Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1477106
18 NWA COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 8.28.2022 OUTLOOK The Crimson Tide will begin the season in a familiar place — atop The Associated Press Top 25 poll. It's the second consecutive season Alabama has been the preseason No. 1 team and seventh time in the past 15 years. The Tide finished last season No. 2 after beating Georgia 41-24 in the SEC Championships Game, then losing to the Bulldogs 33-18 in a rematch in the College Football Playoff title game. Saban is going for his seventh national championship at Alabama since 2009 and his eighth overall, including the 2003 title at LSU. Saban called last season "kind of a rebuilding year" considering the Tide didn't win at all. Alabama's players are hungry to win another national title and are led by perhaps the top players in the nation in quarterback Bryce Young and outside linebacker Will Anderson. Young won the Heisman Trophy and set Alabama season passing records with 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns. Anderson won the Bronko Nagurski Award, presented annually to the nation's top defensive player, and had 34 1/2 tackles for losses totaling 148 yards, including 17 1/2 sacks. GAME 6 MISSISSIPPI STATE DATE Oct. 8 KICKOFF TBA PLACE Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Miss. 2021 RECORD 7-6, 4-4 SEC COACH Mike Leach (11-13 in two seasons at Mississippi State, 150-103 overall in 20 seasons) RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 8 defense KEY RETURNING PLAYERS QB Will Rogers, RB Jo'quavious Marks, DT Cameron Young, LB Nathaniel Watson 2022 SCHEDULE Sept. 3 .................................................. Memphis Sept. 10 ............................................... at Arizona Sept. 17 .....................................................at LSU Sept. 24 ........................................ Bowling Green Oct. 1 ................................................. Texas A&M Oct. 8 .....................................................Arkansas Oct. 15 ...............................................at Kentucky Oct. 22 ................................................at Alabama Nov. 5 ........................................................Auburn Nov. 12 ..................................................... Georgia Nov. 19 ............................ at East Tennessee State Nov. 24 ................................................at Ole Miss OUTLOOK Coach Mike Leach has a team full of his recruits going into this third season at Mississippi State, including 17 returning starters. Junior quarterback Will Rogers should know all the intricacies of the Air Raid offense after passing for 4,739 yards and 36 touchdowns last season. Jo'quavious Marks, a junior running back, is a workhorse who had 83 catches for 502 yards and 106 carries for 416 yards last season. A key for the Bulldogs moving up in the SEC West is if Leach finally can beat Arkansas and Ole Miss. He's a combined 0-4 against the Razorbacks and Rebels. Mississippi State has an especially tough SEC schedule having to take on Georgia and Kentucky — projected to be the East's top two teams — along with the West gauntlet. GAME 7 BYU DATE Oct. 15 PLACE LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, Utah KICKOFF TBA 2021 RECORD 10-3 COACH Kalani Sitake (48-29 in six seasons at BYU) RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 10 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Jaren Hall, WR , DE Tyler Batty, FS Malik Moore 2022 SCHEDULE Sept. 3 ........................................ at South Florida Sept. 10 ..................................................... Baylor Sept. 17 .................................................at Oregon Sept. 24 ................................................ Wyoming Oct. 8 .............................Notre Dame (Las Vegas) Oct. 15 ...................................................Arkansas Oct. 22 .................................................. at Liberty Oct. 28 .............................................East Carolina Nov. 5 ..............................................at Boise State Nov. 19 ..................................................Utah Tech Nov. 26 ................................................at Stanford OUTLOOK Arkansas will play BYU for the first time in football when the Razorbacks take a break from their SEC schedule to travel West. The Cougars, ranked No. 25 in the preseason Associated Press poll, should offer an SEC-type challenge with 18 returning starters, led by quarterback Jaren Hall, who is in his fifth year in the program. A See OPPONENT, Page 32 Opponent n Continued from Page 17 Tank Bigsby | Auburn Running Back File Photo