I've tried to avoid this. I don't want to put Georgia at number 1, it feels like I'm throwing my hands up and punting on this one. But this feels like the year Kirby reminds us just how great of a coach he is. Yes, the last two seasons have ended with SEC championships and thuds in the playoffs. So I'm predicting the opposite this year, these dawgs may not win the SEC, but they're going to do serious damage in the CFP. It starts with a gutsy leader at QB, and Gunner Stockton has proven himself to be just that. The 4th down throw vs Tennessee last year was one of the most impressive I've ever seen. This Dawg run game will be fixed, the OL has the parts and just needs to gel together enough to make room for a very deep stable of RB's lead by Nate Frazier, Dante Dowdell (UK) & Chauncey Bowens. The defense was young last year and returns a ton for DC Glenn Schumann to work with. Just look at the now sophomore class on defense with guys like DE Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, DT Elijah Griffin & CB Ellis Robinson IV, these guys were just scratching the surface while learning how to navigate around campus last fall. WR is the question, which it seemingly always is in Athens, but I'll trust that Kirby & Bobo will have a solution from talented WR + TE rooms, along with portal add Isaiah Canion (GT). I thought Georgia was a year away last year, and I saw nothing to lower those expectations. They aren't the death star Georgia of old, but I just like this recipe of roster & staff too much, so they're my top dawg.

THIS... is me punting. I'm not doubting Curt Cignetti again, I've seen two seasons of his work at this level and he's gone 27-2 with losses at Ohio State and Notre Dame, over 13 months ago. Admittedly I have my doubts about this lofty ranking, the magical Hoosiers have lost a lot of what made them so special in 2025. They've also added some great new players like QB Josh Hoover, RB Turbo Richard, WRs Nick Marsh & Shazz Preston to go with CFP hero Charlie Becker. They have guys like DT Tyrique Tucker, LBs Rolijah Hardy & Isaiah Jones and S Amare Ferrell all back from an undefeated unit, while adding in new portals to fill needs. You get the point. Lane Kiffin may call himself the 'Portal King', so I guess that makes Cignetti the 'Portal Emperor' because he's actually winning hardware. And this year he only needed to add 17, rather than the 23 or 30 he's added from the previous cycles. That tells me this new Hoosier football program is stabilizing, and filling needs rather than entire units now. My main question is can they field another team that is as buttoned up as I've ever seen, they don't turn the ball over, they don't commit penalties, they don't beat themselves and they are tougher than a three dollar steak. Cignetti and his staff have proven to me they are capable of magic, and I'm not betting against them. But if they do this again in 2026 I'm accusing them of witchcraft.

The upcoming 2026 season is already being labeled as the Irish revenge tour in South Bend. 'Leave no doubt' is a mantra that Freeman has already added to the program lexicon. Notre Dame even fully entered the new world by adding seven underclassmen in the transfer portal after years of taking mostly graduates. They outbid Ohio State for two of their own WRs, and despite fielding one of the best secondaries in CFB, they added two big CB's in the portal just to ensure those cute late Stanford TDs turn into balls hitting the dirt. Right or wrong they were left at the alter last year and they are using that as fuel to build for a run this fall. As for the roster, it starts with rising star QB CJ Carr, the long thought missing piece of a true national title contender at Notre Dame. Their defense should be the one of CFBs very best as they have more talent, experience and production than most coming into 2026. They also have veterans and leaders all over the field to pair with the depth to deal with a deep playoff run. They are unproven at RB, but they have five blue chip prospects that have waited for the likes of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to get out of their way. They have WRs Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse returning and they've added a gaggle of talent to fill the route tree. They've signed their top recruiting class since the days of Lou Holtz. The schedule is bad, there's no getting around that. Games at BYU & vs SMU will be tests and they will fight a war with Miami when they come to South Bend in early November. Outside of that it will be carnage, ND will likely be accused of running up scores and it will infuriate the masses. ND and their fans will not care. Pulling punches last year wasn't the reason they were sitting at home in December, but it also didn't help. Anger, revenge, redemption... pick your mantra, this is an angry football program and the only question I have is just how far they will go in January.

The Buckeyes spent 2025 in 3rd gear while we all waited to see what they were capable of when they were tested. Turns out it was 3rd gear all along, which was quite shocking. They scored 10 points in a loss to IU in the B1G championship then followed that with just 14 points in a playoff loss to Miami. Was OC Brian Hartline too busy starting his South Florida job early? Whatever the case, the 2026 Buckeyes return almost everything on offense starting with the best player in CFB once again in WR Jeremiah Smith. QB Julian Sayin wasn't perfect in his debut season, but he was the most accurate QB in all of CFB, and would have been for the past 3 seasons as well. They return RB Bo Jackson and 4 starters from their offensive line. They do have some rebuilding to do on the other side of the ball, but I can't even recall the last Ohio State defense that wasn't dominant so I'm don't plan on seeing one this fall. I didn't like the DC hire of Matt Patricia as I don't trust NFL guys that come to CFB, and he proved me very wrong. I equally don't like the new OC hire of Arthur Smith, but I'm sure he'll prove me wrong too. He'd have to be truly awful to mess up this offense anyway. The vibes around Ryan Day will seemingly always feel strange, but he's a tremendous coach who's 82-12 in seven seasons. And he's got two game films that are going to burn holes in his soul for seven months. This is another program that is going to use last year's ending as offseason fuel and look primed to make a run this fall.

For those of you hoping the Red Raiders of 2025 was a one act play, let me prepare you for utter dissapointment. This team is likely going 12-0, or 11-1 at worst. Some of that has to do with a schedule that makes Notre Dame's look like they're playing the NFC North. It's going to be a huge talking point this fall, especially with the SEC going to a nine game conference schedule. The Red Raiders play a road schedule against teams that went a combined 18-43 last season. Most of their opponents with a pulse have to come to the dust fields of west Texas. And they also learned from their 2025 season, the offense wasn't capable of taking them where they plan on going. So they signed QB Brendan Sorsby and 4 really good WRs in this years portal to pair with the best duo of RBs in the Big 12 in Cameron Dickey & J'Koby Williams. The OL returns 3 starters and they signed another in the portal. They lost most of their tremendous DL so they went and signed 7 top portals to replace them. Lost all-everything LB Jacob Rodriguez and responded by taking Austin Romaine from Kansas State. Heard enough yet? I'm still not sold on HC Joey McGuire, but he's hired one of the best OC/DC combos in CFB and he's got a roster that's loaded once again. And this time their QB won't be arm punting in January.

