College Football conference power rankings ahead of 2026 Week 0

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With the 2026 college football season approaching, it’s time to take a closer look at how the teams stack up within each of the nation’s top conferences. These rankings break down the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12, ranking every team in each conference from top to bottom.

There are plenty of powerhouse programs, potential playoff contenders and teams looking to make a major jump this season.

MORE: 2026 College Football Playoff projection: Oregon, Notre Dame take top spots

ACC

17. Boston College

I see only one path where the Eagles are not the bottom-dweller in the 2026 ACC. And that path involves D2-transfer QB Mason McKenzie being absolutely electric and Bill O’Brien getting the most out of him with creative and innovative schemes. And I don’t have a lot of faith in either of those things happening. 

16. Stanford

The Stanford Cardinal, with general manager Andrew Luck, are doing well with what they have. Unfortunately for them, they just don’t have a lot. The high academic standards and insane travel schedule make recruiting and adding through the portal a difficult proposition. I do like RB Micah Ford, and think he may be a dark-horse to make an All-ACC team. 

15. Syracuse

What has happened to the Syracuse football program? Two years ago, Kyle McCord and the Orange beat Miami on the last day of the regular season to keep them out of the CFP, and Fran Brown seemed to have everything going in the right direction. Now, this team has very little talent and seems to have fallen backward. QB Steve Angeli should be back from injury, but I have very little faith in the rest of the roster. 

14. North Carolina

Year one of the Bill Belichick era was a complete dumpster fire in Chapel Hill. This offseason has done very little to inspire confidence that 2026 will be better. GM Michael Lombardi is gone, Bobby Petrino has been hired as OC, and Billy Edwards Jr has been imported as the new starting QB. My respect for Belichick prevents me from putting them farther down the list, but I am not optimistic. 

13. Florida State

In the NIL era, if you’re going to try to import a new team of mercenaries from the transfer portal every season, you better have more money than the teams you are bidding against. For a few years, they did, but right now, it’s very apparent that FSU does not. Because now they’re in a make-or-break season for coach Mike Norvell, and he’s got Stanford and Auburn reject Ashton Daniels as his starting quarterback. 

12. Cal

It just goes to show the overall depth of the ACC that Cal sits at 12th on my list, as I believe I am actually higher on the Golden Bears than most. They broke the bank to keep QB Jaron-Keawa Sagapolutele in Berkeley, and gave him two bona fide targets in Ian Strong and Chase Hendricks. I just worry about the defense getting stops, but that is Tosh Lupoi’s responsibility to figure out. 

11. Wake Forest

In his first season in Winston-Salem, Jack Dickert had his Demon Deacons overachieving their way to a 9-win season. I expect much of the same this year, as I think that Gio Lopez is a huge upgrade at QB from Robby Ashford. Especially when you consider that Lopez is reuniting with his old OC at South Alabama, Rob Ezell. 

10. Georgia Tech

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were one of the hardest teams in the ACC to place. On one hand, Brent Key’s teams routinely over-achieve to their talent level. On the other, they lose Haynes King to graduation, and I have zero idea of how good Alberto Mendoza (yes, he’s Fernando’s little brother) is going to be as the new QB. 

9. Duke

Manny Diaz can flat out coach. While it does hurt that QB Darian Mensah and WR Cooper Barkate left in the transfer portal, I have faith that Diaz can get this revamped roster, with San Jose State transfer Walker Eget at QB, to stay above .500 in conference play. Expecting a repeat conference championship with this roster would be foolish, however.

8. Virginia

The ‘Hoos were THIS close to an ACC Championship (and auto-bid to the CFP) last season. Unfortunately, a lot of that was due to the greatness of QB Chandler Morris. While a lot of the team from last year returns, I don’t have faith that Virginia can repeat the highs of last season with Beau Pribula or Eli Holstein under center. 

7. NC State

Over the years, I’ve learned to over-value teams with good quarterbacks. And I really like NC State’s CJ Bailey. The South Florida native was thrown into the fire and started as a true freshman, and is now entering his 3rd year as a starter, and he profiles to be one of the ACC’s best this year. Plus, Dave Doeren always seems to find a way to get to 7 wins, through hell or high water.

