There are lots of ways to score points, but usually quarterback play, offensive line strength and dynamic playmakers are essential to building an explosive offense in college football.
Indiana featured all three last year, riding the nation’s No. 3 scoring offense all the way to a historic College Football Playoff National Championship. The weren’t alone, though, with seven CFP teams ranking No. 32 or better in points per game in 2025.
So while it’s not a garuntee of success, fielding an offense that can score points at will provides a difiniitive advantage and a leg up in a landscape growing more competitive by the day. Coming out of the 2026 recruiting and transfer portal cycle, some teams appear better equipped than others to light up the scoreboard next season.
Here’s a projection of which college football teams could field the most explosive offenses in 2026:
1. Texas
Texas added Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman along with running backs Hollywood Smothers (NC State) and Raleek Brown (Arizona State) to help reshape the offense for 2026. The Longhorns won bidding battles for Coleman and Smothers, who combined for 12 touchdowns at their previous stops last season.
Arch Manning is coming off the best outing of his career after outdueling Michigan’s Bryce Underwood in the Citrus Bowl, a postseason showing that mirrored the second-half surge that accelerated his development. If Manning takes another step, this Texas offense could rival the best of the Sarkisian era on the Forty Acres — a stretch that already includes consecutive CFP semifinal appearances.
Like other elite programs that are a grenade-pin pull away from another level in 2026, everything starts up front for Texas. The Longhorns have reloaded with a bevy of highly rated portal additions who will flourish only if Manning has time to operate. If Texas controls the line of scrimmage, the pieces are in place for this SEC power to stress opposing defenses behind elite play-caller Steve Sarkisian and a rising star at quarterback.
2. Miami
Assuming the Hurricanes overcome the loss of four impact starters along the offensive line, Miami should continue generating explosive plays and scoring at a rapid pace next fall. The arrival of Duke transfer quarterback Darian Mensah — along with his top target Cooper Barkate and former South Carolina slot receiver Vandrevius Jacobs — gives Shannon Dawson flexibility and eases the burden on Malachi Toney.
Targeted heavily down the stretch of his freshman season, Toney set a single-season program record with 109 receptions.
Veteran running backs Mark Fletcher Jr. and Jordan Lyle also return. Three of Fletcher’s six 100-yard performances came over the final four games, when Lyle was limited by injury.
Projecting ahead, Mario Cristobal’s likely starting offensive line could include Matthew McCoy, Samson Okunlola, SJ Alofaituli, Jamal Meriweather and five-star freshman tackle Jackson Cantwell — the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2026 class. If that group controls the line of scrimmage the way Miami did in 2025, the Hurricanes could be borderline unstoppable offensively.
3. Indiana
After leading the Big Ten in scoring offense each of the past two seasons, expectations may be bordering on unrealistic entering Curt Cignetti’s third year. Fresh off a national championship, Indiana must replace a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, its top two running backs, leading receivers Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr., and three offensive line starters.
Few programs, however, are better positioned to absorb that level of change. Indiana’s recent success has been driven by player development and precise scheme execution.
Cignetti has tabbed TCU transfer Josh Hoover as the replacement for Fernando Mendoza. Boston College transfer Turbo Richard adds explosiveness to the run game, while Michigan State’s Nick Marsh and Tulane’s Shazz Preston join Charlie Becker to reshape the receiving corps.
The mentality up front is not expected to change. Whether the Hoosiers maintain their edge — and the offensive efficiency that has defined this run — will be determined quickly at the line of scrimmage.
4. Ohio State
Ryan Day’s decision to hire former NFL coach Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator has drawn mixed reviews, much of which is tied to Smith’s results at the professional level. The college game presents a different equation, however, particularly when elite programs can overwhelm opponents with superior talent. That setting could allow Smith to thrive.
At Ohio State, Smith is expected to employ a streamlined, run-oriented approach while creating calculated downfield opportunities for Jeremiah Smith and others. Quarterback Julian Sayin ranked among the nation’s most efficient passers as a redshirt freshman, and a significant leap is anticipated from the Heisman hopeful.
Despite transfer portal losses at wide receiver, the Buckeyes remain loaded at the position, highlighted by the additions of five-star prospects Chris Henry Jr. and Jerquaden Guilford. Smith, Devin McCuin and Brandon Innis are projected starters, with Bo Jackson back at tailback.