All aboard the Arch Manning hype train? The Longhorns are already a preseason darling, and we're all going to get sick of hearing about Texas by the summer. So let me give you non Texas fans the good news first, I'm still unsure if they've actually fixed the biggest issue on this team, the Offensive Line. On paper they return a lot, and signed a lot. But they were not up to the task for most of last year, and while Melvin Siani (Wake) is a tremendous portal sign, the other adds are from Western Kentucky, Oregon State, New Mexico and a Soph from Texas A&M that played 7 snaps last year. The rest of this team is absolutely loaded. They jettisoned half of their RB room to make way to sign Raleek Brown (ASU) and Hollywood Smoothers (NC St). They love WR Ryan Wingo, so they got him a new friend in Cam Coleman (Aub) to top off a room full of talent. The defense will be just as dominant as last year, with a DE/LB combo better than most everyone in CFB with guys like Colin Simmons and new LB Rasheem Biles (Pitt). They already have one great CB in Graceson Littleton, so they signed Bo Mascoe, a top corner from Rutgers. Oh and they have a world of young talent just waiting to take the jobs of anyone not quite motivated enough. I absolutely hate the hire of Will Muschamp, and don't understand sticking with OC Kyle Flood after years of an inconsistent offense. But beyond the staff, the Offensive Line is the only reason I don't have Texas in my top 5. The projected record is low because the schedule is loaded with road trips to Tennessee (SEC #7), Missouri (SEC #6), LSU (SEC #4) and A&M (SEC #3) to go with games against Ohio State, Oklahoma and Ole Miss.

Those thinking the Hurricanes would step back from the spotlight after a tremendous run to the national championship in 2025 will be disappointed. Yes, Miami loses the terrorist group known as defensive ends Rueben Bain and Ahkim Mesidor, along with veteran QB Carson Beck. Their answer, sign Mizzu DE Damon Wilson and actually upgrade at QB with Duke's QB Darian Mensah, in rather dramatic portal fashion. RB Mark Fletcher is back, along with good stable of depth. The OL is the big question having to replace 3 starters, but Christobal has stacked the roster with talent like incoming freshman Jackson Cantwell, a #1 recruit according to some. They have a good & talented rotation at defensive tackle and a very experienced secondary. Getting linebacker Mohamed Toure back was huge for a room that needs time to rebuild. The Canes got a taste of the college football playoff life, and they're coming for more in 2026. Christobal famously hates the 'Miami is back' talk so I'll rephrase it, Miami has blown past everyone in the ACC in terms of talent aquisition, and once again stands among the nations elite. It's just a word salad that means The U is Back.

What are we supposed to think of Oregon? They have run roughshod over the Big Ten, going 26-3 since joining, but have exited the last two CFPs in blowout fashion. To be fair, the Ducks have run into the eventual national champion both times, and they did get two CFP wins before bowing out last season. Will this year look different with staff changes at both coordinator positions? Both OC Drew Mehringer and DC Chris Hampton are in house hires so I'm going to reserve judgement on both, although HC Dan Lanning has proven time and again he can build a staff and a roster. QB Dante Moore is back, and the Ducks have convinced another talented QB to be a backup and learn in Dylan Raiola (Neb). I may not be a believer in Raiola, but that's likely 2027s problem. The RB room is still stacked with the talented duo of Jordon Davidson and Dierre Hill Jr. The WR room is loaded if Evan Stewart can come back from missing '25 and pair w/ phenom Dakorien Moore & TE Jamari Johnson. The Offensive line will need some time but has the parts. The defense is loaded with talent & returning starters to go with portal boosts like safety Koi Perich (Minn). The pass rush is fearsome with DE/LBs Matayo Uiagalelei & Teitum Tuioti and the secondary features one of the best CBs in Brandon Finney Jr coming off a tremendous freshman debut. Lanning has built Oregon into a powerhouse and I'm betting that they are going to run all the way to a National Championship under his watch. He's got another strong case with this 2026 squad.

Stop me if you've heard this one before, Lane Kiffin has built a tremendous roster out of the transfer portal. This time it's in Baton Rouge, who decided three years of Brian Kelly was enough. The transition from Ole Miss was ugly/awkward/dramatic in true Kiffin style, but he's here now and he's brought OC Charlie Weis Jr and retained DC Blake Baker. The QB position is settled with Sam Leavitt (ASU), a talented backup in Husan Longstreet (USC) or perhaps another FCS gem in Landen Clark (Elon)? I have some questions at RB with Caden Durham & Harlem Berry here, as they didn't exactly light the world on fire last year. But I believe most of those troubles were the fault of terrible OL, so Kiffin went and signed seven of them, three of them full time starters. There's still work to be done here, but they are cooking with much better ingredients. And then there are the weapons at WR & TE, in which they've added 12 new options to the mix highlighted by Eugene Wilson III (Florida) and returning freakazoid TE Trey'Dez Green. It's a Kiffin/Weis offense, it's going to be good. The defense was great last year under Baker, and the Tigers have added seven starters via the portal here (of 11 players) to fill in the gaps. The highlights here are a tremendous DE combo of Jack Pyburn & Princewill Umanmielen, one of CFBs best LB corps with TJ Dottery (Ole Miss) & Whit Weeks and a pair of CBs in PJ Woodland & DJ Pickett. It's a Blake Baker defense, I trust it will be good as well. Add it all up and you've got the Bayou Bengals looking to claw their way back up the SEC standings. The SEC opener is at Kiffins-ex Ole Miss, a game that will feed families.

Oklahoma's 2025 season felt like a high wire act that was bound to end in bloodshed, and ultimately did so in a home CFP loss to Alabama after blowing a 17-0 lead. QB John Mateer was both brilliant and frustrating most of the season, while carrying an entire offense on his back with a broken thumb. It's not surprising that a Brent Venables was lead by a great defense, but it was quite amazing just how far they carried such a bad offense. The Sooners could not run the ball, and seemed to get worse throughout the year. That same mess of an offensive line is mostly back this year, although the Sooners added 2 more starters via the portal. RBs Tory Blaylock and Xavier Robinson are back as well, although it's still a question how effective they can be. One weapon that can't be questioned is WR Isaiah Sategna who was brilliant at the most crucial of times last year. OU added three portal WR's & three TE's to try and boost this passing game in the fall. The Sooner defense returns 7 with starting experience, and added 4 more starters via the portal. This unit will once again be dominant, as the DL and the Secondary are loaded with monsters like DT David Stone, DE Taylor Wein, CB Courtland Guillory and S Peyton Bowen. The LB corp has some searching to do outside of Kip Lewis, but there's more than enough talent to make that happen. It's all about this offense, can OC Ben Arbuckle raise this group in his 2nd year (and 3rd with QB Mateer)? Can OU finally field a competent offensive line? If these questions find good answers, the Sooners are going to threaten the CFP again. If not, there are seven toss-up games coming this fall that could sink this ship fast.

