5 College Football Teams Poised to Exceed Expectations in 2026

A new college football season presents a chance for a plethora of programs to take a step forward.

Nearly 20 different Power Four programs hired a new head coach in the early stages of the 2026 offseason. As for the programs that retained their coach from a season ago, several are poised to move forward with experienced rosters and manageable schedules in 2026.

Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports named five teams he can't quit on ahead of the 2026 season. Most of these teams hired new head coaches this offseason, but one is hoping to break through to a College Football Playoff under a fifth-year coach.

Florida

The Gators were the lone SEC representatives on Fornelli's list. Jon Sumrall assembled a well-rounded staff of playcallers with Buster Faulkner and Brad White as offensive and defensive coordinators, and the roster is an nice blend of pieces from the 2025 team and quality transfers.

Florida's nine-game SEC schedule is more manageable than most in the conference. The Gators will travel to Texas and to Atlanta for the Georgia game. Auburn, Missouri and Kentucky are the other three road tests, and the Gators have chances to knock off Ole Miss and Oklahoma at home.

Kansas State

Wildcat legend and newly-named head coach Collin Klein has established himself as one of the best offensive minds in college football. Klein not only has a third-year starter at quarterback in Avery Johnson, but a quarterback who gained familiarity with his system before his departure for Texas A&M in 2024.

Kansas State misses Texas Tech, BYU and Utah on its 2026 Big 12 schedule. Houston, Oklahoma State and Arizona may present challenges with experienced starting quarterbacks, but all three of those games are at home for the Wildcats.

Michigan State

Pat Fitzgerald constantly defied the odds at Northwestern. He is one of only three head coaches in program history to have won 10 games in a season, and he did it thrice in his 17-year tenure with the Wildcats.

Trips to Notre Dame and Michigan and November bouts with Oregon and Washington likely limit the extent of what Michigan State can achieve in 2026, but bowl eligibility is attainable. The five-game stretch between Nebraska on Sept. 26 and the trip to UCLA on Oct. 24 is one where the Spartans could build some confidence.

USC

The Trojans were the one team Fornelli listed that does not feature a first-year head coach. USC retained an FBS-high 15 starters from its 2025 team, including quarterback Jayden Maiava, its best two running backs and the entire offensive line and linebacking corps.

USC might have the roster of a College Football Playoff team, but it has to go through Oregon, Washington and Ohio State at home and Penn State and Indiana on the road. The Trojans are also coached by Lincoln Riley, who has developed the unfortunate reputation of a head coach that fails to break through in big moments.

Virginia Tech

The Hokies made one of the best available hires this offseason in James Franklin. Penn State eventually grew tired of Franklin's biannual stumbling that kept it near the fringes of the College Football Playoff, but he will not face the same amount of national powers in the ACC as he did in the Big Ten.

Virginia Tech's trip to Miami on Nov. 21 stands out as the most challenging test on the schedule. Trips to California and SMU also stand out as potential challenges, but the Hokies' non-conference slate and ACC schedule could produce an eight-win campaign or greater in Franklin's first year on the job

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