College football’s chaos always leaves room for a couple of bluebloods to sneak into the conversation, and CBS Sports’ Austin Nivison put Florida and Michigan there on Saturday when he named the six biggest wild-card programs for 2026.
Both teams have enough talent to matter. Both also come with obvious questions.
Florida enters 2026 with a new coach in Jon Sumrall, the former Troy and Tulane head coach who won no fewer than nine games in each of his previous four seasons on the sideline. He arrives with a staff that looks built to stabilize things quickly, with offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and defensive coordinator Brad White both bringing track records from their previous stops.
The Gators’ biggest unknowns sit in the most important spots on the field: quarterback and offensive line. Even so, Florida kept a lot of pieces from a respectable 2025 defense, and the offense should have one of the SEC’s most dangerous skill groups.
The schedule helps, too. There’s no easy path in the SEC, but Florida’s slate is one of the more manageable ones in the league. Ole Miss, Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma are the obvious land mines, yet the other five conference opponents come with more uncertainty than intimidation.
Michigan’s case is different, but just as interesting. The Wolverines made one of the few coaching moves this offseason that brought in a proven winner from the Power Four ranks, hiring Kyle Whittingham. Utah went 177-88 under Whittingham, and that run included eight seasons with 10 or more wins.
As expected after a coaching change, Michigan lost some players to the NCAA transfer portal. Still, the Wolverines managed to keep several important pieces from the 2025 roster on both sides of the ball, and Whittingham also brought over multiple proven players from his 2025 Utah team.
The biggest swing factor for Michigan is quarterback Bryce Underwood. The former five-star recruit has major upside, but inconsistency showed up late in 2025 after what the source described as a lack of proper coaching. If Underwood tightens things up, the offense could jump to another level.
The schedule gives Michigan a real shot to build momentum at home. Most of the tougher games are at Michigan Stadium, and if the Wolverines can win at least two of their home matchups against Oklahoma, Iowa, Penn State and Indiana, they could head into November with a legitimate chance to challenge Oregon and Ohio State on the road.
In Other News...
Florida Just Made A Crucial Move For A Quarterback Fans Want
Floridas push for quarterback help in the 2028 cycle just got a notable boost, with Lukas Prock naming the Gators among his finalists. The Hun School of Princeton signal-caller has been on Floridas radar since an April scholarship offer, and his list now puts the Gators in a tight race with Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana for one of the classs most closely watched young passers.
For Florida, the timing matters because the 2028 class is still in its early shape and the Gators have only one commitment there so far in receiver Armani Strong. Procks profile gives the staff a chance to keep building around a quarterback target with national appeal, but the next steps will say plenty about how serious Florida can be in a battle that already has several heavyweight programs involved. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas New Offense May Hinge On One Receiver Fans Know Well
Floridas offense is heading into a reset under Jon Sumrall and coordinator Buster Faulkner, and one familiar name is already sitting near the center of the conversation. Senior receiver Eric Singleton Jr., who arrived after his time at Auburn, is viewed as one of the Gators most important pieces for 2026 because of what he can do both as a proven target and as a player Faulkner already knows well from their previous stops together.
Singleton also comes in with the kind of rsum that makes it easy to see why Florida is leaning on him. He was productive at Auburn and gives the Gators their highest-ranked portal addition, but his role still has to be sorted out in a receiver room that includes second-year options Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III. How much Singleton commands in this new offense could say a lot about how quickly Florida settles into Faulkners system. [Read more 🡒]