Our 2026 College Football Crystal Ball Has Some Surprises

Ahead of the kickoff of the 2026 college football season, Sports Illustrated’s college football writers made their picks for everything from Power 4 conference champions to which contender will flop to the Heisman Trophy winner to the coach whose seat is the hottest. We also projected what the College Football Playoff field will look like. Notre Dame gets our consensus nod over Oregon, but the writers also got to choose their title game matchups—with tremendous variation. Here are all of our predictions:

College Football Playoff

First Round

Ohio State over Boise State: The 2024 Broncos, powered by running back Ashton Jeanty, were a better playoff team than this edition. At home in the Horseshoe, the Buckeyes exploit major size and speed advantages.
Miami over BYU: The Hurricanes kick-start another playoff run by thumping the visiting Cougars, who have issues in pass protection offensively and pass coverage defensively. Malachi Toney gets loose repeatedly in Hard Rock Stadium.
Texas over USC: This is not the classic cataclysm of 2005, but this brand-name battle marks the Trojans’ return to serious contention. They don’t have enough horses (just the one, Traveller) to win in Austin, though.
LSU over Mississippi: A rematch of the Lane Kiffin Bitter Bowl of September, this one in Tiger Stadium? Yes, please. Kiffin finally gets a playoff win after bailing on the opportunity last year.

Quarterfinals

Indiana over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl: The Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes in Indianapolis last season. They beat them in Bloomington, Ind., this fall. Why not a third straight, in Arlington, Texas? Bryant Haines’s IU defense takes up space in QB Julian Sayin’s head.
Miami over Georgia in the Peach Bowl: Friendly Atlanta location can’t save Georgia from a third annual playoff loss to a lower-seeded team. Darian Mensah outplays Gunner Stockton, as Miami’s QB transfer mastery underscores Kirby Smart’s reluctance in that area.
Oregon over Texas in the Rose Bowl: Top two QBs from the recruiting class of 2023 meet amid national title and NFL draft implications. Dante Moore gets the better of Arch Manning; Big Ten gets the better of SEC.
Notre Dame over LSU in the Fiesta Bowl: The nation’s best defense puts 30 days of prep into full readiness for Kiffin’s offense. The Fighting Irish still have several key players with experience from 2024 playoff run, plus simmering anger from ’25 snub.

Semifinals

Notre Dame over Indiana in the Orange Bowl: Behind their best quarterback in many years, Irish end Indiana’s repeat bid. CJ Carr finds previously hidden holes in the Hoosiers’ defense and adds to his Heisman finalist season by leading No. 1 seed Notre Dame to its second title game in three seasons.
Oregon over Miami in the Sugar Bowl: Big Ten keeps hopes alive for a fourth straight title by a fourth different school when the Ducks eliminate the Hurricanes to make the final. After losing both coordinators from last season, Dan Lanning’s career ascent hits a new height. Another SEC-free final is upon us.

Final

Notre Dame over Oregon: Wake up the echoes, at last. The Irish win it all for the first time since 1988 with a dominant defensive performance. After joining the pantheon with Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian, Devine and Holtz, does Marcus Freeman pull a Dusty May and go pro after reaching the college summit?

Who wins the ACC?

Pat Forde: Miami. It has been an abiding embarrassment for The U that it has never won an ACC title after moving over from the Big East in 2004. The Hurricanes have appeared in the league title game only one time, in ’17, resulting in a 35-point loss to Clemson. Fortunately for them and the ACC, Miami squeaked into the ’25–26 College Football Playoff and made it all the way to the championship game. Now, on paper, the Canes appear to have everything necessary to dominate the league at last.

Bryan Fischer: It’s not so much picking Miami to win the league as much as saying if it doesn’t make it to Charlotte and hold up a trophy, it will be one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory for the Hurricanes relative to expectations and the rest of the competition. While previous editions were not really of the requisite caliber to be a conference champion, this year’s group is simply head and shoulders above the rest of the league. The time is now for everything to coalesce into the program achieving the one thing it hasn’t since joining two decades ago and following up last year’s national title game trip with an actual ACC championship. You could make the case for SMU or Louisville to pull off a shocker, especially in any one-game scenario at a neutral site, but this is Miami’s conference to lose as we sit in the preseason.

