Top College Football Coaches Enter The 2026 Season With A Lot To Prove
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Every year, we talk about coaches who enter the season on the hot seat, but that doesn't mean that the coaches at the top of college football don't have a lot to prove this season. Realistically, there's about seven teams, give or take, that have legitimate potential to win the national title in 2026. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Indiana, Miami, Texas, Georgia and Oregon are all the top seven most talked about teams when talking about the eventual CFP national champion.
All seven coaches of these illustrious programs have something to prove this fall and it ranges from coaches who have already won titles to others who look to get their respective programs over the hump. I broken down what I believe are the top things each of these coaches have to prove this fall, and it starts with Notre Dame's fifth year year coach.
Notre Dame – Can Marcus Freeman Put It All Together?
For the first time in Freeman's career, he returns all three coordinators between Mike Denbrock on offense, Chris Ash on defense and Marty Biagi on special teams. He also returns his starting quarterback from 2025 CJ Carr who has garnered a lot of preseason Heisman Trophy hype this offseason. Notre Dame returns the most experienced roster in college football and all signs are pointing in the direction of the program's 12th national title.
Despite his many accomplishments with the Irish, Freeman has yet to get out of September unscathed or go undefeated in the regular season. Will this be the year he can put all of those pieces together? Only time will tell, but he has the talent and the coaches to do so including a preseason Heisman hopeful under center and the No. 1 cornerback in the country in Leonard Moore.
Indiana – Different Roster, Same Expecations
Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti turned around, historically, the worst Power Four college football program in the history of the sport in two years. After taking over ahead of the 2024 season, the former James Madison head coach led Indiana to a 27-2 record the past two seasons including their undefeated, title winning season in 2025. Having said that, the core of his roster he brought with him from the G5 level is now gone.
Will he be able to replicate the same success with a portal class that's now similar in it's make up to other top programs in the country? Like Notre Dame, Cignetti returns both his offensive and defensive coordinators, so if there's a staff to do so, it's the one in Bloomington. This season will tell us if Indiana is here to stay on an annual basis, or if they fall to the wayside as a team always around the conversation but never a true contender on a year to year basis.
Ohio State – Can Ryan Day Overcome Mass Losses
Over the last two seasons, Ohio State won the national title in 2024 going 14-2 and followed that up with a 12-0 undefeated regular season in 2025. That has caused the Buckeyes to undergo a mass amount of losses over the last two years on the roster and on the sideline. Since the end of the 2024 season, they've lost offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, 2025 offensive coordinator and wide receiver guru Brian Hartline.
The Buckeyes have also lost 25 players to the league between the '25 and '26 NFL drafts. Will Day be able to overcome a lot of those losses with the recruiting classes they've brought in the last two years and the coaching hires he's made? Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia proved to be a successful hire. Will the same be said about Arthur Smith after this season?
Oregon – Will Dan Lanning Get Over The Hump?
For the third season in a row, the Ducks enter as one of the perennial favorites to win the national title despite never having won one in the history of their program. Over the last two regular seasons, Lanning has engineered the Ducks to a 26-3 record including a win in the Big Ten title game in 2024 over Penn State and back to back bids to the 12-team College Football Playoffs. Unfortunately, their departures from the post season have been emphatic.
They lost to Ohio State in the '24 Rose Bowl 41-21 in a game that was over by halftime. This past season, the Ducks won their first two playoff games against James Madison and Texas Tech, but were sent home in the semi-finals to the tune of a 56-22 beat down in the Peach Bowl. Not only does Oregon have to get over the hump, they have to be competitive in their matchups against the best teams in the postseason.
Georgia – Can Kirby Smart Get The Dogs Back To Form?
The Bulldogs have been an interesting team to evaluate since the start of the 12-team playoff era. Smart is 23-5 the last two seasons, won the SEC in both 2024 and 2025 and made the CFP in back to back seasons. Unfortunately, Georgia is 0-2 in those matchups against Notre Dame in 2024 and Ole Miss in 2025. Their play out of conference isn't what you'd think it would be when you factor in the reputation of the SEC.
Will this be the season Smart can get the Dogs back into championship contention? This will be the most talented secondary he's had in Athens since 2019. It's also a more complete wide receiver corps than what they've had in previous seasons. If offensive coordinator Mike Bobo can put together a decent season, Georgia could pick up their first post season win in the 12-team College Football Playoffs and contend for the title once again.
Texas – Will Steve Sarkisian Build A Strong Identity In The Trenches?
One of the most vocal coaches this offseason has been Sarkisian down in Austin, Texas. He has the talent on the roster this season to compete for and win a title, the Longhorn's first since 2005. But overall talent wasn't their issue in 2024 or in 2025, it was the level of play in the trenches. Sarkisian will have to get the most out of his offensive and defensive lines this fall because the talent at the skilled positions, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Quarterback Arch Manning is, once again, one of the most talked about signal callers this offseason. The Longhorns offensive line will have to keep his jersey clean. On the flip side of the ball, the makeup of the secondary is shades of what its been the last two seasons. Players like Colin Simmons and Hero Kanu will have to lead the charge for Texas in the trenches.
Miami – Can Mario Cristobal Show 'The U' Is Truly Back?
The Hurricanes has a stellar season last fall going 13-3, beating Notre Dame in the season opener and played for a national championship against the Hoosiers. They beat Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss in the playoffs to reach the title game. Some of the veteran, impact talent from that roster is now gone, but they return offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman. The talent on both sides of the ball is still outstanding, and in some areas better than 2025.
If 'The U' is truly back, this will be the season to prove it. How Miami fans view Cristobal is how Notre Dame fans view Freeman. They're both the right guys for the job. We've seen seasons in the past where Miami is just a flash in the pan, but this fall is a prime opportunity to show that Cristobal and the Hurricanes are here to stay.
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