2026 College Football Preview Part IX
Welcome Back!
Today I continue my 5 weeks of my college football previews. I begin with 3 weeks of individual team previews, and then conclude with 2 weeks of conference previews.
In case you are interested, I get all of my information from various sources. I use the 4 main preview magazines (Phil Steele, Lindy's, Athlon, and The Sporting News (which returns for the 1st time since 2012!), but I also use many different websites, including (but not limited to): Google, Winsipedia.com, sports-reference.com, ESPN.com, TeamRankings.com, Wikipedia, NCAA.com, and, of course, individual school websites.
In case you are interested, I get all of my information from various sources. I use the 4 main preview magazines (Phil Steele, Lindy's, Athlon, and The Sporting News, which returns for the 1st time since 2012!), but I also use many different websites, including (but not limited to): Google, Winsipedia.com, sports-reference.com, ESPN.com, TeamRankings.com, Wikipedia, NCAA.com, and, of course, individual school websites.
Finally, feel free to leave a comment. Interacting is much of the fun! Of course, if you know me personally, just text me. I'll get that a lot quicker.
So, on with the previews!
50- Kansas State Wildcats 6-6/5-4 (tied for 7th)
Coach: Collin Klein (1st year, 1st overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 0-0/.000/126th
3-year record/rank: 24-14/.632/38th
6-year record/rank: 46-29/.613/37th
10-year record/rank: 76-50/.603/37th
Last League Title: 2022 Big 12 champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 1 year bowl-less/2024/2024
Bowl Record/Rank: 12-14/.462/82nd
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: Never (since 1896); best seasons were 11-1 in 1997 and 1999 under HC Bill Snyder
Last Winless Season: 1988/0-11 under HC Stan Parrish (have had 9 winless seasons, 8 with 9+ losses)
All-time Record/Rank: 585-680-42/.464/117th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 29.4/52nd/8th Big 12
Rushing: 171.3/52nd/8th
Passing: 198.8/95th/14th
Total: 370.1/81st/13th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 26.5/76th/11th
Rushing: 163.8/87th/10th
Passing: 222.4/73rd/12th
Total: 386.2/82nd/10th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 7/5
Schedule:
Sep 5 Nicholls
Sep 12 Washington State
Sep 19 Tulane
Sep 26 @ Cincinnati
Oct 10 Houston
Oct 17 Kansas
Oct 24 @ Arizona State
Oct 31 @ Colorado
Nov 7 Oklahoma State
Nov 14 @ TCU
Nov 21 Arizona
Nov 28 @ Iowa State
Notes: Kansas State has only 5 road games, and all are in the Big 12; TO margin was +11, tied for 8th; 680 losses are tied with Tulane for 8th most, 6 more than Vandy, and 5 less than Iowa State; 585 wins are tied with Iowa State and Tulane for 81st, 2 ahead of Nevada, Sam Houston, and Utah State, and 2 behind Troy and Washington State; the Wildcats elected not to attend a bowl last year after the retirement of HC Chris Klieman (2nd most wins here); QB Avery Johnson (2,385 yds, 59.8%, 18 TDs, 6 INTs, 477 yds rushing, 4.4 ypc, 8 TDs) returns; K Luis Rodriguez (13-15 FGs) and P Siman McClannan (42.5 avg/39.2 net) both return; KSU has won 2 of their last 3; 5 losses were by 6 points or less, while 2 wins were by 8 points or less; offense scored 34+ points in 6 games.
Outlook: The Wildcats have a comfy schedule: 7 home games, 2 G6 opponents (and the obligatory FCS squad), and not Texas Tech, Utah, or BYU. They get Houston and Arizona at home, with the toughest road games at ASU and TCU. With a lot of transfers, it’s difficult to get a feel for this team. I’ll say 4-6 wins.
