The 12-team College Football Playoff has opened the door a little wider, and every season now comes with a built-in chance for a non-power conference team to break through. Boise State, James Madison and Tulane have already gotten a taste of that stage in the last two years, and the next wave could come from a familiar mix of proven winners and rising challengers.
UNLV is one of the most intriguing names on the board. The Rebels are coming off a 10-win season in Dan Mullen’s first year, finishing one game short of a Mountain West title shot, and they could be even more dangerous if the quarterback situation settles quickly.
Mullen is expected to split Week 1 reps between former five-star Jackson Arnold and former Michigan quarterback Alex Orji. UNLV also brings back leading rusher Jai'Den Thomas, who ran for 985 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2025, while adding transfer receivers Troy Stellato from Kentucky and Amorion Walker from Middle Tennessee State, along with tight end Keyan Burnett from Arizona.
Taeshaun Lyons, who caught three touchdown passes, is back too. The defense has work to do after finishing 117th in total defense and allowing 28 points per game, but four starters return in Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu, Tre Fulton, Mumu Bin-Wahad and Kamuela Ka'aihue.
Mullen has already taken Florida to an SEC title game in his third season there, and the expectation here is that he can get UNLV to a conference title game even faster in Las Vegas.
Boise State enters a new chapter with the reborn Pac-12, joining Oregon State and Washington State along with several Mountain West programs, Texas State and Gonzaga. That shift makes the path less familiar, but the Broncos have built a reputation that travels.
They’ve won 17 conference championships and appeared in nine Mountain West title games, winning six. Spencer Danielson is heading into his fourth season and has gone 24-8, with key pieces back on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Maddux Madsen returns, as do leading rushers Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines. On defense, the Broncos bring back linebackers Boen Phillips, Jayden Virgin-Morgan and Jake Ripp.
The schedule is no joke, starting with a road trip to No. 2 Oregon in Week 1 and also including Western Michigan and Fresno State away from home, but Boise State gets South Dakota, Texas State, Oregon State and San Diego State in its own building.
If the Broncos hit, they could make the new-look Pac-12 feel very old-school very fast.
Navy has a different kind of profile, but the Midshipmen have a real shot to push into the playoff conversation after back-to-back double-digit win seasons under Brian Newberry, including an 11-2 finish last year. The big question is life after Blake Horvath, but Braxton Woodson has already shown plenty as a runner.
He rushed for 414 yards and six touchdowns on just 44 carries last season, averaging 9.4 yards per attempt. He also delivered in relief against then-No.
24 USF, helping Navy pull out a 41-38 win by rushing for 103 yards and two scores. Navy does lose most of its running backs from last season, but Vic Listorti, Charles Robinson and Jackson Gutierrez are expected to fill in.
Defensively, six players are back from a group that finished 54th against the run, including the team’s top three tacklers in MarcAnthony Parker, Giuseppe Sessi and Coleman Cauley. The schedule includes No.
4 Notre Dame in Foxborough on Oct. 31 and a potentially tricky trip to UTSA on Oct. 17, but the bigger wrinkle is that Army-Navy comes after Selection Sunday, so that rivalry game would not affect Navy’s CFP standing.
North Dakota State is the wild-card name with the strongest built-in brand. The Bison are one of college football’s true heavyweights at the FCS level, with an FCS-record 10 national championships, and now they’re taking their shot in the Mountain West after paying a $12.5 million entrance fee.
Tim Polasek has gone 26-3 in two seasons and won a national title in his first year as head coach in 2024, with NDSU then reaching the second round of the playoffs last season. There’s no guarantee the move to the FBS will be smooth, but the Bison have already shown they can handle that kind of jump.
Since 2004, they are 9-5 against FBS opponents, with the last win coming at Iowa in 2016. They also lost one-score games to Arizona and Colorado in 2022 and 2024.
At quarterback, Nathan Hayes is expected to step in after Cole Payton left for the Philadelphia Eagles. Hayes threw four touchdowns last season, and the backfield gets DJ Scot and Cortez LeGrant back.
On defense, North Dakota State returns leading tackler Donovan Woolen, who posted 86 tackles and three interceptions. The Mountain West road slate is a test, with trips to Air Force, UNLV, New Mexico, Hawaii and San Jose State.
In Other News...
Boise State Could Catch Oregon At A Very Different Strength Than Expected
Boise State heads into the 2026 opener with the kind of attention that usually follows a program when the matchup looks lopsided on paper, but Oregons injury picture has added a layer of uncertainty that could change the feel of the game. The Ducks are still sorting through several key health issues, including receiver Dillon Gresham, whose neck injury leaves no clear timetable for a return, while linebacker Brayden Platt is expected to be limited for a while after a spring injury.
There is some positive news in Eugene, with offensive lineman Dave Iuli already practicing and expected to be available when the season begins, and receiver Evan Stewart plus safety Trey McNutt working back from injuries suffered in 2025. Even so, the mix of absences, limitations and recoveries could leave Oregon looking vulnerable in spots Boise State may not have expected to target when the schedule first came out. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Walks Into One Of Oregons Most Hyped Game Day Looks
Oregon is already setting the tone for its 2026 season opener against Boise State, and the Ducks are doing it with a look that leans into tradition. The classic combination brings back the schools signature Gang Green jersey, yellow pants and a yellow helmet with a green O, a throwback-style choice tied to the programs history and the ongoing Generation O series.
The uniform reveal matters because the game is shaping up to be more than just an early-season matchup, with Autzens game-day atmosphere expected to be part of the show. Oregon is also pushing its Stripe-Out tradition, asking fans to wear green or yellow depending on their section, which should give the opener an extra layer of visual impact when Boise State walks into one of the sports most recognizable environments. [Read more 🡒]
Boise States Oregon Test Could Turn On These Newcomers Fast
Boise State heads into its Week 1 matchup with Oregon carrying a very different look than the roster that closed last season, thanks to a wave of transfer additions expected to matter right away. The Broncos have brought in 10 newcomers who could be starters or key backups, spread across both sides of the ball, and that kind of turnover always makes the opener feel like more than just a first game. It is also the sort of test that can reveal a lot quickly, especially when the opponent is strong enough to expose any growing pains.
For players such as Brantley, Edward, Esty, Ethridge, Goff, Hall, Morris, Tillmon, Washington Jr. and Wright, the opportunity is obvious. Boise State does not have the luxury of easing them in if it wants to be ready for Oregon, so the question becomes how fast those new pieces can settle into their roles and handle the speed of a major early-season stage. The Broncos spent the offseason adding depth and experience for moments like this, and now the real uncertainty is how many of those newcomers will look like instant fits when the lights come on. [Read more 🡒]