2026 College Football Preview Part XIV
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!
0- Ole Miss Rebels 13-2/7-1 (tied for 1st)
Coach: Pete Golding (1st year, 1st overall FBS)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 2-1/.667/24th
3-year record/rank: 34-7/.829/4th
6-year record/rank: 57-20/.740/9th
10-year record/rank: 77-48/.616/30th
Last League Title: 1963 SEC champions/2003 SEC West co-champs
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 6 years/2025/2025
Bowl Record/Rank: 29-16/.644/16th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 1
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1960/10-0-1 under HC John Vaught
Last Winless Season: 1907/0-6 under HC Frank Mason
All-time Record/Rank: 698-552-35/.557/57th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 36.9/10th/3rd SEC
Rushing: 176.3/44th/6th
Passing: 313.3/3rd/1st
Total: 489.7/2nd/1st
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 21.1/37th/9th
Rushing: 149.1/69th/5th
Passing: 198.9/37th/5th
Total: 348.0/48th/9th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 7/9
Schedule:
Sep 6 Louisville (Nashville, TN)
Sep 12 Charlotte
Sep 19 LSU
Sep 26 @ Florida
Oct 10 @ Vanderbilt
Oct 17 Missouri
Oct 24 @ Texas
Oct 31 Auburn
Nov 7 Georgia
Nov 14 @ Oklahoma
Nov 21 Wofford
Nov 27 Mississippi State
Notes: The Rebels have only 4 true away games and 7 home games, with the opener being played in Nashville; Ole Miss finished in the top 5 for the 1st time since 1962 (also #3), their 2nd highest ranking ever (finished #2 in 1959 and in 1960); Ole Miss has won 7 of their last 8 games, including the wins over Tulane and UGA in the CFP, have won 12 straight, 22 of their last 23 home games, and 12 of their last 13 SEC home games; offense scored 30+ points in 11 contests, and 41+ points in 5 games, but 6 wins were by at 8 points or less; defense held 8 opponents to 21 points or less (4 to 10 points or less), and both losses were by 8 points or less (12 total points); the Rebels have been to a bowl in 6 straight seasons (5-3 record), their 2nd longest streak behind 15 in a row from 1957-1971, with a 9-6 bowl record under HCs Johnny Vaught and Billy Kinard (1971), and have won 13 of their last 16 bowl appearances; 34 wins the last 3 seasons (34-7) are the most ever for the Rebs in a 3-year period, but Mississippi was 29-3-1 in 1958, 1959, and 1960 (also 1959, 1960, and 1961) under HC Vaught with a FBWAA national championship in 1960; the Rebels remain the only original SEC West team that has not played in the SEC CG; Ole Miss has had a winning record in the SEC in 4 of the last 5 years (4-4 in 2022), their best over a 5-year period since they had 4 over a 5-year period from 1969-73 under HCs Vaught and Kinard (then Vaught again); TO margin was +1, 70th in FBS; 698 wins ranks 41st, 12 ahead of Miami, Fl, and 1 behind Virginia; QB Trinidad Chambliss (3,937 yds, 66.1%, 22 TDs, 3 INTs, 527 yds rushing, 4.0 ypc, 8 TDs) returns, as does RB Kewan Lacy (1,567 yds, 5.1 ypc, school-record 24 TDs); defense had just 9 INTs; S Joenel Aguero is a transfer from UGA; K Lucas Carneiro (31-35 FGs, long of 58) returns, as does P Oscar Bird (46.0 avg/43.6 net).
Outlook: The Rebels had 13 wins last season, the most ever in Oxford, with the previous high being 11 in 2023 under HC Lane Kiffin. The SEC schedule starts with a bang, as LSU (and former Ole Miss HC Kiffin) visits Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Sep 19. Win that one, and the Rebels should be 6-0 when they travel to Texas in late October. They also have UGA and rival Mississippi State at home, and play at Oklahoma. As SEC schedules go, this one is about as easy as it gets, so 8 or 9 wins is almost “guaranteed” (nothing is ever really guaranteed), with 10+ for a 4th consecutive year, extending the record, rating at least a 50% chance. The Rebels could make the SEC CG for the 1st time ever, and should be a repeat participant in the CFP.