The 2026 BYU Cougars seemed prime to break through the ceiling that's been put on the new Big 12. That's the hope at least, because there's been room for only one team in this conference for the CFP each year and Texas Tech plays a schedule full of tasty treats. BYU has gone 23-4 these past two seasons, and this year they rank #2 in returning production on a team that barely missed the big dance. They have QB Bear Bachmeier returning after playing some good football in a 'you need to start immediately' freshman season. RB LJ Martin is one of the top backs in all of college football and has a chance to leave BYU as their all time leading rusher. TE Walker Lyons is a good building block for the passing game, but WR Parker Kingston being kicked out of school really hurts the entire offense. There's a lot of depth in the WR waiting to step up and produce and now at least one or two of them will need to be on an accelerated timeline. The OL has four back with starting experience and the Cougars added two more via the portal. The defense, however, is where BYU really stands out. It starts with a pair of CBs in Evan Johnson and Therrian Alexander III that are one of the best duos in all of CFB. The defensive line is 2nd in the B12 only to Texas Tech and they have a trio of veteran starting LBs lead by Isaiah Glasker & Cade Uluave (Cal). They are breaking in new DC Kelly Poppinga, but should have a full month to get the kinks worked out. With this veteran defense I doubt it will take that long. BYU also gets a big shot at national attention when Notre Dame comes to Provo in mid-October. And if things to as planned, they'll get their revenge shot at Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship.

And here we go again with Lincoln Riley, who's done little since Caleb Williams first season in LA to merit a preseason ranking this high. But walk this one out with me... QB Jayden Maiava is back for his 3rd season with Riley, and third season as a full time starting QB. The Trojans found themselves a really good RB in King Miller after a breakout freshman season, and Waymond Jordan is a really good #2 to have. The offensive line improved last year and returns 3 full time starters and 3 part time starters. They've added veteran defensive coordinator Gary Patterson to oversee what should be an improved defense. USC has the most experienced defensive line in the P4 lead by DE Kameryn Fountain, and they've added 2 starters via the portal in DE Zuriah Fisher (Penn St) & DT Alex VanSumeren (Mich St). The secondary should also improve with CB Marcelles Williams having a decent freshman season and Jontez Williams, a veteran shutdown CB from Iowa State on the other side. The Trojans have added the #1 recruiting class in the country, with at least a few of them capable of taking some jobs this fall. The schedule is daunting, with Oregon & Ohio State coming to LA and trips to Indiana & Penn State. But Riley has used up all of the patience of a fanbase starving for a playoff bid and he's jettisoned the greatest intersectional rivalry in CFB by getting the Notre Dame game off of the schedule. I don't know if he has to make the CFP to cool down his seat, but if he'll be asking for patience at another school in '27 if this ends in another 9-4 season.

Last November A&M was 11-0 and looking like a force into the college football playoffs. They then lost to Texas to finish the regular season and were bodied by a Miami defense to exit the CFP with a home loss. QB Marcel Reed, who was getting Heisman attention, finished those games with 0 TDs and 4 Ints, the last of which a back breaker against the Hurricanes. So, what's next for the Aggies? Well QB Reed is back for his 3rd season, as is RB Rueben Owens & WRs Mario Craver and Ashton Bethel-Roman. Oh and they added WR Isaiah Horton from Alabama, as well as some key pieces along the offensive line and the defense. That OL has 4 projected starters from the portal, but outside of Wilkin Formby (Bama) there are some questions. The defense also has questions but does feature a solid secondary with CB Dezz Ricks and a good duo at safety in Marcus Ratcliffe & Dalton Brooks. The DL will feature 5 portal adds to pair with the likes of DE TJ Searcy and DT DJ Hicks. There's also a new pair of coordinators, first in OC Holmon Wiggins (Co OC LY) who will be calling plays for the first time and DC Elijah Robinson who's last season was overseeing a dreadful Syracuse defense. But I trust Mike Elko enough to rank them here, despite the questions I have and a schedule that will feature road games at LSU, Mizzu, Alabama & Oklahoma.

Michigan football is once again turning to a new era, after the Sherrone Moore fiasco ended in scandal and handcuffs. In comes Kyle Whittingham, because apparently there is no god, or at least he/she doesn't care about CFB. In all seriousness, Whittingham is a tremendous hire for one of the most storied programs in our beloved sport. He takes over a Michigan team that somehow won nine games while being run like a side piece in 2025. He's brought in a brilliant pair of coordinators in OC Jason Beck and DC Jay Hill. Beck will get to run his creative offense with a 2nd year starter at QB in phenom Bryce Underwood. He's got a proven RB in Jordan Marshall along with a top incoming recruit in 5* Savion Hiter. WR is seemingly always a question in Ann Arbor and this year is no different, but Michigan can build around Andrew Marsh, who had a breakout freshman season last year. What is behind him is a whole lot of not a clue, although former Utah TE JJ Buchanan sure seams like a nice safety blanket. The offensive line returns two solid starters at tackle and one a guard which seems more than enough to build a good unit. The defense has a lot more to replace, so Michigan added 9 portals including 4 who started for Whittingham's defense last year at Utah. DE John Henry Daley & CB Smith Snowden are big upgrades, and along with Jyaire Hill give Michigan a great looking pair of corners. The schedule is quite nasty with home games vs Oklahoma & Indiana and trips to Oregon & Ohio State in November. But this Michigan team will be an improvement over last year and it will be interesting to see how the offense progresses with Beck & Underwood.

The Vols are the first team to drop in my preseason rankings due to Joey Aguilar unable to get his waiver to play this fall. That means the starting QB will likely be either sophomore George MacIntyre or true freshman Faizon Brandon. I can't pretend to know if either can be an effective QB in 2026, but I certainly have more questions, because if Tennessee were truly confident in either option they wouldn't have gone after multiple portal QBs while also trying to get Aguilar another year of eligibility. Outside of the now big question at QB, this team does return a whole lot while also adding new DC Jim Knowles to fix a defense that fell off a cliff last year. Knowles did bring with him four of Penn State's top defenders to help with the transition, including DE Chaz Coleman, the #1 defensive player in this year's transfer portal. On offense, RB DeSean Bishop returns with his 1,000 yds and 16 TDs, and they've brought in Javin Gordon after he burst on the scene at Tulane last year with over 500 yards. The WR duo of Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley are possibly tops in the SEC, and 5* all everything WR Tristen Keys will likely join in on the fun along with TE Ethan Davis. The offensive line is possibly the best in all of CFB, as Tennessee started two freshman at OT last year and two sophomores in the interior, and return all 5 starters this fall. There's a ton to like about this offense if the Vols can get the QB situation squared away by the time they get into SEC play in late September. The defensive line gets two Penn State upgrades to form a really good starting lineup, and there are some uber talents behind them fighting for playing time. There are six linebackers with starting experience and the Vols added eight (8!) to a secondary that went from liability to really good on paper quickly. It will take time to gel, which was an issue for Knowles last year in Happy Valley. This is a very talented and good looking team, and if either QB burst onto the scene this fall the Vols are going to be a contender in the SEC. The Vols famously did not beat a team in 2025 that had a winning record, I don't see that as being a problem this fall.

