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This is gearing up to be an exciting seasons of college football. Unlike other years, there's several teams who could compete for a title this season. In other years, we've seen one or two teams clearly above the rest. That won't be the case this season. We have talked a lot at Irish Breakdown about the seven teams we believe could play for a title this season, and they all have various strengths they bring to the table. However, these seven teams also have some questions marks heading into the season. 

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

Biggest Advantage: Talented, deep and experienced roster
Biggest Question: Can the coaching staff put it all together? 

I've gone on record and stated that Notre Dame has the best roster in college football. When you look at the amount of depth, talent and experience returning on both sides of the ball, that's something that's hard to argue against. They have a returning starting quarterback for the first time since 2020, their defense returns impact starters at every level including two captains and a Unanimous All-American. Players like CJ Carr, Leonard Moore, Drayk Bowen, Adon Shuler and a laundry list of others are some of the top rated players in the country at their positions. This is also a roster with the fewest amount of holes. 

Now, it's up to the coaching staff to put it all together and win a title. That's the biggest question overall for Notre Dame in 2026. There's no new quarterback they're breaking in. Their questions along the offensive line aren't as impactful as other teams on this list. The biggest questions for the Irish are surrounding the coaching staff in my view. Can head coach Marcus Freeman keep this team focused for the entirety of the regular season and avoid the painful losses? Can defensive coordinator Chris Ash be who he was the final eight games of the regular season? Can offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock find levels of consistency in his explosive offense? How those questions get answered will dictate their fate this season. 

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

Biggest Advantage: Top QB-WR duo in the country 
Biggest Question: Will Arthur Smith revitalize the run game? 

When you have a returning preseason Heisman candidate at both quarterback and wide receiver, that's a major advantage in your favor. Ohio State returns quarterback Julian Sayin who's entering his second year in the starting lineup. They also return the best wide receiver in the country in Jeremiah Smith. Do other QB-WR duos have the potential to push for the No. 1 spot by season's end? Sure, but coming into the year, the Buckeyes have the No. 1 QB-WR duo in the country in my eyes. They also return running back Bo Jackson along with several key offensive lineman, but all attention will be on Sayin and Smith this season. 

The biggest question for Ohio State is the same question I pose every year with them. How serious will they take the ground game? They hired former NFL head coach and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to take over play calling duties in Columbus. Will he be able to revitalize the run game? The Buckeyes have standout talent at the wide receiver position annually, and that's been the case for two decades. But their ability to run the football dictates their overall offensive success, especially in the big moments. There's a lot of similarities between Ohio State's seasons in 2014, 2019, 2024 and the rest of their seasons in the playoff era. But the biggest difference between their levels of success in 2014, 2019 and 2024 compared to the rest is the effectiveness of their rushing attack. 

OREGON DUCKS

Biggest Advantage: Top tier quarterback 
Biggest Question: Offensive line play 

Oregon has been a program that has seen high levels of quarterback success since 2022. In two seasons with the Ducks, Bo Nix threw for 8,101 yards, 74 touchdowns, rushed for 744 yards and tallied 20 rushing touchdowns. In 2024, Dillon Gabriel led Oregon to an undefeated regular season and a win in the Big 10 Championship Game in his one and only year as the starter in Eugene. Last season, the Ducks handed the keys to redshirt sophomore Dante Moore who led them to an 11-1 regular season, two playoff wins over James Madison and Texas Tech and an appearance in the CFP Semi-Finals. Moore returns this season as one of the top signal callers in the country. 

Unfortunately, the biggest question for Oregon is with the unit in charge of keeping Moore's jersey clean. I have major questions along their offensive line with the insertion of several new starters. Trench play has been a key indicator of a team's overall ceiling and success in the post season. All four starters return on their defensive line; it's their offensive line that concerns me the most about this team. If that question gets answered in the correct way, head coach Dan Lanning could be hunting for a championship this fall. 

TEXAS LONGHORNS

Biggest Advantage: Offensive skilled talent
Biggest Question: Coaching consistency 

Along with the Irish and the Ducks, the Longhorns have one of the best rosters in the country. Personally, I think it's Notre Dame, but if someone wanted to pound their fists on the table and die on the hill that it's Texas, they'd have a lot of valid arguments. A lot of that has to do with their offensive skilled talent (and having Colin Simmons never hurts either). They picked up Cam Coleman from the portal this offseason to add to a receiving corps that was already going to feature Ryan Wingo, Emmett Mosley and Daylan McCutcheon. They picked up former NC State running back Hollywood Smothers and Arizona State running back Raleek Brown from the portal as well. They're all held together by quarterback Arch Manning who is another top returning quarterback in the country. 