9- Michigan Wolverines 9-4/7-2 (tied for 4th)
Coach: Kyle Whittingham (1st year, 22nd overall FBS)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 177-88/.668/23rd
3-year record/rank: 32-9/.780/8th
6-year record/rank: 59-16/.787/6th
10-year record/rank: 96-31/.756/6th
Last League Title: 2023 Big Ten champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 5 years/2025/2024
Bowl Record/Rank: 24-30/.444/T88th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 3
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: 3/2023
Last Undefeated Season: 2023/15-0 under HC Jim Harbaugh
Last Winless Season: 1881/0-3 (3rd year of existence, only time ever, no coach listed)
All-time Record/Rank: 1021-362-36/.732/4th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 27.5/68th/11th Big Ten
Rushing: 210.2/14th/2nd
Passing: 186.8/105th/14th
Total: 396.9/58th/7th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 20.4/29th/7th
Rushing: 111.9/19th/6th
Passing: 211.4/54th/12th
Total: 323.3/23rd/6th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 7/7
Schedule:
Sep 5 Western Michigan
Sep 12 Oklahoma
Sep 19 UTEP
Sep 26 Iowa
Oct 3 @ Minnesota
Oct 17 Penn State
Oct 24 Indiana
Oct 31 @ Rutgers
Nov 7 Michigan State
Nov 14 @ Oregon
Nov 21 UCLA
Nov 28 @ Ohio State
Notes: The Wolverines once had a 33-season bowl streak from 1975-2007, the 3rd longest of all time; Michigan has 8 home games, including 5 Big Ten games in the Big House; TO margin was +2, tied for 60th; new HC Kyle Whittingham is 3rd among active coaches with 177 wins, which is 38th most all time; UM is tied with Alabama for the most bowl losses, but the Tide have played in 80 postseason games, while the Wolverines have played in only 54; 1021 wins is most of any team, and 31 ahead of 2nd place Ohio State; QB Bryce Underwood (2,428 yds, 60.3%, 11 TDs, 9 INTs, 392 yds rushing, 4.5 ypc, 6 TDs) returns for a 2nd season; Pitt transfer Trey Butkowski (20-23 FGs, long of 47) will be K, while P will be UNLV transfer Cameron Brown (44.0 avg/41.1 net); Michigan is on a modest 2-game losing streak, including a loss to Texas in the Citrus Bowl, but were 6-1 in true road games; offense scored 13 points or less in 3 of their 4 losses (27 pts in the bowl loss), as all were by at least 11 points; defense held 7 opponents to 20 points or less; 3 wins were by 5 points or less.
Outlook: Michigan hasn’t had a losing record in a full season since they were 5-7 in 2014 in the last year of HC Brady Hoke (2-4 in 2020 under HC Harbaugh). Chances are pretty high that they will achieve a 12th consecutive winning record both overall and in the Big Ten (2020 notwithstanding). Oklahoma in week 2 should give us an early indication of how this season will turn out, but the Big Ten slate is pretty rough, with games against Iowa, Penn State, and Indiana at home, and road games at Minnesota, Oregon, and Ohio State. If they can get past the Sooners and win 4 of those 6, they just might return to the Big Ten CG for a 4th time in the last 6 years (all wins!), and that would likely save them a spot in the CFP. I’m not sure they will get there, at least not in year 1 under HC Whittingham.
