I know it’s early, but it’s not that early anymore.
The lone transfer portal window has closed (except for Indiana and Miami players who have 5 days after the national championship), the underclassman date to declare for the NFL Draft has passed (except for Indiana and Miami players who have until Jan. 23) and the Early Signing Period is in the rearview mirror. For the most part, we know what these rosters will look like in 2026.
Yeah, it’s the middle of January. No, it’s not too early to lay out a top 10 for 2026.
Here’s how I feel about that 7 months ahead of Week 1:
No. 10 LSU
Let’s start this off with perhaps the most polarizing team of 2026. Yes, much of this could depend on the health of Sam Leavitt coming off foot surgery, though we just watched Division II Trinidad Chambliss become a revelation after Austin Simmons struggled and got hurt, so who knows how important that is. What feels important is that in addition to signing the highest-rated transfer portal class (again), Lane Kiffin brought Charlie Weis Jr. with him from Ole Miss to LSU, and he kept Blake Baker to lead his Year 1 defense. That group will return 2 of the premier defensive players in the sport with Whit Weeks and DJ Pickett back, though that unit will still be questioned with major turnover up front. But yes, the Lane Train in Baton Rouge will start at full speed with preseason Playoff expectations.
No. 9 Oklahoma
I’ll say it. People are sleeping on Oklahoma. People are sleeping on a 10-win team that made the Playoff with an unhealthy quarterback and a mess of a ground game. But with another year of experience for John Mateer, the Sooners will again have quarterback-play caller continuity. The return of the SEC‘s top big-play threat Isaiah Sategna was pivotal, as was the fact that not a single one of the 63 underclassmen who declared for the NFL Draft were from OU. Sure, replacing guys like R Mason Thomas and Peyton Bowen shouldn’t be a given, but in 2025, Brent Venables had to replace his top 2 defensive players from 2024, and he responded by leading the No. 4 defense in yards/play allowed. Expect more of that, especially with guys like 2025 breakout star Taylor Wein, Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory back. Some long overdue late-season offensive line continuity projects well into 2026, as well. Don’t let the blown lead against Alabama overshadow what looks like a promising core returning in Norman.
No. 8 Texas Tech
You thought that 2025 was 1-and-done for the fightin’ Cody Campbells? Nope. Sure, losing All-Americans like David Bailey and Jacob Rodriguez will hurt that vastly improved defense, but adding decorated transfers Mateen Ibirogba and Adam Trick will help in those spots, as will the significant upgrade at quarterback with All-Big 12 selection Brendan Sorsby. With all due respect to Behren Morton, he wasn’t up for the task of navigating an elite defense in a Playoff game. Sorsby gives the Red Raiders a better shot at being multi-faceted for an offense that’ll return 7 starters, including 1,100-yard rusher Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams, both of whom have more 20-yard runs than any returning Big 12 players. All signs point to Texas Tech taking a slight step back defensively, but being a bit more explosive on offense.
No. 7 Notre Dame
The Irish might’ve decided that the Pop-Tarts Bowl was beneath them (it wasn’t), but after an awkward ending to 2025, they’re firmly back into the national championship conversation heading into 2026. CJ Carr and leading receiver Jordan Faison, who is retiring from lacrosse to focus on football, will return for a group that dominated lesser competition in the latter half of the season. A late portal push emphasized getting better on the defensive line, which will help after stopping the run and getting after the quarterback were both early-season issues. Can Notre Dame replace the best running back in the sport? Better yet, can Notre Dame replace the best running back duo in the sport? That question will be answered internally, though it helps that the Irish have developed elite ground attacks internally without necessarily seeking portal help. After Marcus Freeman led a 34-7 mark with a trio of double-digit win seasons the last 3 years, Notre Dame isn’t going anywhere.
No. 6 Miami
Despite those public transfer portal whiffs for a Carson Beck replacement, let’s not dismiss a few things with national championship-bound Miami. One is that there might not be a team in college football with 2 more proven skill-players than what Miami returns in Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher Jr. As we’ve seen throughout the Playoff, that duo is capable of doing the heavy lifting against elite competition. Miami will also return change-of-pace back CharMar Brown, and it added promising South Carolina receiver Vandrevious Jacobs. At this point, one has to trust that Mario Cristobal will develop an elite offensive line while Broyles Award finalist Corey Hetherman will reload what figures to be a new-look defense. Unlike plenty of previous Miami teams the last 2 decades, 2025 has showed exactly why the Canes are finally worthy of some preseason love.