6. Virginia Tech

What does James Franklin do? He finds a way to win 8 to 10 games, and we have no idea if his teams are actually good. Given that he was able to bring much of his Penn State with him to Blacksburg, including QB Ethan Grunkemeyer, I expect him to hit the ground running and do what James Franklin does.

5. Pitt

At the end of last season, Pitt was playing like one of the best teams in the ACC. I expect that to continue, as the starting backfield of Mason Heintschel and Ja’Kyrian Turner returns and should be one of the best in the conference. I’m higher on this team than most. 

4. Clemson

For years, my grandfather used to rewind DVDs before he would return them to Blockbuster. What does that have to do with Clemson football? Well, much like my grandfather (and maybe me too after that dated reference), Dabo Swinney is stuck in another time. This program has failed to use the transfer portal and NIL in the way that other schools in the league have, and it has caused them to lose their perch at the top of the league. 

3. SMU

I think Rhett Lashlee is one of the more underrated coaches in college football. As a program, SMU had been nationally irrelevant ever since they received the “death penalty” in the 1980s. Lashlee now has the program positioned to be one of the best programs in the ACC for years to come, and he would probably love to finally win an ACC Championship in Kevin Jennings’ last year under center. 

2. Louisville

At the end of the day, the Cardinals may have been the second-best team in the ACC last season. And that was with Miller Moss at quarterback. MILLER MOSS. Now, Jeff Brohm has a proper upgrade in Lincoln Kienholz, and his dual-threat abilities should really open up the game for RB duo Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown. 

1. Miami

While Miami does lose much of its tremendous offensive and defensive lines from last season, their baseline talent level should have them head and shoulders above the rest of this conference. However, Mario Cristobal is known to have some inexplicable losses, such as the ones to Louisville and SMU last season. Will he have another one this year? Or will the Canes win their first-ever ACC Championship?

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Big 12

16. Iowa State

This is a complete and total rebuild, as Matt Campbell leaves (and takes most of his team with him) and Jimmy Rogers comes in. Rogers got his start in the FCS — and so did much of this roster. Jaylen Raynor comes over from Arkansas State to start at QB, and he is not one that I would have pegged as a P4 starter eight months ago. The Cyclones are going to be outmanned and outgunned in every conference game, and I will be impressed with this coaching staff if they can get this team to bowl eligibility. 

15. Colorado

Every state probably has their example of a high school team that is built like Colorado — they have all these athletes at the skill positions, but they refuse to develop the offensive and defensive lines and are forced to try to win with finesse. That might work when you have Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, but I’ll be very impressed with Coach Prime and his staff if they make it work with Julian Lewis and Deandre Moore. 

14. West Virginia

The return of Rich Rodriguez to Morgantown has definitely given some life to a program that was left for dead. However, it’s a bit of a slow rebuild. Rich Rod does seem to have a quality running back, as Cam Cook comes over from Jacksonville State. I was far from impressed with Michael Hawkins during his time at Oklahoma, but the Rich Rod system should actually be a great fit for him. 

13. Kansas

Look, I like Lance Leipold (say that three times fast), but this just doesn’t appear on the surface to be a team built to compete at the top of the Big 12. We have no idea who the starting QB is, and there was a lot of roster turnover. However, the return of Andy Kotelnicki as OC gives me faith that the run game will be solid and they’ll be able to score some points. 

12. Cincinnati

It’s a bad sign when a team misses out on all of their first and second choices at the offensive skill positions. It inevitably leads to a season where you have no depth at the skill positions, and one injury could derail a season, which could be Scott Satterfield’s last in the Queen City. However, this offensive line unit is quite experienced and quite good, which prevents me from lowering them even farther. 

11. UCF

Year two of era two of Scott Frost should be better than the first. After QB was a struggle for much of last season, Frost went and got Alonza Barnett III from James Madison to be his starter. Fun fact: he’s the only starting QB from last year’s CFP who entered the transfer portal (all others either stayed at the same school or graduated). I think he’s a great fit for the Frost offense and expect a lot of points to be scored in Orlando. 

