College football 2026 expert predictions: National champion, conference winners, Heisman and more

Ah, September. This is an elite sports month with the MLB regular season winding down, but also the start of football season. The NFL kicks off soon, but college football got started just a few days ago. The action really gets into full swing this weekend, and it’s shaping up to be an incredible season. 

Several traditional powers enter the year with legitimate title expectations, while a handful of programs coming off breakthrough seasons are trying to prove 2025 was only the beginning. Add in new quarterbacks, major coaching changes and an expanded group of teams capable of crashing the CFP, and there’s plenty to sort through before the season really gets moving.

2026 college football expert predictions

Here at SeatGeek, we want to get you prepped for the 2026 college football season, so we’re going to make our predictions for each Power Four conference winner, as well as the other eight teams we think will reach the College Football Playoff. We’ll also predict what the CFP National Championship Game will look like and make our Heisman Trophy prediction.  

Conference winners

ACC: Miami

It’s strange that the Hurricanes didn’t win the ACC last year, but some disappointing losses led to a wacky tiebreaker scenario that led to the Hurricanes missing out on the title game. They did make the CFP, though, and had an awesome run to the title game. They must replace Carson Beck at QB, but they poached Darian Mensah from 2025 ACC winner Duke. Mensah is explosive and talented, and he’ll play behind a Miami O-line that’s regularly among the nation’s best. Mario Cristobal has recruited well at his alma mater, and while Clemson could rebound from a tough 2025 season, Virginia Tech is looming with James Franklin and Virginia nearly won the conference a year ago, it feels like Miami will be the team to beat all year long here. 

Big Ten: Ohio State

Ohio State fell just short of a Big Ten title last year, falling to eventual champion Indiana. The Buckeyes have a loaded roster – especially on offense – and get two of their three toughest Big Ten opponents at home in Oregon and Michigan, and I expect them to win both of those games. Visits to Indiana, USC and Iowa are tricky, but the Buckeyes should win at least two there, with the biggest obstacle being the Hoosiers. And while it won’t impact the Big Ten race, a visit to Texas after hosting and beating the Longhorns last year will be must-see TV in Week 2. Those are six tough matchups, but the Buckeyes, at most, lose two of them, in my opinion, and likely go 5-1 or 6-0 across those games. 

Big 12: Oklahoma State

Texas Tech is a contender to repeat here, BYU should be very good once again and there are plenty of other teams like TCU worth keeping an eye on. But we’ll go with a bit of an upset and pick the Cowboys, who went 1-11 and 0-9 in conference play a year ago. Oklahoma State has a new look with Eric Morris moving on from North Texas to succeed longtime coach Mike Gundy. Morris brings with him a ton of talent from UNT, namely Drew Mestemaker, who was one of the nation’s best quarterbacks as a redshirt freshman in 2025 while leading the nation in passing yards. He should immediately be the best quarterback in the conference, and the Cowboys have a very manageable Big 12 schedule. We’ll learn a lot about the Cowboys early on with a Week 2 matchup against Oregon in Stillwater on tap. 

SEC: Georgia

Texas has a loaded roster. Alabama is dangerous and has a ton of upside – and risk – at quarterback. Ole Miss made the CFP semifinal last year and has maybe the conference’s best quarterback under center. Oklahoma made the CFP last year as well and returns its quarterback. But when in doubt, back Kirby Smart and Georgia. 

Smart has had the Bulldogs humming in his tenure, and while they regularly lose talent to the NFL Draft, they return 17 starters this year, including QB Gunnar Stockton. Few teams in the country – let alone the SEC – return the caliber of talent that Georgia does. Visits to Alabama and Ole Miss will be tough, but we’ll back the Dawgs to win a tough conference yet again.=

Other CFP qualifiers

• Notre Dame

• Texas

• Oregon

• Indiana

• Ole Miss

• Penn State

• Texas Tech

• UNLV

Notre Dame probably should have made it last year at 10-2 with both losses coming to CFP teams in Miami and Texas A&M, and I’d expect the Irish to be plenty motivated this year. CJ Carr is a fantastic young quarterback who played great as a redshirt freshman last year, and the Irish really only have two tests on the schedule in BYU and Miami, the latter of which is at home. 

Texas was the preseason No. 1 last year and while a loss to Ohio State wasn’t the worst thing in the world, the Longhorns were a pretty rough watch at times in 2025. They missed the CFP after making it each of the previous two seasons, as they fell flat relative to expectations. Arch Manning is very talented, but he was more good than great last year. He must take a step forward this year. I think he will, and I also think Texas will have an elite defense on the other side with new play caller Will Muschamp. The Longhorns avoid Alabama and Georgia this year, so their toughest matchups are home against Ohio State in a non-conference tilt, at Ole Miss, at Texas A&M and the annual Red River Rivalry Game with Oklahoma. I think Texas goes at least 2-2 across those four games, so the Horns should finish at least 10-2 on the year. They’re too talented to come up just short once again.

Oregon has maybe the most veteran-laden roster in the nation. The return of quarterback Dante Moore was a massive one for the Ducks, and their defense – especially on the line – comes back nearly in full force as well. This feels like the Ducks’ best chance to win their first title, though the biggest questions are at play caller with former OC Will Stein now the head man in Kentucky and DC Tosh Lupoi now running the show at Cal as head coach. Oregon promoted from within, so it will be interesting to see if there are any growing pains there. The talent speaks for itself, though. This is also a situation where the winner of Oregon at Ohio State determines the Big Ten title game. 

Look, we’ve all doubted Curt Cignetti for too long, and he’s a national champion head coach with the Hoosiers, a program that was a laughingstock as recently as 2023. Few coaches identify portal talent like Cignetti, who returns the top pieces of his coaching staff after the CFP run. Josh Hoover is a proven quarterback from TCU who takes over for Heisman winner and No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, and he should hit the ground running with a team that always has an elite defense and run game to lean on. Fade Indiana at your own risk.

