Anonymous Coaches Weigh in on Top Group of 6 College Football Programs
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
There was a lot of hand-wringing last December when the Group of 5 sent two teams to the College Football Playoff. That’s unlikely to happen again this season now that the champion of each Power 4 conference is guaranteed a spot in the 12-team field. But the highest-ranked team from the Group of 6 (welcome back, Pac-12!) is still guaranteed a spot in the postseason. And there are plenty of worthy contenders.
The top teams outside of the Power 4 appear to be concentrated in the Pac-12, Mountain West and American. The Pac-12 now includes several former Mountain West teams, though the MWC retained some strong programs. And then there’s the American, which sent Tulane to the CFP last season and is traditionally one of the best non-power conferences.
Assistant coaches across the Group of 6 spoke anonymously about the top teams in their respective conferences in the anonymous scouting reports featured in Athlon Sports’ 2026 College Football Preview magazine. Boise State, now in the Pac-12, is the standard-bearer. However, that was also the case heading into last season when the Broncos stumbled out of the gate.
See what assistant coaches had to say about the premier Group of 6 programs below.
Boise State
“Their record over the last couple years speaks for itself as far as being the team to watch in the Pac-12. I probably study them the most out of all the teams in the conference. I’m really curious to see how they play up front on both sides of the ball because I know that they lost a couple of players there. Their quarterback [Maddux Madsen] got experience that only helped him last year. I’m sure he’ll be a lot better this year than he was last year, and so will their passing game as a whole.”
“They’re super athletic from sideline to sideline. They’re gonna be really good. I just think that continuity at the quarterback position and in the passing game is gonna be massive for them. I’m just curious to see how they play up front.”
The Broncos are 21-7 since Spencer Danielson took over as head coach two seasons ago. They won the last three Mountain West Conference championships ahead of their move to the Pac-12 in 2026. And, of course, there was the 2024 trip to the College Football Playoff. Boise State is projected to return to the 12-team field this fall as the only Group of 6 team ranked in Athlon’s preseason top 25.
Despite the departure of two all-conference offensive linemen and an all-conference defensive lineman, the Broncos still stack up exceptionally well in the new-look Pac-12. Boise State ranks first in the conference in all of Athlon’s unit rankings — except for wide receivers, where it ranks second. In total, 10 Broncos players landed on Athlon’s preseason All-Pac-12 first team.
- Related: Pac-12 Football 2026 Predictions
Madsen’s 26 starts put him among the most experienced quarterbacks in the country. And though his top five targets from last season are gone, Boise State is plug-and-play at wide receiver with Ben Ford and Cameron Bates ready to assume larger roles in the offense. The same goes for Matt Wagner at tight end.
UNLV
“[Head coach] Dan Mullen still has his fastball. No doubt about it. Their quarterback last year [Anthony Colandrea], he was like [former Vanderbilt QB href=”https://athlonsports.com/college/vanderbilt-commodores”] Diego Pavia with how he ran around and the off-schedule stuff. It was crazy. It was like he was covered in grease. He was special. It might look a little different [with him transferring to Nebraska], but they’re reloading. We’re gonna have to learn to try to defend that in the same way. You’ve got two guys in Alex [Orji] and [Auburn transfer] Jackson Arnold who were former blue-chip recruits who are battling it out to be their starter. Their running back [Jai’Den Thomas] was the best back in the league last year. He decided to stay for a reason.”
“They’re gonna be the betting favorites to win the league.”
The Rebels rattled off 10 wins last season in coach Dan Mullen’s return to the sideline. And for the third time in as many years, UNLV lost to Boise State in the Mountain West title game. With the Broncos off to the Pac-12, the conference is now the Rebels’ to lose.
Mullen’s quarterback-friendly system got the most out of Colandrea, who won MWC Offensive Player of the Year. Now, he’ll have a reclamation project on his hands after Arnold, a former five-star prospect, washed out of the SEC. With Jai’Den Thomas alongside him in the backfield, he should be set up for success against an easier schedule than he faced at Oklahoma or Auburn.
UNLV won’t run away with the conference. New Mexico, which beat the Rebels on the road in 2025, has another strong squad. Hawaii will have an explosive offense once again. And FCS powerhouse-turned-FBS newcomer North Dakota State is a wildcard. But it would not be a surprise if the conference runs through Las Vegas this year.