Kevin Sweeney: Miami. This is by far the league’s best roster, including the most dynamic QB/skill position combo with Darian Mensah slinging it to Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate and a sturdy back in Mark Fletcher Jr. to keep the chains moving. And while Mario Cristobal’s teams have been known to suffer surprise slipups as big favorites, it’s hard to find that loss on this season’s extremely manageable schedule. I’d be surprised if Miami doesn’t go undefeated in ACC play.

Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. is back for a loaded Hurricanes squad. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Patrick Andres: Miami. There are a lot of teams in this league in line to take a step forward (California, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech), but none has the Hurricanes’ talent and depth.

Tim Capurso: I want to be contrarian here, but it’s so difficult to be with how well Miami is set up to win this conference. Mensah throws a beautiful and accurate deep ball and is a perfect fit for the Shannon Dawson offense, which—with returning stars in Fletcher and Toney as well as Mensah favorite and fellow Duke transfer Barkate—is loaded with weapons. Plus, take a look at the Hurricanes’ schedule, merely the ninth-toughest in the conference. A November date with Notre Dame looms, but besides that, what’s the most difficult game here? An Oct. 3 trip to Clemson to face Dabo Swinney’s first unranked preseason AP Top 25 team in 15 years? A Nov. 21 home date against James Franklin’s new-look Virginia Tech? It would be disappointing if the Canes aren’t a one-loss team.

Dan Lyons: Miami, at long last. The Hurricanes’ run to last season’s national championship—and the impressive battle they gave an elite Indiana team—was a strong indicator that the program has graduated from some of the self-defeating tendencies that have plagued it under Cristobal … or, at least, they’re talented enough to overcome them now. I think the offense will be stronger with Mensah under center than it was with Carson Beck a year ago, and that should help offset major losses from the defensive side.

Who wins the Big 12?

P.F.: BYU. The Cougars are one of the big winners in the sport in terms of player retention and roster continuity, and they add a sassy recruiting class to the mix. After going 12–2 with the only losses to Texas Tech, the Red Raiders could regress a bit due to quarterback churn while BYU takes a step forward. Get quarterback Bear Bachmeier some receivers to go along with star running back LJ Martin and the offense should hum. The defense, with nine of its top 12 tacklers returning, should be sensational.

B.F.: The nature of the Big 12 should mean this is a pick where you might be better off spinning a random number generator and selecting a team, but I default to Texas Tech with little hesitation in 2026. I don’t think the defense will have some massive drop-off and, even with a questionable quarterback situation, I remain convinced the offense will improve to the point where this might be a group that blows out even more teams than last season. The schedule is a cakewalk, the Red Raiders have a massive chip on their shoulder they can use and it’s always a safe choice to go with the team spending the most on talent in this day and age. I do really like BYU and Houston to threaten as potential CFP teams, but it will once again be the Red Raiders earning the Big 12 hardware.

K.S.: Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are head and shoulders above most of the league in the trenches, and their favorable Big 12 schedule should allow QB Will Hammond plenty of time to get his feet under him as he recovers from ACL surgery. Plus, most of Texas Tech’s toughest tests (Houston, Arizona and TCU) all come at home. Tech should coast to the Big 12 title game and be favored there.

BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier throws against Texas Tech. — BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier broke out last season and could lead the Cougars to the top of the Big 12 in this one. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

P.A.: Texas Tech remains superbly talented, but I wouldn’t expect the Red Raiders to conquer the world the way they did last season. That’ll crack the door for BYU, led by Bachmeier and a stout defense, to win its first conference title since 2007 in the Mountain West.

T.C.: Give me Texas Tech. I’m optimistic that Hammond, assuming he is at full health, will be an above-average starting quarterback, a task that will be heavily aided by an experienced offensive line, a near-2,000-yard running back duo of Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams and a defense that retooled in the portal and still possesses high-end, returning talent, such as linebacker Ben Roberts and cornerback Brice Pollock. Oh, and the Red Raiders also have the easiest schedule in the top-heavy Big 12.

D.L.: There are enough open questions and roster turnover at Texas Tech that I’m riding with BYU this season. The backfield tandem of Bachmeier and Martin should be one of the nation’s best, while the defense is one of the most experienced in the country by returning production. Coach Kalani Sitake has 23 wins over the last two years and was on the cusp of the College Football Playoff in 2025. This could be the year that the Cougars break through.

Who wins the Big Ten?