8- Texas Tech Red Raiders 12-2/8-1 (tied for 1st)
Coach: Joey McGuire (5th year, 5th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 35-18/.660/26th
3-year record/rank: 27-13/.675/25th
6-year record/rank: 46-30/.605/39th
10-year record/rank: 66-59/.528/64th
Last League Title: 2025 Big 12 champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 5 years/2025/2023
Bowl Record/Rank: 17-25-1/.407/101st
CFP Playoff Appearances: 1
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: Never (since 1925)- best seasons were 11-1 in 1953 under HC DeWitt Weaver and 1973 under HC Jim Carlen
Last Winless Season: Never; worst seasons were 1-9 in 1962 under HC J. T. King and 1-9-1 in 1981 under HC Jerry Moore
All-time Record/Rank: 617-488-32/.557/58th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 39.4/7th/2nd Big 12
Rushing: 182.9/33rd/3rd
Passing: 278.5/15th/3rd
Total: 461.4/10th/2nd
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 11.8/3rd/1st
Rushing: 68.1/1st/1st
Passing: 190.1/26th/4th
Total: 258.3/3rd/1st
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 8/8
Schedule:
Sep 5 Abilene Christian
Sep 12 @ Oregon State
Sep 18 Houston
Sep 26 Sam Houston
Oct 3 @ Colorado
Oct 17 Arizona State
Oct 24 @ Cincinnati
Oct 31 Arizona
Nov 7 West Virginia
Nov 14 @ Oklahoma State
Nov 21 @ Baylor
Nov 26 TCU
Notes: Texas Tech was 7-0 at home this past season, and have won 14 of their last 16 home games; offense scored 34 points or more in 11 games, and 42+ in 8 of those, but was shut out by Oregon in the Orange Bowl; 1 of the 2 losses was by just 4 points; TTU finished #7 in the AP poll last season, its highest finish ever, and the 1st time finishing in the top 10; TTU has been to 5 consecutive bowls (winning 3) for the 1st time since they went to 11 in a row from 2000-2010 under HC Mike Leach and HC Tommy Tuberville (2010); the Red Raiders have had 4 straight winning conference records for the 1st time since they had 7 in a row from 1991-97 under HC Spike Dykes, a span that includes the old SWC and the beginning of the Big 12; they also have 5 consecutive winning seasons for the 1st time since they had 16 straight from 1995-2010 under the aforementioned HC’s Dykes, Leach, and Tuberville (2010); the Red Raiders have 7 home games, and 5 Big 12 home contests; TO margin was +14, 7th in FBS and 2nd in the Big 12; 617 wins is 70th, 2 ahead of Kansas, and 4 behind Southern Miss; QB will probably be ‘25 backup Will Hammond (680 yds, 63.3%, 7 TDs, 3 INTs, 299 yds rushing, 7.0 ypc, 5 TDs), who is coming off an ACL injury, so Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis must be ready to go; RB Cameron Dickey (1,124 yds, 5.4 ypc, 14 TDs) returns; defense had 41 sacks; K Stone Harrington (22-28 FGs, long of 58, All-Big 12, Lou Groza Award semifinalist) returns, but P will be UCLA transfer Will Karoll (43.5 avg/36.7 net); offense scored on 86.5% of trips into the red zone, but 23 of the 64 (more than a third) ended in FGs; special teams blocked 5 punts; 12 wins last year was their most ever; defense held 12 teams to 20 points or less, including, 11 to 17 or less, 10 to 14 points or less, and 8 to 11 points or less, including 2 shutouts.
Outlook: The Red Raiders had a huge turnaround on defense from 2024 to 2025, and if the numbers are as good this season, no one in the Big 12 will be able to unseat them. But that’s a big ask. The Big 12 schedule doesn’t include Utah or BYU, and Houston, Arizona, ASU, and TCU all must travel to Lubbock, where TTU was 7-0 last season, and are 14-2 in their last 16 games in Jones AT&T Stadium. There are no challenges in the OOC portion of the schedule, so all the stars seem to be aligning for a 12-0 regular season. But there’s the pesky question of the QB, and whether they will be healthy enough (or good enough) to complement the defense, assuming it’s at least close to as good as it was last year. I expect a minimum of 10 wins, a spot in the Big 12 CG, and maybe even an at-large berth in the CFP if the they can run the table (regardless of the outcome of the CG).
