The Associated Press has had its say. The coaches have had their say. Now it’s time for me to chime in on the 2026 preseason top 10.
Last year matters no more. New players. New rosters.
New season. If you’re putting Indiana at No. 1 because the Hoosiers won the title last year, you’re doing this all wrong.
If you’re putting the Hoosiers at No. 1 because you think IU is the best team in the country in 2026, then that's fine. There’s definitely a stratum for the upcoming season.
The top seven seem pretty clear, and one could make the case for any of the top seven to be slotted in any of the seven spots. You wouldn’t get an argument from me. Then again, last year at this time, I said Penn State to make the CFP was the safest bet there was, and then by mid-October, James Franklin was fired.
So clearly my crystal ball at this time of the season is spot on. Anyway, here’s how I see it going into the year. We’ll see what changes we get from one week to the next.
And trust me, we’ll get them. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated.
Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. To Make CFP: +200Title Odds: +3000 Obviously, coaching staff turnover is a big deal, as Charlie Weis Jr. is no longer in Oxford calling the plays. But with Trinidad Chambliss at QB and Kewan Lacy at RB, the Rebels have a chance against anyone.
To Make CFP: +160Title Odds: +1700 Could swap in a few different teams here, but the talent level at LSU appears to be top 10. I don't know how it will all work out against this schedule, but at least to start, we’ll slot them here. To Make CFP: +210Title Odds: +3000 The Sooners are this year's prime candidate as the most likely team where the power rating doesn’t align with the W-L record.
The defense should be exceptional, but I still have questions about the offense. The OL and RB need to be better, especially against the ridiculously tough slate of opponents the Sooners have lined up. To Make CFP: -240Title Odds: +850 The run of SEC teams begins here.
Georgia is the only SEC team I am confident will win 10 games. The defense should be much improved, the schedule is as favorable as it comes in SEC world and talk is the offense should have some game-breakers at WR. Are the Dawgs national champ quality?
Yes. But I still think they are behind a few teams in the pecking order. To Make CFP: -350Title Odds: +900 OK, just hear me out for a second.
The Hoosiers did a helluva job reloading in the portal while making their title run last season. They also got a boon in recent weeks with the return of Stephan Daley and Kellan Wyatt per a court ruling. They clearly have one of the top rosters in the country, but here are the questions I would ask: Can every high-leverage play go IU’s way again this year?
Literally every play they needed to go their way last year did just that. Will the loss of the JMU vets have a bigger impact than maybe we are expecting? Can Josh Hoover eliminate the turnovers and make the plays Mendoza did?
Cignetti has said all the right things about Hoover having a defense and a running game to fall back on, but you just never know. To Make CFP: -280Title Odds: +1000 Two things can be true: Miami is potentially more talented than the team that came up just short last year in the national title game and Miami also might have trouble replacing the guts of the team in leaders like Keionte Scott, CJ Daniels, Keelan Marion, Francis Mauigoa and Rueben Bain. After the late-season drive and coming so close last year, will there be complacency or even more motivation?
The Canes are as big of a favorite as there is to win a league. And remember, Miami has never won the ACC. If Miami’s talent and leadership come together, this is a national title contender.
But if the LBs struggle or the lethal combo of Bain and Mesidor can't be replaced or depth behind Mark Fletcher doesn’t perform to expectations, then a season which falls short of expectations could be in the cards. Still, I’d expect a return CFP trip. To Make CFP: -200Title Odds: +650 Few teams have been as overrated in the preseason poll lately as Texas.
Maybe I’m falling victim to the hype again, but this roster is loaded outside of potential concerns at OL. Although it appears the Longhorns avoided serious injury with Trevor Goosby, they could really use him back for the Ohio State game. The Longhorns added elite players at LB, RB and WR in the portal, and Arch Manning’s growth throughout the 2025 season will serve him and his team well this season.
I'm not trying to project a W-L record here, but the Texas schedule is no joke. And I’m curious to see how many losses (if any) the Longhorns find this season and how the CFP will rank them. But it might be fair to ask — if not now, then when for one of CFB’s highest-paid rosters?
To Make CFP: -360Title Odds: +600 The writers and coaches have the Buckeyes at No. 1, but I’m going to slot Ohio State here instead. Look, Ohio State recruits as well as anyone, but the Buckeyes' final two games of last season have me slightly concerned.
The offensive line was over-matched by two great defensive fronts and QB Julian Sayin did not look good. How will new OC Arthur Smith fit in? What about the massive losses on the defensive side of the ball?
Nobody is — or should be — crying for Ohio State and its problems entering the season, but I don’t think the Buckeyes are a CFP cinch as they’ve been the last two years. To Make CFP: -320Title Odds: +750 The Ducks probably have as few questions as anyone entering the season, but a couple of camp injuries might cloud things just a bit early on. Those close to Oregon have been touting 2026 as the year the Ducks finally break down the door of the national title club.
It’s hard to argue with that thought process, as Dante Moore returns with a dangerous WR corps and a dominant defensive front. Oregon’s season has ended in ugly fashion each of the last three years and there’s every reason to believe that will not be the case in 2026. To Make CFP: -800Title Odds: +600 One could nitpick about replacing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, or who will be the deep threat at WR, but this Irish team is loaded.
Residing in South Bend is one of the best — if not the best — defenses in the country, along with one of the top QBs in the country in CJ Carr. The Irish missed the Playoff last year in a season where they were power rated as a playoff team. Now, the hunger, drive and motivation to get back to the national title game, as they did in 2024 (and win it), is evident.
The Irish are No. 1 until they show me they aren’t.
