Forde-Yard Dash: No Doubt Who Tops College Football’s Early Conference Power Rankings

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where the folks at “SEC Shorts” remain undefeated. First Quarter: Welcome to the Pressure Cooker. Second Quarter: How Good Is Your New Coordinator? Third Quarter: Who Can Make the Mendoza Leap?

Fourth Quarter: Conference Call

Before fans fully engage in their favorite pastime—arguing about conference strength—let’s set some of the rules of engagement. This is 95% preseason conjecture, with just a little Week Zero results thrown in. More conclusive data will start to flow in this week.

Big Ten (31)

Ranking: First.

Why the league is here: Three straight national championships tell no lies. Plus the Big Ten starts this year with the Nos. 1, 2 and 6 teams in the preseason AP poll.

Nonconference record thus far: 1–0.

Best team: Indiana, until proven otherwise. That proof might be incoming by mid-October, but for now the Hoosiers remain on top with The Dash. A 19–1 conference record the last two seasons speaks loud and clear.

Median team: Minnesota. Coach P.J. Fleck, man of a thousand slogans, has a couple gimmicks working this year: He gave every player a dollar and a quarter, citing the “E Pluribus Unum” motto on both forms of currency. (“Out of many, one.”) And he put hourglasses around the team facility, a reminder that time is always moving and there is none to waste. Will that be enough to elevate the Gophers past, say, the First Responder Bowl? We’ll see.

Worst team: Purdue hasn’t won a conference game since November 2023. The last Big Ten team it beat? Indiana. Times have changed since then.

Week Zero bragging point: USC rolled in its opener over San José State.

Week Zero embarrassment: Nobody attended said USC game.

This week’s yardstick games: Boise State at Oregon; UCLA at California; Washington State at Washington; Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame in Green Bay.

SEC (32)

Ranking: Second.

Why the league is here: The self-proclaimed best league in the country hasn’t made a national championship game since 2022 and went 1–4 in College Football Playoff games against outside competition last season.

Nonconference record thus far: 0–0.

Best team: Georgia. Texas has a better team on paper, but the Bulldogs keep beating the Longhorns on the actual field. Until that changes, Kirby Smart rules the yard—and he has a more mature team capable of taking a step forward this season.

Median team: South Carolina. No league loves to talk more about its middle-to-lower tiers than the SEC. The Gamecocks have alternated winning and losing records for the past four seasons. If the pattern holds, they’re due to get back above .500 this year. If defensive end Dylan Stewart is healthy and new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles fixes QB LaNorris Sellers, that should happen.

Worst team: Arkansas. New coach Ryan Silverfield spent most of his first offseason fundraising. Until the Razorbacks catch up in that area and can spend on a competitive roster, tough times will continue. Arkansas didn’t win an SEC game last year and might not be favored in one this season.

Week Zero bragging point: The league did not have to fine any members or suspend any head coaches for putting NFL players on their rosters.

Week Zero embarrassment: That may still happen, as LSU, in particular, continues its full heel turn.

This week’s yardstick games: Clemson at LSU; Auburn vs. Baylor in Atlanta; Mississippi vs. Louisville in Nashville.

ACC (33)

Ranking: Third.

Why the league is here: Mostly because North Carolina beat TCU on Saturday.

Nonconference record thus far: 3–0.

Best team: Miami. The Hurricanes made the national championship game last year, pulled yet another portal coup at quarterback and returned elite skill-position players. Program momentum is undeniable.

Median team: The Dash is giving North Carolina a battlefield promotion from lower echelons to the middle of the pack after its triumph in Ireland. Tar Heel respectability would be a plus for the conference, especially if they bring company up with them.

North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. passes the ball against TCU in Week Zero. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Worst team: Boston College won its last game of 2025 over tail-spinning Syracuse, which could have set the pecking order for this year as well. But the Orange get back QB Steve Angeli, who missed most of last season with injury, while the Eagles are going with Division II transfer Mason McKenzie. Maybe he’ll be the next Trinidad Chambliss, but until that actually happens …

Week Zero bragging point: Going undefeated was nice. North Carolina flipping the script from last year on TCU was clearly the highlight. Virginia’s pummeling of NC State was also impressive—but that’s a zero-sum league game, so the positives from the Cavaliers are counterbalanced by the negatives for the Wolfpack.

Week Zero embarrassment: Florida State playing with its food for much of the game against New Mexico State.

This week’s yardstick games: No league challenges itself more right out of the box than the ACC. Colorado at Georgia Tech; Boston College at Cincinnati; Tulane at Duke; Clemson at LSU; UCLA at California; Louisville at Mississippi. Let’s say it up front: If Clemson wins at Bayou Death Valley, Dabo Swinney may chirp nonstop after the game until sunrise.

Big 12 (34)

Ranking: Fourth.

Why the league is here: Mostly because TCU lost to North Carolina on Saturday.

Nonconference record thus far: 0–1.

Best team: Give a slight edge to BYU, based on continuity, over reloading Texas Tech (with some QB uncertainty) and rising Houston (spoiler pick). The Cougars need some receivers to step up.

Median team: Kansas State. The Wildcats are 9–10 against the league the last two seasons, a regression from the previous two years that helped send coach Chris Klieman into retirement. Collin Klein is the returning hero, a Heisman Trophy finalist in his playing days, who has to get QB Avery Johnson to a higher level after his trajectory stalled out last year. K-State misses Texas Tech, BYU and Utah but does play five conference road games this season.

Worst team: Iowa State was cleaned out by departing coach Matt Campbell, who took the nucleus of the team with him to Penn State. New man Jimmy Rogers has his work cut out for him with a rebuild from the floor up.