Solidifying the offensive line rotation looms as a key offseason priority. Day has emphasized the need to play at least eight linemen with positional versatility, underscoring the importance of depth and flexibility up front.
5. Oregon
No program in the country owns a better quarterback situation than the Ducks after Dante Moore’s decision to skip the 2026 NFL Draft and return to school. Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola is behind him, along with a couple of guys the coaching staff feels great about in Akili Smith Jr. and Brock Thomas. As freshmen last season, Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. showed out in the backfield and are anxious to take on featured roles.
The biggest loss on offense is tight end Kenyon Sadiq — a projected first-rounder. Jamari Johnson will get the first crack at matching his production at the position. Dakorien Moore, Jeremiah McClellan and Evan Stewart return as featured options at wideout. There might be slight statistical drop off with elite offensive coordinator Will Stein taking over at Kentucky, but Oregon has proved annually under Dan Lanning that this offense is a tough one to contain.
6. Notre Dame
There will be no Jeremiyah Love or Jadarian Price to rescue the offense when needed next season, but Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has little reason to panic. After losing the first two starts of his career, C.J. Carr responded with 10 consecutive wins, finishing with 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns. He was tied for No. 2 in the country in yards per attempt (9.4) and fifth in passer rating (168.06).
Aneyas Williams is expected to receive the first reps at running back, though Notre Dame could opt for a committee approach in 2026.
Ohio State transfers Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter join a talented group of pass-catchers that includes Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison, who led the team in receptions and receiving yards as a junior.
And if there is one position group Notre Dame rarely worries about, it is the offensive line. The Fighting Irish are consistently well-coached up front and typically set the tone in the trenches. With a favorable schedule ahead, this offense should post significant numbers throughout 2026.
7. LSU
When you assemble the nation’s top-ranked transfer portal class and commit every available resource to making Year 1 under Lane Kiffin a success, the expectation is immediate production.
In addition to landing former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, Kiffin added USC signal-caller Husan Longstreet and overhauled LSU’s wide receiver room with 12 newcomers. The offensive line also projects as a major strength, anchored by five-star Colorado transfer Jordan Seaton. That unit must improve after uneven play last fall, when the Tigers struggled at times to protect Garrett Nussmeier and failed to meet lofty preseason expectations.
Tight end Trey’Dez Green returns as a proven playmaker, and Harlem Berry — the No. 1 running back in the 2025 recruiting cycle — opted to remain with the program to see what Kiffin and his staff can build.
Kiffin engineered a rapid offensive turnaround at Ole Miss with tempo and efficiency. He will attempt to replicate that formula in Baton Rouge after bringing offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and several assistants with him.
8. Texas Tech
Texas Tech’s CFP shutout loss to Oregon left a bitter taste inside the program, a stark offensive failure that set the offseason narrative. Coach Joey McGuire quickly identified and addressed his offensive needs needs during this transfer portal cycle, adding Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby and four wide receivers, including two from Power Four programs. Another strong portal class positions Texas Tech to compete for a Big 12 championship and a playoff berth — provided the offense performs at a high level, especially given personnel losses on defense. In 2025, the Red Raiders often leaned on their defense to make plays, a luxury they may not have next fall.
Optimism rests partly on a talented backfield anchored by returning contributors Cameron Dickey, J’Koby Williams and Quinten Joyner, who will be counted on to lift the offense next season.
9. Ole Miss
With quarterback Trinidad Chambliss receiving an injunction to play a sixth season, the Rebels look like a juggernaut in 2026.. Auburn transfer Deuce Knight was once an insurance policy, set to take over under center if Chambliss’ court challenge fell through. Now he’ll be a luxury. Retaining college football’s most potent running back also helps after Kewan Lacy stiff-armed pursuit by LSU and Kiffin to stay with the Rebels. He’s a 1,400-yard rusher who scored an SEC-leading 23 touchdowns last fall.
10. Oklahoma State
Eric Morris fielded the nation’s top total offense (512 yards per game) and scoring average (45.1 points) at North Texas last year. Transitioning from the Group of Six to the Power Four presents a new challenge, but Morris’s system is proven — and he persuaded his two best North Texas players to follow him.
Oklahoma State could emerge as college football’s most-improved team thanks to Morris and a top-10 transfer class, highlighted by quarterback Drew Mestemaker and tailback Caleb Hawkins. The Cowboys are poised for multiple high-scoring Big 12 shootouts, with plenty of fireworks and eye-popping numbers expected from their all-conference-caliber offensive talent.
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