10. Baylor

Waco feels a lot like the Big 12’s “last chance saloon” this season. DJ Lagway, after a disappointing season at Florida, comes over and is going to get to throw the ball until his arm falls off with this offensive system. Head Coach Dave Aranda starts the season on the hot seat, and he’s even given up defensive playcalling duties (which was his calling card). It doesn’t feel like this is going to work, but I can’t deny there’s a lot of talent involved. 

9. Oklahoma State

How well would last year’s North Texas team have performed in the Big 12? We’re about to find out, as new coach Eric Morris imported much of the bones of his surprise success Mean Green squad. I have faith that Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins, and Wyatt Young will be able to light up the scoreboard, but can the defense generate enough stops for them to have success?

8. Arizona State

Outside of a loaded WR room that features transfers Omarion Miller and Reed Harris, I don’t think this is a great roster. But I’ve learned not to doubt Kenny Dillingham — the man won games with Jeff Sims at QB last season, which is something that no one in recorded history has ever been able to do! Can he spin some more magic with Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley?

7. Arizona

Your perception of Arizona this season is probably directly linked to your opinion on QB Noah Fifita. He’s the active FBS leader in career TD passes, and I think he’s a fine college QB (with limited NFL upside) who can elevate his team into the top half of this conference. I also expect a big jump from WR Tre Spivey this season. 

6. TCU

The Horned Frogs have an interesting combination of returning a large number of contributors from last year’s team while breaking in a new quarterback. Jaden Craig comes in from Harvard, so we know he must have some level of intelligence, and I generally trust Sonny Dykes to develop his QBs. I expect a big year from TCU, and I think they get the ball rolling in Dublin against North Carolina in Week Zero. 

5. Utah

The Utes have a TON to replace this season, losing their head coach, offensive coordinator, and essentially every player on both the offensive and defensive lines. But they still have the most electric player in the conference in Devon Dampier. This season may be “Dampier Unleashed.”

4. Kansas State

Chris Kleiman may have retired, but the “little Apple” got to bring home their favorite son to be their new head coach. I was impressed with how Collin Klein set up his scheme at Texas A&M, and expect him to be a huge factor in the development of Avery Johnson. Questions loom on whether the defense can maintain its high standard under a new staff. 

3. Houston

I’m a big fan of Willie Fritz. His teams always seem to do the things that well-coached teams do — and it showed up last season as the Cougars went 6-1 in one-possession games last year. Retaining Conner Weigman and adding Makhi Hughes should allow this offense to pick up right where they left off. We’ll find out if this team can compete at the top of the Big 12 when they play Texas Tech in Week 3.

2. BYU

Kalani Sitake has become one of the more underrated coaches in college football, consistently over-achieving for his team’s talent level. Now, they’re probably the 2nd-most talented team in the league, and just have to slay the dragon that is Texas Tech. To do so, they’ll need QB Bear Bachmeier to take a step forward. 

1. Texas Tech

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: Texas Tech will not have the services of QB Brendan Sorsby this season. But does it even matter? They won the league last season with merely average QB play, and I think the dual-threat abilities of Will Hammond may really unlock the run game. They still have a big advantage over the rest of the conference on both the offensive and defensive lines, which is a great blueprint for avoiding upsets. 

Big Ten

18. Purdue

The Boilermakers are making slow but steady progress. I still don’t expect them to be very good this year, but they’re not going to get blown out every week like they used to. Barry Odom is doing well with the hand he was dealt. Ryan Browne is not my favorite QB, but he should at least provide some continuity to the offense. 

17. Michigan State

I’m not a believer in this team at all. Cam Edwards comes over after a productive season at UConn, but will he be able to break tackles in the Big Ten? Sparty also added Pat Fitzgerald as their new head coach, who has been out of the game for a while now. I worry about his ability to acquire talent in the NIL/portal era, but I don’t worry about him getting the most out of the roster he has. 

16. Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights had one of college football’s sneaky good offenses last season. But gone is QB Athan Kaliakmanis and WR Ian Strong. We don’t even know who the QB will be for this team just yet, but they’ll still have two solid weapons in RB Antwan Raymond and WR KJ Duff. I have very little nice to say about the defense. 

