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...
Texas Has One Big Hurdle Left In This Key In-State Recruitment
Chris Whaleys connection to Texas gives the Longhorns an obvious foothold in the chase for his son, CJ Whaley, one of the more intriguing in-state prospects Steve Sarkisian is pursuing. The younger Whaley has drawn attention as a two-way player with a growing list of major offers, and his profile fits the kind of versatile talent Texas keeps working to stockpile in its own backyard.
Still, the recruitment is far from settled, even with some optimism around the Longhorns position. Texas has plenty of familiarity and family ties working in its favor, but the process is ongoing and the next steps in the relationship will matter just as much as the name on the offer sheet. [Read more 🡒]
Texas May Have Found A Future Anchor Up Front
Texas has already started shaping its future up front, and the latest piece came with the addition of five-star offensive tackle Ismael Camara, a top-15 national prospect out of Gilmer High School. The Longhorns have built a top-10 2027 recruiting class under Steve Sarkisian, and Camara gives that group another high-end talent with the kind of frame and athletic profile that can change how a line looks a few years down the road. Originally from France, he brings a developmental upside that fits a program trying to stay stocked at premium positions.
For Texas, the appeal goes beyond simply adding another blue-chip name to the board. Offensive tackle is one of the hardest spots to fill, and landing a player with Camaras size and ceiling can matter for seasons at a time, especially as the staff keeps planning ahead to 2026 and beyond. The Longhorns have spent plenty of time building depth and competition along the line, and Camaras arrival gives them a prospect worth watching closely as he settles into the program and begins the work of becoming a force on the edge. [Read more 🡒]
Former Texas Guard Could Add New Sting To The Texas A&M Rivalry
Texas is in the middle of a roster reset as Sean Miller gets his first season underway, and the Longhorns have already had to rework plenty of the depth chart. One name worth tracking is Jordan Pope, the former Texas guard who is still working back from foot surgery and no longer has a spot available in Austin as the staff finalizes the roster for the fall.
Popes next move has become a familiar subplot in the state rivalry, because he is reportedly trending toward Texas A&M. If that happens, he would add another layer to a matchup that already carries plenty of history, and he would also be joining other former Longhorns connected to the Aggies roster and staff. [Read more 🡒]