49- UNLV Rebels 10-4/6-2 (tied for 1st)
Coach: Dan Mullen (2nd year, 15th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 113-65/.635/33rd
3-year record/rank: 30-12/.714/17th
6-year record/rank: 37-35/.514/67th
10-year record/rank: 54-66/.450/91st
Last League Title: 2023 MWC co-champs/1994 Big West champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 3 years/2025/2024
Bowl Record/Rank: 4-3/.571/T25th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: Never (since 1968); best record was 12-1 in 1974 under HC Ron Meyer
Last Winless Season: 2020/0-6 under HC Marcus Arroyo
All-time Record/Rank: 273-393-4/.410/130th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 34.1/18th/1st MWC
Rushing: 195.5/23rd/2nd
Passing: 250.9/40th/3rd
Total: 446.4/20th/1st
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 28.0/89th/6th
Rushing: 177.4/103rd/8th
Passing: 241.7/110th/7th
Total: 419.1/115th/8th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 4/3
Schedule:
Aug 29 Memphis
Sep 5 @ Hawaii
Sep 12 @ North Texas
Sep 26 @ Akron
Oct 3 California
Oct 10 North Dakota State
Oct 17 @ Air Force
Oct 31 Northern Illinois
Nov 7 Wyoming
Nov 14 @ New Mexico
Nov 21 @ San Jose State
Nov 28 Nevada
Notes: UNLV’s last 3 road losses have all been at Boise State- meaning they have won 13 consecutive away games against all other teams (bowls not included); TO margin was +7, tied for 25th and best in the Mountain West; 273 wins is the fewest in the Mountain West and ranks 125th, 89 ahead of USF and 29 behind UCF; QB will be Oklahoma/Auburn transfer Jackson Arnold (1,309 yds, 63.3%, 6 TDs, 2 INTs, 311 yds rushing, 2.8 ypc), and he’ll be backed up by former Michigan transfer Alex Orji (37 yds, 100%, 0 TDs, 0INTs, 43 yds rushing, 4.3 ypc last year here); RB Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas (1,036 yds, 7.0 ypc, 12 TDs, 1st team All-MWC) returns; K Ramon Villela (15-20 FGs, long of 50) returns, but P Matt Choules is a transfer from Kennesaw State (did not play); defense allowed 38+ points in 5 contests, but held 4 other teams to 17 points or less; offense scored 31+ points in their 1st 11 games, then were held to 21 and 10 in their last 2 games- losses in the MWC CG and in the bowl- so they have a modest 2-game losing streak (but a 4-game regular season winning streak).
Outlook: The Rebels will be looking to make their 4th straight trip to the MWC Championship Game, and this time will hope to finish the job by winning the title. Their 30 wins over the last 3 seasons are the most of any 3-year period since UNLV joined the FBS in 1978, with the closest being a 23-611 record in 1983-85 under HC Harvey Hyde (and QB Randall Cunningham). Over the last 3 seasons, the Rebels are 30-8 against teams not named Boise State, with 3 of those losses (and 4 wins) to P4 teams. UNLV has had back-to-back 10 win seasons for the 1st time ever, and are looking to make it 3 in a row, and with no Boise State on their schedule (or in their conference) anymore, the odds are pretty good. The OOC slate is not overly challenging, though they host Memphis in their opener- which should give us a good indication on how good both of those teams will be- and travel to Hawaii, UNT, and Akron in their next 3 games. Cal is their 4th OOC contest, and that one is at home following the trip to Akron. In the new-look MWC, the Rebels host NDSU, NIU, Wyoming, and Nevada, which means their most difficult games are on the road: Hawaii, AF, UNM, and SJSU. They miss new member UTEP, which is unfortunate as that would almost certainly be a win. With this schedule, I can see at least 8 or 9 wins, but the ceiling is 12-0, if the offense is as good as last year, and if the defense can improve even a little bit.