Missouri is an interesting team on paper, and I'm not still not quite sure of what to think of them. Eliah Drinkwitz is a really good coach that's been underrated during his time here. But the Tigers are coming off an 8-5 year in which they finished 3-5, and did not beat a team with a winning record. They also hired OC Chip Lindsey for reasons I don't understand, as he has been the definition of the OC you bring in when you're about to get fired. Drink is usually a great staff builder, which is why this really puzzles me. None the less, the Tigers start with RB Ahmad Hardy, one of the best backs in the country, and they also bring back Jammal Roberts and his 750 yards last year. They've also added an interesting FCS back in Xai'Shaun Edwards who had 1,000 yards himself at Houston Christian, creating quite a stable to feed this fall. At QB my guess is they are going to start Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons, who now famously lost his job to Trinadad Chambliss. The Tigers also have Matt Zollers who played well in 2025 but was injured not long after he got the job. The WR will be mostly new, but another Ole Miss transfer in Cayden Lee is a great place to start along with others that have good production and experience. The OL looks in really good shape starting with All American OT Cayden Green to go with 4 others with good starting experience. The defense was good/not great last year and needs to find replacements along the line and at CB, but will have a tremedous LB corp in Josiah Trotter & Nicholas Rodriguez to build around. The schedule is manageable early which should provide a good on ramp in September. This is a good looking team with the potential to have a powerful running game that will be playing big games against the likes of Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma in November.

Ole Miss had a breakout season in 2025 running all the way to the CFP semifinals all while dealing with the fallout of Lane Kiffin's dramatic exit in December. DC turned head coach Pete Golding will begin his first regular season with two playoff wins on his resume, quite the way to start his career. The OC is now John David Baker who comes off a couple of good years drawing up plays at East Carolina to pair with DC Patrick Toney who's bounced between Billy Napiers staffs at ULL & UF and the NFL. The first order of business is to determine if last year's hero QB Trinidad Chambliss will be able to join in the fun, as his now famous case vs the NCAA drags on. They've added journeyman Walker Howard and Auburn transfer Deuce Knight as insurance policies. They are set at RB with Kewan Lacy, likely the top back in all of CFB, along with Miss St transfer Makhi Frazier & freshman phenom Damarius Yates. They have a stable of portal WRs that look like a good unit and will get TE Luke Hasz back from injury. The OL returns 3 starters on the interior but will need to find replacements at tackle out of the 4 portals they've added. The front seven has some big time pieces to build around like DE Kam Franklin, DT Will Echoles and LB Suntarine Perkins. The Rebels have a good looking pair of CBs and took 4 starting safeties out of the portal headlined by Edwin Joseph of Florida St. Ole Miss will need to gel fast to prepare for a September slate that includes Louisville, a war with LSU and a trip to Gainesville. The schedules not all bad though as they only play four total road games, and only two after week six.

It's been a very long time since Alabama was this far down a preseason rating list, and for good reason. The Tide were a good football team that got worse as the 2025 season rolled on, so much so that the big story in December was if HC Kalen DeBoer was going to take the emergency exit to Ann Arbor. Unfortunately for some the only ones that didn't notice where on the CFP committee who were too busy lauding Bama's 17-0 start vs Auburn (which they blew), dramatic 4th down calls and praising a run game that was the worst seen in Tuscaloosa in over 20 years. But that was last year, so what does Bama have in store for us this fall? In short, a whole lot of questions. It starts at QB, although either one of Austin Mack or phenom Keelon Russell are going to be good once they get their chance. The WR trio of Ryan Williams, Lotzier Brooks and Noah Rogers will see to it the passing game should be feared, although Williams play fell off a cliff last year for reasons that are still puzzling. The RB room is both extremely unproductive while also being extremely talented, as the leading returner is Daniel Hill with his 284 yards and 3.8 ypc. That's mostly due to an OL that was a disaster last fall, and doesn't return or add a lot of reps this year outside of a transfer center from Cal Poly? There's certainly talent here, and it will be up to new OL coach Adrian Klemm to bring back a standard up front. The defense up front will feature a host of portals along with a DE/LB group that looks formidable. The secondary is dripping with experienced & productive 5 star talent in guys like CB Zabien Brown & Dijon Lee Jr plus Safeties Keon Sabb & Bray Hubbart. The Tide will almost assuredly start 5-0 before a back half slate that features toss up games in 6 of 7 contests, although the Iron Bowl is at home and that's usually a good sign. Is this a CFP team? I'm not sure, but despite my cracks, I think DeBoer is a good coach with a good staff around him and a roster that is still full of the kind of talent to win big.

This one could be a regrettable prediction. Don't get me wrong, I think Jedd Fisch is a good coach, and he's assembled a good staff that is building the Huskies seemingly on schedule. But the on field leader, QB Demond Williams, famously tried to exit to Baton Rouge during a memorial ceremony for a member of the women's soccer team. It was as bad a look as you will see, so much so that Williams was called out publically by Fisch's own wife. I just don't see how you lead a team after something like that, but I guess we're about to find out. Williams is a really talented QB and without all this drama is one of the best in the Big Ten. He's still got WR Dezmen Reobuck and TE Decker DeGraaf in his route tree to build around with a number of talented options. RB is a real question here as either Jordan Washington or Oregon portal Jayden Limar will take over in the backfield. The offensive line is really good with 4 starters back to anchor this offense. The front seven of the defense returns almost everyone from a decent unit, although the Huskies need to find a pass rush. The secondary was a weakness last year, and adding UVA CB Emmanuel Karnley should provide leadership to pair with Rahshawn Clark who's coming off a very productive freshman season. The safety duo of Alex McLaughlin and Rylon Dillard-Allen is a good safety net as well. The schedule features three trips to the midwest in a month, but Purdue, Nebraska and Michigan State are not a murderers row. But they are between trips to USC and Oregon, and the Huskies host Iowa, Penn St and Indiana as well (and don't sleep on a visit by Minnesota in late Sept). On paper this is a good football team, but the vibes department is where my head still drifts to with all the Williams drama.