P.F.: No way I’m leaving the Hoosier bandwagon now. Indiana kept both its offensive and defensive coordinators, returns many key players from last season’s 16–0 wagon and did very well in the portal. Combine that with Curt Cignetti’s maniacal focus and the best schedule of the Big Ten’s big three—Ohio State comes to Bloomington, Ind., the Hoosiers don’t play Oregon, and they get USC at home as well. The most improbable national champion looks like a probable repeat winner of the nation’s best league to me.

B.F.: It’s strange to see Ohio State as the No. 1 team in the country when I sit here in August questioning if they can even make it back to Indianapolis. That’s by no means an indictment of the Buckeyes, it’s just the state of the Big Ten at the top with so many elite contenders. I still think Oregon has the best top-to-bottom roster in the country and, since it misses Indiana on the slate, I’ll lean into the Ducks grabbing their second conference title in three years. Dan Lanning has led his team farther into the postseason and this really looks like the season where everything comes together and they go on a magical run in Eugene, Ore.

K.S.: Indiana. I just can’t bring myself to bet against Cignetti until proven otherwise. Assuming TCU transfer QB Josh Hoover can manage the game effectively in Cignetti’s offense, everything else lines up extremely well for IU to once again make a push at an undefeated regular season. Getting Ohio State and USC in Bloomington is a major plus, though Michigan and Washington will be tough to sweep on the road.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti lifts the CFP trophy. — It’s hard to pick against Curt Cignetti and the reigning national champs. | Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated

P.A.: Even with trips to USC and Ohio State on the docket, this feels like Oregon’s league to lose. The Ducks are the deepest team in the country, and the only team to beat them a year ago—Indiana, twice—isn’t on the schedule. At some point, a program 38–5 in the last three years is going to finish the job.

T.C.: I’m not going to bet against Cignetti, especially after he managed to again reel in one of the best portal classes in the country and somehow retain two key contributors on the defensive end from last season’s history-defying championship team, thanks to the fifth-year eligibility battle. Plus, if there’s any coach built to defeat the indefatigable foe of complacency, it would be the equally unrelenting Cignetti.

D.L.: The most difficult of any of these conference picks, in my opinion, as Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana should all be CFP teams and it wouldn’t stun me if these were the three best teams in the country by season’s end. I’ll go with the Ducks by a nose, or a bill. Lanning’s team was one of CFB’s best last fall and they are fairly intact on both sides of the ball, while the Buckeyes will be breaking in a new-look defense and a first-time offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith, and history tells us it is very unlikely that Indiana can have the type of season it just experienced two years in a row.

Who wins the SEC?

P.F.: Texas appears to have the best roster, having made several smashing moves in the portal. But until the Longhorns prove they can beat Georgia, I’m going with the Bulldogs. Kirby Smart had a young-ish team last year, especially on defense, and should be improved this season. What happens come playoff time is another matter, but a Georgia three-peat SEC championship seems entirely plausible.

B.F.: The default is Georgia, the temptation is Texas, but the choice is LSU. Usually drama surrounding a coach or a team is going to be viewed negatively, but Baton Rouge is a different place and if any program could feed off of external energy directed at them it’s going to be Lane Kiffin’s team. I’m super high on Sam Leavitt under center and will have been convinced enough that the offensive line and running game will both take steps forward. Despite all the attention on the Ole Miss game in Oxford, the schedule is not half bad either, with Texas A&M, Alabama and Texas all coming to Tiger Stadium for what should be night games. Three new head coaches in league play plus a fairly light nonconference (sorry, Clemson) has me thinking a circus will be arriving in Atlanta along with the Tigers this December.

K.S.: Georgia. I trust the Bulldogs on a week-to-week basis more than I trust anyone else in the SEC. They have a proven QB and talent all over the place on defense. Smart’s defense was sound last season, but it can be the disruptive force that it was in Georgia’s title-winning seasons thanks to tons of returning production and experience. Split massive road tilts at Alabama and Ole Miss and the Bulldogs should be back in Atlanta.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart could have one of the top SEC teams this season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

P.A.: This is one of the most wide-open SECs of my lifetime, and the emergence of a surprise contender à la 2025 Texas A&M wouldn’t be a surprise. With that being said, Texas looks ready to clear the hump. The Longhorns specifically went out of their way in the transfer portal to make quarterback Arch Manning’s life easier, and it’d be worrying if that didn’t pay immediate dividends.