48- Arizona State Sun Devils 8-5/6-3 (tied for 4th)
Coach: Kenny Dillingham (4th year, 4th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 22-16/.579/57th
3-year record/rank: 22-17/.564/53rd
6-year record/rank: 35-33/.515/63rd
10-year record/rank: 62-57/.521/66th
Last League Title: 2024 Big 12 champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 2 years/2025/2019
Bowl Record/Rank: 15-19-1/.443/92nd
CFP Playoff Appearances: 1
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1975/12-0 under HC Frank Kush
Last Winless Season: 1937/0-8-1 under HC Rudy Lavik
All-time Record/Rank: 657-432-24/.601/26th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 25.8/80th/12th Big 12
Rushing: 19369/27th/2nd
Passing: 223.7/67th/6th
Total: 417.3/30th/5th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 24.5/65th/8th
Rushing: 124.0/31st/3rd
Passing: 233.5/94th/13th
Total: 357.5/57th/4th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 4/8
Schedule:
Sep 5 Morgan State
Sep 12 @ Texas A&M
Sep 19 Kansas (London)
Oct 3 Baylor
Oct 10 Hawaii
Oct 17 @ Texas Tech
Oct 24 Kansas State
Oct 31 @ BYU
Nov 7 Colorado
Nov 14 @ UCF
Nov 21 Oklahoma State
Nov 28 @ Arizona
Notes: Arizona State will be playing Kansas in London, nominally a “home” game for the Jayhawks; TO margin was -6, tied for 106th; 657 wins ranks 50th, 3 ahead of La Tech, and just 1 behind CMU; QB will be Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley (2,160 yds, 65.8%, 15 TDs, 12 INTs), but UCF/Fresno State/Michigan transfer Mikey Keene (did not play last year at UM) is waiting in the wings; K will be FCS Austin Peay transfer Carson Smith (14-17 FGs, long of 50, 1st-team All-American, UA Specialist of the Year), but P Kanyon Floyd (41.4 avg/33.4 net) returns; ASU was second-worst in net punting last year; 3 losses were by 8 points or less, while 5 wins were by 5 points or less; ASU has lost their last 2 games, but have won 3 of their last 5; defense gave up 42 points twice, but held every other opponent to 24 points or less, with a low of 15; the Sun Devils have lost 6 of their last 7 bowl games, and haven’t won 2 consecutive bowls since 2004 and 2005; ASU playes a game on each of the last 9 weeks of the season.
Outlook: The Sun Devils had a magical season in ‘24, but slid a bit last season. The goal is to stop the skid and get back to the top of the conference. The OOC schedule is challenging- after the obligatory FCS opener, they travel to Texas A&M, and then host Hawaii in midseason. They also have that game in London a week after the A&M game, but at least they get a week off afterwards (as does Kansas). In the Big 12, they their toughest home game is KSU, but must go on the road to face Texas Tech, BYU, UCF, and rival Arizona, but they do avoid Utah, Houston, and TCU. I see at least 6-8 wins, which doesn’t really constitute improvement. But I think HC Dillingham is safe foe at least a year or two.
47- Memphis Tigers 8-5/4-4 (tied for 6th)
Coach: Charles Huff (1st year, 6th overall FBS)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 39-25/.609/43rd
3-year record/rank: 29-10/.744/12th
6-year record/rank: 50-25/.667/20th
10-year record/rank: 88-41/.682/13th
Last League Title: 2019 American Conference champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 4 years/2025/2024
Bowl Record/Rank: 8-9/.471/75th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1963/9-0-1 under HC Billy Murphy
Last Winless Season: 1936/0-9 under HC Zach Curlin
All-time Record/Rank: 553-544-33/.504/95th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 35.7/12th/1st AAC
Rushing: 174.1/46th/6th
Passing: 370.5/20th/3rd
Total: 444.5/16th/3rd
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 23.8/55th/4th
Rushing: 111.8/15th/2nd
Passing: 257.5/119th/10th
Total: 369.3/66th/5th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 5/5
Schedule:
Aug 29 @ UNLV
Sep 5 Arkansas State
Sep 12 @ Boise State
Sep 19 UT Martin
Oct 3 @ Charlotte
Oct 10 UAB
Oct 16 @ Tulane
Oct 22 East Carolina
Oct 31 Army
Nov 12 @ USF
Nov 21 @ Navy
Nov 27 Temple
Notes: The Tigers haven’t played in the CG since 2019; Memphis has been to a bowl in 11 of the last 12 years, and were eligible in 2021 at 6-6, but the bowl was canceled (2021 is also the only one of the last 12 seasons that did not end with a winning record); 10 of the last 12 years Memphis has won 8+ games, with 5 seasons resulting in 10+ wins; offense had scored 20+ points in 51 consecutive games (longest current streak in FBS, but still far short of the record 77 games set by Ohio State between 2017 and 2023), but was held to 17 and 7 in their last 2 contests; Memphis has 4 non-Saturday games; TO margin was +7, tied for 22nd; 553 wins is tied with SMU for 96th place, 4 ahead of Colorado State, and 3 behind Duke; QB is likely to be Div II West Florida transfer Marcus Stokes (3,297 yds, 61%, 30 TDs, 13 INTs, 367 yds rushing, 10 TDs), backed up by Ohio State/South Carolina transfer Air Noland (just 3 career passes); K will be CCU transfer Phillippe Laforge (2-4 FG, long of 51), and P will be FCS Alabama State transfer Harrison Tuck (41.8 avg); HC Charles Huff is at his 3rd school in the last 3 seasons; Memphis is on a 4-game losing streak, including 2 straight at home; offense scored 32+ points in 8 games while the defense held 5 opponents to 16 points or less, but 31 or more in 6 contests, with a high of 38; 3 losses were by 7 points or less.