Like Notre Dame, a lot of the pressure falls on the coaching staff this season, and if the offseason shenanigans of Steve Sarkisian is any preview, Longhorn fans need to buckle up for a very interesting season. Under Sarkisian, we've seen Texas beat a Nick Saban-led Alabama team in Tuscaloosa, make multiple CFP Semi Final games and play for a conference title. We've also seen them lose games to a 4-8 Florida team in 2025 and choke away big time games. If this coaching staff with Sarkisian and a new defensive coordinator, Will Muschamp, can coach this extremely talented roster consistently, week in and week out, Texas will be one of the top teams in the country. But based on this offseason, that's a big 'if'. 

INDIANA HOOSIERS

Biggest Advantage: Coaching continuity 
Biggest Question: Can the culture win over the portal class? 

The Indiana Hoosiers are one of the only top teams in the country that return their head coach Curt Cignetti, their offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and their defensive coordinator Bryant Haines. The only other teams on this list to have that is Notre Dame, Miami and Georgia. Cignetti has quickly risen in the ranks as one of the best coaches in the country. After he turned around a program like Indiana in a matter of two years it's hard to argue. Shanahan and Haines are two of the best coordinators in the game right now and will have talent on both sides of the ball to work with once again in 2026. 

With that being said, the biggest question I have with the Hoosiers this season is their roster, but it's not around talent. Bringing in guys like Nick Marsh and Joshua Burnham arguably raises the talent level on this team compared to last season's title winning team. But can the culture installed by the G5 players in 2024 and 2025 carry over to some of their portal pickups in 2026? What Cignetti and his staff did with a G5 All-Star team the last couple of seasons is unprecedented and beyond impressive. Now, their portal pickups look like a lot of other big-name schools across the country. Can Cignetti, and the culture of Indiana win over some of these big-time portal prospects? Only time will tell. 

MIAMI HURRICANES

Biggest Advantage: Offensive skilled talent
Biggest Question: Replacing the offensive line

Both of my reasons for optimism with Miami and my biggest question with Miami rests on the offensive side of the ball. Let's talk about the biggest advantage first and that's around their offensive skilled talent. I'd argue that their skilled positions from top to bottom take a back seat to nobody in the country. Quarterback Darian Mensah, wide receiver Cooper Barkate, wide receiver Vandrevious Jacobs and receiver Cam Vaughn link arms with returning running backs Mark Fletcher and CharMar Brown, tight end Elija Lofton and receiver Malachi Toney who is considered one of the top returning players in the country. The level of skilled talent on this roster is arguably higher than the 2025 season's roster. I think it's debatable at quarterback, but not in the wide receiver room. 

The biggest question for the Hurricanes, however, is in the trenches. Whenever a team loses four of its five starting offensive lineman from one season to the next, it's a factor that's hard to ignore. I have little to no questions about the level of talent in players like Jackson Cantwell, Ryan Rodriguez and Samson Okunlola. I have questions around their overall readiness. If head coach Mario Cristobal can shore up the offensive line and get them performing to the standard the 2025 unit set in place, this team is going to be very, very good. 

GEORGIA BULLDOGS

Biggest Advantage: Kirby Smart 
Biggest Question: Can they have out of conference success? 

It feels lazy to say a team's biggest advantage is just 'Kirby Smart' but it's hard to count out the Dogs when you see that white visor standing on the sidelines. Big picture, Georgia has underperformed in the post season since the origin of the 12-team College Football Playoffs. They've been bounced in the quarterfinals in back to back seasons and have yet to win a playoff game. But the reason they've been in the quarterfinals in back to back seasons is because they've won the SEC in back to back seasons and have received a bye in the last to playoffs. Smart has been a major driver of Georgia's success the last two seasons and returns a more talented roster in some areas than in 2024 and 2025. 

I firmly believe having Smart on the Georgia sidelines is a major advantage, but he has to find a way to have more success out of conference. Look at the last two seasons for the Bulldogs. In 2024, a 7-6 Georgia Tech team took Georgia into eight overtimes in Athens. Then, in the following season, the Bulldogs only scored 16 points against the Yellow Jackets in a neutral site game after averaging 32.9 points per game in SEC conference play. They've only faced on out-of-conference team in the post season, Notre Dame, in the 2024 Sugar Bowl and they lost by 13 points. If Georgia wants to make a playoff run, they'll have to get better against teams not in the SEC. 

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