T.C.: I’m going with the Longhorns. Not only did Texas add an alpha wide receiver Cam Coleman, who might go down as the most impactful transfer of the year when it’s all said and done, but they’re also one of the most experienced teams in the conference, particularly on the defensive end. I’m betting Manning will be much improved in Year 2 as a starter, and that new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will help the Longhorns’ talent-laden defense find another gear.

D.L.: Give me Texas in the coin flip over Georgia. The Longhorns may have had the most impactful transfer portal period for any team not breaking in a new coach, and assuming the Manning we saw last November was not a mirage, he could lead a truly impressive offense joined by skill position additions Coleman, Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown in Austin, as long as the offensive line holds up.

Which Group of 6 team will make the CFP?

P.F.: The Pac-12/Mountain West schism makes for added drama in the G6 ranks, but the two still might not combine to produce a playoff team. The American was raided for many of its best coaches. The Sun Belt also lost one in Bob Chesney, who departed James Madison. In what looks like a toss-up season, I’m going to drop anchor with Navy. The Midshipmen have some holes to fill, particularly in terms of offensive playmakers, but quarterback Braxton Woodson could be the next great options threat—and he’s operating behind a veteran, talented offensive line.

B.F.: I’m really tempted by New Mexico given a run to a 12–1 season would not be out of the realm of possibilities, but I lean Boise State in the newfangled Pac-12. Having a veteran QB like Maddux Madsen means so much at the Group of 6 level, and it seems this group has a chance to run the ball better than it has since Ashton Jeanty’s departure. The defense will be one of the best in its new conference, and the Broncos will benefit from a schedule which should be rewarded by the committee come Selection Sunday.

K.S.: I have Memphis here. Charles Huff did great work at Marshall and Southern Miss, and now inherits one of the most ready-to-win programs outside of the power conferences. If nothing else, the Tigers will have a major say in who ends up in that G6 playoff slot. They take on Mountain West favorite UNLV in Week Zero, Pac-12 favorite Boise State in Week 2 and will see top American contenders South Florida and Navy in back-to-back road games in November. That will make it hard to go undefeated, but also give the Tigers a path to build a strong résumé.

P.A.: I will pull the trigger on New Mexico, even with a mild bit of uncertainty at the quarterback position (Jack Layne is returning from offseason elbow surgery). The Lobos have a terrific top-to-bottom coaching talent in Jason Eck, a fairly favorable schedule and a star in linebacker Jaxton Eck (Jason’s son). New Mexico is not in danger, Skyler. The Lobos are the danger.

T.C.: I really like UNLV’s chances, as the program is once again experiencing some roster turnover, but coach Dan Mullen didn’t let that stop him from authoring a 10-win season in Year 1. Much will depend on what offensive coordinator Corey Dennis can get out of former five-star recruit and quarterback Jackson Arnold, though he’ll be aided by the returns of running back Jai’Den Thomas and both starting offensive tackles. Defensive regression is the fear here, which will make early nonconference games against 2025 offensive heavyweights an especially important litmus test for the Rebels.

D.L.: Can Dan Mullen succeed where the likes of Jeff Lebby, Seth Littrell and Hugh Freeze have failed, and find the five-star talent within Arnold? If so, UNLV will have a major leg up on many of its Group of 6 rivals. The Rebels also have a pretty manageable path through the Mountain West, though they’ll almost certainly need to survive Saturday’s game against Memphis—another potential G6 playoff contender out of the American—to reach the CFP.

Which preseason title contender flops?

P.F.: By preseason consensus, there is a gap between the top seven teams and everyone else: Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame and Miami, in some order. But preseason consensus usually has a flaw or two. The program that could have a 2025 Penn State–style crumble is Texas, if it goes wrong early. Should the Longhorns lose in Week 2 to Ohio State at home, they also have a dangerous trip to Tennessee on Sept. 26 and the Red River game on Oct. 10. If the Horns start 2–3, clear the way for chaos on the Forty Acres.

B.F.: I don’t believe things could go off the rails, but I could certainly paint a picture where Georgia is the answer here. This is the youngest power-conference team in the country as is and I remain unconvinced that OC Mike Bobo would be creative enough to overcome the loss of either Gunner Stockton at QB or Nate Frazier in the backfield. Given that their game against Oklahoma kicks off a brutal seven- or eight-game stretch, I could absolutely envision faltering from the playoff race by the Dawgs.

