1. Ohio State- Loaded with talent and returning QB Julian Sayin. This year’s schedule is intriguing with away games at Texas, Indiana, and USC and Oregon and Michigan at home. Arguably, the Buckeyes have the toughest schedule in the Big 10. 

2. Notre Dame- The Irish are a great team. Marcus Freeman is a great coach and they have a very easy schedule as usual. Only Miami stands out but it is at home and they will play at BYU. Almost a cakewalk to the playoffs. If they don’t, then they probably won’t play a bowl game again. 

3. Texas – Texas is stacked this year with big expectations. And as they say, great expectations have great responsibilities. With all its NIL talent, let’s see how the Longhorns prevail.  They do have a very difficult schedule this year – home games with Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oklahoma (Dallas) and away games at LSU and Texas A&M. 

4. Georgia – Kirby’s back-to-back defending SEC Champions Dawgs are back and will be in true form. Glenn Schumann and Travaris Robinson’s defense will be one of the best in the country and this team will be as tough and so will the offense and the Dawgs’ QB, Gunner Stockton. Hard not to have great feelings about this team this year even with tough road games versus Ole Miss and Alabama.

5. LSU- Let the Lane Kiffin era begin! It should be a wild one … NIL, transfer portal and Sam Leavitt in tow who is the transfer quarterback who previously played for Michigan State and Arizona State. The Bayou Bengals season will be quickly defined with Ole Miss on the schedule in week three in Oxford. Death Valley should be rocking for exciting home games with Texas A&M, Alabama and Texas. Let the Hot Yoga in the Bayou begin. 

6. Oregon- How many seasons has Oregon been preseason No. 1 only to have them underperform when the playoff season arrives. Lots of love for the Ducks, even more for coach Dan Lanning, but time to fly out of the pond if they want to make a run for the National Championship. Playing Ohio State at home should help the Ducks call.

7. Indiana – The defending National Champions! They have a new QB with Josh Hoover the transfer from TCU and Coach Curt Cignetti is red hot. Ohio State at home and Michigan away in the Big House. The Hoosiers should have a shot at the playoffs again, especially with their schedule.  

8. Miami – With additions of Deian Mensah and Damon Wilson this team should be interesting and puts the Canes at the top of the ACC preseason. Head Coach Mario Cristobal and the Canes have a championship taste in their mouth after last year’s runner-up finish.

9. Ole Miss – The Rebels have arguably the No. 1 player in the country in quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and a lot of momentum from their success from last year. The schedule will be difficult with home games with LSU and Georgia and away at Texas and Oklahoma. The LSU game will be huge to set the tone for this team.

10. Oklahoma – The Sooners are coming off a 10-win season and a College Football Playoff appearance, and fifth year Head Coach Brent Venables has this program headed in the right direction. John Mateer returns at quarterback, giving Oklahoma an experienced playmaker to build the offense around, while the defense should once again be one of the strengths of this team. This team has enough talent to compete for the SEC Championship, but they will have very little room for error. If Mateer stays healthy and the Sooners can get more consistency from the running game, Oklahoma could be one of the biggest surprises in the SEC. 

11. Alabama – In Kalen Debour’s third season with the Crimson Tide, they have a new starting quarterback in redshirt freshman Keelon Russell. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb in his second season with the Tide looks to put Alabama back in the playoffs once again with their schedule including spicy games versus Florida State, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas A&M and at LSU.

12. Texas Tech – The Red Raiders are coming off a historic Big 12 championship season and should have plenty of confidence heading into the 2026 season. Fifth year head coach Joey McGuire has built Texas Tech into a legitimate contender, and the Red Raiders are once again the preseason favorite in the Big 12. The schedule is favorable with road games at Oregon State, Colorado, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and Baylor. If the Red Raiders can reload quickly, don’t be surprised if they are back in the Big 12 Championship and making another run at the College Football Playoff.