Last night, the college football season officially wrapped up as TCU faced Georgia in the CFP National Championship game. With the season in the books, it is time to go back and highlight some of the best comeback and underdog college football teams of 2022. It was a memorable season and plenty of teams could have made this list–here are three that stood out to me the most:
#3 TCU
Yes, TCU was blown out last night, but remember that at this point a year ago, TCU wasn't ranked in the top 25. Heck, they weren't even over .500 in win percentage–the Horned Frogs finished last season ranked 73rd in the nation. So, rightly so, coming into the season they were listed as having only the 6th best odds to win their conference. No one gave them a shot but a stunning upset over Michigan advanced the Horned Frogs to a championship game against Georgia where they were eventually routed 65-7. However, even in the eyes of an unfortunate defeat, there is a lot this team has improved on this season.
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How so? Well for starters, TCU was nothing short of sensational all season. Led by quarterback and Heisman finalist, Max Duggan, and coached by rookie coach Sonny Dykes who was previously the coach at SMU, the Horned Frogs finished the season with an impressive 13-2 record. It is a miracle that Duggan even played this season after having had heart surgery and multiple foot injuries. It is a testament to his resilience and to his team in a season worth remembering for TCU, who finished 5-7 just last year. Once marked as underdogs, TCU will be penciled in among the teams to beat next season, even with Max Duggan declaring for the NFL Draft. Losing in the National Championship game is definitely gut-wrenching for TCU players and fans, but this team has a lot to look forward to after a breakthrough Cinderella season.
#6 University of Tennessee
A year ago the Volunteers finished 7-6, losing in a bowl game to Purdue. In a tough conference, coming into the season they weren't heralded as the favorite. In fact, they had the fourth best odds to win their conference and their over/under win total was set at 8. They reached that mark in their first 8 games, and split the final 4, currently standing at 10-2 and 6th overall in the rankings. They beat #1 Alabama at home, while fans took down the goalposts to the bars. They even spent some time at #1 before falling to the two-time-champion Georgia Bulldogs 27-13. It has been a remarkable season for the Volunteers who also routed Clemson 31-14 in the Capital One Orange Bowl, their final game of the season. They finished 11-2 this season and have a lot to look forward to next year.
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#14 Tulane University
No one gave this Tulane team a chance this year. Before the season only two teams had worse odds to win the conference. Maybe, some of that was justified after a 2-10 record last season. However, no one could have expected Tulane to be this exciting and talented. A year after finishing 2-10, Tulane currently holds a record of 11-2, good for 14th in the nation. That is an astounding 85 spots better than where they stood at the conclusion of last season. Not only did they win their conference, but they also got the chance to play in a bowl game. On January 2, they faced newly awarded Heisman winner Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans in the Cotton Bowl Classic, where they had perhaps one of their best wins in recent history. Tulane rallied back from 15 down with under 5 minutes to go, and scored a touchdown in the final 10 seconds of the game, sealing an improbable victory for a team that defied expectations all season long. They finished 12-2 this season.
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* Originally published on January 10, 2023, by Nicholas Nathanson