7- Miami Hurricanes 13-3/6-2 (tied for 2nd)
Coach: Mario Cristobal (5th year, 16th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 97-79/.551/66th
3-year record/rank: 30-12/.714/17th
6-year record/rank: 50-27/.649/27th
10-year record/rank: 82-47/.636/24th
Last League Title: 2003 Big East co-champs/2002 Big East champions/2017 ACC Coastal champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 3 years/2025/2025
Bowl Record/Rank: 22-26/.458/84th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 1
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: 5/2001
Last Undefeated Season:2001/12-0 under HC Larry Coker
Last Winless Season: Never (since 1926); worst seasons were 1-7-1 in 1944 under HC Eddie Dunn, and 2-8 in 1958 under HC Andy Gustafson and in 1975 under HC Carl Selmer
All-time Record/Rank: 686-394-19/.633/18th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 30.9/35th/6th ACC
Rushing: 151.8/77th/7th
Passing: 253.2/38th/9th
Total: 405.0/46th/6th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 14.8/5th/1st
Rushing: 89.3/6th/1st
Passing: 204.9/43rd/4th
Total: 294.1/12th/1st
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 5/8
Schedule:
Sep 4 @ Stanford
Sep 10 Florida A&M
Sep 18 @ Wake Forest
Sep 26 Central Michigan
Oct 3 @ Clemson
Oct 17 FSU
Oct 24 Pittsburgh
Oct 31 @ North Carolina
Nov 7 @ Notre Dame
Nov 14 Duke
Nov 20 Virginia Tech
Nov 28 Boston College
Notes: The Hurricanes finished last season at #2 in the AP Poll, their 1st finish in the top 5 since 2003; Miami has 7 home games, and 5 ACC home games; the Canes have 4 non-Saturday games, more than any other P4 team, including the opening 3 games of the season; TO margin was +10, 17th in FBS; 686 wins is 42nd all-time, 1 ahead of Maryland, and 12 behind Ole Miss; QB is Duke transfer Darian Mensah (3,973 yds, 66.8%, 34 TDs, 6 INTs); WR Malachi Toney (109 rec, school-record 1,211 yds, 10 TDs) returns and will be joined by Duke transfer Cooper Barkate (72 rec, 1,106 yds, 7 TDs); RB Mark Fletcher (1,192 yds, 5.5 ypc, 12 TDs) returns as well; K will be Northwestern transfer Jack Olsen (19-21 FGs, long of 41) and P will be returnee Dylan Joyce (44.4 avg/40.5 net). WR Toney also returns punts (14.4 avg); Canes were 7-1 at home last season, and have won 13 of their last 14 games in Hard Rock Stadium; all 3 losses were by 6 points or less (1 in OT), and all but 2 regular season wins were by at least 17 points (all 3 CFP wins were by 10 points or less); Miami has won 7 of their last 8 games, with the loss in the NC Game.
Outlook: The Miami Hurricanes overachieved last season, but this team looks even better. The only concern I have is depth at QB, if Mensah gets injured for a play or 2, or a half, or longer. The schedule is not overly strenuous, but does include a trip to South Bend for the return visit to Notre Dame, plus a game at Clemson and versus FSU, Pitt, and Duke at home. 10 wins is an absolute minimum with this schedule, as anything less would have to be considered a disappointment. The Canes should win the ACC for the 1st time ever.
