College Football top 25 power rankings ahead of 2026 Week 0

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The 2026 college football season is almost here, and the preseason hype is reaching its peak. With Week 0 just around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the teams expected to make the biggest impact this season.

Here are the top 25 college football teams heading into Week 0, with plenty of potential College Football Playoff contenders and a few teams looking to surprise the country.

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Top 10

1. Ohio State

The Buckeyes don’t rebuild – they just reload. Although they lose a noticeable amount of NFL talent on defense, they still return their Big 3 of Julian Sayin, Bo Jackson, and Jeremiah Smith (who may be the most valuable non-QB in all of college football). And thanks to elite high school recruiting, they’re just backfilling all of those NFL draft picks with future NFL draft picks. 

2. Notre Dame

Lost in all of the CFP drama last season was the fact that the Fighting Irish were playing like a top-5 team at the end of last season, and could have very well gone on a run had they gotten in the bracket. Now, they head into this season rested and hungry, and Marcus Freeman brings back an almost unfathomable amount of returning production in the NIL era, including QB CJ Carr and an elite defensive backfield that includes CBs Leonard Moore and Christian Gray. 

3. Georgia

How is it possible that the program that has won two of the last five National Championships is coming into the season underrated by the national media? I’m not making that mistake with the ‘Dawgs, with Kirby Smart continuing to prioritize elite high school recruiting and retention over splashy portal “gets.” They will still have one of the most talented rosters in all of college football. 

4. Texas

It’s now or never for Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns. After sitting in neutral for much of the 2025 season, Arch Manning and the rest of the offense came alive at the end of the season, and he began to show why he was the highest-rated QB recruit ever. After Arch decided to return to Austin, the NIL collective made a calculated effort to give him as much help as possible — adding RBs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown and WR Cam Coleman. 

5. Oregon

No teams other than the eventual National Champions have beaten the Oregon Ducks in each of the last two seasons. Dan Lanning’s program is close. Will this be the year they get over the hump? I’m not seeing it. Dante Moore is one of the best returning QBs in college football, but the Ducks will not be elite in the trenches in the way that they were last season. 

6. Indiana

Curt Cignetti just did the unthinkable — he brought a National Championship to Indiana’s football program. How does he follow that up? Well, this team is more talented than his last, which was largely filled with Group of 5 up-transfers. But will this year’s group be as disciplined, productive, and ruthlessly efficient? We’ll find out. 

7. Miami

I worry about a team that loses the main reason that they were good last season. Miami lost a lot of production on their elite offensive and defensive lines from last season, and I don’t see them replicating it. But adding Darian Mensah at QB and Cooper Barkate at WR could help mask some of those deficiencies. 

8. Texas A&M

Count me in as a long-term believer in Mike Elko. The combination of the talent level and coaching level gives the Aggies a high floor in the brutal SEC. But for them to reach their ceiling, they will need Marcel Reed to take a big leap forward in his development and become a truly dynamic dual-threat option. 

9. Alabama

The fans in Tuscaloosa aren’t exactly known for their patience, and this could be a make-or-break year for Kalen DeBoer, who is fortunate enough to bring a massively talented roster with him. I don’t know whether to be encouraged or concerned about the lack of an official announcement at starting quarterback — are both Austin Mack and Keelon Russell GOOD or BAD options?

10. Texas Tech

Thanks to the Brendan Sorsby saga, no team garnered as much attention in the offseason than the Texas Tech Red Raiders. So how does losing Sorsby and now starting Will Hammond or Kirk Francis affect them? I think it’s highly likely that Tech goes 12-0 against a soft Big-12 schedule that avoids BYU and Kansas State and an almost non-existent non-conference slate. But I don’t think they have the ceiling to win the National Championship — much like last season. 

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

Top 11-25

11. LSU

Who will win the Lane Kiffin divorce? Well, Kiffin did get custody of some of the kids — edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen and receiver Winston Watkins followed their head coach to Baton Rouge. Kiffin also did what he always does and loaded up in the portal, adding QB Sam Leavitt, WR Jayce Brown, and OT Jordan Seaton, among others. This group is loaded. 

12. Ole Miss

Who will win the Lane Kiffin divorce? Well, new Head Coach Pete Golding did retain custody of some of the kids — notably QB Trinidad Chambliss (who was correctly awarded an extra year of eligibility) and one of the best RBs in the country in Kewan Lacy. I don’t think this squad is as talented as their 2025 counterparts, but they will make up for it in grit and determination — they have something to prove. 