Outlook: Memphis now has an all-time record over .500; can they stay there? Unfortunately, their bowl loss dropped them below .500 in bowl games (had won 4 in a row before that loss to NC State), but a bowl win would get them back to that mark. The Tigers have a challenging OOC portion of the schedule, with games at UNLV and Boise State, and the conference slate is no slouch either, as they have Tulane, USF, and Navy on the road and ECU and Army at home, missing only UTSA among the expected contenders. But Coach Huff has been successful wherever he’s been, turning around USM from 0-12 to 7-6 in his 1 year there. I see at least 5 wins, so the Tigers need just 1 upset to make it back to a bowl, and I think they get there, but the ceiling appears to be 7 wins, barring a minor miracle (or a bowl win).
46- NC State Wolfpack 8-5/4-4 (tied for 7th)
Coach: Dave Doeren (14th year, 16th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 118-74/.615/39th
3-year record/rank: 23-16/.590/48th
6-year record/rank: 48-28/.632/32nd
10-year record/rank: 77-50/.606/35th
Last League Title: 1979 ACC champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 4 years/2025/2025
Bowl Record/Rank: 18-18-1/.500/T59th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1910/4-0-2 under HC Edward L. Greene
Last Winless Season: 1900/0-4 under HC John McKee
All-time Record/Rank: 652-611-55/.516/86th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 30.2/T44th/8th ACC
Rushing: 145.5/81st/8th
Passing: 245.7/47th/10th
Total: 391.2/64th/9th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 27.2/T82nd/11th
Rushing: 138.8/52nd/11th
Passing: 273.2/130th/14th
Total: 411.9/109th/14th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 6/4
Schedule:
Aug 29 @ Virginia
Sep 12 Richmond
Sep 19 @ Vanderbilt
Sep 26 Appalachian State
Oct 3 Louisville
Oct 10 Wake Forest
Oct 24 @ Stanford
Oct 31 California
Nov 7 Duke
Nov 14 Syracuse
Nov 21 @ FSU
Nov 28 @ North Carolina
Notes: HC Dave Doeren has the 4th longest tenure in FBS, working in Raleigh since 2013; HC Doerun has the most wins (95) of any NCSU coach in history, and is 10th on the active list with 118 wins (tied for 129th all-time); the Wolfpack broke a 5-bowl losing streak with a win over Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl; NC State has 7 home games, including 5 ACC games in Carter-Finley Stadium; TO margin was +3, tied for 49th; 652 wins is tied with Kentucky for 53rd place, 2 behind La Tech and Tulsa, and 1 in front of Illinois; the Wolfpack have been to a bowl in 12 of the last 15 seasons, and were eligible ‘21, but the Holiday Bowl against UCLA was canceled; QB CJ Bailey (3,105 yds, 68.8%, 25 TDs, 9 INTs, 6 TDs rushing) returns for his 3rd season; K Kanoah Vinesett (5-6 FGs, long of 51, 48-49 PATs) returns, but P will be Arkansas State transfer Jackson Waller (41.3 avg/39.6 net); NCSU is on a 3-game winning streak; offense was held to 7 points twice, but scored 31+ points 8 times; defense allowed 31+ points in 7 times, but held 4 opponents to 19 or less; the Wolfpack were 6-1 at home last season.