6- Ohio State Buckeyes 12-2/9-0 (tied for 1st)
Coach: Ryan Day (9th year, 9th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 82-12/.872/2nd
3-year record/rank: 37-6/.860/2nd
6-year record/rank: 66-11/.857/2nd
10-year record/rank: 115-17/.871/1st
Last League Title: 2019 Big Ten champions/2021 Big East co-champs
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 13 years/2025/2024
Bowl Record/Rank: 30-30-0/.500/T59th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 7
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: 6/2024
Last Undefeated Season: 2012/12-0 under HC Urban Meyer
Last Winless Season: Never (since 1890); worst seasons were 1-7-1 in 1897 under HC David F. Edwards, and 2-6-1 in 1947 under HC Wes Fesler
All-time Record/Rank: 990-337-53/.737/1st
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 33.4/21st/5th Big Ten
Rushing: 154.4/72nd/9th
Passing: 268.2/21st/2nd
Total: 422.6/26th/4th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 9.3/1st/1st
Rushing: 89.4/7th/2nd
Passing: 129.7/1st/1st
Total: 219.1/1st/1st
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 8/6
Schedule:
Sep 5 Ball State
Sep 12 @ Texas
Sep 19 Kent State
Sep 26 Illinois
Oct 3 @ Iowa
Oct 10 Maryland
Oct 17 @ Indiana
Oct 31 @ USC
Nov 7 Oregon
Nov 14 Northwestern
Nov 21 @ Nebraska
Nov 28 Michigan
Notes: The Buckeyes have the 5th longest bowl streak at 13 years; OSU has 7 CFP appearances, good enough for 2nd most, and has won 2 CFP championships; OSU’s last regular season loss to any team other than Michigan (4 losses) or Oregon (2 losses) was a 49-20 loss at Purdue on Oct 20, 2018, and their last home loss to anyone other than those 2 was 31-16 to visiting Oklahoma on Sep 9, 2017; the Buckeyes have been to a bowl in 36 of the last 38 years, missing only 2012 (12-0 under HC Urban Meyer- team ineligible for a bowl) and 1999 (6-6 under HC John Cooper), and their last losing season was 4-6-1 in 1988 (HC John Cooper’s 1st season), and before that was a 4-5 record in 1966 under HC Woody Hayes- that’s 2 losing seasons since they were 3-5-1 in 1959; Ohio State hasn’t had back-to-back losing seasons since they had 3 in a row from 1922-24 (3-4, 3-4-1, 2-3-3 under HC John Wilce), their only B2B losing seasons in their history; OSU has been to the CFP in 5 of the 7 full years Ryan Day has been HC; OSU has 7 home games, and 5 Big Ten home games; TO margin was +4, 46th in FBS; HC Day is one of only 3 coaches hired in 2019 who are still in the same job (none hired in 2018, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, or between 2000 and 2006 remain); winning percentage of .737 is the best of all time, a full .004 ahead of Alabama; 990 wins is 2nd most, 5 ahead of Alabama, and 31 behind Michigan; only 2 losses last season were against the 2 title game participants; QB Julian Sayin (3,601 yds, 77.0%- 3rd best in FBS history, 32 TDs, 8 INTs) returns; WR Jeremiah Smith (87 rec, 1,243 yds, 12 TDs) and RB Bo Jackson (1,090 yds, 6.1 ypc, 6 TDs) both return as well; OSU hasn’t lost more than 2 games in a season since they were 6-7 in 2011 under HC Luke Fickell, which was also the last time they lost more than 2 Big Ten games; K will be Baylor transfer Connor Hawkins (18-22 FGs, long of 54), but P Joe McGuire (42.4 avg/41.2 net) returns for his 3rd season; the Buckeys are on a 2-game losing streak, losing in the Big Ten CG and in the Cotton Bowl to Miami; OL allowed only 6 sacks in the regular season, but gave up 10 in their 2 losses to end their season; OL has 4 returning starters; OSU has won at least 11 games in 5 straight seasons, and in 13 of the last 14 seasons (7-1 in 2020); offense scored 34+ points in 9 games, but were held to 14 or less in 3; the 2 losses were by a combined 13 points; only 1 win was by less than 18 points (14-7 over Texas in the opener); defense held every opponent- except Miami- to 16 points or less, and 10 foes to 10 points or less, including 2 shutouts.
Outlook: The Buckeyes could be a much better team this season but still end up with a worse record. That’s because their schedule is quite a bit more difficult than it was last season. First, they play at Texas in Week 2. Then they have Big Ten road games at Iowa, Indiana, and USC, and home games versus Illinois, Oregon, and rival Michigan. But just about the safest bet in CFB is picking the Bucks to win 10+ games, and they have a very real chance at winning the Big Ten for the 1st time since 2020, making the CFP for the 6th time in the last 8 years, and winning the National Championship for the 2nd time in 3 years.
Make sure you come back tomorrow as I continue my previews!
Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!
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