Minnesota Won Nine Games Again?
Yes, the Minnesota Golden Gophers finished 9-4, their second nine-win season in a row. They also started the season off 4-0 and kept Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the second year in a row. Not including the Covid year, Minnesota has now won twenty-nine games in their last three seasons with a perfect 3-0 bowl record.
The Gophers played traditional Big Ten Football led by a dominant rushing attack and physical defense. Mohamad Ibraham was healthy and finished third in the country with 1,665 rushing yards and tied for first with twenty rushing touchdowns. Overall, they finished with 2,716 yards on the ground or 208.9 yards a game. Defensively the Gophers allowed less than 300 yards per game and the 4th fewest points per game at 13.8. Minnesota continues to be a good team under coach PJ Fleck. Soon we’ll see how the 2023 season once again goes well for the Golden Gophers.
Houston’s Inconsistent Season
Coming into 2022, Houston was one of two Group of Five schools to be ranked inside the top twenty-five. Coming in at twenty-four, they were only one spot behind 2021 playoff member Cincinnati, and Houston were challenging them to prevent the Bearcats from winning their third American title in a row.
While Cincinnati didn’t win the conference, it wasn’t because of Houston. The Cougars started the year off by beating defending C-USA Champion UTSA but that became the highlight of the season. Houston had some other highs like beating East Carolina on the road 42-3, and a three-game win streak over the middle of the year. But sixty-three points wasn’t enough to beat SMU in a 77-63 loss. They also lost their second and third games of the season to Big 12 schools Texas Tech and then Kansas at home by three scores. Houston was able to finish the season with a win over Louisiana 23-16 in the Independence Bowl to finish the season 8-5. But that isn’t good enough for a team who had preseason dreams to win the conference and play in a New Year 6 Bowl.
New Mexico State’s Revival
New Mexico State did something special in 2022. Something they’ve only done five times in program history. They made and even won a bowl game. After firing head coach Doug Martin after another 2-10 season to close out his career record at 25-74, they looked to the man who built a foundation for Northern Illinois to make the Orange Bowl, Jerry Kill. He was at the bottom of the FBS food chain playing without any expectations.
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As the season started the expectations looked like they would be met. They started 0-4 and lost each game by an average of four touchdowns. But New Mexico State responded by winning six of their next eight to go .500 and accept an invite to the Quick Lane Bowl. The Aggies even splattered Liberty in Harrisburg 49-3. To close the season, they beat Bowling Green 24-19 to win their second bowl in sixty-two years. Coach Kill has already been extended and New Mexico State will leave the Independents and the C-USA in 2023. Can the Aggies finally sustain some success?
What Could Have Been for Air Force
Air Force could have had a historic year that service academies don’t have anymore. During preseason they were one of six teams to be favored in every regular season game of the 2022 season and the only one from the Group of Five. It didn’t matter if they were unranked in the preseason, they easily could have been great.
In the end, Air Force had a very good season. They went 10-3 and finished with their second ten-win season in a row for the first time since 1998. They beat 2021 Big 12 Champions Baylor in the Armed Forces Bowl. They claimed the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy outright for the first time since 2016. But man they left a lot to be desired. Like being shocked by Wyoming in week three, then losing to Utah State three weeks later. Once again, a 10-3 season with a large list of accomplishments is great to have, but you have to ask the question “what if” with Air Force.
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Rutgers’ Start of Season
It finally looked liked Rutgers was putting it together after the disastrous Chris Ash era. He finished 8-32 and set the program back for years at the beginning of the Big 10 move. I thought Rutgers made an amazing hire by bringing back Greg Schiano, the man who brought Rutgers to its peak in the mid-2000s. He’s recruited well and kept New Jersey talent home.
2022 was supposed to be the first year where he led Rutgers to a legitimate bowl game (not including being a Covid replacement for the 2021 Gator Bowl). In week one, it looked like they would make the bowl. They won at Boston College 22-21 to start the season, and two weeks later were 3-0. Little did Rutgers know that their start would become the highlight of the season. The last nine games led to only one more win and five losses of thirty or more points. The offense was horrific and only scored 17.4 points per game. Now, Schiano is on the hot seat and it seems like Rutgers is in the same spot they were in back in 2019.
