Rece Davis Names Seven College Football Powers That Can Win the National Championship

Seven programs made his cut for a title, but the one he left off just won its first outright conference championship in program history.

ESPN personality Rece Davis highlighted seven programs he believe have a realistic chance at winning it all in 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Projecting this year's College Football Playoff field is something every analyst has to do before a single snap is played. Rece Davis put his own stamp on the exercise on the College GameDay podcast, naming eight teams he's convinced will make the field, then narrowing his championship contenders to seven.

Rece Davis names his seven teams that can win it all

"As I look at this field, there are, I would say, eight teams that I'm convinced will be in the playoff," Davis said.

"I'm convinced they'll be Notre Dame, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Miami, Texas and Texas Tech. Now, of that group, even though I got a great affinity and respect for Texas Tech, I don't think Texas Tech has enough to win the national championship. The others? Yeah, maybe so."

Leaving Texas Tech off that list is defensible, but it undersells what the Red Raiders just did. Texas Tech won the Big 12 outright for the first time in program history last season, a feat no amount of "affinity and respect" fully accounts for. A team that just broke a decades-long conference drought deserves more than a passing mention on the way to the group everyone already expected.

A closer look at each program highlighted by Rece Davis

Notre Dame enters the season with CJ Carr back at quarterback after he threw for 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions as a first-year starter. Carr is a preseason Heisman favorite, and the Fighting Irish return one of the deepest defensive fronts in the country to pair with him. Davis backs that talent with his own bracket call from later in the podcast, pairing Notre Dame against Georgia in one semifinal and Indiana against Texas in the other, with Notre Dame beating Texas to win the national championship.

Georgia brings back Gunner Stockton for his second full season under center. Stockton led the Bulldogs to the SEC Championship and a CFP quarterfinal appearance last season, and Kirby Smart's program is once again positioned near the top of the SEC.

Indiana heads into 2026 replacing Fernando Mendoza with TCU transfer Josh Hoover, the most productive returning quarterback in the FBS with 9,629 career passing yards. Curt Cignetti is 27-2 in his two seasons in Bloomington.

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (10) makes a pass against Michigan. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ohio State returns Julian Sayin, who led the nation in completion percentage a year ago. Sayin is back with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and a receiving corps that will lean on Jeremiah Smith as the headline target.

Oregon brings back Dante Moore after he turned down the NFL draft to return for a title run. Moore threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns last season, and Dan Lanning added Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola to a deep quarterback room behind him.

Miami turns to Duke transfer Darian Mensah at quarterback after Carson Beck's departure. Mensah joins an offense that returns Mark Fletcher Jr. and Malachi Toney, and he enters the year on the Walter Camp Player of the Year preseason watch list.

Texas is led by Arch Manning entering his redshirt junior season. Manning threw for more than 3,100 yards and 26 touchdowns last season, and Steve Sarkisian added receiver Cam Coleman from Auburn to a roster built around national championship expectations.

My own pick for the national championship differs from Davis's on the winner. I have Texas beating Oregon in the title game, with Arch Manning and the Longhorns' receiver duo of Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo providing enough explosive plays to get past the Ducks' defensive front.