College Football 2026 Preseason Predictions: Playoff Teams, Conference Champions, Heisman & National Champion
- Gareth Evans
- 11 hours ago
- 8 min read
We've spent seven months talking about what could happen in the new season of college football. Now it's time to nail our colours to the mast.
Preseason predictions are one of the great traditions of college football. We study returning starters, transfer portal additions, schedules and quarterback battles, confidently declaring that Team A is underrated and Team B is destined to disappoint. Somewhere around the end of September or the middle of October we discover that we knew absolutely nothing. Indiana should have taught us that better than anyone.
So, with the new college season finally upon us, it's time to put some predictions on the record.
Who can actually win the National Championship? Which highly ranked team don't I trust?Who has the best chance of crashing this year's playoff?
Welcome to the Saturdays Feed My Soul 2026 preseason preview.
Who can win it?
The favourites
Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame, Georgia and Texas.
These teams are the top five in the AP preseason poll for a reason. There is a credible argument to each winning four postseason games.
Ohio State are ranked AP No.1 in the preseason AP poll and are the betting favourites. Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith return to Columbus and will be anxious to avenge both their Big Ten championship game defeat and playoff exit at the hands of Indiana and Miami respectively. The Buckeyes' trip to Austin in Week 2 could define the tone of their season and could be the preview of the national championship game.
Oregon are No.2 and bring back highly rated quarterback Dante Moore, who looked destined for the NFL before deciding to return to Eugene for another season. In Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola, the Ducks have another top tier quarterback on the bench. Dan Lanning is a great locker room orator and motivator but has come unstuck with tactical changes in pressure games. After impressive regular season records, Oregon's frailties were exposed in the playoff by Ohio State in 2024 and Indiana in 2025.
Notre Dame have their highest preseason AP ranking in 20 years and in CJ Carr, have a highly rated quarterback who could take the Fighting Irish on a run to rival their 2024 road to the final.
Georgia remain Georgia. Kirby Smart is one of the very best coaches in college football and in Gunner Stockton, the Bulldogs have a competitive, down to earth leader with a punishing ground game and promising defense.
Texas missed out on the playoff last year after back-to-back semifinal appearances. The Longhorns have enough elite talent to place four players on the AP preseason All-America teams. Arch Manning, ready to shine after visibly feeling the weight of expectation and playing through a foot injury, is likely playing his last season in Texas as the NFL draft looms. The outstanding edge Colin Simmons and emerging star left tackle Trevor Goosby are likely to join him as potential first-round picks.
You get the feeling it's an all in season in Austin. The Longhorns recruited heavily, bringing in outstanding Auburn receiver Cam Coleman and running backs Raleek Brown (Arizona State) and Hollywood Smothers (North Carolina State) who combined for 2,000 yards rushing last season. Despite a tough schedule that sees the Longhorns travel to Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M, while hosting Ohio State in Week 2, this could be the year they win the national championship.
Could contend, but will need to convince
Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
Despite Oklahoma being ranked below Texas A&M, I think Oklahoma has a better chance of success in the playoff. John Mateer returns from injury looking like he's lived in the weight room for the last seven months and leads a Sooners team in Brent Venables' fifth year with one of the best defenses in college football.
Ole Miss is entering the season with a Lane Kiffin-sized chip on their shoulder following their former head coach's departure to LSU and new coach Pete Golding will be determined to put his own stamp on a team that, on paper, looks stronger than last season's version that made the playoff.
Add returning Heisman contender Trinidad Chambliss, described by my Saturdays Under the Lights co-host Tony as "the best quarterback in college football", and prolific back Kewan Lacy and the Rebels will have something to say about the playoff order.
Texas A&M are on an upward trajectory going into coach Mike Elko's third year. They were ranked as high as No.3 until in-state rival Texas knocked them off their perch and Miami put an early end to their playoff run.
Luring receiver Isaiah Horton from Alabama to replace the outgoing KC Concepcion was a smart move and the Aggies also added four starters on their offensive line.
Not in their favour is a tough schedule which includes trips to LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma.
Marcel Reed also needs to display much more consistency. Against Power Four opponents last season he threw 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, managing only two touchdowns in three games against ranked opposition. Against Group of Six teams,, he threw nine touchdowns and just one interception.
Three teams I'm in on
Notre Dame
Notre Dame might have the best defence in college football.
While the Fighting Irish boast four Sporting News All-Americans, defensive back Leonard Moore is the star that shines the brightest. He had five interceptions in 2025 and has drawn comparisons to Jalen Ramsey. Opposing quarterbacks produced just a 45.9 passer rating when targeting him.
The schedule is kinder this year. Having responded to two disastrous losses to Miami and Texas A&M, Notre Dame racked up ten successive wins only to be snubbed by the CFP committee. Their opponents this year give the Irish a potentially smooth route to the playoff. They don't face another team in the preseason top five and look ahead to intriguing match ups with Wisconsin, BYU, Miami and SMU.
Notre Dame should make the CFP semifinal at the very least.
Louisville
Despite coach Jeff Brohm boasting at least nine wins in each of his three seasons with the Cardinals, they're only ranked No.24 in the AP poll.