Outlook: The Wolfpack are almost always good, but never great. Their only 10-win season was in 2002, when they were 11-3 under HC Chuck Amato, and finished #12 in the AP Poll, their 2nd highest finish ever (#11 in 1974, when they were 9-2-1 under HC Lou Holtz). Is this the year they finally put it all together? NC State has won 8 or 9 games in 7 of the last 9 seasons, with the outliers being 4-8 in 2019 and 6-7 in 2024. The OOC schedule this season is winnable, with the game at Vandy being the biggest challenge. In the ACC, they avoid Miami, SMU, Clemson, Pitt, and Va Tech, but have Louisville, WF, and Duke at home, and UVA, FSU, and rival UNC on the road. I could see this team winning 10 games, but I’m sure they’ll find a way to lose 1 or 2 they shouldn’t. Once again, expect 8 or 9 wins, with a drop to 7 wins a (small) possibility.
45- UTSA Roadrunners 7-6/4-4 (tied for 6th)
Coach: Jeff Traylor (7th year, 7th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 53-26/.671/22nd
3-year record/rank: 25-16/.610/44th
6-year record/rank: 55-26/.679/17th
10-year record/rank: 74-55/.574/46th
Last League Title: 2022 CUSA champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 6 years/2025/2025
Bowl Record/Rank: 3-4/.429/T96th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: Never (since 2011); best season was 12-2 in 2021 under HC Jeff Traylor
Last Winless Season: Never; worst seasons were 3-9 in both 2015 under HC Larry Coker and 2018 under HC Frank Wilson
All-time Record/Rank: 98-87/.530/76th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 35.4/14th/3rd AAC
Rushing: 171.2/53rd/9th
Passing: 247.6/44th/6th
Total: 418.8/28th/5th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 28.8/T91st/8th
Rushing: 149.6/71st/6th
Passing: 222.7/75th/5th
Total: 372.3/65th/5th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 6/2
Schedule:
Sep 5 Rio Grande
Sep 12 @ Texas State
Sep 19 @ Texas
Sep 26 Colorado State
Oct 3 @ Rice
Oct 8 USF
Oct 17 Navy
Oct 24 @ Tulane
Nov 5 @ FAU
Nov 14 North Texas
Nov 21 @ UAB
Nov 27 Tulsa
Notes: UTSA had a TO margin of +6, tied for 29th; HC Traylor is one of 6 coaches hired in 2020 who is still at their current position; 98 wins is 132nd, just 1 behind FIU, and 4 ahead of South Alabama; QB Owen McCown (2.995 yds, 67.6%, 30 TDs, 7 INTs) returns; K Michael Petro (17-20 FGs, long of 45) returns, as does P Caile Hogan (45.7 avg/39.7 net, 2nd team All-AAC); 3 losses were by 7 points or less; offense scored 36+ points 6 times, but defense allowed 42+ points 4 times, including 55 twice.
Outlook: This team can get to 10 wins, but I’m a little concerned that they’ve gone from 12 wins in 2021, to 11 in ‘22, 9 in ‘23, and 7 wins each of the last 2 years. They need to reverse this downward trend, and that starts with how they do in the American Conference, as they’ve been 4-4 each of the last 2 years. The Roadrunners should be 2-2 or 3-1 after the OOC portion of the schedule, and they get USF and Navy at home (back-to-back weeks) followed by Tulane in New Orleans the following week. That 3-game stretch will determine if UTSA are contenders or pretenders, as most of the rest of the conference slate is a bunch of teams expected to finish at or near the bottom. 7 wins should be the minimum, but as stated above, 10 or more wins is the ceiling.