15. Northwestern

Aidan Chiles is moving South and ditching dark green for dark purple as he transfers from Michigan State to Northwestern. But I do think there’s more talent here, as RB Caleb Komolafe and WR Griffin Wilde are solid offensive weapons. Chip Kelly is back in college football — he’s Northwestern’s OC now. Say what you want about him, but at the college level, his offenses produce. 

14. Maryland

This year’s Maryland team is going to be a case study in what would happen if you placed a top-tier QB on a team that has bottom-of-the-barrel talent around him. Malik Washington is good, and he alone will be enough to power this team to a few wins. If some of his pass catchers, like Chris Durr and Dorian Fleming, step up and make plays, this team could find themselves in some shootouts against anyone and everyone. 

13. Minnesota

Row the boat! PJ Fleck’s crew is not the most talented, but I generally trust PJ Fleck to get his team to bowl eligibility, and I actually think QB Drake Lindsey is better than people give him credit for. Keeping RB Darius Taylor healthy will be a big factor for the offense. 

12. Wisconsin

I’m a believer in Colton Joseph. I watch a lot of college football, which often includes oddly-timed weeknight G5 games. At Old Dominion, Joseph was a playmaker who could carry an offense with his dual-threat abilities and make something out of nothing. He’s exactly what the Badgers need. He may just end up as the best Wisconsin QB since Russell Wilson (which isn’t exactly saying a lot). 

11. UCLA

Sometimes, it’s best not to overthink things. Bob Chesney turned around Holy Cross and took JMU to the CFP one year after Curt Cignetti gutted the program of most of its talent. The guy wins. And I think he’ll win at UCLA. It might be a little bit of a process, as this roster is certainly not at the top of the league, but starting with Nico Iamaleava and Wayne Knight in the backfield is a good start. 

10. Illinois

The Luke Altmyer era has finally come to an end in Champaign, and in steps Katin Houser from East Carolina. I truly believe that Bret Bielema designed his program to peak in 2024 and 2025, and I expect the next few years to be rebuilding years. However, they’re still going to be far better than the bottom of the Big Ten. 

9. Nebraska

Get ready to learn Anthony Colandrea, Husker fans! College football sickos like myself know that very few quarterbacks can take you on a roller coaster ride quite like Anthony Colandrea. He’s a gunslinger. The highs are really high, and the mistakes are mind-boggling. It’ll be different from anything the Huskers have seen in the Matt Rhule era. 

8. Iowa

The Hawkeyes are coming into the season with question marks at quarterback and elite defensive and special teams units. What else is new? If the run game with Kamari Moulton and LJ Phillips can move the ball without putting too much load on whoever starts at quarterback, this team should be quite good.  

7. Penn State

The Nittany Lions are the final team on this list who has serious CFP aspirations. James Franklin is out, and Matt Campbell comes in with what feels like his entire Iowa State roster. Looking at this team’s incredibly easy schedule, they’ll probably be favored in 10 games. This team could very easily go 10-2, and we would have no idea whether or not they are actually good. It would be just like every James Franklin season!

6. Washington

The Demond Williams drama in the offseason was weird, right? I can’t be the only one who thinks so. In any event, he’s back in a Washington Huskies jersey, whether he wants to be or not. That won’t be the biggest obstacle for the Huskies this season, however, because of the brutal travel they will always experience as West Coast members of the Big Ten. But I generally trust Jedd Fisch to get things figured out and field an above-average Big Ten squad.

5. Michigan

QB Bryce Underwood didn’t exactly live up to the hype last season, coming in as a prized 5-star recruit who was immediately thrust into the starting role. But that was with the Sharrone Moore offense. Now, with Kyle Whittingham as the new head coach, and Jason Beck as the offensive coordinator, and Andrew Marsh turning into a bona fide WR1, Underwood is in a much better position to be successful as a true sophomore.

4. USC

As with all of Lincoln Riley’s teams, I’m not worried about the offense of the 2026 USC Trojans. Even though they lost Makai Lemon and Jakobi Lane to the draft, Jayden Maiava is entering his 3rd year as a starter, and a deep WR room with Tanook Hines and Terrell Anderson will find some playmakers. So, where are the question marks? The defense. We’ll find out pretty early if this unit is built to win in the Big Ten – and the Trojans (as they always will) have a brutal travel schedule.

