Predicting Every Power Four Conference Champion for the 2026 College Football Season

Coaching continuity separates two of these picks from the field, and a coaching change complicates a third.

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) passes the ball under pressure from Georgia Bulldogs linebacker CJ Allen (3) during the first half of the 2026 Sugar Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Power Four leagues look wide open on paper, but a mix of returning talent and new quarterbacks separates the favorites from college football's FBS field.

This is a projection based on rosters, coaching continuity and known depth chart decisions entering the season. Consider my conference-by-conference preview of the college football season a simple, fun exercise to spark discussion. It's more likely I get everything wrong than much of it correct.

ACC: Miami over Louisville

Miami is the overwhelming ACC favorite behind Duke transfer Darian Mensah, who threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns last season before his move to Coral Gables. Mensah's top target is Malachi Toney, a returning All-American, and running back Mark Fletcher Jr. passed on the NFL Draft to run behind a retooled offensive line.

Defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman loses first-round pass rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, but Ahmad Moten Sr. returns to anchor the interior after also skipping the draft. Hetherman's unit ranked fifth in scoring defense last season after inheriting a defense ranked 68th the year before.

Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) runs for a touchdown against the Indiana Hoosiers during the College Football Playoff National Championship game | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Louisville counters with Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz, who has attempted just 36 career passes but steps into a Jeff Brohm offense that has developed a new transfer quarterback every year since 2023.

Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown give Louisville a two-back rotation capable of combining for 2,000 rushing yards, which will be critical if Kienholz needs time to adjust. Mensah against Louisville's rebuilt secondary is the matchup that decides this game, and Fletcher against a Cardinals front that lost 10 scholarship linemen this offseason gives Miami a path to control the clock. Miami reaches Charlotte for the first time since joining the ACC in 2004.

Big 12: BYU over Houston

I'm taking the Cougars! Jokes aside, BYU returns quarterback Bear Bachmeier after a standout true freshman season, along with 1,300-yard rusher LJ Martin and four veteran offensive linemen, including all-conference center Bruce Mitchell.

Kalani Sitake added transfer tackle Paki Finau to further protect Bachmeier, whose accuracy and mobility give BYU one of the safest quarterback situations in the conference.

Houston brings back quarterback Conner Weigman, who threw for 2,705 yards and ran for 700 more with 36 total touchdowns last season, plus wide receiver Amare Thomas, who caught 67 passes for 966 yards and 12 scores.

Houston Cougars wide receiver Amare Thomas (0) reacts during the first half against the Louisiana State Tigers at NRG Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

UH added Oregon transfer running back Makhi Hughes, who ran for 2,700 yards across two seasons at Tulane, and Oregon State receiver Trent Walker to widen the field. Houston retained all three coordinators and 12 starters, a rare level of continuity in a conference defined by roster turnover.

Bachmeier and Martin against a Houston front that returns six starters from a defense allowing 22.8 points per game sets up a ground-game fight. Weigman and Thomas against BYU's secondary is where Houston can strike back. BYU's edge is experience up front on both sides, and that depth carries them past Houston in Arlington.

Big Ten: Oregon over Ohio State

Oregon returns quarterback Dante Moore, who passed up the NFL Draft after throwing for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season. Moore has a rebuilt receiver room around him in Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore, and running back Jordon Davison leads a backfield that will lean on youth after losing three offensive linemen to the NFL.

On defense, Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti give Oregon one of the more experienced edge-rushing duos in the country, and Minnesota transfer safety Koi Perich adds depth to the back end.

Oregon outside linebacker Teitum Tuioti, left, defensive lineman A'Mauri Washington and outside linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei celebrate a sack. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ohio State returns quarterback Julian Sayin, a Heisman finalist, and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who caught 87 passes for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Running back Bo Jackson ran for 1,000 yards as a freshman, and four starting offensive linemen are back to protect Sayin under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The Buckeyes' defense returns fewer pieces up front, with only one starter back on the defensive line.

Moore against Ohio State's defensive front is the game's swing factor, along with Sayin and Smith against Oregon's secondary. Oregon's two losses last season both came against eventual national champion Indiana, and the Ducks carry the deepest roster of Dan Lanning's tenure into the rematch potential with Ohio State. Oregon wins its first Big Ten title behind Moore's big arm.

SEC: Ole Miss over Georgia

Ole Miss returns quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who threw for 3,937 yards and accounted for 30 total touchdowns last season, and running back Kewan Lacy, who ran for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Both players turned down chances to leave when former coach Lane Kiffin departed for LSU, instead staying with new head coach Pete Golding, promoted from defensive coordinator, who led the Rebels to a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia in the College Football Playoff. The offensive line is the concern, with both starting tackles gone to the NFL and the returning interior linemen graded below 65.0 by PFF last season.

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) fakes the handoff to running back Kewan Lacy (5) against the Tulane Green Wave. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Georgia returns quarterback Gunner Stockton for his second year as a starter, along with running back Nate Frazier and a defense that brings back 21 players with meaningful experience, anchored by Xzavier McLeod and Elijah Griffin up front. Kirby Smart's team should again field one of the best defenses in the country, and the offensive line returns four players with starting experience.

Chambliss and Lacy against a Georgia front that already beat them once in the playoff is the rematch storyline. Stockton's counter is Ole Miss' offensive line concerns. Golding's Rebels get a measure of revenge behind the Chambliss-Lacy tandem, edging Georgia in a game that likely comes down to which offensive line holds up better under pressure.