The retention of Isaac Brown is a big factor. The running back averaged 8.8 yards per carry, including six games over 100 yards before being injured for the last four games of the year. Add Ohio State quarterback transfer Lincoln Kienholz to the offense and you can understand the optimism surrounding Louisville. Buckeyes transfers tend to land well. Note Joe Burrow, Quinn Ewers and Kyle McCord who made names for themselves at LSU, Texas and Syracuse respectively after leaving Columbus.
Louisville takes on Ole Miss this weekend in Nashville so my sleeper pick could be over before Week 2 is under way, but I think they have a great chance of making the playoff this year.
Houston
Houston made a big improvement last year, moving to 10–3 after going 4–8 in 2024 and finished the season by beating LSU 38–35 in the Texas Bowl.
The Cougars are ranked No.23 in the AP preseason poll. Houston returns not only their head coach, all three coordinators and starting quarterback, but also eight defensive starters. They've added former Tulane and Oregon running back Makhi Hughes, who goes into the season with 2,849 career rushing yards, second among active FBS players.
The problem is the schedule: the Cougars have trips to Texas Tech, Kansas State and Utah.
Houston could challenge for the Big 12 Championship in one of the most open conferences in college football.
Playoff crashers
Louisville, Houston and South Florida.
I've run the rule over Louisville and Houston earlier and I did have UNLV pencilled in as my Group of Six playoff pick, until Memphis shut this down with a 27-21 win over the Runnin' Rebels in Week 0.
South Florida recruited former Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline as their new head coach, and he made an immediate impact, landing, according to 247 Sports, the best transfer class in the Group of Six programs. Michael Van Buren, the LSU transfer starts at quarterback. Van Buren took over as starter for the Tigers after Garrett Nussmeier was injured and has 19 touchdown passes and close to 3,000 passing yards under his belt.
The Bulls counted wins against Boise State and Florida last year. A favourable schedule including home games against conference rivals Memphis and Tulane might help their cause to reach an unlikely playoff berth.
Five players I can't wait to watch (who don't play quarterback)
1. Colin Simmons - Edge/Linebacker, Texas
Don't just watch Arch Manning when Texas has the ball. Watch Simmons when they don't. He is potentially the best defensive player in America. Able to line up as a linebacker or edge rusher, he has a frightening burst of pace and athleticism to beat offensive linemen on the inside and outside.
Simmons racked up 12 sacks last season in a Texas team that didn't make the playoff. Imagine what he will could achieve if they do this year.
2. Leonard Moore - Cornerback, Notre Dame
I mentioned him earlier. Five interceptions, a unanimous All-American in 2025 and first team preseason All-American again.
Moore, Christian Gray and Colorado safety transfer DJ McKinney give Notre Dame one of the best backfields in college football.
3. Ahmad Hardy - Running back, Missouri
Both Lindy's and Athlon rank Missouri's workhorse as their No.1 running back going into the 2026 season. Hardy set the Tigers' single season rushing record of 1,649 yards and added 16 touchdowns last year.
Hardy is tough to bring down. Ask Mississippi State. Hardy ran for over 300 yards and scored three touchdowns against the Bulldogs. He broke 89 tackles last season and 1,111 of his rushing yards came after contact.
4. Isaac Brown - Running back, Louisville
Another player mentioned earlier. 884 yards gained in just nine games with an average of 8.8 yards per carry. Brown gained 205 yards on 14 carries against Boston College.
5. Malachi Toney - Wide receiver, Miami
Of course I am excited to see Ohio State's incredible receiver Jeremiah Smith. That's a given. Miami's talented sophomore receiver burst on to the scene last year, aged just 17, bookending his season with great performances in the Hurricanes' season opening win over Notre Dame, and their national championship loss to Indiana.
Toney notched touchdowns in both games and finished the season with 109 receptions for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns, outstanding numbers for a freshman.
My predictions and the CFP Playoff 12
Category | My pick |
National Champion | Texas |
Runner-up | Ohio State |
Big Ten Champion | Oregon |
SEC Champion | Texas |
ACC Champion | Louisville |
Big 12 Champion | BYU |
Group-of-Six CFP team | Memphis |
Heisman Trophy | Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State |
Surprise CFP team | Louisville |
Biggest positive surprise | Houston |
Top-10 team to miss CFP | Texas A&M |
Breakout non-QB star | Isaac Brown, Louisville |
Defensive Player to Watch | Colin Simmons, Texas |
The 12-team playoff line up
Oregon
Ohio State
Notre Dame
Georgia
Texas
Clemson
BYU
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
Louisville
USC
Memphis
The prediction I'm least confident about?
Louisville.
The Cardinals play their first game against No.9 Ole Miss in Nashville on September 6.
Confidently declaring Louisville a playoff sleeper is setting myself up for immediate ridicule if they take a beating at the hands of Ole Miss on Saturday. There's nothing like make this entire section look ridiculous before we've even reached the first Monday of the season!
Wherever the predictions fall, it promises to be an enthralling start to the season. Look out for my Week 1 games to watch shortly.
Saturdays Under The Lights
Want to hear more? In the latest episode of Saturdays Under The Lights, Tony and I dig deeper into the week’s biggest college football talking points, debates and predictions. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts and wherever you usually listen.
Great read can’t wait to season start…Texas all the way hook em