5 College Football Teams That Could Collapse During the Second Half of the Season

After a rough first half of the 2026 season, here are five teams that could tumble over the remainder of the year.

Mike Elko and Texas A&M already have a long season ongoing, but it could get much tougher. (Denny Medley-Imagn Images) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the 2026 college football season around the halfway mark, some teams are competing for College Football Playoff spots. Others might be in freefall. From among that second group, here are five teams that could absolutely collapse during the remainder of the 2026 season.

Texas A&M

The 3-3 Aggies have had a rough time, losing to Kentucky at home, then to LSU by 29 points and Missouri by 21 points on the road. But the awful season may be just getting started. Yes, A&M should be fine this week against Citadel. But after that, Alabama and South Carolina road games follow, with a visit from Tenneseee, a trip to Oklahoma, and then a finale with Texas ahead. A 6-6 season seems optimistic given the schedu.le ahead.

Michigan

The 3-2 Wolverines have a massive game this weekend against Penn State. With upcoming games with Indiana, Oregon, and UCLA, as well as the finale against Ohio State still to come, Michigan's ceiling for this season settles in at around 7-5 now. But a loss this weekend to Penn State would make absolute free fall a possibility. Of course, how much worse would all of this be had the Week 1 miracle against Western Michigan not happened?

Florida State

Florida State and Mike Norvell seem to be headed for disaster in 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Mike Norvell's job is already in jeopardy after a 3-3 start. Playing Miami this week won't help. With games against Clemson, Pittsburgh, and Florida still on deck, Florida State is headed for another losing season. It's hard to see how Norvell will still be in Tallahassee next season at this point.

Colorado

Coach Prime's team has lost three in a row and will likely see that streak get bigger with upcoming games against Utah and at Oklahoma State. Yes, the schedule gets easier after that, but a 2-5 Colorado team may well lack the focus to bring that disappointing start into any kind of conclusion. Given Deion's recent performance, it's fair to wonder how much longer he'll be with CU.

LSU

The Tigers' fate is less clear than the other teams above. They have looked very good at times.... but off a second loss are about to face Alabama and Texas in back-to-back weeks to open Novemeber. With a road game at Tennessee, a 7-5 season is entirely viable for Lane Kiffin's team. That wasn't the plan when LSU invested around $140-$150 million in ditching Brian Kelly and hiring Kiffin.