU ESPNews SECN | 21.7 | 9.4 | Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal) | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA |
| 2 | December 31, 2022 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 3 TCU | 51 | No. 2 Michigan | 45 | ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU ESPNews | 20.9 | 9.6 | Fiesta Bowl (CFP Semifinal) | State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ |
| 3 | January 9, 2023 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 3 TCU | 7 | No. 1 Georgia | 65 | ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU ESPNews SECN | 16.6 | 4.65 | CFP National Championship | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA |
| 4 | January 2, 2023 | 5:00 pm | No. 11 Penn State | 35 | No. 8 Utah | 21 | ESPN | 10.2 | 5.4 | Rose Bowl (NY6) | Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA |
| 5 | December 31, 2022 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 5 Alabama | 45 | No. 9 Kansas State | 20 | ESPN SECN | 9.1 | 4.8 | Sugar Bowl (NY6) | Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA |
| 6 | December 30, 2022 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 6 Tennessee | 31 | No. 7 Clemson | 14 | ESPN ESPNU SECN ACCN | 8.6 | 4.6 | Orange Bowl (NY6) | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL |
| 7 | January 2, 2023 | 1:00 pm | No. 16 Tulane | 46 | No. 10 USC | 45 | ESPN | 4.2 | 2.3 | Cotton Bowl (NY6) | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX |

## Attendances

| # | College football team | Average attendance |
| 1 | Michigan Wolverines | 110,246 |
| 2 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 107,379 |
| 3 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 104,663 |
| 4 | LSU Tigers | 100,596 |
| 5 | Tennessee Volunteers | 100,532 |
| 6 | Texas Longhorns | 100,242 |
| 7 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 98,981 |
| 8 | Texas A&M Aggies | 97,213 |
| 9 | Georgia Bulldogs | 92,746 |
| 10 | Florida Gators | 87,180 |
| 11 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 86,637 |
| 12 | Auburn Tigers | 85,203 |
| 13 | Oklahoma Sooners | 83,835 |
| 14 | Clemson Tigers | 80,694 |
| 15 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 76,193 |
| 16 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 75,785 |
| 17 | Wisconsin Badgers | 74,159 |
| 18 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 73,155 |
| 19 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 69,250 |
| 20 | Michigan State Spartans | 69,047 |
| 21 | Florida State Seminoles | 67,254 |
| 22 | USC Trojans | 64,487 |
| 23 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 64,356 |
| 24 | Washington Huskies | 62,933 |
| 25 | Ole Miss Rebels | 62,575 |
| 26 | Kentucky Wildcats | 60,289 |
| 27 | BYU Cougars | 59,674 |
| 28 | Iowa State Cyclones | 57,344 |
| 29 | Purdue Boilermakers | 57,129 |
| 30 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | 56,870 |
| 31 | NC State Wolfpack | 55,924 |
| 32 | Miami Hurricanes | 54,964 |
| 33 | Oregon Ducks | 54,950 |
| 34 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 54,735 |
| 35 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 54,710 |
| 36 | Missouri Tigers | 54,525 |
| 37 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 53,822 |
| 38 | Utah Utes | 52,057 |
| 39 | Kansas State Wildcats | 51,165 |
| 40 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | 50,756 |
| 41 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 47,933 |
| 42 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 47,658 |
| 43 | Indiana Hoosiers | 46,906 |
| 44 | TCU Horned Frogs | 46,562 |
| 45 | Baylor Bears | 45,463 |
