The first full Saturday of the college football season arrives with the playoff picture already taking shape, at least in the early projections. Using Sports Illustrated’s preseason bracket and the opening-week read on a few contenders, the road to Las Vegas starts with Ohio State sitting on top.
The Buckeyes open against Ball State, a matchup that should give them a clean runway before next week’s trip to Austin. That meeting with Texas looms as one of the early games that could help sort out the national title race. Ohio State has the No. 1 spot for now, but that first real test is coming fast.
Miami wasted no time making a statement. Last season’s national runner-up jumped out Friday night in the Bay Area, and Malachi Toney’s Heisman Trophy push looks very much alive after what he did to the Cardinal. If the Hurricanes keep playing at that level, the ACC is going to have its hands full.
USC also got an early boost. Lincoln Riley seemed determined to avoid any lingering talk about a tighter-than-expected Week Zero result, and he kept his starters in long enough against Fresno State to finish off an impressive shutout on Friday night. Add in an offense that has already seen several freshmen look the part, and the Trojans look like they belong in the early Big Ten mix.
There’s plenty still to learn about Texas, especially with Arch Manning under center. Next week’s game against Ohio State should tell us more about his development and about the Longhorns’ depth under Steve Sarkisian. That one has the feel of a major early checkpoint.
The Cougars are the early Big 12 pick in SI’s projections, at least until there’s a clearer read on Texas Tech and its quarterback situation. The idea is simple: get over the hump and into the playoff conversation. For now, Houston has the edge.
Boise State enters the season as the default Group of 6 selection, though Memphis is waiting in the wings as competition for that spot. The Broncos also open as the presumed Pac-12 member in that race, and they’ll get an early chance to justify it.
Elsewhere, the week’s only ranked-vs.-ranked matchup has been pushed back a day, which means fans will have to wait on Trinidad Chambliss and Louisville. Until then, Lane Kiffin is drawing plenty of attention amid the latest swirl of antics coming out of Baton Rouge before LSU’s game against Clemson.
In Bloomington, the focus turns to Josh Hoover and how he handles the challenge of replacing the Heisman Trophy winner. Indiana will hang a banner and open against a very new-look North Texas team, so the first glimpse of Hoover will be worth watching closely.
Georgia’s offseason generated surprisingly little buzz, but the Bulldogs still enter nonconference play with the youngest roster in the sport. The real tests come later in SEC play.
Oregon gets Boise State at Autzen Stadium, and if the Ducks are truly the national title contender people think they are, this is the kind of game they should handle.
Notre Dame also carries something to prove after the way last season ended and the playoff snub that followed. The Irish get their chance to channel that frustration Sunday at Lambeau Field against a Wisconsin team that has improved.
In Other News...
College GameDay Sees Texas As A Contender But Not A Sure Thing
ESPNs College GameDay spent part of the weekend sorting through the SECs top tier, and Texas came out of it with something close to a respectability stamp. Several of the panels analysts, including Nick Saban and Desmond Howard, weighed in on the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff National Championship, and the consensus leaned toward Georgia as the favorite to come out of the conference. Even so, the Longhorns were firmly in the conversation, which is where they wanted to be entering another season with bigger expectations attached to the program.
Desmond Howard went a step farther and picked Texas to win both the SEC and the national title, a reminder that the Longhorns are being viewed as more than just a team with upside. At the same time, the broader skepticism around the league suggests they still have to prove they belong in that same elite bucket as Georgia. Texas will get its first chance to start making that case when it opens the season against Texas State, with the early weeks likely to shape how much of that playoff buzz is real. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Returns To Knoxville For A UT Showdown Fans Will Feel
Texas is headed back to a familiar old SEC-era stage next fall, with the Longhorns set to meet Tennessee on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. The noon ET kickoff gives the game a marquee spot on the schedule, and the setting alone should give it a different feel from a typical nonconference road trip, especially for fans who still remember how rarely these two programs have crossed paths in East Tennessee.
What makes the trip even more notable is the return to a venue where Texas has not played this matchup in generations, which only adds to the anticipation around a game that already carries plenty of name recognition. Tickets are already on the market too, with prices stretching from $350 to $1,650, a reminder that this one is expected to draw plenty of attention well before the teams actually get to Knoxville. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Depth Chart Already Reveals A Few Surprising Early Battles
Texas released its first official depth chart of the season ahead of the Texas State game, and it already offered a few hints about where the early competition is fiercest. The Longhorns listed starters and backups across offense, defense and special teams, giving the first real look at how the staff is sorting out roles after camp.
Among the more notable choices, sophomore Dylan Sikorski is penciled in ahead of sixth-year Laurence Seymore at left guard, a sign that the interior line picture is still taking shape. The rest of the chart also suggests Texas is not afraid to make some early calls and keep a few jobs open to challenge, which is exactly the kind of pressure a team wants before the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]