5 highly debated storylines ahead of 2026 college football season

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It’s still hot as all get out when most of us step outside, but we’re into the third week in August, which means it’s close enough to the start of the college football season that most of us are enjoying what’s left of the offseason talking points. While Michigan won’t play until Sept. 5, we’ve got North Carolina and TCU facing off in Dublin, Ireland on Aug. 29, and honestly the day can’t get here soon enough.

To continue to tide you over, here are a handful of highly debated storylines ahead of the 2026 season.

Move over SEC, the Big Ten is the new top dog

This one is probably the most hotly debated of the list. While many still argue the SEC is the best conference top to bottom, it’s tough to overlook Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana winning the last three College Football Playoff National Championships. The SEC didn’t even have a team playing for a national title in any of those games either. While the preseason AP Poll, just released this week, has more ranked teams from the SEC (9), the Big Ten is close behind (8) and has the top two teams in the country in Ohio State and Oregon.

The Big 12 and ACC will need to do a LOT to get two teams in the CFP

The expanded CFP has certainly changed the landscape of college football, but it’s not making it easier for the P4 conferences to get their teams to the postseason. While it’s helped the upper echelon (cough, Big Ten and SEC) it’s hurting the chances for teams from the ACC and Big 12. In order for either of these conferences to get two teams in, they’re each going to need the entire conference to elevate its play. The Big 12 has four teams in the preseason AP Poll, while the ACC has three.

CFP expansion conversations are getting out of hand

Listen, I’m all for more college football, but some of the suggestions are a little much in the offseason. It’s only the third season of the 12-team format, and the faster the committee and everyone involved make changes, the worse it seems like college football becomes. Let’s have another season where the top-12 teams get another chance to prove they’re the best team in the country. Sure, those just barely left out of the CFP may argue they deserved a shot, but I’m not sure I agree with those teams when you’ve got 12 teams with a chance to win it all.

The Protect College Sports Act is trying to improve things, but it’s moving too slow

The Senate is on its August recess, but it did not manage to get a bill through that aims to pass new rules. Now, lawmakers won’t be able to vote on the bill until September at the earliest, meaning the season will have already started. The bill also includes things like letting athletes transfer one time instead of what it is now. While it’s got some ideas that many can support, including support from the Big Ten and SEC, there’s still a lot of debate about whether the bill would actually help college athletics.

Gone are redshirts, what does this mean for young athletes?

While there’s a transition period for the new five-year eligibility window, it seems like we’ll start seeing more inexperienced players get onto the field earlier and more often instead of redshirting. That felt like the way things were trending with the rapid growth of NIL combined with the transfer portal, teams needed to do enough to keep players happy and on the roster. With that change, we’ll likely be seeing more young guys trying to make their mark earlier and earlier.

Which storyline were you talking about most often this offseason? Let us know in the comments below!

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