44- Navy Midshipmen 11-2/7-1 (tied for 1st)
Coach: Brian Newberry (4th year, 4th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 26-12/.684/20th
3-year record/rank: 26-12/.684/24th
6-year record/rank: 37-35/.514/67th
10-year record/rank: 67-58/.536/63rd
Last League Title: 2019 American Conference West co-champs
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 2 years/2025/2025
Bowl Record/Rank: 14-11-1/.558/29th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1926/9-0-1 under HC William Ingram
Last Winless Season: 2001/0-10 under HC’s Charlie Weatherbie (0-7) and Rick Lantz (0-3)
All-time Record/Rank: 759-605-57/.554/61st
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 31.5/31st/6th AAC
Rushing: 285.6/1st/1st
Passing: 130.0/131st/12th
Total: 415.6/33rd/6th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 25.0/T69th/7th
Rushing: 141.3/54th/4th
Passing: 230.0/90th/7th
Total: 371.3/64th/4th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 8/5
Schedule:
Sep 5 Towson
Sep 12 @ FAU
Sep 25 @ UAB
Oct 3 @ Air Force
Oct 10 Tulsa
Oct 17 @ UTSA
Oct 24 North Texas
Oct 31 Notre Dame (Foxborough, MA)
Nov 7 Temple
Nov 21 Memphis
Nov 28 @ Charlotte
Dec 13 Army (East Rutherford, NJ)
Notes: Navy has won 7 of their last 8 bowl matchups, and their 4-game bowl winning streak is tied for the 5th longest active streak; the Naval Academy’s current 4-game win streak is tied for the 6th longest; the Midshipmen have only 5 home games, 5 road games, and 2 neutral site games; TO margin was+1, tied for 65th; 759 wins is 22nd all-time, and the most of any American Conference team; QB will be Braxton Woodson (516 yds, 46%, 3 TDs, 3 INTs, 760 yds rushing, 5.2 ypc, 10 TDs in 3 years as backup); K Justin Welch is back (no FGs), but P Jacob Carlson (44.5 avg/39.5 net) returns; 5 wins were by 8 points or less; offense scored at least 32 points 8 times, while the defense allowed 31+ points 6 times (but held 4 to 17 points or less).
Outlook: The Midshipmen have had back-to-back 10+ win seasons for the 1st time in their history. This year, they have their typical OOC schedule- Notre Dame, AF, Army, and an FCS team, but in the American Conference, they avoid Tulane, ECU, Army (counts as a non-conference game every year), and USF, getting Memphis and UNT at home, and UTSA on the road. I see 8 wins on this schedule, and with an upset or 2, the Midshipmen could get a 3rd straight 10-win season!
43- Duke Blue Devils 9-5/6-2 (tied for 2nd)
Coach: Manny Diaz (3rd year, 6th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 39-24/.619/38th
3-year record/rank: 26-14/.650/34th
6-year record/rank: 40-36/.526/61st
10-year record/rank: 64-62/.508/68th
Last League Title: 2025 ACC Champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 4 years/2025/2025
Bowl Record/Rank: 9-9/.500/T59th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1920/4-0-1 under HC Floyd J. Egan
Last Winless Season: 2006/0-12 under HC Ted Roof
All-time Record/Rank: 556-565-31/.496/98th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 34.6/16th/1st ACC
Rushing: 138.1/88th/9th
Passing: 285.4/10th/1st
Total: 423.5/25th/3rd
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 29.4/98th/14th
Rushing: 147.4/66th/12th
Passing: 276.8/132nd/15th
Total: 424.2/119th/15th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 6/4
Schedule:
Sep 5 Tulane
Sep 12 @ Illinois
Sep 19 Stanford
Sep 26 William & Mary
Oct 10 @ Georgia Tech
Oct 17 North Carolina
Oct 24 @ Virginia
Oct 31 Boston College
Nov 7 @ NC State
Nov 14 @ Miami, Fl
Nov 21 Clemson
Nov 28 @ Wake Forest
Notes: Duke is 20-12 in the ACC the past 4 years, their best 4-year stretch since they were 16-1 from 1953-56 under HC Bill Murray, the 1st 4 years of the conference; since the ACC expanded conference play to 8 games in 1992, Duke has never been better than 6-2 (2013 under HC David Cutcliffe and last year); since 1963, Duke’s best years were in 1989 (6-1 under HC Steve Spurrier) and 1975 (3-0-2 under HC Mike McGee), though they had a 3-year stretch from 1960-62 when they were 5-1, 5-1, and 6-0, all under HC Bill Murray (no, not the comedian…); Bill Murray also had a stretch from 1952-55 where the Blue Devils were 17-0 in the Southern Conference (1952) and their 1st 3 years in the ACC, and if you extend through 1957, were 26-2-1 (sorry about going down that particular rabbit hole…); the Blue Devils are tied for the 6th longest active winning streak at 4 games, including wins in the ACC CG and in the Sun Bowl over Arizona State; TO margin was +10, tied for 12th in the FBS, and the best in the ACC; 556 wins is 95th all-time, 3 more than Memphis and SMU, and 4 less than North Texas; QB is likely to be SJSU transfer Walker Eget (3,051 yds, 59%, 17 TDs, 9 INTs), but ‘25 backup Dan Mahan is waiting in the wings; RB Nate Sheppard (1,132 yds- Duke freshman record, 11 TDs, 37 pass rec, 286 yds, 1 TD) returns; K will be Cosme Salas (KO specialist last season) and P Kade Reynoldson (44.6 avg/40.3 net) returns as well; offense set school records for most TDs (63) and points (484); ACC Championship was their 1st outright title since 1962, and 1st of any kind since 1989; 4 wins were by 7 points or leassas were 2 losses; offense scored 32+ points in 9 games, and 42+ in 6 contests; defense allowed 32+ in 8 games, with a high of 45 (twice).