K.S.: Ole Miss. As good as Trinidad Chambliss is, this schedule is a beast. Lose a couple of games early (especially the emotionally charged Kiffin return to Oxford), and you worry about this team keeping the train on the tracks into November.

P.A.: As good of a coach Mike Elko is, Texas A&M seems like the chief regression candidate among AP Top 10 teams due to its exacting schedule—trips to LSU, Missouri, Alabama and Oklahoma, as well as home dates with Tennessee and Texas. At minimum, don’t expect another 11–0 start.

T.C.: I don’t know if this constitutes a flop, but the bar isn’t too high for anything to be considered a flop in Columbus, given Ryan Day’s year-in, year-out success juxtaposed against the sometimes sky-is-falling mentality of the program’s fan base. So if a three-loss season can be considered a flop, I think there’s at least a chance the Buckeyes, if the defense regresses and Arthur Smith–led offense isn’t able to pick up all the slack, succumb to the Big Ten’s toughest schedule. Ohio State’s slate includes a nonconference trip to Texas in September, and a murderer’s row October that pits the Buckeyes against Indiana, USC and Oregon in rapid succession. And as we’ve seen in recent years, anything can happen in the Ohio State–Michigan game.

D.L.: Oklahoma, a top-10 preseason team in both major polls, may be better than last year’s CFP squad and finish with a worse record. There is no let-up in the Sooners’ schedule; their second-easiest game comes against a G6 playoff hopeful in New Mexico, they travel to Michigan and they have four preseason top-10 opponents in conference play. Unless the offense takes a huge leap, OU may take some lumps this fall.

Who gets fired first?

P.F.: Florida State’s Mike Norvell skated past two straight losing seasons because he was too expensive to fire. But a third straight losing season would make him too expensive to keep, and something would have to be done. He’s trying another offensive coordinator and another transfer quarterback to go with a strong receiving corps and a decent defense, but it’s not hard to find enough losses on the schedule to trigger a change by November.

B.F.: Norvell probably gets the ax on Oct. 18 after visiting Miami, and I can see Luke Fickell receiving a pink slip right around then, too, if he drops a home game to Michigan State or loses at UCLA during a pivotal mid-October stretch for Wisconsin. I’ll go with the former for the actual answer—but would also not be surprised if Jeff Lebby starts 1–4 this season and becomes the sneaky choice even earlier in October.

K.S.: Bill Belichick doesn’t seem long for North Carolina. The sideshows have not subsided, and the roster doesn’t seem at all well-positioned to win now. The schedule is unrelenting early, with a trip to Ireland to face TCU before early showdowns with Clemson and Notre Dame. Get embarrassed in a couple of those contests, and Belichick may not survive the season.

P.A.: Maryland’s Mike Locksley feels like he could be gone early if quarterback Malik Washington doesn’t make a quantum leap. The Terrapins open with Hampton and UConn, which should buy Locksley some time, but then: Virginia Tech at home, UCLA at home and a potential kill shot against Nebraska if two losses follow two victories.

T.C.: Fickell is on thin ice after going from seven wins in 2023 to five wins in ’24 and then just four victories this past season, resulting in the “Fire Fickell” chants surfacing last September. Fickell had the support of ex–athletic director Chris McIntosh, but will new AD Shawn Eichorst, who didn’t wait long to ax former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini after arriving in Lincoln over a decade ago, exercise the same patience if the Badgers get off to a slow start against the Big Ten’s second-easiest schedule?

D.L.: In terms of a true firing, I’d go with Norvell, who has spent two years on remarkably thin ice and doesn’t seem to have the team to bail him out—at least on paper. However, we know Belichick will bail on a situation the moment it doesn’t suit him. With his consigliere on administrative leave and his girlfriend publicly beefing with others at North Carolina, it wouldn’t shock me if he got off the plane back from Dublin, a second bad loss to TCU in hand, and rode off into the sunset.

Which Group of 6 coach takes the biggest leap in the next coaching carousel?

P.F.: Jason Eck has had two hard jobs (Idaho and New Mexico) and zero losing seasons. He went 26–13 with the Vandals and 9–4 in his debut season with the Lobos, capturing a Mountain West Conference title. He has the coaching chops and a personality that would play well in a bigger spotlight. If New Mexico performs capably at Oklahoma on Sept. 19 and follows that up with another strong conference run, Eck’s name will be in circulation.

