Ranking college football's 25 most anticipated games of the 2022 season is a task that has essentially written itself over the course of a news-driven offseason across the sport, including a memorable spat between SEC coaches and rivalry matchups dripping with postseason influence given the influx of transfers and expected impact newcomers.

The upcoming campaign could be one of college football's most memorable in a long time, especially if the College Football Playoff race — or at least how it's perceived — is derailed in September with several appetizing early-season showdowns.

The selection committee will have a large sample size of non-conference matchups designed to flex the muscles of respective leagues. And in the SEC and Big Ten, getting through the weekly meat-grinder in those conferences littered with nationally-ranked teams as the last program standing will be a notable feat.

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Here are 25 games we can't wait to see this season that will undoubtedly come with conference championship and College Football Playoff implications.

25. Florida State vs. LSU (Sept. 4)

24. Miami at Clemson (Nov. 19)

23. Auburn at Alabama (Nov. 26)

22. Notre Dame at USC (Nov. 26)

21. Penn State at Michigan (Oct. 15)

A vital game for both programs, Florida State badly needs a marquee victory under  Mike Norvell  and this might be the best shot the Seminoles are going to get vs. the Tigers with a first-year coach in  Brian Kelly. Florida State made strides midway through the 2021 campaign, but failed to reach the postseason again after losing the finale at Florida. Norvell's pressure increases quite a bit if history repeats itself in 2022. For LSU, the Tigers have the better roster overall and are a slight favorite playing in New Orleans, according to oddsmakers. The season could go south for the loser of this opener.

Miami at Clemson in November could be a precursor of sorts to another matchup two weeks later when the champions of each division meet in the ACC title game. Both the Hurricanes and Tigers are expected to be inside the preseason top 20 later this month when the AP Poll is revealed given the talent at both programs.

One of the ACC's top games of the year, Wake Forest controls its own destiny the rest of the way if the Demon Deacons are able to take out Clemson at home early. Easily Wake Forest's toughest game this fall, Dave Clawson's group has lost 13 straight in the series, but managed to win the ACC Atlantic last fall after the Tigers stubbed their toe against NC State and Pittsburgh. Equally important for Clemson, College Football Playoff hopes diminish greatly for the Tigers with a loss in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Looking at the rest of the schedule for Clemson, this one's a must-win early.

Could this be the first of two matchups this season between the Badgers and Buckeyes? Perhaps. The preseason favorites in the Big Ten's two respective divisions, Wisconsin has a point to prove after failing to reach the conference championship game last fall, much like Ohio State, following that memorable loss at Michigan. For Ryan Day's team, they're one of the preseason national title frontrunners and this is the second of two home games in September against nationally-ranked competition. The new-look defense under  Jim Knowles  will be tested at its heart thanks to Wisconsin's ground-and-pound approach.

One of the more competitive big-time rivalries nationally, the Spartans and Wolverines have split their past six meetings and the loser of this one is usually out of the divisional title race. However, last season Michigan was able to overcome a narrow loss in East Lansing and still win the conference, getting to the College Football Playoff for the first time. Michigan State used that momentous win to finish with a banner campaign under Mel Tucker, getting to the New Year's Six (and winning). Jim Harbaugh says his team has three goals every season — to beat Ohio State, win the Big Ten and beat Michigan State.

Are we putting too much stock in Miami this season under first-year head coach  Mario Cristobal  in the ACC? No, because he has a top-end quarterback in  Tyler Van Dyke  who is going to make everyone around him better, not to mention the Hurricanes' impressive group of returning starters on the other side of the football. Those factors could cause chaos for Texas A&M playing a team with nothing to lose in this non-conference tilt. There's considerably more pressure on the Aggies to succeed this fall in a big way as a playoff hopeful after signing the highest-rated class in modern recruiting history.

Baylor snapped a seven-game losing skid to Oklahoma last season, holding off the Sooners in Waco before eventually winning the Big 12 Conference and catapulting Dave Aranda inside the top 15 nationally as a head coach. This year's rematch is another late-season affair that will have conference championship implications in Norman. First-year Sooners coach Brent Venables against Aranda is one of the more underrated coaching matchups nationally and there's a good chance both teams will be ranked inside the top 15 when that one is played.

Why is this game ranked higher than Alabama's matchups with LSU and Auburn this season? There's a chance both teams will be ranked inside the top 10 and unbeaten at the time of the game, which would make for an appetizing showdown the first weekend in October. D.W.R Razorbacks Stadium might fall down before the kickoff if that scenario comes to fruition, by the way. Arkansas hasn't beaten the Crimson Tide in more than a decade, but could have the team to get it done this fall considering the preseason No. 1 won't be tested in September. Getting there will be difficult for the Razorbacks, however.

Dan Lanning  going up against his former team in his first game as Oregon's coach is not advantageous, especially when his Ducks are battling the defending national champions inside what has become their second home. The seismic opener gives fans of both teams a chance to see significant changes in both starting lineups, notably Oregon's first game with Auburn transfer  Bo Nix  at quarterback and Georgia's wide-scale changes defensively following record-setting NFL Draft depletion.  Kirby Smart  is better than a two-touchdown early favorite in this one and an upset victory for Oregon would be a banner moment for the Pac-12.

One of several spotlight games for Utah in 2022, the Utes and Ducks could be in the thick of the College Football Playoff picture in late November when this one's played in Eugene. Both expected high-end finishers in the Pac-12 open against SEC competition in a few months with a chance to carry the torch for a conference on the come up given USC's national momentum this offseason. Utah is a veteran-laden team looking to defend its conference championship while Oregon has a point to prove during Dan Lanning's first campaign out West.