13. USC

I continue to be a long-term believer in Lincoln Riley at USC. We knew that it was going to be a multi-year project to build a team that was built for the Big Ten, and the travel schedule never does them any favors. But we’re in Year 3 of the Jayden Maiava era, and the Trojans have dynamic duos at RB (Waymond Jordan and King Miller) and WR (Tanook Hines and Terrell Anderson) to give him some support. 

14. Michigan

How do you weigh the national embarrassment of an affair-and-arrest scandal by a head coach against the ability to hire a better head coach? I believe incoming Kyle Whittingham to be a massive upgrade over the disgraced Sharrone Moore given Whittingham’s track record at Utah. Offensive Coordinator Jason Beck should be able to get the most out of Bryce Underwood in his second year as a starter.

15. Oklahoma

This season could go either really well or really poorly for the Sooners. On the one hand, they return QB John Mateer and the same coaching staff from last year’s CFP team. On the other hand, they have one of the nation’s most difficult schedules that has them playing Michigan, Georgia, and Texas in their first five games. They could be a perfectly fine team and go 6-6 or 7-5 with their schedule. In terms of power rankings, I have them right here at 15. But they likely will end the season much higher or lower. 

16. Tennessee

I see this year’s Tennessee team as very similar to last year’s — they have a talented roster that is built to win between 7 and 9 games in the current SEC. Much like last year, the QB position, whether it be George MacIntyre or Faizon Brandon, could elevate my perception of them if they come in and play well. 

17. BYU

Bears in the mountains can be quite dangerous. Bear Bachmeier is back for his second season as starting QB for the Cougars, who are looking to yet again hit double-digit wins. This program has eternally overachieved relative to their talent level under the leadership of Kalani Sitake, and I expect them to do so again. 

18. Washington

It looked like the Huskies might lose QB Demond Williams to the transfer portal, but one way or another, he’s back in Jedd Fisch’s program. I expect this team to be quite good, but their brutal Big Ten travel schedule will do them no favors. Expect a big season from WR Dezmen Roebuck as he follows in the footsteps of Rome Odunze and Denzel Boston. 

19. South Carolina

What happens when a bad team returns most of their starters, including their two most impactful players? We’re about to find out, as Shane Beamer enters a hot seat season with both QB LaNorris Sellers and EDGE Dylan Stewart returning for another season. I could also make you a compelling argument that this team wasn’t actually bad last season, just losers of a lot of close games. 

20. Houston

Count me in as a believer in Willie Fritz. He wins wherever he goes. And this season at Houston, he’s got a returning starter at QB with Conner Weigman and his top target in Amare Thomas. We’ll find out a lot about this team when they head to Lubbock in Week 3. 

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Top 21-25

21. Penn State

Incoming coach Matt Campbell decided to import almost his entire team from Iowa State to Happy Valley, including QB Rocco Becht, RB Carson Hansen, and WR Chase Sowell. I’m not sure how that’s going to play in the Big Ten, but the Nittany Lions drew a schedule that avoids Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana. They might not even be good and finish 10-2. 

22. Florida

Jon Sumrall takes over as head coach of the Gators this season, which, in my opinion, is a massive upgrade over Billy Napier. Even under Napier, this was a team whose talent level gave them the ceiling to beat LSU and Texas over the last two seasons. And Sumrall is a guy who is going to get the most out of that talent. 

23. Louisville

I have the Cardinals as the second-best team in the ACC behind Miami. I trust Jeff Brohm to field a quality offense. Heck, he’s had Jack Plummer and Miller Moss looking good these last few seasons. Now he gets Lincoln Kienholz coming in from Ohio State, who was a highly-touted recruit who was narrowly beat out by Julian Sayin for the starting job last season. 

24. Kansas State

If anyone can get the best out of an athletic, talented, limited-passing QB, it’s new Kansas State Head Coach Collin Klein. And that’s exactly what he’s working with in three-year starter Avery Johnson. Decent returns on the offensive and defensive lines should produce a team that can own the line of scrimmage in the Big 12. 

25. Iowa

Death, taxes, and Kirk Ferentz getting to 8 wins. He’s done so in every full-length season since 2014. We could see either Hank Brown or Jeremy Hecklinski under center for the Hawkeyes this season, but the QB position really hasn’t moved the needle very much for a program that has an identity built around defensive and special teams domination. 

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