Week Zero bragging point: Ummm, the Monster logos drew attention in Dublin. (Maybe not positive attention, but attention.)

Week Zero embarrassment: Pretty much everything TCU did.

This week’s yardstick games: Colorado at Georgia Tech; Boston College at Cincinnati; Baylor vs. Auburn in Atlanta; Oklahoma State at Tulsa.

American (35)

Ranking: Fifth.

Why the league is here: The American has laid claim to Best of the Rest more often than not in recent years, with solid programs and resourceful coaching. That footing is more tenuous going into this season after losing three sharp coaches to SEC jobs (Jon Sumrall from Tulane to Florida, Alex Golesh from South Florida to Auburn and Ryan Silverfield from Memphis to Arkansas).

Nonconference record thus far: 1–0.

Best team: Memphis put in an early bid for that distinction with its road upset of UNLV on Saturday night in the program’s debut under coach Charles Huff. Where Huff goes, talent follows, and he has some with the Tigers.

Median team: Tulsa looks upwardly mobile under second-year coach Tre Lamb. The Golden Hurricane pulled a couple of notable road upsets last year, over Oklahoma State and Army. Quarterback Baylor Hayes returns after starting as a redshirt freshman last year and should improve.

Worst team: Charlotte might have bottomed out last year at 1–11. Even with some improvement, this is a program with a long way to go. The 49ers lost all 11 games by double digits.

Week Zero bragging point: Memphis coming back on the road in Vegas, with a ferocious defensive line and a Division II transfer quarterback who came through.

Week Zero embarrassment: None.

This week’s yardstick games: UAB at Illinois; North Texas at Indiana; East Carolina at Alabama; Tulane at Duke; Oklahoma State at Tulsa; Florida Atlantic at Florida.

Pac-12 (36)

Ranking: Sixth.

Why the league is here: After raiding the Mountain West, the new Pac-12 reorganizes as the strongest (but not only) competitor to the American for the Group of 6 bid there.

Nonconference record thus far: 0–0.

Best team: Boise State. The Broncos have recorded 28 straight winning seasons while wandering through three different conferences and now into their fourth. One of the greatest success stories in college football history. This year’s team is buoyed by strong player retention, which should be valuable against a September schedule that includes Oregon, Memphis and Mid-American Conference favorite Western Michigan.

Median team: There isn’t much middle in an eight-team league, but let’s go with Texas State. The Bobcats retained star freshman quarterback Brad Jackson and his top two receivers, Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr. Coach G.J. Kinne could be a rising star as well.

Worst team: Oregon State is still picking up the pieces after the original Pac-12 desertion and is now on its third coach in four seasons.

Week Zero bragging point: Nobody lost.

Week Zero embarrassment: Nobody won.

This week’s yardstick games: Fresno State at USC; Boise State at Oregon; Texas State at Texas; Wyoming at Colorado State; Washington State at Washington.

The rest of FBS, in order: Mountain West (best team is UNLV); Sun Belt (James Madison); Mid-American (Miami [Ohio]); Conference USA (Liberty).

Literary Corner

It was a great offseason for gridiron authors, with new college football reading (37) coming out in bulk. Four books in particular merit mention:

Lane Being Lane by John Talty. This unauthorized biography of the sport’s human lightning rod is quite an interesting read, delving into Lane Kiffin’s career-long shenanigans on multiple levels. The second chapter on Kiffin’s time in Alabama is an eyebrow raiser, as are several anecdotes from respected Oxford, Miss., restaurant owner John Currence—who was frequently tasked with making special accommodations for Kiffin.

“There was never a thank-you or ‘Man, I appreciate that,’ ” Currence said in the book. “He could be thoughtless in that way. It was all what he wanted.”

Unthinkable to Unstoppable is the story of Indiana’s rise and championship run, as told by beat writers Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star and Mike Niziolek of the Bloomington Herald-Times. The book has plenty of anecdotes that still-ravenous Indiana fans will devour, including this one: After defeating Miami for the national title, athletic director Scott Dolson and members of president Pam Whitten’s family wound up stuck on an elevator at the hotel for about 40 minutes—quite the buzzkill. When Curt Cignetti encountered the group and was told what happened, he said, “Take the stairs.”

Freezing Cold Takes, a favorite X account that skewers famously wrong predictions and proclamations, is now out in book form. Subtitle: “An incomplete history of the game’s most inaccurate statements and predictions.” Yes, The Dash’s big mouth bumbled into the book in a couple of places.

And ESPN college football reporter Heather Dinich has a book scheduled for release in 2027, Never Flinch, which is described in promotional materials as a “humorous memoir” about juggling roles covering college football and raising a family.

Coach Who Earned His Comp Car This Week

Charles Huff (38), Memphis

He won at Marshall (and somehow the school all but pushed him out). He won in one season at dead-in-its-tracks Southern Mississippi. Now he’s 1–0 with the Tigers, and he’s doing it with an approach former boss Nick Saban would appreciate. Screw the ice cream trucks!

Coach Who Should Take the Bus to Work

Dave Doeren (39), NC State

Losing the season opener is deflating. Getting blown out and failing to compete—in a conference game—is a really bad way to start. The Wolfpack checked those dismal boxes in a 34–8 flattening from Virginia. Dating back to the latter half of last season, each of NC State’s last four losses have been blowouts—34 points to Miami, 19 to Pittsburgh, 29 to Notre Dame.

Point After

When thirsty in the greater Twin Cities area, drop in on The Quarry (40) in Hastings, Minn. Enter the Tricia contest, get the chicken wings and sample a massive array of beers, including several from local kingpin Surly Brewing. Then head to the indoor rock-throwing room, a smarter twist on ax throwing (cheaper, safer, easier). Thank The Dash later.

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