B.F.: Going to go well off the radar here because as much as Eck, Dan Mullen, G.J. Kinne or Sean Lewis should be firmly in the mix to land bigger jobs, Chuck Martin would be a surprise hire for a smart program looking to replicate the Indiana model. He’s won national titles in Division II, helped lead Notre Dame to a 12–0 record and has done wonders at Miami (Ohio) with three straight MAC title game appearances. I wouldn’t be shocked if some search goes off the rails and winds up elevating a guy who has done more with less for a long time.

K.S.: Lance Taylor at Western Michigan looks like a rising star. The 45-year-old led WMU to a 10-win season a year ago in his third season on the job, including a blowout bowl win. Perhaps most impressively, he managed to avoid seeing his roster get picked over in the portal by bigger, richer programs after that breakthrough season. He’ll get a chance to make an early statement in Week 1 if the Broncos can hang around against Michigan.

P.A.: The easy answer: Eck, should leave this season with—at minimum—the Lobos’ second 10-win campaign in hand. The off-the-beaten-path answer: Taylor, who retained most of his 10-win team and is now missing his athletic director (Michigan State’s Dan Bartholomae). The you-can’t-even-see-the-beaten-path answer: Yale’s Kevin Cahill, a 47-year-old who won 12 games last year at Lehigh.

T.C.: This feels like a leap of faith, but Ty Helton has a really impressive record at Western Kentucky, where he’s posted eight-plus victories in six of seven seasons while winning bowl games in five of those years. He’s managed to do it despite facing some years of significant staff and roster turnover—including entering this season. That’s the kind of resourcefulness that could translate well to the Power 4 in an ever-changing collegiate landscape.

D.L.: During the offseason, we saw UCLA try to tap into the Cignetti plan by hiring his very successful successor at James Madison, Bob Chesney. If we see Oklahoma State take a major Year 1 jump under Eric Morris, another Power 4 program could make a Chesney-like hire by snagging Texas State’s Kinne—the 37-year-old coach who succeeded Morris at Incarnate Word in 2022 and has fielded top-12 scoring offenses in each of his first three years at Texas State.

Who is most likely to be the 2026 version of 2025 Indiana?

P.F.: There will never be another 2025 Indiana, so there’s no use picking someone to replicate that. But in terms of a potential ’24 Indiana copycat, I’m looking at Penn State. The Nittany Lions are hardly the kind of poverty program the Hoosiers were when Cignetti arrived, of course. But they have some similarities: an underrated coach who won where it’s not easy in Matt Campbell at Iowa State; a nucleus of veteran players following the coach to a bigger stage; and a schedule that should permit immediate success. Penn State avoids Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon, and gets USC at home.

B.F.: Indiana was No. 20 in last year’s preseason AP poll, but I’ll go a spot ahead of that this year and with No. 19 SMU. The Mustangs have a sharp, veteran quarterback to build around in Kevin Jennings, have spent wisely on guys to fit their roster and have a pretty impressive amount of self-confidence going into the season. There are only two major toss-up games on the schedule (three, if you believe in Virginia Tech) and I could see the Mustangs making a magical run to a semifinal out of nowhere.

K.S.: I’ll take this from the lens of a potentially nontraditional champion, in which case I’ll go with Texas Tech. When he has played, Hammond has been a very good quarterback. If he’s fully healthy, the Texas Tech offense should be clearly improved from a season ago, and we know the Red Raiders will be strong enough in the trenches to battle with the nation’s elite. They won’t get any of the feel-good nature of the IU run after the Brendan Sorsby saga this offseason, but if the Red Raiders are playing deep into January, I’m sure they’d be happy to be cast as the villain.

P.A.: As Dan does below, let’s split 2025 Indiana into its two constituent parts—team invigorated into an unlikely contender by a new coach (so the 2024 Hoosiers), and historic cellar dweller that suddenly finds itself competing for a national championship. I’m going to go with California for the first one—new coach Tosh Lupoi has the look of a dynamo, quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is back, and the Golden Bears have a schedule reasonable enough to navigate but also difficult enough to draw notice for navigating it. For the second one, Ole Miss hasn’t finished in the top five in back-to-back years since the early 1960s.