SMU had a strange, inconsistent 2025 following their CFP crash in '24. They were good, maddeningly inconsistent but still managed 9 wins and rose their ACC record to 14-3 since joining the now odd conglomerate. Looking forward this fall, HC Rhett Lashlee has promoted Rob Likens to OC and first time play caller after Casey Woods left to take the Missouri State headset. He'll have a 3rd year starting QB in Kevin Jennings, an exciting gunslinger that desperately needs to stop throwing to the other team so much (24 Int in past two years). He'll have a new weapon in Yannick Smith (ECU portal) who comes with a big frame and a lofty rating. He'll pair with Yamir Knight & Jalen Cooper to give the Mustangs a good trio to work with. The RBs will be Kendrick Raphael (Cal portal) along with a couple of talented sophomores running behind an OL that has 3 fulltime starters back on a good unit. The defensive line has some questions that hopefully 4 portal adds will help answer. The LB corp is strong lead by Brandon Booker, Alexander Kilgore and Brandon Miyazono. The secondary also looks good with CBs Jarvis Lee (S Florida) & Marcellus Barnes to pair with two more that have starting experience and good production. The schedule starts early with big ACC matchups at Florida State in week one and at Louisville in week 3, and finishes strong with games vs Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and at Notre Dame.

I hate myself for this one, I just can't seem to quit Auburn. Like an idiot I had them in last year and they face planted to another 5-7 season. They've hired Alex Golesh from South Florida and while he's certainly an upgrade over Hugh Freeze, is also a coach I've questioned for a few years now. He built South Florida into a really good program but kept dropping games to keep them from any serious contention. So why am I getting right back on this train? For starters I love QB Byrum Brown. He brings nearly 10,000 yards (pass + rush) to the table in his final year of CFB. If he's healthy, he's electric, and he's got an SEC supporting cast now. He's also got OC Joel Gordon with him in their 4th season working together. RB Jeremiah Cobb was one bright spot on a terrible Auburn offense last year, and they've added the lead RBs from Baylor, Troy and South Florida to this loaded backfield. Golesh brought South Florida's top 4 WR to the plains this fall who caught 149 balls for 2,275 yds and 20 TDs last year. They do have to build an entire new OL, but last years was terrible anyway and they've added 8 portals to help sort things out. Ironically, the defense is where most of the Tigers uncertainty comes from this coming year, although retaining DC DJ Durkin should help matters. The DL will be built from 5 portals/depth and they need to find 2 new starting LB's to pair with All American candidate Xavier Atkins. The secondary is more settled with 7 guys having at least some starting experience, and should field a good pair at safety. Add it all up and this years Tigers are going to look the polar opposite of 2025, and should come with more wins. Auburn was an incredible 0-6 in one score games last year, a testimate to the ousted coaching chops of Hugh Freeze.

Iowa State East, AKA the Penn State Nittany Lions, are going to look a whole lot different in 2026. I will miss James Franklin in Happy Valley, as the gambler in me loved his consistency that drove Penn State fans mad and ultimately lead to his firing. Franklin was a really good coach that built Penn St into really good but never great, and I admire their willingness to move on and try something different. In comes Matt Campbell, one of CFB fanatics favorite coaches, for building Iowa State into a fun program for 10 years. Campbell brings both OC Taylor Mouser & QB Rocco Becht, who will be entering their third season working together. He's also brought 23 total transfers from Iowa State to bolster a roster that saw 47 players exit after the coaching change (12 of whom went to Virginia Tech with James Franklin). Becht will have familiar targets in WRs Chase Sowell & Brett Eskildsen along with TEs Benjamin Brahmer & Gabe Burkle, Iowa St's top 4 pass catchers in 2025. The RBs will be Carson Hansen (ISU), James Peoples (Ohio St) to pair with some talented underclassmen. The OL is the biggest mystery on paper, with one starter returning and two from the portal on the interior as the Tackles will need to be addressed. The defense will by lead by former USC DC D'Anton Lynn, who was actually starting to build a respectable unit under Lincoln Riley until Campbell convinced him to come east. There are at least 6 former Cyclones that look to be starters on the Penn St defense, the defensive line being the least experienced. They should have a good pair at CB with Daryus Dixson returning and Miss St portal add Audavion Collins both good players. They'll pair with a duo of safties from... oh you already know, as well as Zion Tracy who's played a lot of good ball already in the Blue & White. It's a roster that is over 50% new with 51 new players to sort out. But it's also a strong looking team with a schedule that, ironically without James Franklin, does not include Ohio State or Oregon. There's a five game on ramp to a home matchup with USC, trips to Michigan and Washington will be tricky, and... well a home matchup with Minnesota who I'm eyeballing as an improved team in 2026. There's a lot of potential wins for Campbell in his first season on this slate.

Did you know that Louisville has won 28 games over the past three seasons? Jeff Brohm is 28-12 since arriving in Derby City which is why I'm inclined to rank the Cardinals despite returning only 7 starters. OC Brian Brohm is a good one, and he'll need to be this year as Louisville has decided to go with an inexperienced QB for the first time in this era. Lincoln Kienholz (Ohio St) wasn't able to beat out Julian Sayin, but he's obviously shown enough for Brohm to give him the keys to this Louisville offense. The WR corps he will be throwing to will also be mostly new, with three portals looking like the starters headlined by Tre Richardson who broke out of nowhere at Vanderbilt last season. They've also added TE Brody Foley (Tulsa), one of the best available in this years portal along with others. The RB room is loaded with talent thanks to Isaac Brown deciding to return along with Keyjuan Brown, the Cards #2 back last season. The OL has four experienced and productive starters (3 via portal) to form what looks to be one of the better units in the ACC. The defense will be under new leadership in former LB coach Mark Ivey, and his first priority must be to find new DTs to pair with a really good duo of Edge rushers in Clev Lubin and AJ Green. LB Antonio Watts is an All American and a great leader for this Cardinal defense. The secondary is another question that will have to be answered by the six portal adds along with standout CB Tayon Holloway. Getting safety Koen Entringer from Iowa is a huge boost that should be pay immediate dividends. The issue is the schedule, as Louisville opens at Ole Miss and plays SMU & Wake Forest before Halloween decorations start showing up in the fall. There are eight games on their slate with projected spreads of a TD or less. But Brohm has earned my trust, and there's a strong running game and enough weapons to play with to continue his winning ways.

Call me crazy, but after pouring over UCLA's roster and their additions via the transfer portal, I see the first real attempt to clone the Cignetti/Indiana plan. And it's again from James Madison, this time in the form of Bob Chesney, another Dukes coach that has won everywhere he has been. The roster has dramatically upgraded with 41 portal additions, a good many of which are experienced and productive players. This is suddenly a veteran team, with a former bluechip prospect Nico Iamaleava at QB who's now surrounded by good weapons and an experienced offensive line. The defense is littered with seniors and depth at almost every position outside of defensive tackle. This formula has worked before, and I'm not saying the Bruins will crash the CFP or even compete in the Big Ten. But this isn't a bottom dweller, and it's not even a cute, scrappy story. This is a team that can, and I think will, do some real damage this season. And when I look at this schedule, no Ohio State, no Indiana and 7 home games that all look gettable, although cross town rival USC will have something to say about that in the finale. Even with last years metrics dragging down their ratings, my projections already think the Bruins most likely record is 6-6. Personally, I think this team can win 9 games, so take your screenshots and talk to me in December.

