No SEC team drew a single first-place vote in the AP’s preseason college football rankings for 2026, a startling outcome in a poll that still had the conference everywhere else. Nine SEC teams landed among the top 25, but the message from voters was clear: the league’s championship grip is no longer being taken for granted.
At the top, Ohio State still looked like the safest bet. The Buckeyes earned 40 first-place votes and opened at No. 1, a nod to how much talent remains in Columbus even after key defensive departures.
Matt Patricia now has the job of replacing that production, and the offense is still built around Heisman finalist quarterback Julian Sayin and elite receiver Jeremiah Smith. The schedule won’t be soft, either, with six AP-ranked teams on the slate.
Oregon is the other team drawing real buzz as a title contender, with plenty of chatter this offseason about it being the Ducks’ “turn.” The roster has the kind of firepower that keeps that conversation alive.
Dante Moore is back at quarterback, and he’s working with what looks like college football’s best overall receiver room and maybe the Big Ten’s most talented backfield. On defense, Oregon added high-profile transfers at important spots and returns eight tacklers, giving it a group that could end up as the best in the country.
Georgia, meanwhile, is trying to make it three straight in Atlanta after back-to-back SEC titles. The Bulldogs have not won a College Football Playoff game since the mini-dynasty that produced national championships in 2021 and 2022, but they bring back enough to keep the machine humming.
Gunner Stockton returns as QB1 after a solid debut, Nate Frazier is the presumed lead back, and the offensive line could be the best in the SEC. Defensively, Kirby Smart’s group again looks suffocating, with eight starting tacklers back from a unit that allowed under 18 points per game a year ago.
Notre Dame has the pieces to stay in the mix even after losing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, which takes away the backbone of a top-five rushing attack. CJ Carr’s 2,741 passing yards last season were enough to suggest he can take real control of the offense, and the defense still has the kind of talent that keeps the Irish dangerous. Chris Ash is back for a second year coordinating a unit that ranked 10th in scoring and fourth with 21 interceptions, with Leonard Moore returning at corner and Alabama transfer Keon Keeley coming off the edge.
Texas also belongs in the conversation, but everything hinges on Arch Manning. If he looks like the quarterback who stumbled through those rough early games last season, the Longhorns’ title hopes disappear fast. If he keeps building off the strong finish to his first year as the starter - including wins over ranked Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, undefeated Texas A&M, and Michigan in the bowl - then Texas has a path to doing just about anything.
Indiana brings a different kind of pressure. The Hoosiers were warned by a strange historical trend: each of the last four times the reigning national champion started the next preseason outside the top five, that team finished unranked by season’s end.
LSU in 2008 and 2020, Auburn in 2011, and Michigan in 2024 all fit that pattern. Curt Cignetti has already done the hard part by winning 27 of his first 29 games, and Year Two comes with real expectations after he led one of college football’s most consistent losers to a 16-0 national title run.
Indiana returns a defense that allowed under 12 points per game and brings back six starters, along with a strong receiver group and what could be the best offensive line in the country. Josh Hoover is in at quarterback with experience and support.
In Other News...
Michigan Fans May Not Love Kyle Whittinghams Early Ohio State Message
Kyle Whittinghams early messaging at Michigan is already setting up a different tone for the rivalry, even if the stakes around Ohio State remain the same. He has made clear he wants the Buckeyes game to be played with intensity, but without leaning into the hatred that has long defined the matchup for both fan bases, a stance that will land very differently in Ann Arbor than it does across the border in Columbus.
Ryan Day, meanwhile, has shown again how seriously Ohio State treats the rivalry by making scheduling choices meant to keep the focus squarely on the game when November rolls around. It is a reminder that the two sides are approaching the same tradition from very different angles, and Buckeyes fans will be watching closely to see whether Michigans new tone is just a messaging shift or the start of something bigger in how the rivalry is handled. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Final Roster Spot Could Answer Its Biggest Frontcourt Question
Ohio State still has one roster spot open for the 2026-27 mens basketball season, and the late-stage flexibility could end up mattering in a major way. The Buckeyes have some frontcourt uncertainty hanging over their plans, so the final scholarship is not just a formality - it could shape how they solve the center position moving forward.
The name now in the mix is familiar to those who followed the programs recent roster movement, though nothing has been finalized. A recent court injunction opened the door for another year of eligibility for players from the class of 2022, and that development has put a possible return back on the table for a big man Ohio State knows well as it weighs what to do with its last opening. [Read more 🡒]
Former Buckeye Max Klare Just Revived An Ohio State What-If
Max Klares first preseason showing with the Rams offered a reminder of why tight ends who can separate and stay involved in the passing game always draw extra attention around Columbus. A former Buckeye who was not heavily used as a pass-catcher in Ohio States offense, Klare made a much bigger imprint in his NFL debut than he ever did in scarlet and gray, which is enough to reopen an old conversation about how his college career might have looked with a different role.
For Ohio State fans, the intrigue is less about one August game than the broader trend of former Buckeyes getting off to strong starts in the NFL preseason. Klare is now part of that group, and his early usage naturally invites a second look at the mismatch between his skill set and the way he was deployed in college. The question hanging over his next step is whether this was just a crisp debut or the first sign of a bigger opportunity ahead. [Read more 🡒]