Happy September everyone! A new college football season is upon us, and after a brief appetizer of games in Week Zero we have our first full slate coming up! But first let’s go over what’s new headed into this season.
Coaching Carousel
Yep, it never stops. So here are some of the new faces in new places:
No need to rehash all the Lane Kiffin drama, but he’s now in Baton Rouge and will lead his LSU Tigers into Oxford for a Week 3 matchup against his former Ole Miss team, who are now led by Lane’s former defensive coordinator, Pete Golding.
Penn State pulled the plug on the James Franklin era by hiring Iowa State’s Matt Campbell. Franklin, meanwhile, will try to reboot a Virginia Tech program that has fallen hard over the past decade.
Former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham stepped down from the post he held for 22 seasons, then went to Ann Arbor to take over a scandal-ridden Michigan program. His replacement in SLC was longtime defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley.
And of course there’s no lack of hot seats headed into 2026; including the likes of Mike Norvell at Florida State, Lincoln Riley at USC, and The Hoodie himself at UNC, though Belichick may have temporarily silenced some critics Saturday with a surprising win over TCU in Dublin.
Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Wel-come Baaaaack
No idea if any of you are old enough to get that reference (ask John Travolta if not).
Anyway, the Pac-12 has emerged from its two-year stasis and is back in business, albeit with a much different, slimmed-down look. They are now firmly among the “Group of” conferences, but considering how things looked after ten of its former members announced they were leaving town, it’s still a remarkable comeback story. Holdovers Oregon State and Washington State brought on the biggest names in the Mountain West (Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State), tacked on Texas State from the Sun Belt and….well, maybe call it the Pac-12 State conference.
The Playoff, Explained (Again)
The College Football Playoff stays at 12 teams for a third straight year after the Big Ten and SEC couldn’t agree on expanding it — the Big Ten wants 24 teams, the SEC wants 16, and neither side is budging yet. There is one meaningful tweak, though: the conference champions from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC are now guaranteed spots no matter how they’re ranked, and Notre Dame gets an automatic bid if it finishes in the top 12. The top three seeds will also get to pick which New Year’s Six bowl hosts their quarterfinal game, rather than following the old conference tie-ins. Small print, but it could tilt the scale in a close matchup come December.
My Preseason Top 10
1. Ohio State — The Buckeyes are the overwhelming preseason No. 1, and after coming up short in the semifinal last year, the pieces are in place to close the deal for the second time in three years.
2. Georgia — Kirby Smart’s program is a fixture at the top, and once again the Bulldogs look built to make a deep run.
3. Oregon — Quarterback Dante Moore returns with plenty of weapons and arguably the best defensive line in the country. The OL is a bit of a question, but the bigger one is if they’ll finally get over the playoff hump.
4. Notre Dame — CJ Carr is back at quarterback, the defense is stacked at linebacker and in the secondary, and the schedule sets up kindly, with only two preseason-ranked opponents all year.
5. Indiana — Curt Cignetti’s group went a stunning 16-0 last season, but they begin the defense of their title without a lot of players from last year — including star quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who has moved on to the NFL, leaving TCU transfer Josh Hoover under center.
6. Texas — The Longhorns remain in the championship conversation as one of the SEC’s flagship programs. Arch Manning is back and ready to prove he is among the elite QBs in the sport.
7. Miami — Mario Cristobal keeps reloading at quarterback, this time with Duke transfer Darian Mensah, who set single-season passing records before a legal tug-of-war over his commitment finally landed him in Coral Gables.
8. Texas A&M — With a roster built around last year’s playoff run, Texas A&M should be squarely in the SEC and CFP conversation — but with the conference as loaded as ever, they’ll need to prove that breakthrough was real progress and not a one-year peak.
9. Ole Miss — After taking over the program for their CFP run to the semifinal, now Pete Golding must show he truly belongs. Having QB Trinidad Chambliss back certainly helps.
10. Oklahoma — The Sooners come off a CFP appearance a year ago, and look like a legitimate playoff contender again — though as always in the Brent Venables era, the real question is whether the offense can find enough juice to match a great defense.
Boise State at No. 2 Oregon — 3:30pm ET, CBS
Line: Oregon -24.5, O/U 51.5
Two years ago these teams met in Eugene and the Ducks needed a last-second field goal to pull out a win. Oregon would go on to an undefeated regular season and Big Ten championship, while the Broncos made the playoff as the #3 seed.
It’s evident the pundits and Vegas don’t think quite as highly of Boise State this time. That narrow loss in ’24 was a big reason they made the playoff and notched the higher seed. A competitive showing this time around will help them get back. With QB Maddux Madsen back they should be better than last year’s 9-5 team, but their offensive line has a very tough task ahead of them against an elite Ducks defensive front. And while the Broncos have a pretty good D-line themselves, I’m not sure they can hold up for four quarters against Oregon’s offense. The Ducks should win more comfortably this time, but I think the spread is too large.
Oregon win/Boise State cover
Clemson at No. 11 LSU — 7:30pm ET, ABC
Line: LSU -10, O/U 50.5
It’s Lane Kiffin’s LSU debut, and he’s doing it against the guy who’s the closest thing college football has to an opposing ideology — Dabo Swinney. Kiffin built his reputation on aggressive, high-tempo offense and aggressive roster construction through the portal, including new starting QB Sam Leavitt (Arizona State). Swinney has ignored the massive changes the sport has seen and still does things his way — developmental recruiting, program continuity, and most notably eschewing the transfer portal.
For the first time since 2023, the Tigers have a new man under center, Christopher Vizzina, who has one career start and 64 pass attempts in four years at Clemson — and once again Swinney went internal rather than dip into the portal for more experience. Vizzina will be walking into one of the loudest true road environments in the country for his first season-opening start. That’s a tough ask even for an experienced QB.
LSU win/cover
No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss — (Sunday @ Nashville, TN) 7:30pm ET, ABC
Line: Ole Miss -6.5, O/U 55.5
This is year one of the full Pete Golding era after he took over after the regular season and promptly led the Rebels to the playoff semifinal. Golding inherits a loaded, veteran roster — quarterback Trinidad Chambliss returns after that CFP run, and running back Kewan Lacy and linebacker Suntarine Perkins headline a staff stacked with Mississippi natives and former Rebels. The pressure here isn’t about talent; it’s about whether Golding can be his own man after inheriting Lane Kiffin’s machine
Jeff Brohm is in year four, has never won fewer than nine games at Louisville, and has quietly built one of the best programs in the ACC. The running game should again be one of the best in the country: Isaac Brown averaged an absurd 8.8 yards per carry a year ago, and paired with power back Keyjuan Brown, this backfield could approach 2,000 combined rushing yards. The question mark is quarterback, where Brohm is breaking his own pattern. His last three transfer starters (Jack Plummer, Tyler Shough, Miller Moss) all arrived with significant starting experience. The guy this year, Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz, has thrown only 36 college passes. He brings more athleticism and dual-threat ability than any Brohm quarterback yet, but he’s stepping into his first career start in prime time against a CFP-tested SEC defense.
Ole Miss win/cover
College Football Analyst
Mike is a Baltimore native living in Portland, OR since 2007. He currently runs his own business specializing in video production and online marketing. Prior to that he was a legal technology consultant, worked for 9 years at Johns Hopkins University and served 6 years in the Air Force. He also enjoys travel, food, beer, and is a volunteer at the Oregon Humane Society.