I've changed the back end of this top 25 multiple times already, and will continue to change things as the offseason progresses. I'm a big fan of Jon Sumrall and think he's a great hire for Florida to change their recent history. I also really like the staff he has built in OC Buster Faulkner (Georgia Tech) and DC Brad White (Kentucky), along with others, notably QB coach Joe Craddock (Tulane OC) and OL coach Phil Trautwein (Penn State). They are betting a lot on QB Aaron Philo (GT) who's only started 3 games in his two seasons in Atlanta, but I trust Faulkner who's been with him his entire career. I love what the Gators have at the skill positions to help ease Philo into his new starting role. RB Jadan Baugh is one of CFBs best backs, and adding London Montgomery (ECU) and Evan Pryor (Cincy) gives Florida a top SEC backfield. WR Vernell Brown was a star from the minute he stepped on campus last fall, and big things are expected from WR Dallas Wilson, another former 5* recruit who missed most of last year with injuries. Adding Eric Singleton (Auburn) to this group, along with others, gives Fauklner a whole lot of fun weapons to play with. The OL is where I'm having the most trouble projecting, the talent is here and Florida does have four with starting experience, but there are only two that I can trust so far. The defense should be one of the better units in the SEC, with 18 guys on this roster that have significant experience playing productive ball. LB Myles Graham and S Bryce Thornton are the headliners that return, while the Gators have added 8 portals to help fill in needs. The pass rush looks in good hands with DEs Jayden Woods & Kamran James to pair with Jax St's Emmanuel Oyebadejo. The schedule, however, could make this ranking look really foolish. The Gators play five road games and a neutral matchup with Georgia in the Cocktail party. Ratings from last year drag down the Gators power ranking, as I only allow for so much in terms of manual tweaking, which results in a 5-7 record projection. I think this team is better than that, and I think they can spring some needed upsets to post a respectable record.

It's a new era in Salt Lake City. For better or worse, the Utes decided that coach in waiting Morgan Scalley (was DC) had waited long enough. They pushed the legendary Kyle Whittingham aside to make way, and this fall we get to see the results. Scalley has hired Kevin McGiven to be his OC after seeing the creative offenses he's run at Utah St and San Jose State. He's tabbed his trusty #2, former LB coach Colton Swan as his defensive coordinator. One thing that won't be new is dynamic QB Devon Dampier, a playmaking mobile threat who is back for his second year starting. He'll be working with a mostly new WR corp, so OC McGiven dipped into his past and added Braden Pegan (Utah St) & Kyri Shoels (SJSU) to help out. RB Wayshawn Parker is back for his third season starting, and Steve Chavez-Soto (SJSU) was brought in to provide depth. The OL is where things get messy, with only 2 starters back and another added via the portal. Could 5* OT Kevlin Obot step in in his first season on campus? The defense has to replace a lot at all three levels and eight portals were brought in to fill gaps, four on the DL and four in the secondary. The top building blocks are LB Johnathan Hall & safety Jackson Bennee both returning, and DE Ethan Day added from North Texas. I originally had the Utes ranked, but there are too many questions for a first time head coach for my liking. It won't surprise me if the Utes end up in the Big 12 title race, but it's hard to project that at this point.

I'm a fan of HC PJ Fleck, he's my kind of goofy CFB coach. He's also a good coach that I think is being overlooked and/or taken for granted. He's coached the Gophers for nine seasons, and they've been bowling seven times. Admittedly he hasn't had a real breakout season since an 11 win team in 2019, and that is likely a big reason he hasn't found a path to bigger job offers. The biggest issue has been a rather stale offense, and I'm not a fan of OC Greg Harbaugh Jr who comes into his 3rd season as OC (or Co-OC). But the Gophers finally look like they have a good QB in Drake Lindsey who's back after a good freshman debut. The hope is that portal WRs like Perry Thompson (Auburn), Noah Jennings (Cincy) and/or Zion Stepteo (Tulsa) can bring more weapons to the route tree in Minneapolis. Getting RB Darius Taylor back for his senior season was a huge retain by this staff, and adding depth via the portal plus two talented looking freshman lead by Ryan Estrada out of Texas can boost this run game even further. The OL has three really experienced and productive starters back to build around. The defense has some really good returning parts to build from like LB Maverick Baranowski, CB John Nestor & S Kerry Brown, although losing Koi Perich to Oregon was a blow not easily replaced. The Gophers also added a couple of good portals on the DL in DTs Xion Chapman (DT) and DE/LB TJ Bush Jr. (Cal). The schedule isn't going to be easy to navigate, but missing Ohio St & Oregon helps. Trips to Wash, Penn St & Indiana are tough but getting games like Michigan, Iowa, UCLA & Miss St at home are winnable. I keep asking myself where can this team go if Lindsey improves by 25%, putting him around 3K and 23 TDs? If the WR adds prove worthy, it's possible, and with a solid run game it would add up to an offense that can actually do some real damage.

QB CJ Bailey returns after a decent 2025 season, and I really like what Doeren & staff did at WR, especially adding Victor Snow out of Buffalo. The OL returns 4 guys with starting experience, and while losing Hollywood Smothers is going to hurt, at least Jayden Scott is back after a strong freshman debut. I have some questions about the front seven, especially after some leaky performances in 2025. The secondary has some work to do but has a good looking duo at safety in Asaad Brown and King Mack (via Penn St). Opening vs Virginia in Brazil and going to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt in week 3 means the Wolfpack need to come out of the gate swinging. But the back half of the schedule shows NC State likely favored in every game past mid October.

To be fair, I'm not sure about Virginia with 29 portal adds, a lot of them looking like starters on defense. But like last year, the Cavs schedule is simply weak, and will give them plenty of time to work out the kinks of building a lot that's new on both sides of the ball. QB Beau Pribula is coming off an ugly injury last season at Mizzouri, but will be needed for UVA to reach their goals (Eli Holstein is QB2, I'm not a fan). The most proven unit on the roster is the offensive line, which is a great place to start. There are proven weapons on the roster, but most of them are new to Charlottesville. The defense has nice portal pieces and will field a good (or better) front seven, although I do have questions about their options at corner. Head coach Tony Elliot did a great job getting off the hot seat last year and making the ACC Championship. Now he needs to build on that momentum to try and continue to sieze upon an ACC that is a real mess in the 4-17 range.