Outlook: Duke has won 9 games in back-to-back seasons for only the 2nd time ever (2013 and 2014). In fact, the Blue Devils have only ever had one 10-win season, when they were 10-4 in 2013 under HC David Cutcliffe, though they have had eight 9-win seasons, 3 of them in the last 4 years. Can they get 9 wins in 4 out of 5 seasons? Can they get to 10 wins for only the 2nd time ever? The short answer is probably not. The longer answer is that it depends. The OOC portion of the schedule is tough, with Tulane at home and Illinois on the road, so the FCS tilt is the only “guaranteed” win. Added to the 9-game ACC schedule (5 road game), that makes reaching those goals that much harder. I see 6-8 wins and a 5th consecutive bowl, something they’ve never done before.
42- Vanderbilt Commodores 10-3/6-2 (tied for 5th)
Coach: Clark Lea (6th year, 6th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 26-36/.419/99th
3-year record/rank: 19-19/.500/68th
6-year record/rank: 26-45/.366/119th
10-year record/rank: 46-75/.380/114th
Last League Title: 1923 Southern Conference
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 2 years/2025/2024
Bowl Record/Rank: 5-5-1/.500/T59th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1922/8-0–1 under HC Dan McGugin
Last Winless Season: 2020/0-9 under HC’s Derek Mason (0-8) and Todd Fitch (0-1)
All-time Record/Rank: 635-674-50/.486/106th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 38.5/8th/2nd SEC
Rushing: 175.5/47th/7th
Passing: 287.5/9th/3rd
Total: 463.1/9th/3rd
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 22.8/T47th/11th
Rushing: 108.2/18th/6th
Passing: 249.4/116th/16th
Total: 357.5/58th/11th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 6/7
Schedule:
Sep 5 Austin Peay
Sep 12 Delaware
Sep 20 NC State
Sep 26 @ Auburn
Oct 3 @ Georgia
Oct 17 Arkansas
Oct 24 @ Kentucky
Nov 7 @ Mississippi State
Nov 14 Alabama
Nov 21 @ Florida
Nov 28 Tennessee
Notes: Last year was Vandy’s 2nd winning season since they were 9-4 in 2013 under James Franklin, and they achieved back-to-back winning seasons for the 1st time since 2012-13 (9-4 both years), which was the 1st time that had happened since 1974-75; the Commodores haven’t had 3 consecutive winning seasons since 1957-1959, when they were 5-3-2, 5-2-3, and 5-3-2 (that’s a lot of ties…) under HC Arthur Guepe; the ‘Dores finished the season ranked #15 in the AP Poll, it’s highest finish since they were #12 in 1948 (8-2-1 under HC Red Sanders, and only their 4th ranked finish ever (#23 in 202012 and #24 in 2013 under HC James Franklin), but they reached their all-time high of #7 in 1937 under HC Ray Morrison (got as high as #9 last season, their 2nd highest ever); Vandy has 7 home games for the 3rd year in a row; TO margin was +3, tied for 49th; winning percentage of .486 is the worst in the SEC; 674 losses is 10th most in FBS, just 6 fewer than Tulane and Kansas State; 635 wins ranks 64th, 3 ahead of WKU and 3 behind Baylor; last season was their 1st ever with 10 wins, and their 17 wins over the last 2 seasons is their 2nd most ever (18 wins in 2012-13); true freshman Jared Curtis is the likely starter at QB; K Brock Taylor (13-14 FGs, long of 57) returns, but P Tyler Ebel (45.8 avg/37.4 net) is a transfer from FCS South Dakota; Vandy has won 3 of their last 4 , including the bowl loss to Iowa, and was 7-0 at home last season; 3 wins were by 7 points each, with 2 of their 3 losses by 7 points or less (a combined 10 points); offense scored at least 31 points 9 times, breaking 44 points in 7 of those with a high of 70; defense held 5 opponents to 20 points or less with a high of 38 in an OT win over Auburn; the Commodores were 4-2 versus ranked (at the time) teams last season.