No. 5 Texas
This might be an unpopular opinion, but I might end up being the lowest on Texas out everyone who does these preseason rankings. Yes, at No. 5 … after a 3-loss season in which the majority of its defensive starters left for the NFL Draft. Even if Will Muschamp shows he can run a defense with total autonomy — something he hasn’t had since he was South Carolina‘s head coach in 2020 — it’s hard to envision Texas having an elite defense with so much production to replace. Having said that, the Arch Manning-offense should be poised to win shootouts in ways that it rarely could in 2025. The portal additions of home-run threats like Cam Coleman, Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers were huge, as was retaining Trevor Goosby and Connor Robertson on that scrutinized offensive line. Manning now has better offensive surroundings — and a year of experience — that should set him and Texas up for a more consistent 2026.
No. 4 Indiana
Let’s be clear. IU’s best team in program history (by a million country miles) will lose a ton of talent to the NFL Draft, most notably projected No. 1 overall pick/Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. Plus, so many of those James Madison players that Curt Cignetti brought with him will move on after a historic 2-year run in Bloomington. Why the No. 4 ranking then? Well, Cignetti and his 2 play-calling coordinators aren’t going anywhere. That’s huge. Plus, once again, IU was prolific in the portal by adding decorated TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, as well as Elijah Sarratt replacement Nick Marsh from Michigan State and running back Turbo Richard after he had 962 scrimmage yards for Boston College. Let’s not forget that while it’ll be a new-look offense, late-season star Charlie Becker and Khobie Martin will be back after promising seasons as underclassmen skill-players. IU’s biggest pre-2026 questions will be in the trenches, but given how well this staff as done at developing talent and recruiting diamond-in-the-rough transfers — adding Joe Brunner from Wisconsin was pivotal for the interior of IU’s offensive line — it’s hard to view that as an obvious weakness. The movie in Bloomington might have an encore.
No. 3 Georgia
The silver lining of that frustrating end to the 2025 season was that Georgia‘s roster was perhaps a year ahead of schedule. This was a relatively inexperienced core that figured out how to capitalize in key moments. That unique combination in 2025 won’t guarantee anything in 2026, but there’s a lot to like. Gunner Stockton the best adjusted completion percentage under pressure (79.6%) among qualified FBS quarterbacks (min. 50 pressured drop-backs), and Conner Weigman is the only returning Power Conference quarterback who had more rushing touchdowns than Stockton (10). He’ll need a new go-to receiver after Zachariah Branch was exactly what Georgia needed, but with the majority of UGA’s skill-players and an experienced offensive line set to return, this offense should be prolific. The promising early returns on those defensive underclassmen — most notably Elijah Griffin and Ellis Robinson IV — bodes well for a unit that’ll be led by returning standouts Raylen Wilson and KJ Bolden. After a 3-year absence from the semifinals, UGA is still capable of owning the “team of the decade” crown with a championship run in 2026.
No. 2 Ohio State
Answer this question: If Ohio State just had Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and a bunch of former 3-star recruits, how high would the Buckeyes start in the preseason poll? Top 10? Probably. As we know, the Buckeyes don’t just have Sayin and Smith, though that’s an ideal place to start. They also have 2025 breakout star Bo Jackson operating behind what should be an improved offensive line, led by All-Big Ten selections Austin Siereveld, Carson Hinzman and Luke Montgomery, all of whom bypassed the NFL Draft. That’s a promising situation for Ryan Day’s future play caller, whoever that might be. And while there are future top-10 picks like Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs to replace on defense, Matt Patricia’s Year 1 unit was surprisingly among the most productive groups of the entire Playoff era. Several transfer portal reinforcements will help that transition in Year 2, as will the returns of Kenyatta Jackson and All-Big Ten selection Jermaine Mathews Jr. You get it. Ohio State is much more than just the ultimate NBA Jam duo of Sayin and Smith.
No. 1 Oregon
With Dante Moore returning for Oregon with a decorated group of pass catchers (don’t forget about Evan Stewart’s return from injury), we could be talking about the second consecutive year in which a program earns its first-ever preseason AP No. 1 ranking. Hopefully for Oregon’s sake, that turns out differently than it did for Texas, who missed the Playoff altogether and became the 20th team in the last 21 years to fail to win a national championship after earning that preseason No. 1 ranking. Oregon could have to overcome that, as well as losing both coordinators. But beyond that and Moore’s return, Dan Lanning’s front 7 is loaded with experience. You’ve got 3 All-Big Ten defensive line selections back (Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti and A’Mauri Washington), as well as a secondary who’ll return arguably the top corner in America in Brandon Finney Jr., as well as All-Big Ten safety Koi Perich from Minnesota. That defense could be the best in the sport, and paired with the likely preseason Heisman Trophy favorite in Moore, how can one not be bullish on the Ducks?
Oh, and 1 more thing…
Ole Miss is a preseason top-5 team if Trinidad Chambliss does end up getting another year of eligibility. That needed to be said.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