Here's another attempt at a G6 import into the P4, with Eric Morris bringing a whole lot of North Texas to Stillwater, Oklahoma. Starting with his coordinators, OC Sean Brophy was the QB coach for the Mean Green and DC Skyler Cassity was the DC for the past two seasons. He's also brought in 16 portals from North Texas, including 12 starters. The good news is 6 of them are on offense, which was a top five offense in all of CFB last year. QB Drew Mestemaker famously did not even start for his own high school team, but threw for 4300 yds and 34 TDs in his freshman season under Morris. RB Caleb Hawkins rushed for 1400 yds and a staggering 25 TDs, WRs Wyatt Young & Miles Coleman combined for 117 rec, 1800+ yds and 12 TDs. The OL will likely feature 2 really productive starters from the UNT line, and the Pokes have added 3 more with starting experience. The bad news, however, is that it looks like as many as 6 defensive starters will also be UNT portals, and their defense was atrocious. In fairness there are 24 new portal adds on the defensive side alone, and there some good looking options like CB Christian Bodnar (Liberty), LB Isaiah Chisom (UCLA) & DE DJ Jackson Jr (Troy). In all there are 13 guys with starting experience on defense, so hopefully Morris & Cassity were able to pick the best parts of their old roster to blend with others. All this defense needs to be is competent, because this offense is going to put a lot of points on the board. I can't in good conscious, rank these Pokes based on the information I currently have. But they look like a really fun team and I wouldn't be shocked to see them grabbing headlines this fall.

HC Brent Brennan enters his third year at Arizona, having jumped from just 4 wins in 2024 to 9 wins last year. The Wildcats won five straight games to finish the regular season before falling in a tight matchup with SMU in the Holiday bowl. Let's start with the good news, QB Noah Fifita is back for his third year under center in Tuscon, and 2nd under OC Seth Doege. He'll work behind an offensive line that looks like an upper half of the Big 12 unit with three solid starters back, and they've added two more via the transfer portal. A good OL and a good, veteran QB can take an offense a long way. The questions are all about the skill positions, as both RB and WR have some guys back with experience but only one has more than 400 yards of offense to his name. There's experience and decent talent at both spots, so we'll just have to wait to see who breaks out. The defense will feature a back seven that looks in good shape, with LBs Taye Brown & Everett Roussaw Jr (Memphis) and a secondary featuring a couple of nice portal adds in CB Tyrese Boss (Wyoming) and S Lee Molette III (UConn). The DL is where I have the most questions, mainly at the DT position. There are likely more guys waiting their turn to step up, but on paper it looks thin. The schedule looks like a typical Big 12 slate with seven games projecting to be spreads of one score or less. The Wildcats go to Provo to take on Utah in week two in an early tone setting Big 12 matchup. Most likely they'll be 4-1 taking a trip to West Virginia in early October, from there is anyone's guess.

This one certainly comes as a surprise, I did not anticipate doing a writeup on UCF. I don't know what to think of Scott Frost, he had one brilliant year in Orlando back in 2017 and then famously flamed out at Nebraska. I'd have preferred if Frost had gone somewhere else as I just don't believe in retread performances, but here's a case where I could be proven wrong. After a very forgettable 5-7 season last year, I love what Frost and new GM Trent Mossbrucker have done in this portal cycle. QB Alonza Barnett is a brilliant add for this offense and RB Duke Watson is an equally impressive sign. The OL has 3 starters back and they added 3 more via the portal, which could add up to a competent unit which is light years ahead of what they had on the field last year. The WR corp is a question, no doubt, but Waden Charles made some plays in his freshman season and perhaps FCS Joshua Derry (Monmouth) or even incoming 4* Fr Tyren Hornes can raise the group. Tight End Dylan Wade is a great security blanket, but really needs to learn how to block to round out his game. The defense added 16 portals and I have to say, I think the guys they've brought in will fill some needed roles better than people expect. DT RJ Jackson Jr, LB Lewis Carter, CB Jayden Bellamy and Safety Demari Henderson are good building blocks from a defense that played better than I remember last fall. I'm very intrigued by this team and what they could do this year, especially against a schedule that misses Texas Tech, gets TCU, BYU & Arizona State at home and features only two road games after October 10th, at Kansas and at Colorado. UCF is a team I'm very interested to see what kind of win total Vegas hangs for them.

Willie Fritz is an old school program builder that is entering his third season molding the Houston Cougars. They jumped from 4 wins in 2024 all the way to a rather overlooked 10 wins last year, finishing 6-3 and in the top third of the Big 12. They did so despite lacking the goods up front, with an offense that finished 99th in rush success and a defense that finished 104th in defending the rush. Fritz has gone portal shopping to fix both, with four of the top seven incoming additions along the OL & DL. The offense starts with QB Conner Weigman who played really well in his first season under OC Slade Nagle. He's got his top WR back in Amare Thomas and they've brought in Trent Walker (Oreg St) as a nice addition to the route tree to go with a lot of young depth trying to break into the rotation. The RB will be new and the most intriguing option is Makhi Hughes, who rushed for 2,700 yards at Tulane in '23-'24 before transferring to Oregon and vanishing. Can he regain his mojo and lead a Cougar rush attack that is in desperate need of improvement this fall? On paper the OL should be much improved featuring three good, veteran portal signs with a ton of experience and proven production. The DL has more questions still, but portal DT's should help stablize the middle while DE/LB's Brandon Mack and Latreveon McCutchin bring a veteren presence to the edge. The linebackers look like a solid veteran group lead by Sione Fotu and portal add Jaden Yates (Ole Miss). The secondary is lead by a good duo at Safety in Kentrell Webb & Jordan Allen, and CB Will James played some great ball for a secondary that finished in the top 3rd of CFB last season. The schedule is rather uneven, as it's not rated highly but includes road trips to Texas Tech, Kansas State and Utah all before Halloween. However, if this Cougar team can get to November still in the Big 12 race, they project as favorites in every game over the final month. There's a lot to like on this team and there's a lot of projections that need to be worked out. But I like HC Willie Fritz and after coming off a ten win season I see no reason to doubt what he's cooking here.