T.C.: This is cheating, or perhaps twisting the question in my favor, but if there’s a college football program worth betting on in the next couple of years, it’s UCLA. Chesney, while not brimming with the “Google Me” brashness of Cignetti, has won everywhere he’s been, just like Cignetti had when reaching Indiana. Plus, Chesney has already ignited the previously stagnant Bruins on the recruiting trail, boasting the program’s first top-20 class (2027) since 2018. While contending for the CFP is a long shot in ’26, don’t be surprised if Chesney hits the ground running this season, breeding even further success next year.

D.L.: What Indiana, one of the losingest programs in history, accomplished last year was basically unthinkable, so it is hard to match the magnitude. Teams like Auburn and UCLA are a year early—call them potential 2026 versions of the ’24 Hoosiers, if everything goes right. For this year, give me Ole Miss, a program that has never counted itself among the SEC’s true historic powers, but was very nearly in the national championship a year ago. They have their own brash new coach in Pete Golding, and while it is a different flavor of football adversity than IU’s decadeslong struggles, making a run to a title just a year after being ditched by Kiffin would be pretty sweet for the fans in Oxford. With Chambliss and Kewan Lacy, they may just have the talent to do it.

What tradition, uniform or fight song most makes you feel like football is back?

P.F.: The best sight to sum up the absurdity of this sport is a massive herd animal tearing around the stadium in Boulder, Colo.—that’s Ralphie doing his pregame run at Folsom Field—but Michigan offers the complete audio/visual package. Great uniforms, unparalleled fight song, and the team running out of the tunnel to jump and touch the “Go Blue” banner. When I get that, I know we’re back.

“Ralphie VI was indifferent to running”

Top rated prospect Ralphie VII is expected to make her first collegiate start today at Folsom Field vs. Wyoming 🦬 pic.twitter.com/yxeVhyvSwj
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 20, 2025

B.F.: The answer is clearly hotel prices in college towns quintupling for a college football weekend. After that, give me fans going on message boards/social media immediately after a Week Zero/Week 1 loss calling for a coach to get fired. That’s when you know nature is healing and football is truly back.

K.S.: The first first-quarter message board meltdown of the season is the true mark of the sport being back. Check out Warchant during Week Zero if New Mexico State can somehow score early against Florida State. It will not disappoint.

P.A.: I wish I could bottle the extraordinarily specific feeling of groggily rolling out of bed on that first Saturday, turning on College GameDay, hearing the first words from whoever’s speaking—probably slightly askew, that comes with the territory when you’re shooting a live show outdoors, and probably too loud, as well; the volume you turn College GameDay up to is always just a tad higher than the volume you want—but God. They’re talking about Utah’s defense, and that beats a long offseason where Utah’s defense was largely of no concern to you. At that moment, I would like to hug the television.

T.C.: Maybe it’s the atmosphere. Maybe it’s the fact that it produced one of the coolest stadium moments in recent college football history. But once I see the Penn State white-out game (scheduled for Oct. 10 against USC this year), I know the college football season is revving into high gear.

D.L.: Weeks 1 and 2 will certainly set the stage for the 2026 season, but in Week 3, when Hawai’i kicks off at midnight ET against New Mexico State and I have to scramble to figure out how to watch on the Mountain West’s new “MW+” app after 12 full hours of football to start the day … now that is when we will officially be back.

What new thing are you most excited to see?

P.F.: The entire LSU circus. It’s been a ridiculous enough offseason; what will the on-field product look like? Since this is a Kiffin production, virtually every outcome is possible. But also since this is a Kiffin production, the extremes seem most like—boom or bust, eat or be eaten.

B.F.: I can’t wait to see what new objects will be thrown at Kiffin when he returns to Oxford in Week 3 and which schools—looking at you to row the boat, Minnesota—copy some of the things we saw at the World Cup by introducing some new traditions.

K.S.: As a Northwestern alum, walking into the new Ryan Field on Oct. 2 vs. Penn State will be hard to beat. It’s hard to emphasize to those who never made it to the Wildcats’ old stadium how much of a no-frills experience it was to watch a game in Evanston, Ill. Now, they’ll play in a spaceship of a stadium with Chip Kelly coordinating the offense? Yeah, that’s going to take some getting used to.

