Week 0 may feel like college football’s soft opening, but the results can still ripple into the 2026 College Football Playoff picture. A few teams that don’t always grab the brightest spotlight have a real chance to shape that conversation before the full season even gets rolling.
One of the most intriguing games sits in the ACC, where the fight for a second CFP bid could be influenced right away. Miami enters the year as the league favorite, and programs like SMU and Louisville will get early attention as possible candidates for that next spot. But NC State and Virginia both have a path to make some noise.
Virginia is coming off an 11-win season and avoids Miami and Louisville on its regular-season schedule. That makes NC State one of the tougher conference opponents on the slate, and a win there could give the Cavaliers an early boost in the race to be the ACC’s second playoff team.
NC State has its own case to make. The Wolfpack won eight games last season, return standout passer CJ Bailey, and also avoid Miami and SMU.
They will host Louisville, too. For a team trying to break into that postseason picture, opening with a conference win could matter a lot.
The Group of Five race has its own Week 0 intrigue, and Memphis vs. UNLV could help sort out the early hierarchy for that single CFP spot.
Memphis won 11 games in 2024, started last season 8-1, and climbed as high as No. 22 in the AP poll before fading late. Even with that stumble, the Tigers still look like an AAC contender.
UNLV has been just as relevant in its own league. The Rebels won 10 games last year in the Mountain West and put together a 6-0 start that had people talking about them as a possible CFP team. The defense needs to improve, but 21 wins over the last two seasons gives the program real credibility.
Then there’s USC, which may not be in danger of losing to San Jose State, but still has plenty at stake. The real issue for the Trojans is how much they can pad their case. Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon have the clearest path to the Big Ten playoff field, but a fourth team is still possible, and USC is trying to separate itself from Michigan and Penn State.
That’s where style points come in. USC has to deal with all three of the Big Ten’s most dangerous teams mentioned above, plus Penn State, so every chance to impress matters.
A lopsided Week 0 win would not decide anything by itself, but it could help the Trojans make a stronger argument if they end up looking like a 9-3 team. It could also give Jaiden Maiava’s potential Heisman campaign a jump start, and that kind of momentum can shape the public conversation when the final CFP spot is up for grabs.
In Other News...
Brian Nelson II Is Suddenly Central To NC States 2026 Defense
NC State heads into its 2026 football season at Virginia with a defense that already has a clear new face in the leadership mix. Brian Nelson II, the cornerback who transferred from North Texas, was named one of the Wolfpacks captains for the year, a notable step for a player who spent 2025 working mostly without the spotlight before earning a starting role late in the season.
Nelsons rise gives the secondary an important anchor heading into a road opener that will ask plenty from the Pack right away. He is projected to start in 2026, and his climb from non-starter to captain suggests NC State sees more than just steady play, but a player ready to help set the tone for a defense trying to establish itself early. [Read more 🡒]
NC States New Receiver Gives CJ Bailey A Huge Early Storyline
NC States 2026 depth chart offered an immediate hint at one of the more intriguing storylines around CJ Bailey, with Miami transfer wide receiver Jojo Trader listed as a starter. The move gives the Wolfpack another experienced target to build around, and it also adds a familiar face for Bailey, who has known Trader for years and has played alongside him since childhood and again in high school before the two were reunited in Raleigh.
Trader arrives with some college production already on the ledger after appearing in 11 games last season and catching 13 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. For NC State, the pairing is about more than continuity at receiver. It gives Bailey a built-in chemistry piece entering the season, and the bigger question now is how quickly that old connection translates once the games start counting again. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Revived A Helmet Debate Fans Care About
NC State has already shown a willingness to tinker with its look this season, beginning 2025 in cursive NC State helmets before moving to the larger Tuffy wolf logo for the rest of the schedule and the Gasparilla Bowl. This fall, though, the helmet debate has circled back again, with the Wolfpack using a smaller version of the Tuffy logo and giving fans another reason to compare it with the more familiar design.
The change has been noticeable enough to spark the kind of social media conversation that always seems to follow a helmet tweak. Some fans like the cleaner look, others prefer the bolder version, and the split reaction says plenty about how much these details still matter in Raleigh. For a program with a distinctive identity, even a small logo change can feel bigger than it looks. [Read more 🡒]