College Football 2026 Preview: Rankings, Bold Predictions Heisman Candidates, and More

For me, the process begins sometime in August, but it falls earlier and earlier each year it seems, with the passage of time.

A YouTube search. Something along the lines of “Enter Sandman Virginia Tech” or “Clemson hill.” Then the minutes turn to hours, as I dive into the various college football entrances that dot the collegiate landscape.

That first hint of fall.

The hints are different for us all. They might be that first crisp morning. The first time raking the leaves. But for college football fans, the hints come in waves: The news from the transfer portal. Reports from spring ball. Media Days. Video clips of players returning to campus. College football preview magazines dotting the shelves at bookstores, and taunting you in the checkout line at the grocery store. Hushed conversations at the corner of the bar, talking about the improved offensive line or the new targets in the passing game.

That first argument over rankings.

Breakdowns from each practice, and the building intensity as the first week of the college football season fast approaches, just as summer feels ready to give way to autumn.

Of course, there was a time when the hints of fall were different. A weight-training session late at night. The feel of the laces on your fingertips during a throwing workout with the rest of the offensive players. The aches and pains of the first week of double sessions.

But that is the beauty of this sport. While the hints of fall may change, once this sport sinks its teeth into you, it never goes away. The names may change, the conferences may change, the structure may change, heck, even the laws may change, but this beautiful sport that bonds us from when summer gives way to fall, through the winter and into a new calendar year, remains as beautiful as ever.

Welcome to SB Nation’s 2026 college football preview.

Your next hint of fall.

SB Nation’s Preseason Top 25

Before the games get underway, here is how SB Nation stacks the top 25 teams in the country. We are on board with Ohio State as the preseason No. 1 team in America:

Could Ohio State take a step back in 2026?

Yes, that is a plausible scenario, which we will touch upon in a moment.

However, the potential is also there for the Buckeyes to take a giant leap forward.

The optimism starts on offense, where Julian Sayin is back after his first season as a starter ended in New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist. The rising sophomore has plenty of talent around him, including all-world WR Jeremiah Smith and the two-headed monster of Bo Jackson and Isaiah West in the backfield. Four starters return up front, with only the right tackle spot left to be sorted. Sophomore Ian Moore and freshman Carter Lowe are the top options there. Arthur Smith also steps in as the offensive coordinator, with Keenan Bailey as the co-offensive coordinator.

The questions might come on the defensive side of the ball, as Matt Patricia will have to replace the enormous talent lost to the NFL last year. This group lost three first round players — Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs, and Arvell Reese — and replacing them is a tall order.

Pass rusher Kenyatta Jackson Jr. will be a key to the defensive front, after notching 6.5 sacks a year ago. Jermaine Matthews Jr. returns as a starting cornerback, and Jaylen McClain is back at safety. But Patricia will need to get the most out of the new faces, including Alabama transfer James Smith at defensive tackle, Duke transfer Terry Moore at free safety, and Florida State transfer Earl Little Jr. in the slot.

If the new faces step up on defense, this will be a very good team. If Sayin takes a big step forward, this will be a very good team.

If both happen?

This could be their year.

Title contenders

Here are the teams that could make a case as a title contender this year, split into tiers. Here’s a snippet:

Knocking on the contender door

Texas Tech
Michigan
LSU
Oklahoma
Texas A&M
Ole Miss

Our next tier of teams could be described as those knocking on the contention door. They’re close to the top of the pile, but will need some breaks along the way. Texas A&M needs more consistency from quarterback Marcel Reed. Michigan needs a big step forward from Bryce Underwood. Texas Tech needs to replace a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball, and will need likely starter Will Hammond to deliver at quarterback following the Brendan Sorsby saga.

Can Ole Miss make another run, even with the talent the Rebels lost to Baton Rouge … including former coach Lane Kiffin? As for Kiffin, how quickly can he get things to come together for the Tigers, including transfer QB Sam Leavitt?

Oklahoma might have a case as the most complete team from this group, but will need a full year of a healthy John Mateer to make the leap.

27 games that will define the 2026 college football season

There are hundreds of regular-season games this year. But here are the 27 games that will define the season. You already know this one is on there:

LSU at Ole Miss, September 19

While this meeting could have implications in the SEC, and beyond, as fall gives way to winter, it is on this list for another reason, and a big one at that.

Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford.

For a sense of just how big this game is, when drafting this piece in early July the cheapest ticket I could find on Vivid Seats was $589. For a corner end zone seat in the upper ring of the stadium. There is a reason the Oxford Police Department shared this on social media back in May, when it was confirmed that kickoff will be at 6:30 p.m. local time on ABC:

6 teams that should take a step forward

Here are six teams that could be much, much better in 2026 than they were a year ago.

5 teams that could take a step back

On the flip side of that coin, here are five teams that could take a step back.

Starting with the defending national champions.

Indiana Hoosiers

Heavy is the head that wears the college football crown.

After a dream run to a national championship, Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers are tasked with delivering an encore performance. The talent is certainly in place, as Cignetti dipped into the transfer portal yet again to replace the talent that departed Bloomington for the NFL, including transfer quarterback Josh Hoover from TCU to replace Fernando Mendoza, and wide receiver Nick Marsh from Michigan State.

Indiana also brought in defensive end Tobi Osunsanmi and cornerback AJ Harris via the portal, to help a defense that returns six starters from last year’s title team.

Add in Cignetti himself — all he does is win after all — and you have the recipe for a repeat.

Still, when you begin the year at the top of the mountain, there is often nowhere to go but down. And if Hoover’s turnover issues follow him to Bloomington from Fort Worth (the quarterback threw 13 interceptions a season ago, after throwing 11 during the 2024 campaign) down might be where this goes.