P.A.: I’m eager to see the reconstituted Pac-12’s flex week idea put into practice. The Big Ten tried something like it during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but it never quite caught on.

T.C.: I’m so excited to see how Byrum Brown fares in the SEC after becoming just the 12th quarterback in FBS history to throw for 3,000-plus yards and rush for 1,000-plus for South Florida last season. Brown will have the continuity of his coach in Alex Golesh and play-caller in Joel Gordon on the Plains, as well as four former Bulls receivers. Folks, Auburn might just have an offense to be proud of again.

D.L.: The new ways by which top quarterbacks all over the country are being put in position to succeed. Manning gained perhaps the second-best receiver in the country in Coleman. Michigan’s Bryce Underwood will play in a forward-thinking offense under Kyle Whittingham and Jason Beck. Hoover should thrive in the Indiana attack that turned Fernando Mendoza into a No. 1 pick. This could be one of the better crops of quarterbacks we’ve seen in some time, and we should see many of them at their best this fall.

Who wins the national championship?

P.F.: Notre Dame over Indiana. A one-state battle that takes place in Las Vegas when it could just as well be played in Lucas Oil Stadium.

B.F.: Oregon over Notre Dame. It just feels poetic for the nouveau riche to beat the oldest of the old guard in Las Vegas after a summer dominated by a betting scandal.

K.S.: Notre Dame over Miami. We’ll see this matchup in the regular season in South Bend, but there could easily be a second meeting if both teams live up to the hype. The Irish have an elite quarterback in CJ Carr, elite talent on defense and a coach in Marcus Freeman that’s easy to believe in.

P.A.: Oregon over Texas in front of a half-and-half crowd in that traditional hub of college football, Paradise, Nev.

T.C.: Notre Dame over Texas. Hell hath no fury like two teams who felt they were snubbed by the CFP selection committee in 2025. Both Notre Dame and Texas have the elite quarterbacks, stout defenses and the long-term memories necessary to go far in 2026.

D.L.: Notre Dame over Oregon. The Fighting Irish are stacked with experience and starpower up and down the roster, and Freeman has had the better part of a year to place a heavy chip on the shoulder of each and every one of his players after they missed last season’s CFP.

Who wins the Heisman Trophy?

P.F.: CJ Carr—It’s been 39 years since Notre Dame won one of these, and it’s time for the next. Carr recorded zero college stats before last season and merely became the school single-season record holder in pass efficiency. More will be on his shoulders without two megawatt running backs, which will increase both his platform and his stats, but his best friend when it comes to winning games will be arguably the nation’s best defense.

B.F.: Arch Manning—Narratives really help win this award and few could have one quite like Manning in turning the story around from the hype being a year too early to being the best player in the country. I love his supporting cast this season, and the second half of the schedule should allow Arch to both put up numbers and play in some massive games against fellow CFP contenders come late November. If Texas wins the SEC, the stiff-arm is finally going to a Manning wearing an orange-and-white No. 16.

K.S.: CJ Carr—In a year with tons of high-quality QBs, Carr could rise to the top in his second season as a starter. He can make all the throws, and Notre Dame may rely on throwing the ball this season more than the Irish did a year ago when they had two outstanding running backs in Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.

P.A.: Dante Moore—Having established that Oregon will win the national title as a result of its glut of depth, I like Ducks quarterback Dante Moore to overcome his 2025 big-game blues, beat out Carr and Coleman in a wide-open Heisman race, and take his place with Raymond Carver, Beverly Cleary and Damian Lillard as Beaver State icons.

T.C.: Trinidad Chambliss—After authoring one of the best stories of the 2025 season, seizing the opportunity to be the starter and finishing eighth in the Heisman voting, Chambliss will not only get the invite to New York this year, but he’ll also win the award. I don’t think there will be much of a drop-off—or significant change—from a Charlie Weis Jr. offense to a John David Baker offense, and Chambliss will benefit from a valuable year of experience on the sport’s biggest stage. Plus, Chambliss’s incredible escapability from the pocket is bound to create multiple Heisman moments for the Ole Miss QB this year.

D.L.: CJ Carr—Sticking with the Notre Dame theme here, give me Carr out of a crowded field. The Fighting Irish have plenty of talent on offense, but Carr is the clear focal point, and if he takes a significant step forward in his second year as starter, he and Notre Dame should have the narrative winds at their backs.

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