Outlook: Vanderbilt was 6-2 in the SEC last season, their 1st winning SEC record since they were 5-3 in 2012 under HC James Franklin. The previous winning SEC record was 4-2 in 1982 under HC George McIntyre, and that was their 1st winning record since they were 3-2-2 in 1959. The question becomes if the last 2 years are a result of catching lightning (Diego Pavia) in a bottle or the beginning of a new era of success. The game vs NC State in Week 3 may give us an indication of which way this season will go. The other 2 OOC games are teams from the FCS and CUSA. With the new 9-game SEC schedule, Vandy has 5 road games, with Auburn, UGA, and Florida the toughest. At home, they host Ole Miss, Alabama, and Tennessee. All this is to say that I think Vandy will get to 6 or more wins and back-to back-to back bowl games, but I don’t have a high degree of confidence. But maybe they can get one more successful season, at least, before they regress to the mean.
41- Illinois Fighting Illini 9-4/5-4 (tied for 7th)
Coach: Bret Bielema (6th year, 18th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 134-84/.615/39th
3-year record/rank: 24-14/.632/38th
6-year record/rank: 39-32/.549/53rd
10-year record/rank: 54-68/.443/95th
Last League Title: 2001 Big Ten
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 2 years/2025/2025
Bowl Record/Rank: 10-12/.455/86th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1951/9-0-1 under HC Ray Eliot
Last Winless Season: 1997/0-11 under HC Ron Turner
All-time Record/Rank: 651-632-50/.507/92nd
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 29.4/53rd/7th Big Ten
Rushing: 138.1/89th/13th
Passing: 235.8/58th/8th
Total: 373.9/79th/8th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 23.6/57th/12th
Rushing: 126.5/36th/9th
Passing: 218.4/63rd/14th
Total: 344.9/46th/12th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 8/4
Schedule:
Sep 5 UAB
Sep 12 Duke
Sep 19 Southern Illinois
Sep 26 @ Ohio state
Oct 3 Purdue
Oct 10 @ Michigan State
Oct 24 Oregon
Oct 31 @ Maryland
Nov 7 Nebraska
Nov 14 @ UCLA
Nov 21 Iowa
Nov 28 @ Northwestern
Notes: HC Bret Bielema is 7th in wins among active coaches, and tied for 94th all-time; Illinois has 7 home games, but 5 Big Ten road games; TO margin was +5, tied for 36th; 651 wins is tied with Kentucky for 55th, 3 ahead of South Carolina and 2 behind La Tech and Tulsa; 19 win the last 2 seasons is the most in Illini history; offense had just 11 turnovers last season; Michigan State/ECU transfer Katin Houser (3,300 yds, 65.9%, 19 TDs, 6 INTs, 181 yds rushing, 9 TDs) is the likely starter at QB; Illinois is 5-4 vs top-25 opponents the last 2 seasons; K will be Washington transfer Ethan Moczulski (1-2 FGs, long of 59 here in ‘24), and P will be Texas State transfer Lars Rau (36.3 avg in ‘24); Illinois has won 4 of their last 5 games, including the bowl win over Tennessee; offense scored 30+ 7 times; defense held 6 teams to 19 points or less, but allowed 32+ points 4 times, including a high of 63; 3 wins were by 7 points or less, but closest loss was by 17 points.
Outlook: The Fighting Illini will be going for a 3rd straight winning season for the 1st time since 1988-90 (6-5-1, 10-2, 8-4 under HC John Mackovic). That was also the last time they had 3 consecutive winning records in Big Ten play. The goal here should be sustaining both of those streaks. The OOC schedule is manageable, with UAB, Duke, and an FCS squad all at home. The Big Ten slate includes contests at Ohio State, Michigan State, UCLA, and rival Northwestern, and home games versus Oregon, Nebraska, and Iowa. My thoughts are that 7 wins are expected, but as many as 9 are possible. Any more than that and the Fighting Illini are probably in the top 3rd of the Big Ten, and maybe even challenging for a spot in the CG.
Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!
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