College students, retired football players, dads of all sorts, and more are talking about it. The 2022 college football season officially began Thursday, Sept. 1. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football season matched up 46 teams to play a total of 23 games over week one, which stretches from Thursday the 1st to Monday the 5th.  

“I think many teams this season have started out strong, Georgia for example, while others have continued a losing streak or had equal losses and wins. I think it is pretty clear in the NCAA right now who the top teams are,” Audrey Ash, junior, said.  

The regional championships will take place after the finalization of the scores from the initial fourteen weeks of the regular season games. The five major conferences in the NCAA, which each have a region championship, are the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Big Ten Conference, the Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference, and the Southeastern Conference (SEC), which is Georgia’s region.  

“I have a feeling it will be Alabama and Georgia playing in the national championship game again this year, but I am still rooting for the Florida Gators,” Drew Doran, senior, said.  

In the 2021 season, the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia played in the SEC champion game, and Alabama won with a final score of 41-24. Before the game, Georgia had been ranked number one with Alabama at number three. However, the two teams rematched in the College Football National Championship game, with Georgia taking home their first national championship title since 1980 and their second in history. Despite Georgia’s win, the University of Alabama started off the 2022 season ranked in first. 

“In all honesty, I believe the Dawgs have a very promising season ahead of them, especially after already having such a dominant lead in the earlier games. I am very confident that if they keep their heads on straight, they will be in the playoffs this year and will definitely be in the running for another championship under their belts,” Dru Moore, senior, said. 

 Many Etowah students are rooting for the top team of their home state, the Georgia Bulldogs. At the end of week two, they pushed Alabama to second place, took first for themselves, and remain number one. Georgia fans are hoping to once again end the 2022 season with a national title.