Two of the nation's premiere programs meet in November for a matchup dripping with possible playoff implications, especially if the Fighting Irish recover in a big way from a season-opening loss at Ohio State. Meanwhile, Clemson is the ACC favorite and trying to get back to the final four following a one-year hiatus. Winning in South Bend is a tough task and the Tigers found out the hard way during a 47-40 classic during the 2020 campaign. Clemson won the rematch however, disposing of Notre Dame in the ACC title finale that year, 34-10.

If Penn State plans on competing in the upper-tier of the Big Ten this season, beating Ohio State in Happy Valley at the end of October is paramount to toward that goal. The Nittany Lions' only win over the Buckeyes since the 2012 season came in 2016 at home with that memorable finish. James Franklin has been trying to conquer Goliath since with several narrow losses, including a pair by a single point. The Buckeyes are a preseason national title contender this fall and a home sellout should benefit Penn State.

It took a Hail Mary at Sanford Stadium to beat Georgia during the 2016 season and that's the last time Tennessee has been victorious in this heated SEC East rivalry series. This time around, the Volunteers will bring arguably their best team during this five-year stretch of futility back to Athens in a matchup that could decide the division or  potentially knock the Bulldogs from their perch  as one of the SEC's preseason frontrunners after winning their first national championship since 1980 last fall. Both teams should be ranked the first weekend of November if the Volunteers can battle through a treacherous slate.

Venables' first taste as a coach of one of the nation's most fiercest rivalries comes just before Thanksgiving when Bedlam may decide a spot in the conference championship game. In fact, given the strength of both of these programs coming into the season, there's a chance this one could mark the first of two meetings this fall between the Sooners and Cowboys. Each of the past three games in this rivalry have pitted top-20 teams and last year's meeting — Lincoln Riley's final game at Oklahoma — pushed Oklahoma State into the league title game against Baylor.

NC State ended its long skid against the Tigers last season but couldn't deliver down the stretch and take the ACC Atlantic. Another win over Clemson in 2022  would squash the nation's longest home winning streak  — 34 and counting for Dabo Swinney's group in Death Valley — and would help the Wolfpack conquer their toughest game with ample opportunity to move up in the rankings ahead of them moving forward. For Clemson, disposing of NC State would go a long way in terms of getting back to the playoff after a one-year hiatus for the winningest program in the ACC over the past decade.

As 247Sports colleague Will Backus notes,  the Red River Showdown rarely disappoints. Texas only has two wins in this series over the past eight seasons, but seven games have come down to a single possession won just twice in the past eight years, all but one contest in that span came down to a single possession. If the Longhorns have a shot at snapping Oklahoma’s four-game win streak in the rivalry, that'll come in 2022 with an electric, transfer portal-infused arsenal offensively. Heisman Trophy contender  Bijan Robinson  and top wideout  Xavier Worthy  have been around, but the arrival of  Quinn Ewers,  Isaiah Neyor  and others adds tot he  intrigue for Texas on that side of the football.

The Pac-12  scrapped its two-division format in May ahead of the 2022 season, meaning the two teams with the best records in the conference will play for a title in December. Between USC, Utah and Oregon, most believe that trio will battle it out to see who's standing with a potential shot at the playoff coming down the home stretch. USC is getting dark-horse playoff buzz thanks to its complete roster overhaul under Riley and Utah is one of the more veteran-laden, title-ready teams in college football. A loss in this game doesn't end the season by any stretch, but it makes the margin for error razor-thin the rest of the way.

Will Alabama leave its mark at Texas in September and will the moment be too big for the Longhorns? The unanimous preseason No. 1 this summer, the Crimson Tide welcome back arguably the two best players in college football in Bryce Young and  Will Anderson  and take their show on the road to match up with a group expected to turn the corner under  Steve Sarkisian  following a five-win flatline last fall. A competitive game could go a long way in helping the Longhorns in terms of confidence while a road loss for Alabama complicates matters in getting back to the playoff.

Not to over-exaggerate the importance of early-season non-conference showdowns given the Buckeyes' loss to Oregon last year early and still controlling their own destiny late, but falling to the Fighting Irish at home in Week 1 could be potentially cataclysmic for a group expected to compete in — if not win — the national championship this season. Ohio State's Big Ten schedule is loaded with landmines and winning the conference with two total losses should this one and another go South might doom final four hopes. On the other side, a win for Notre Dame would act as a springboard to kick off the  Marcus Freeman  era with a bang.

Saban's loud spat with  Jimbo Fisher  in May tossed gasoline on college football's offseason fire within the SEC and took one of the league's most-anticipated games of the 2022 season to another level of intrigue. Not only will the winner of this matchup likely take the Western Division, but a loss for the Aggies could send the Texas A&M fanbase into a tizzy if early-season matchups against Miami and Arkansas were also unsuccessful. Fisher's squad went 3-2 over their final five SEC games after beating the Crimson Tide in 2021, stumbling to an 8-4 finish. This season, Texas A&M plays South Carolina, Ole Miss, Florida, Auburn and LSU after Alabama.

No matchup will be more important on Nov. 26 nationally if you're a believer in these two programs as preseason title contenders. Last season, Michigan used its streak-snapping win over Ohio State to punch its ticket to the Big Ten Championship Game. And after dismantling Iowa, the Wolverines were in the playoff for the first time in program history. Should Jim Harbaugh's squad and the Buckeyes hover around the top five throughout the season once again, this game will not only decide the division but will certainly have playoff implications. Who's to say an 11-1 Michigan or Ohio State, should both teams come in unbeaten, wouldn't trump a Power Five champion from another league given the Big Ten's strength of schedule?

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