Jake Dickert arrived in Winston Salem a year ago with some fanfare, but cleary not enough. The Demon Deacons were coming off back to back 4-8 seasons, feeling like they were getting left behind in this new era of college football. He brought with him some overlooked players he had at Washington State, plucked QB Robbie Ashford from South Carolina and went 9-4 while winning a January bowl game vs the SEC (Ok, it was Mississippi State in the Duke's Mayo bowl, but still...). Now with his staff in year two, I feel like I'm overlooking this team once again. The QB this year will be Gio Lopez, whom I excited to see play under someone other than the Tarheel hoodie. Lopez was an eletric QB at South Alabama, and given what this team did with Robbie Ashford last year, I have high hopes. The run game will rebuild with a stable of backs that should produce a good rotation, but the OL may take some time to gel with portals likely to fill in at 3 or 4 positions. They've added 6 WR and a TE to boost the route tree which should provide solid targets for Lopez. This offense was in the 100's in overall stats last year, so a boost will do wonders as this team will once again be lead by a solid defense. G6 DE's Langston Hardy and Gabe Kirschke went from unknowns to a duo that had 24 TFL's and 12 sacks last season. Linebacker Aiden Hall and safeties Davaughn Patterson & Braylon Johnson provide a solid foundation for DC Scottie Hazelton. They'll be replacing both CB's from last year, which they will need to sort out quickly with Miami and Louisville on the schedule before the end of September. Dickert and his staff have quickly turned Wake into a problem for everyone thinking they can circle a W on the calendar, and I expect them to be fiesty once again this fall.

Virginia Tech holds a special place in College Football, unless you are a rival fan the Hokies have been seemingly embraced like few others in the country. Lane Stadium, the lunch pail, Enter Sandman, the Hokies captured our hearts years back and most of us haven't let go. VT has been dismal in recent years, but the hiring of James Franklin has renewed hope in Blackburg. He's brought with him 12 former Nittany Lions along with 15 other portal additions, not to mention the #33 ranked recruiting class. Franklin also convinced recently fired head coach Brent Pry to join his staff at defensive coordinator, a much better fit for Pry's coaching acumen. On the field it starts with QB Ethan Grunkemeyer, who was thrown into the fire last season as a redshirt freshman at Penn State when Drew Allar went down. He played respectable, but more importantly he got the reps he needed to prove he can start at VT. The Hokies have Marcellous Hawkins returning at RB, and now he will pair will another portal addition in Bill Davis (ULL) to form a good looking 1-2 punch. They've added a couple of nice WR's lead by Que'Sean Borwn out of Duke to go with returning senior Ayden Greene and uber talented TE Luke Reynolds. The OL has experience, but will still be a work in progress to find a starting 5 that can raise the standard up front. The defensive front seven returns a lot of snaps from last season, and the hope is DC Brent Pry is able to build a better unit than the one that finished last season near the bottom of the ACC. The secondary looks like a good starting point with a gaggle of really good CBs in Jaquez White, Cam Chadwick, Isaiah Brown-Murray and Thomas Williams, all full time productive starters last year. Franklin also needs to fix the special teams unit, a Hokie staple once known as Beamerball that bottomed to #127 last year. The schedule is sneaky tough, drawing road games at Cal, Clemson, SMU and Miami. But the Hokies should have a clean runway to a 3-1/4-0 start before hosting Pitt in early October. From there it depends on how many answers they've found, but I expect to see the Hokies bowling even though my early win total has them around 5-7.

At first glance I didn't see the need for a TCU writeup this year, the Horned Frogs lost a lot off of last years 9-4 squad and signed only 11 portals. But looking closer at the roster along with my affection for HC Sonny Dykes, I think they deserve our attention until they prove otherwise. Let's start with the staff, in which Dykes has brought in UConn OC Gordon Sammis. Sammis is my type of OC, he started as an OL coach and did so for 10 years before getting the callsheet. His offenses at UConn were criminally underrated, so much so that Sammis grades out as the #23 OC in the country coming into this season. He'll be working with QB Jaden Craig, a graduate senior from Harvard that threw for 2,800+ yds and 25 TD's last season, viewed as the #9 ranked QB in this years transfer portal. He's got WR Jordan Dwyer back for his senior season, and the Frogs added Jeremy Scott, a 6'3 freshman out of S. Alabama that showed he has the skills to be a Big 12 threat. The run game will start with RB Jeremy Payne who played decent last year, and he'll be running behind what looks like a really good OL, maybe one of the tops in the Big 12. Five guys with starting experience grading out at a B+ or higher is really impressive. TCU's issues have been more on the defensive side, especially the back end, and the hope is returning 6 starters and adding 6 portals can raise the floor of this unit. The DL has seven guys that have played starter level snaps, but all must raise their game. The LB corp looks like the biggest question on the roster with only 2 guys that have played meaningful minutes. The secondary looks like a unit that should really improve, with a decent pair at CB in Kalen Caroll (CMU) and Vernon Glover. Safety looks solid as well with veteran seniors Jamel Johnson and Jacob Fields (LT) both logging a lot of productive time in their careers. The schedule is very back heavy, with Kansas State and Utah coming to Fort Worth sandwiched in between trips to Arizona and Texas Tech. The good news is that TCU is favored in 6 of the first 7 games, so they could come down this challenging stretch in the thick of the Big 12 race. By that time they'll have had their chances to improve on defense to see if they can contend for a spot in the Big 12 title game.

I'm too low on Iowa, I know it already. I see a team that is 'returning' only 58% production (returning counts portal adds now) and having nothing at QB and I dismissed them. But let's be real, Kirk Ferentz has won games with less than what this team appears to have, so let's take a closer look. The hope is someone other than Hank Brown can start at QB, because Brown is an average passer on his good days and he is a 6'4 statue. Maybe Jeremy Hecklinski or even one of the redshirt freshman can win the job? Beyond that, the RB room looks loaded with Kamari Moulton back and L.J. Phillips Jr. added out of South Dakota with his 1,860 yds & 19 TD rushing last year. The OL looks in decent shape with two starters back lead by All American candidate Trevor Lauck at OT, and they added another starter via the portal. The Hawkeyes further dipped into the FCS to add a pair of really productive WR in Tony Diaz (UT Rio) and Evan James (Furman) who caught a combined 132 balls for 1,677 yds and 18 TDs, also known as an Iowa hall of fame WR career. The defense, however, is where I actually have more questions. Along the DL they have six guys that have played starter level snaps but five are from the FCS level. The LB corp has only one starter back, but does have a load of young talent that should fill in the rest. They once again have a really good pair of CB's in Deshaun Lee and Zach Lutmer to pair with three safeties with significant experience, but at the G6 & FCS level. What I can't predict right now is if all of these FCS adds were brought into start, or help shore up what Iowa hopes is a lot of younger depth making the leap to the starting unit. In any case, that's why I'm too low on Iowa. Because what I see is a lot of questions and Kirk Ferentz sees things at a level I will never understand, not unlike putting a walrus in front of a piano. The schedule isn't easy, but starts and ends with a lot of games in which Iowa will be favored. The run of at Michigan, home vs Ohio State, at Washington and at Minnesota could leave Iowa beaten down. But if not, games vs Wisconsin, NW, Purdue should help before finishing at Illinois and home vs Nebraska. My numbers are split between 8-4 and 9-3, and if either happens I'll regret not putting them higher in this preseason.