College football Re-Rank 1-138: Where all FBS teams sit ahead of 2026 season
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The Big Ten dominates the top of the preseason USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-138 but the No. 1 spot goes to Notre Dame, which has the talent, coaching and motivation to capture the program’s first national championship since 1988.
Like every College Football Playoff contender, Notre Dame has holes to fill off last year’s two-deep, including crucial losses in the backfield. But the Fighting Irish have skill talent such as running back Aneyas Williams ready to step into larger roles and have upgraded their roster with another strong transfer class.
Notre Dame’s rise to No. 1 bumps down Ohio State, one of three Big Ten teams in the top five. Just behind the No. 2 Buckeyes are No. 4 Oregon and No. 5 Indiana. This group is joined near the top of the re-rank by No. 3 Texas, No. 6 Georgia, No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 9 Miami and No. 10 Southern California.
Overall, the Big Ten and SEC combine for 15 of the top 25 teams in our debut 2026 re-rank. The top 25 also includes three teams from the ACC in Miami, No. 15 SMU and No. 25 Clemson, along with five teams from the Big 12 in No. 12 Texas Tech, No. 14 BYU, No. 20 Houston, No. 21 Arizona and No. 24 Utah.
No. 23 Boise State is the lone Group of Six team in the top 25. The Broncos are the heavy preseason favorite in the newly rechristened Pac-12. Other top Group of Six teams include No. 31 Navy, No. 33 James Madison, No. 34 Western Kentucky and No. 35 Tulane.
The lowest-rated Power Four teams are No. 113 Purdue, No. 112 Boston College, No. 108 Stanford and No. 104 Colorado. North Carolina comes in at No. 94 heading into Bill Belichick’s second season.
The re-rank goes all the way to 138 teams in 2026 thanks to the addition of North Dakota State (Mountain West) and Sacramento State (Mid-American). While the Hornets land at No. 133, the Bison will open the year ranked No. 72 after closing out a dynastic run as the most dominant program in Championship Subdivision history.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football Re-Rank 1-138: Where all FBS teams sit ahead of 2026 season
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