The Big Ten has owned the national title conversation lately, stacking three straight college football championships and cashing in on the expanded playoff era. But the preseason board tells a different story this time. The league that’s ruled the sport may not be the one sitting at the top of the odds when the season opens.
The Buckeyes still lead the pack, but the rest of the picture is crowded, and every major conference has at least one team with a real path to the trophy.
In the Big 12, Texas Tech is the name that jumps out first. The Red Raiders are coming off that historic conference championship from a year ago, and even with some key pieces gone from the defense, Joey McGuire still has enough back to keep the program in the mix.
A strong rushing game should help, especially with a powerful offensive line clearing the way for incoming quarterback Will Hammond. Hammond is back from an ACL tear a year ago and is set to take over full time after Brendan Sorsby’s controversial exit.
Big 12 team odds: Texas Tech (+2200), Utah (+8000), BYU (+8000), Oklahoma State (+8000), Iowa State (+10000).
The ACC picture is thinner, but Miami stands as the conference’s best shot. The Hurricanes were playing for the title a year ago and added quarterback Darian Mensah through the transfer portal. He’ll be working with skill players like wideout Malachi Toney and rusher Mark Fletcher, though Miami still has to prove it made the right calls replacing some defensive stars up front.
Clemson is trying to look more like the dynasty version of itself from a decade ago after a 7-6 season in 2025. The Tigers bring back a promising group of receivers, but they also have to break in a new quarterback who is still inexperienced.
ACC team odds: Miami (+1100), Clemson (+5000), Florida State (+10000), Louisville (+10000).
Notre Dame sits second in the national championship odds behind Ohio State, a strong sign of respect even after losing its two brilliant backs this offseason. The Irish still have a sturdy base at quarterback, receiver and in the secondary, and the schedule ahead looks very manageable.
The Big Ten has been on a strange but effective run, with Michigan, then Ohio State, and then unexpectedly Indiana all winning national championships over the last few seasons. Now Oregon could be next in line to carry the league. The Ducks bring back what might be college football’s best defense, along with a loaded group of skill players and star quarterback Dante Moore.
Ohio State remains the favorite. Jeremiah Smith is back to fuel the offense, and Heisman finalist Julian Sayin is under center again. The concern is on defense, where the Buckeyes lost some elite production, and their schedule is tougher this year.
Big Ten team odds: Ohio State (+600), Indiana (+750), Oregon (+800), Michigan (+2500), USC (+3500), Penn State (+5000).
The SEC has spent three years out of the national championship spotlight after dominating much of this century, but the conference looks ready to push back into the center of the race in 2026.
Georgia, the back-to-back reigning SEC champion, may be the league’s strongest contender. A third title in the Kirby Smart era would help build something that looks a lot like a Bulldogs dynasty, and the roster brings back an experienced offense along with important pieces on defense.
Texas is right there too, with Arch Manning hoping his second-half form from his debut season as starter shows up more often than the first-half version. He’ll have help from a wave of incoming transfers, and the Longhorns’ defense has the size to bang around through an SEC schedule.
SEC team odds: Texas (+650), Georgia (+900), Alabama (+1500), LSU (+1500), Texas A&M (+1500), Ole Miss (+2500), Oklahoma (+3000).
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In Other News...
Big Ten Commissioner Just Said What Indiana Fans Have Waited To Hear
Tony Petitti spent Big Ten Media Days making sure Indiana heard the praise it has earned. The commissioner pointed to the Hoosiers 2025 national championship season as proof of how far the program has come under Curt Cignetti, and he framed the turnaround as one of the leagues better success stories after Indiana started flashing real momentum in 2024.
For Hoosier fans, the bigger takeaway is that the conference office is openly embracing what has happened in Bloomington. Petitti said the Big Ten is pleased with the way Indianas rise has played out and with the response it has created on Saturdays, a notable shift for a program that spent so long trying to break into the sports upper tier. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Just Raised The Stakes On Oregons Title Chase
Dan Lanning used the stage at Big Ten Media Days to frame Oregons title pursuit as less of a leap than a continuation, saying the Ducks are close after building a program that has already stacked up major wins and reached the College Football Playoff in back-to-back seasons. He pointed to the grind of assembling a championship roster and made clear that the Ducks recent run has created the kind of foundation coaches spend years trying to establish.
For Indiana, the larger takeaway is the company Lanning put himself in while talking about the sports current elite. He cited the small group of active coaches who have already won national championships and used Curt Cignetti as the outlier in that conversation, a reminder of how narrow the path still is even for a program with Oregons momentum. Lanning stopped short of promising a trophy, but he did make the stakes plain: the Ducks believe they are in the window now, and the next step has to be more than just getting close again. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Is About To Address Indiana's 3 Biggest Fears
Curt Cignetti is set to take the stage at the 2026 Big Ten Football Media Days in Chicago, and for Indiana fans, the timing makes his session feel especially important. After a spring that was affected by injuries, the Hoosiers are still waiting for a clearer picture on health, while the program itself has moved into a new phase after a national championship season that changed the conversation around what comes next.
The questions hanging over Indiana are bigger than one summer appearance. Fans want to know whether the staff can get through the injury uncertainty, whether the mindset has shifted from building the program to sustaining it, and how much confidence Cignetti has in keeping the offense on script after major personnel turnover. Those answers are still to come, which is exactly why his Chicago availability figures to draw so much attention. [Read more 🡒]