Ole Miss was under the microscope a ton late last year with head coach Lane Kiffin leaving for LSU and missing the Rebels’ CFP run as a result. New head coach Pete Golding led the Rebs to a CFP semifinal berth and nearly had them in the title game. They got a massive boost with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss being deemed eligible to return, and he’s one of the nation’s best and most talented quarterbacks. Not as many players followed Kiffin to Baton Rouge as expected, so the Rebels are a deeply talented squad that should be among the nation’s best this year. 

I initially had USC, which is in a bit of a make-or-break season in 2026, pegged for a CFP appearance here, but having Washington, Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana and Penn State on the schedule has me nervous. As such, I’ll pick one of those aforementioned teams – the Nittany Lions. Matt Campbell heads to Penn State after turning Iowa State into a regular Big 12 contender after being a longtime doormat. He brings with him many of his best players, namely QB Rocco Becht, so the team could really hit the ground running in 2026. The schedule is also very manageable, with visits to Washington and Michigan and a home game against USC being the toughest tests the team has. This is probably the team with the most variance of my 12 selections, but there’s a legitimate path to 10 wins in State College.

Texas Tech gets my final Power Four nod, though this was a tough one to choose. The Red Raiders have an easy non-conference schedule, and their Big 12 slate is more than manageable as well. An 11-1 or 10-2 record is well in the cards. The main questions center around the quarterback. The team added Cincinnati transfer Brendan Sorsby, but after a gambling probe, he was deemed ineligible. Former Tech starter Will Hammond will again be under center. How Hammond plays, coupled with how the team has dealt with scrutiny for the Sorsby situation, will be key stories to follow. The schedule is manageable and the talent is still there, so Tech should be in the CFP mix once again.

The Group of Five is now the Group of Six with the return of the Pac-12. It’s a fun wrinkle to the CFP, though we’re still waiting for one of these squads to win a game. Tulane, James Madison and Boise State are G5 teams worth watching here, with all three having made the CFP over the last two years, but I’ll go with UNLV. Dan Mullen went 10-4 in his first year in Vegas, and he has a veteran and dangerous team out in Nevada. A dark horse of sorts to watch? North Dakota State, a longtime FCS powerhouse, is now in the Mountain West. How the Bison stack up with a full-time FBS schedule that includes visiting UNLV on Oct. 10 will be a fascinating story to watch unfold. But the Rebels have a high-powered offense and a very experienced and, quite frankly, underrated head coach. They’re going to be a fun team to follow. 

I’m not going to break down all the bubble teams I’m picking not to make the CFP, but I do want to address the Alabama elephant in the room. Yes, I’m fading the Tide. Yes, they made it last year. Yes, they have a ton of talent. But this Alabama team barely made the CFP last year, and there’s a case to be made the Tide shouldn’t have with three losses. They had a veteran quarterback – albeit a one-year starter – in Ty Simpson, and they’re set to go with the inexperienced yet talented Keelon Russell, a former five-star commit. Russell is very talented, but considering how things looked at times a year ago for Alabama, I have a hard time picking the Crimson Tide over some of these other schools. A four-game stretch of Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M and LSU will be very telling. 

Other CFP contenders to note: Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, Iowa, USC, Washington, Oklahoma, BYU and Michigan. 

CFP title game: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame

I think the 2026-27 CFP finale will be a rematch of the 2024-25 title game. There aren’t many reasons to doubt either of these teams. 

Ryan Day has been sensational as the Ohio State head coach and got that national title two years ago, and while he and the staff have to replace quite a bit of talent on defense after this past NFL Draft, few teams recruit like the Buckeyes both at the high school and portal levels. The Buckeyes regularly are one of the most talented teams in the nation, and they’re a well coached group for good measure.

As for Notre Dame, there’s a strong case to be made that the Irish were one of the nation’s 12 best teams last year and should have made the CFP. Marcus Freeman has shown he’s one of the more elite coaches and program builders in the nation, and you have to figure he has a plan in place to avoid another slow start. This should be a very motivated Irish squad, and Carr was stellar as a redshirt freshman under center last year. He’ll only be better this season. 

CFP winner: Ohio State

At the end of the day, I know picking the Buckeyes is hardly going out on a limb, but this just looks like a very complete team top to bottom. Sayin was one of the nation’s best quarterbacks last year, and there’s a strong case to be made he’ll be the best signal-caller in the nation this season. Jeremiah Smith is the nation’s premier receiver, they have a potential impact freshman wideout in Chris Henry Jr. and the team’s offense includes Bo Jackson – no, not that Bo Jackson – who is set to be one of the nation’s best running backs. There’s talent to be replaced on defense, for sure, but this is an OSU squad that regularly churns out defensive talent, and while Matt Patricia is much maligned for his NFL head coaching tenure in Detroit, he was an elite play caller for the Buckeyes in 2025. 

Heisman Winner: Ohio State QB Julian Sayin

Sometimes the answer to the Heisman Trophy question is “who’s the quarterback on the best team?” Given my predictions above, I think the Buckeyes will be the nation’s top team this year, and as such, I expect a big year from Sayin. 

Sayin is coming off a monster year, completing 77% of his passes for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns to eight interceptions and finishing fourth in Heisman voting. Sayin is an elite passer of the football, and having a stud like Jeremiah Smith – another Heisman finalist – to throw to doesn’t hurt, either. 

The biggest question is what the offense looks like under new play-caller Arthur Smith, a longtime NFL head coach and offensive coordinator. But Sayin is the real deal and should put together another big year. I like his chances over other favorites like Manning, Carr, Moore and even Mestemaker.