3. Indiana

The Hoosiers are the defending Champs of college football – which is something I didn’t think I would ever say. If Curt Cignetti hopes to get back to the mountain top, he’s going to have to do it with a different cast of characters, including offensive transfers Josh Hoover, Turbo Richard, and Nick Marsh. But if Cignetti can get it done with a bunch of transfers from JMU and other G5 programs, then he has a chance to get it done with this group, which is more talented on paper.

2. Oregon

Everything is shaping up for this to finally be the year for the Oregon Ducks. They return QB Dante Moore and his top WR Dakorien Moore, and have recruited very well through the years to build an insanely talented roster. So why don’t I feel more confident about the Ducks? They’ve seemed to underperform in Big Ten games that involve long-distance travel or feature more physical opponents, and have gotten dominated in the CFP each of the last two seasons (against more physical Big Ten opponents). Also, don’t underestimate the impact of losing both coordinators to head coaching positions.

1. Ohio State

The Buckeyes have the toughest schedule of anyone in the Big Ten, as they have to play Texas in the non-conference and draw Oregon, Indiana, and Michigan in conference play. I do believe that Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, and co. have the most talented roster in college football. But last season, they struggled to keep up with Miami and Indiana in their last two games. They won’t lack experience against top teams by the time they get to the postseason this year.

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SEC

16. Arkansas

So, let me get this straight: Arkansas has some of the fewest resources of anyone in the SEC, and appears content to be a “basketball school” as long as John Calipari is there. And they decided to fire their football coach, pay his $9 million buyout, and then hire a coach who wasn’t able to consistently win in the American when he had the MOST resources of anyone in the conference? And to make matters worse, they’re trying to win this year with a bunch of G5 and below transfers? Yeah, I don’t see the vision here. The Ryan Silverfield hire may work out, but I don’t have high hopes for this season.

15. Kentucky

Sometimes, it takes a long time to get out of the basement. I think that’s what we’re looking at with Kentucky here. I like the Will Stein hire. A lot. But I don’t know how high you can set expectations in year one with a bottom-tier SEC roster. I also like transfer QB Kenny Minchey, who comes over from Notre Dame after getting beat out by CJ Carr last season. He might actually be very good, and I think Stein’s offense is a good fit for his skill set.

14. Mississippi State

Kamario Taylor started the last few games of last season in place of an injured Blake Shapen, and he was ELECTRIC. He’s a true dual-threat that is going to be must-watch TV, he’s a great fit in the Jeff Lebby offense, and he has a solid WR1 in Anthony Evans III. The question for this team is how many stops will the defense get? With a solid homefield advantage in “Starkvegas,” I see the Bulldogs winning a few SEC games and putting a scare in teams at the top of the league.

13. Vanderbilt

Diego Pavia has finally moved on from Vanderbilt, and that signals the end of one of the best eras in Vanderbilt football history. Can Clark Lea summon that magic again? Well, recruiting one of the top quarterbacks in the country is a good start. I expect Jared Curtis to start this year as a true freshman, which will give him opportunities to surpass Pavia’s legacy if he spends his whole career in Nashville. 

12. Auburn

What would last year’s South Florida team have looked like in the SEC? They did beat Florida… but we’re about to officially find out, because head coach Alex Golesh brought a massive chunk of that South Florida roster with him when he took the job at Auburn. Retaining DJ Durkin as DC was a big factor in retaining some key defensive players, as well. Byrum Brown was electric in the American, and if he can have the same dual-threat success in the SEC, Auburn could be a sneaky CFP dark horse. 

11. Missouri

The Missouri Tigers were a tricky team to evaluate for me heading into the 2026 season. There’s just a lot of unknowns. Austin Simmons comes in as the starting quarterback, and he was not outstanding in his sample size as a starter at Ole Miss, but yet he did beat Trinidad Chambliss for the starting job out of camp, so he can’t be too bad. Running back Ahmad Hardy is literally recovering from being shot, and while he is the SEC’s best running back when healthy, we don’t know how healthy he is. 