| 46 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | 45,019 |
| 47 | Arizona Wildcats | 44,209 |
| 48 | Arizona State Sun Devils | 43,081 |
| 49 | Kansas Jayhawks | 43,076 |
| 50 | Illinois Fighting Illini | 43,048 |
| 51 | Colorado Buffaloes | 42,847 |
| 52 | Louisville Cardinals | 41,692 |
| 53 | UCLA Bruins | 41,593 |
| 54 | UCF Knights | 41,542 |
| 55 | Syracuse Orange | 40,828 |
| 56 | Virginia Cavaliers | 40,681 |
| 57 | East Carolina Pirates | 39,649 |
| 58 | Fresno State Bulldogs | 39,067 |
| 59 | California Golden Bears | 38,596 |
| 60 | Cincinnati Bearcats | 38,117 |
| 61 | Navy Midshipmen | 36,165 |
| 62 | Boston College Eagles | 35,706 |
| 63 | Boise State Broncos | 35,121 |
| 64 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 34,408 |
| 65 | Appalachian State Mountaineers | 33,566 |
| 66 | Maryland Terrapins | 31,934 |
| 67 | Oregon State Beavers | 31,498 |
| 68 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 30,053 |
| 69 | Stanford Cardinal | 29,965 |
| 70 | San Diego State Aztecs | 29,892 |
| 71 | South Florida Bulls | 29,650 |
| 72 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 29,193 |
| 73 | Northwestern Wildcats | 28,697 |
| 74 | Army Black Knights | 28,647 |
| 75 | Air Force Falcons | 26,926 |
| 76 | Colorado State Rams | 26,891 |
| 77 | UTSA Roadrunners | 26,835 |
| 78 | Troy Trojans | 26,346 |
| 79 | Memphis Tigers | 26,196 |
| 80 | Washington State Cougars | 26,185 |
| 81 | Houston Cougars | 25,394 |
| 82 | Southern Miss Golden Eagles | 25,131 |
| 83 | SMU Mustangs | 24,971 |
| 84 | Duke Blue Devils | 24,505 |
| 85 | UAB Blazers | 23,058 |
| 86 | James Madison Dukes | 22,966 |
| 87 | UNLV Rebels | 22,112 |
| 88 | Connecticut Huskies | 22,095 |
| 89 | Marshall Thundering Herd | 21,842 |
| 90 | Liberty Flames | 20,954 |
| 91 | Florida Atlantic Owls | 20,679 |
| 92 | Tulane Green Wave | 20,361 |
| 93 | Old Dominion Monarchs | 20,232 |
| 94 | Wyoming Cowboys | 19,707 |
| 95 | Toledo Rockets | 19,557 |
| 96 | UTEP Miners | 19,134 |
| 97 | North Texas Mean Green | 19,025 |
| 98 | Rice Owls | 19,011 |
| 99 | Tulsa Golden Hurricane | 18,745 |
| 100 | Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 18,161 |
| 101 | Ohio Bobcats | 17,692 |
| 102 | Miami RedHawks | 17,572 |
| 103 | Texas State Bobcats | 17,541 |
| 104 | Georgia Southern Eagles | 17,379 |
| 105 | Temple Owls | 17,277 |
| 106 | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | 17,114 |
| 107 | Utah State Aggies | 16,954 |
| 108 | South Alabama Jaguars | 16,646 |
| 109 | San Jose State Spartans | 16,422 |
| 110 | Georgia State Panthers | 16,023 |
| 111 | Central Michigan Chippewas | 15,823 |
| 112 | Buffalo Bulls | 15,510 |
| 113 | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | 15,440 |
| 114 | Arkansas State Red Wolves | 15,265 |
| 115 | Western Michigan Broncos | 15,260 |
| 116 | Eastern Michigan Eagles | 15,186 |
| 117 | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | 15,082 |
| 118 | New Mexico State Aggies | 15,034 |
| 119 | New Mexico Lobos | 14,966 |
| 120 | Nevada Wolf Pack | 14,905 |
| 121 | Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns | 14,542 |
| 122 | Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | 14,363 |
| 123 | FIU Panthers | 13,789 |
| 124 | Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks | 13,380 |
| 125 | Kent State Golden Flashes | 13,354 |
| 126 | Bowling Green Falcons | 11,663 |
| 127 | Ball State Cardinals | 11,637 |
| 128 | Akron Zips | 11,199 |
| 129 | Charlotte 49ers | 10,907 |
| 130 | Massachusetts Minutemen | 10,800 |
| 131 | Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors | 9,210 |
| 132 | Northern Illinois Huskies | 9,198 |
| 133 | Sam Houston Bearkats | 7,611 |