B/R's College Football Weekly Awards: Preseason Edition

Set your alarms, clear your calendars and make sure your snack cabinet is stocked. Friends, it's college football season again.

The much-heralded (by my mom), long-awaited (by me) and incredibly beloved (by you) series—the B/R Weekly Awards—is back. We're ready for the 2022 campaign and eager to share all of the excitement and ridiculousness the sport will provide during the upcoming months.

Most importantly, though, it's time for some fun.

There is a place for strong, compelling analysis, and you'll find pieces of that mixed in here and throughout the season. You love college football, and B/R's writing team will be fueling that passion this fall.

However, we're also not losing sight of the sport's entertainment value. Our awards—set to be released on Monday every week—will be a combination of serious stuff, odd facts, neat accomplishments and probably some dad jokes. Be prepared for some eye rolls, but I am a peacock. You gotta let me fly.

So, folks, welcome to the 2022 preseason edition with awards based on a Monopoly game board.

Based on official Monopoly rules, the "Free Parking" spot is mostly meaningless. One popular twist, however, is any player who lands on the space collects a bit of money.

Sort of sounds like the Texas Tech football roster.

The Matador Club, a collective that supports TTU athletics, announced it will offer one-year, $25,000 deals to all 85 scholarship athletes and 15 walk-ons. In return, the players will perform community service and other charitable work around the Lubbock area.

While the team-wide agreement isn't the first of its kind, the stipend is the largest known annual value.

Get your money, Red Raiders!

Our overall tone is based on humor, but this is a serious—and saddening—topic that is worth sharing.

Already in mid-August, we know of several major injuries. Some players are expected to return—such as Clemson edge-rusher Xavier Thomas (foot) and Washington linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio (knee)—but a few notable talents won't be playing in 2022.

• Houston RB Alton McCaskill IV (knee)
• Northern Illinois WR Trayvon Rudolph (knee)
• Notre Dame WR Avery Davis (knee)
• Rutgers LB Mohamed Toure (undisclosed injury)
• Texas OG Junior Angilau (knee)
• Texas WR Isaiah Neyor (knee)

Injuries stink. And, unfortunately, health concerns are simply a reality in sports. Hopefully, these players will be able to recover well and be back on the field—whether in college or the NFL—next season.

Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher won't be silenced forever, but their war of words has reached a (likely temporary) pause.

By now, you probably know the story. Saban said Texas A&M bought every player in its historically great recruiting class. Fisher responded in fiery fashion, calling Saban a "narcissist" and saying that "maybe somebody should have slapped him" for the comments.

Shortly after, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin told Bruce Feldman of The Athletic that the feud should've been on pay-per-view.

Who doesn't love a good offseason fight?

Unfortunately, that answer is SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. He publicly reprimanded Saban and Fisher, along with requesting the outspoken Kiffin not to appear on the Dan Patrick Show. Sankey made it clear he wanted none of the drama spilled into SEC media days, too.

Sankey (wisely) spoiled our offseason fun, but a reignition of the spat—to a restrained level—may happen prior to October's showdown in Tuscaloosa.

Given that only one player can be the starting quarterback, transfers at the position are a common sight.

Some players are looking for their first shot at a starting job in college. Quinn Ewers is seeking that at Texas following his year at Ohio State.

For others, they're ready for a new or more favorable opportunity. Spencer Rattler went to South Carolina after a rough season at Oklahoma, while Max Johnson left LSU for Texas A&M. USC signal-callers Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart headed for Pitt and Ole Miss, respectively, before Oklahoma star Caleb Williams rejoined his former coach at USC.

Still more are Oregon's Bo Nix (from Auburn), LSU's Jayden Daniels (Arizona State), Kansas State's Adrian Martinez (Nebraska), West Virginia's JT Daniels (Georgia) and Nebraska's Casey Thompson (Texas).

Additionally, there's a shot to move up a level of competition. Dillon Gabriel started for two-plus seasons at UCF but is now leading Oklahoma, and Cameron Ward jumped from FCS school Incarnate Word to Washington State.

All of these programs—and many others—are taking a chance on a new QB plucked from the transfer portal.

No program has created more recent buzz than USC.

First, the school convinced Lincoln Riley to leave Big 12 powerhouse Oklahoma to rebuild the Trojans. That alone was a seismic move, considering his 55-10 record and two Heisman Trophy winners in Norman.

Then, he prioritized the transfer portal. Three notable OU players—quarterback Caleb Williams, wideout Mario Williams and cornerback Latrell McCutchin—followed their former coach to USC. Among other additions, Pitt receiver Jordan Addison, Oregon running back Travis Dye and Colorado corner Mekhi Blackmon picked the Trojans, too.

Along the way, USC landed commitments from 5-star quarterback Malachi Nelson, 5-star receiver Zachariah Branch, top-50 prospect Makai Lemon and six more 4-star players.

Last—and most definitely not least—the school confirmed that it plans to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in 2024.

Calling that an electric eight-month stretch is an understatement.

Every season, one program has the luxury of celebrating a national title. Nobody is truly complaining about the difficulty of what follows, but the aftermath of success can be challenging.

Georgia set a record with 15 NFL draft picks, which included five defenders who were first-round selections.

Co-defensive coordinator Dan Lanning left to become the boss at Oregon. Receivers coach Cortez Hankton and secondary coach Jahmile Addae landed pay raises at LSU and Miami, respectively, while offensive line coach Matt Luke retired.

Also, more than a dozen players—most notably wide receiver Jermaine Burton, cornerback Ameer Speed and safety Latavious Brini—hit the transfer portal.

Georgia is certainly built to thrive in 2022, but the Dawgs have navigated a busy offseason.

Last year, this honor would've gone to the SEC for swiping Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12. This summer, the Big Ten pulled off a similar coup.

On a quiet June afternoon, Pac-12 reporter Jon Wilner broke the news that USC and UCLA would be departing the league in 2024. Within days, the Big Ten formally announced the news of the West Coast schools joining the Midwest conference.

And so, realignment found another spark as the "alliance" between the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 became nothing but a Big Ten ruse.

Less than two months later, the Big Ten announced an enormous media deal. The eight-year agreements with CBS, Fox and NBC are worth at least $7 billion combined and could climb as high as $10 billion, depending on escalators in the contracts. The annual payouts per school are expected to reach $70-plus million.

We knew realignment wasn't finished. We figured the Big Ten would land a marquee name or two.

But bringing in USC and UCLA—while stealing the coveted Los Angeles market from the Pac-12 footprint—was a brilliant, diabolical move.