10. Florida

Just last year, Florida was simultaneously talented enough to beat Texas at their best, and bad enough to get dominated by Kentucky and lose to South Florida. In the offseason, they were able to retain a lot of their talent. They also replaced head coach Billy Napier with Tulane’s Jon Sumrall and quarterback DJ Lagway with Aaron Philo. I happen to think that both of those changes, which may not bear fruit this season, are upgrades in the long-term.

9. South Carolina

I am a long-term fan of LaNorris Sellers. I think he’s good, I think he’s largely responsible for South Carolina’s successful 9-3 season in 2024, and I want him to do well. You have to assume that he believes in Shane Beamer and this program long-term, because there had to be a plethora of quarterback-needy teams who were willing to throw him a wad of cash to come play for them. If LaNorris believes, I believe. HIs supporting cast may actually be better now than it has ever been, as future NFL draft picks Nyck Harbor and Dylan Stewart are back, and new OC Kendall Briles should be able to cook something up that utilizes LaNorris’ dual-threat abilities.

8. Tennessee

I have to admit, Josh Heupel has done a good job at Tennessee. He’s raised the baseline level of the program up to the point that a “down year” like 2025 is still an 8-4 regular season. It may be another down year this year, as the Vols have serious pass rush concerns. However, it could end up being the start of the Faizon Brandon era at quarterback, which could usher in the next golden age of Tennessee football. Brandon is a talented freshman who has the potential to be Heupel’s best-ever QB in Knoxville. 

7. Oklahoma

The best way that I can explain Oklahoma is through the movie “22 Jump Street.” As the sequel to “21 Jump Street,” it’s a source of meta-humor within the movie that they are openly repeating the strategy and tropes of the first movie. Oklahoma seems to be doing their best to repeat what they did last year. OC Ben Arbuckle and QB John Mateer are back, as is a ton of contributors to a nasty defense. But the run game is still unfixed, and I don’t know how sustainable it is to try to win every game 16-13. And with a brutal schedule, this team might still be very good and finish 8-4. 

6. Ole Miss

The Rebels are another “22 Jump Street” team. Obviously Lane Kiffin is out, but the mindset seems to be that Pete Golding can just “run it back” with the same strategies he had in the CFP. It’s worth noting that the two CFP wins were over outmatched Tulane and a very unlikely comeback against Georgia. Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy are preseason All-Americans, but how will the rest of the team function around them in Golding’s first full year?

5. Alabama

There is still a quarterback decision to be made in Tuscaloosa. Will it be Austin Mack, who’s a veteran in the system? Or will it be Keelon Russell, the former prized recruit? In either event, the winner better be good. Alabama fans aren’t known for their patience, and Kalen DeBoer should be calling his realtor if this season starts to go south. 

4. LSU

There’s a lot of “IFs” with this LSU team. IF Sam Leavitt can stay healthy, IF they can have a productive run game, IF the crowded WR room can have a breakout star, IF all of the transfers on defense come together… but man, IF those IFs come true, Lane Kiffin has a National Championship contender in his first year in Baton Rouge. 

3. Texas A&M

I don’t really know what to make of Texas A&M. I’m a believer in Mike Elko, and believe he gets the most out of his teams. I also believe the Aggies were a little fraudulent last season and took advantage of an easy SEC schedule. I also am still skeptical of Marcel Reed. I like the players the Aggies were able to retain, but was a little underwhelmed by their portal class. At the end of the day, I settled on 3rd place in the SEC. 

2. Texas

The time is now for the Texas Longhorns. They got a surprise to start the offseason when Arch Manning declared his intentions to stay in school instead of putting his name in the NFL Draft. And once that news got around, the Longhorns made strategic, splashy additions in the portal, like Cam Coleman and Rasheem Biles, to give Arch the best chance to lead the Longhorns to the promised land. And, honestly, I know they finished 9-3 last season, but are we sure they weren’t actually the 2nd-best team in the league last year?

1. Georgia

Kirby Smart’s squad was once again top Dawg in the SEC last season. And honestly, I’m going to rank them here until someone in the league proves me otherwise. Under Smart, Georgia football has become a factory not unlike Nick Saban’s Alabama, where every team is going to be one of, if not the most talented team in America. 

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