Navy
“They’re not dealing with the NIL and transfer portal world quite as much as everybody else is. I think that there are pros and cons to that. [Navy] certainly leans in on the pros. They know who they are and who is going to be back for them. Offensively, they’re really hard to prep for.”
“Even looking at them from a defensive perspective, they’re pretty multiple with what they do, given the type of retention that they can have and with the type of student that can attend such a prestigious institution. That’s the prep difficulty and why they’ve been so good. I think that they should be really good again.”
The Academies are somewhat insulated from the player movement that afflicts the rest of the sport. However, the Midshipmen did lose three standout offensive weapons and an All-American defender to graduation from their best team since 2019. Navy is counting on internal development and promotion to fill these holes, including quarterback Braxton Woodson, who appeared in six games last season.
The Mids have been one of the winningest teams in the country the last two seasons, but they’ve missed out on trips to the American Conference championship game. Coaching changes at top programs such as Tulane, Memphis, South Florida and North Texas could see Navy play for the conference title for the first time in a decade.
Coach Brian Newberry retained offensive coordinator Drew Cronic and promoted safeties coach Eric Lewis to defensive coordinator, continuity that could help make up for the turnover on the roster. And even then, the Midshipmen return nine starters, including four along the offensive line. This is hardly a rebuild in Annapolis.
New Mexico
“[Head coach] Jason Eck definitely has a great program. He’s a successful head coach going back to his Idaho days. His son [linebacker Jaxton Eck] is what makes their defense go. He is truly the heartbeat of that defense. I know their defensive coordinator [Specener Nowingsky] is a really good coach with a really good scheme. I don’t know that they would ever be the Group of 6 team in the playoff, but they can definitely be a team that gets to a good bowl game.”
“I don’t think Eck will be there long. Our staff thinks that when Luke Fickell gets let go at Wisconsin, that’s Eck’s job if he does what he’s supposed to do this year. They’re a sleeper to win the league.”
It didn’t take long for Eck to elevate the Lobos. They won as many games in 2025 as they did the previous two seasons combined. The father and son package deal was a boon for New Mexico, too, as the younger Eck won conference Defensive Player of the Year.
The anonymous coach doubts the Lobos’ playoff outlook, which is understandable considering they have yet to be ranked in program history. However, there are two big opportunities on the schedule early in the year at Oklahoma and at home against UNLV in November, a game that could decide the conference championship race.
There was also some hypothesizing that Eck might not be long for Albuquerque. It might make sense for the former Wisconsin offensive lineman to return to his alma mater if Fickell is fired, which was also alluded to in the Badgers’ scouting report. That would be a fast ascent for Eck from the FCS to the Group of 6 to the Power 4. It all hinges on following up last season’s success with more of the same — and maybe even challenging UNLV for the league title.
Memphis
“[New Memphis head coach] Charles Huff is a good coach. He’s a guy that has done it the hard way, having not been a coordinator, but has just found a way to be successful.”
“That’s a good mold for him at Memphis. He’s gonna have those kids grinding. You see the soundbites about him having no music [at practice] — I like it. He sticks to who he is, and for all we know, they’re playing music at practice right now. Who knows? But whatever his ammunition to get guys going is, it works because he’s been successful as a head coach, and there’s a reason why he’s gotten those opportunities. I really think he’ll do a good job there.”
Huff’s success at Marshall and Southern Miss earned him his highest-profile job yet at Memphis. The American is new territory for Huff, who’s spent all five of his seasons as a head coach in the Sun Belt. To ease the transition, he brought several players with him in the transfer portal — just like he did the season before.
Memphis has been a launch pad for coaches to jump to the Power 4 ranks for more than a decade. Justin Fuente landed at Virginia Tech. Mike Norvell secured a spot at Florida State. And more recently, Ryan Silverfield took the top job at Arkansas. If Huff can continue the Tigers’ track record for success at a program that hasn’t had a losing record since 2013, he could be next in line.
Huff will have every opportunity to prove his coaching chops right away. Memphis plays three of the best Group of 6 teams this season — all on the road. Early nonconference trips to UNLV and Boise State could have an outsized impact on the CFP race. And a late game at Navy could shape the picture in the American.
Related: Athlon Sports 2026 College Football Preview Magazine Available Now
Related: Predicting Starting Quarterbacks for All 138 College Football Teams in 2026
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos