The college football season revs into gear this weekend with several marquee matchups and the college football elite in action. Here is a look at some of week’s most crucial matchups, and what they mean for each team should they win. At the end, check out my picks for conference champions, the CFP final four, and who will ultimately be crowned national champions.

11 Oregon @ 3 Georgia (Atlanta)

IF OREGON WINS The season is off to a chaotic start. Oregon finished a distant second to Utah in the Pac-12 a season ago, twice losing in decisive fashion to the Utes. Georgia, meanwhile, rode a dominant regular season into a brick wall in their conference championship game as well. But unlike Oregon, Georgia was able to avenge their loss, defeating Alabama in the national championship game. So while a win for Oregon might tell us more about the state of UGA football post-national championship, a win would undoubtedly vault Oregon into the upper echelon of the AP and Coaches Poll.

IF GEORGIA WINS As coach Denny Green once said, “they are who we thought they were.” While following up a national championship is always a tough act, a de facto home contest in Atlanta to start the season is not the place where the Bulldogs high gets killed.

23 Cincinnati @ 19 Arkansas

IF CININNATI WINS The Bearcats are once again the Group of 5 team to look out for to get a spot in the CFP.

IF ARKANSAS WINS The Razorbacks keep the momentum and good-will built over the course of the past season, while signaling themselves as a team to watch in the loaded SEC West. And while it’s difficult to label any game a must-win in week one, it’s hard to argue this isn’t must-win for Arkansas. Because a loss here means Arkansas would need to run the table to get to the CFP, and if they lose to Cincinnati, what are their chances going through the SEC West gauntlet?

5 Notre Dame @ 2 Ohio State

IF NOTRE DAME WINS Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish give themselves a cushion in their hopes of landing a CFP berth. A win at Ohio State will undoubtedly rank among the best any team would be able to muster in 2022. The committee would find it difficult to not include Notre Dame in the playoff even if they were to end up losing another game during the season and the Buckeyes went on to win the Big Ten.

IF OHIO STATE WINS The Buckeyes are in the driver’s seat for a spot in the CFP. A home victory against a team projected to be top 5 by season’s end is nothing to sneeze at, and the Buckeyes would likewise be forgiven if they were to drop an in-conference game later in the year.

Florida State @ LSU (New Orleans)

IF FLORIDA STATE WINS The Seminoles will be a team to watch in the ACC. While no one will be proclaiming FSU is back by beating LSU, it would go a long way to them gaining respect throughout the sport.

IF LSU WINS Brian Kelly and the Tigers begin the process of stabilizing the program. The Ed Orgeron era had the highest of highs and lowest of lows, and a win here will help Kelly and his mostly all-new coaching staff to validate their message. In essence, this is a game that will determine the reputation of each team; two former champions seeking desperately to get back to those heights.

2022 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PROJECTIONS

1 Alabama

2 Ohio State

3 Clemson

4 Texas A&M

2022 COLLEGE FOOTBALL FINALS

1 Alabama vs. 2 Ohio State

CHAMPIONS

1 Alabama