Heisman hopefuls

Here are 30 players who could be holding the Heisman Trophy aloft later this year. Can an outsider make a run?

The outsiders

While these players might not begin the season among the favorites, one big game or two out of the gate and they will be rising up lists like this one.

• Bear Bachmeier, QB, BYU
• Josh Hoover, QB, Indiana
• Sam Leavitt, QB, LSU
• Jayden Maiava, QB, USC
• John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma
• Darian Mensah, QB, Miami
• Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
• Marcel Reed, QB, Texas A&M
• Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia
• Malachi Toney, WR, Miami

Yes, this is a big group that includes two players — Reed and Stockton — that were in the running a season ago.

Malachi Toney might be a player to truly watch in this category. The dynamic Miami wide receiver is so explosive, and if he gets on the same page with Duke transfer Darian Mensah during training camp, those two could vault into the next tier by the time the massive November 7 tilt with Notre Dame rolls around.

Speaking of Mensah, he starts out in this tier but again, one or two big games for the new Miami quarterback and he will be rocketing up these rankings.

The next Fernando Mendoza?

One of those players could be the next Fernando Mendoza.

Meet Drew Mestemaker.

Mestemaker’s journey to the 2026 college football season is anything but linear. At Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas, Mestemaker served as the team’s backup quarterback during his junior year behind Brayden Buchanan, who would go on to play college baseball at Baylor. In limited action during the 2022 high school season, he completed 12-of-13 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns.

He remained the backup as a senior, behind Deuce Adams, completing 10-of-17 passes for 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns during his limited time on offense. It was on defense and special teams where Mestemaker truly shined, as he was named a Second-Team All-District player as a punter, averaging nearly 35 yards per punt, including pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line six times.

While Mendoza entertained an offer from Yale before committing to California, Mestemaker was without a scholarship offer coming out of high school, enrolling at North Texas as a walk-on.

That is where his journey as a quarterback took a turn.

26 most important people

For the 2026 college football season, here are the 26 most important people in college football this year. You know the Notre Dame QB has to be on here:

CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame

After missing out on the College Football Playoff last year, you can bet that Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame coaching staff will lean into the “revenge” factor this season.

In fact, the “Leave No Doubt” tour is coming to a college football stadium near you next season.

But if the Fighting Irish are truly going to “leave no doubt” for the Selection Committee, they are going to need a big step forward from sophomore quarterback CJ Carr. With Jadarian Price and Jeremiyah Love now in the NFL, the Notre Dame passing game will be a focus, and how much Carr develops this year is going to determine how much doubt Notre Dame leaves this season.

Coaches on the hot seat

Here are the coaches on the hot seat, broken up into tiers, using something of a “real estate” theme. It makes sense, trust us.

Hire a realtor

The coaches in this tier begin the 2026 college football season firmly on the hot seat. They might want to start making plans for a move in the next few months, unless things on the field turn around in a hurry. But it pays to be prepared.

• Mike Norvell, Florida State
• Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
• Dave Aranda, Baylor
• Mike Locksley, Maryland
• Dell McGee, Georgia State

We start with Mike Norvell, who can likely thank his contract for the reason he begins the 2026 season entrenched at Florida State. After going 10-3 during the 2022 season, and 13-1 the following year where an injury to Jordan Travis was the only thing denying Florida State a spot in the College Football Playoff, Norvell and FSU limped to a 2-10 season in 2024, and a 5-7 record last year. That came after Florida State began the year with a win over Alabama, vaulting the Seminoles into the Top 25.

What does Texas Tech do at QB?

Texas Tech had a plan at quarterback with Brendan Sorsby.

It is time for Plan B. Meet Will Hammond and the other quarterbacks who might need to step up for the Red Raiders.

North Dakota State makes the leap

After years of FCS success, North Dakota State enters the Mountain West and the FBS this year. Why the Bison are making the move now, and how they might fare in Year One.

Why Oregon at No. 2?

In the initial AP Top 25, the Oregon Ducks clocked in at No. 2.

While Dan Lanning and company were not that high in our preseason Top 25, here is why that ranking does make sense.

But the bigger story is the defense. Lanning returns nearly the entire defensive front from a season ago, starting with Bear Alexander and A’Mauri Washington on the interior. Those two defensive linemen will eat up double teams in front of linebackers Jerry Mixon and Devon Jackson, and free up space for Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti on the edges.

Then in the secondary, starting cornerbacks Brandon Finney Jr. and Ify Obidegwu are back as well. While Oregon lost standout safety Dillon Thieneman to the NFL Draft, Lanning secured Koi Perich from Minnesota, and the transfer could slot into the spot vacated by Thieneman.

Bold predictions

Here are some bold predictions for the 2026 college football season.

What can Curt Cignetti do for an encore?

All he does is win.

But after bringing a title to Indiana of all places, what can Curt Cignetti do for an encore?

20 transfers to watch

Here are 20 faces in new places that could shape the 2026 college football season.

How Arch Manning can take the next step

Arch Manning is certainly one of the biggest names in college football this season.

But how can the Texas passer take the next step and bring the Longhorns back … and solidify his own status in the 2027 NFL Draft?

Let’s hear it from him:

“I think going through your reads and getting the ball to the right people,” said Manning last month about playing on time. “And I think I didn’t do that sometimes last year, but trying to get better at that this year.”

Just what does that look like, and how can Manning improve in this area in 2026?

Why this is the year to pick a NESCAC team

After decades, NESCAC teams are finally eligible for the Division III playoffs.

So this is the year to pick a team.

Now, we won’t tell you which one to pick … but since you asked the author does have a suggestion.