If you count Week 0 as the start of the college football season — and this writer does — the 2026 campaign is a little more than eight months away. The College Football Playoff National Championship, which saw Indiana win its first national title in program history, was played less than a week ago.
But if there’s one adage that always holds true in this sport, even amid a sea of change, it’s that it’s never too early to look ahead. Offseason is the time when fans huff hopium to convince themselves that this is, in fact, the year for their favorite team.
After all, until games are actually played, all teams are theoretically on equal standing. A cornerstone of early projections are way-too-early rankings. CBS Sports concocted its own list of top 25 teams less than 24 hours after the national title dust settled.
While those rankings will almost assuredly change between now and the start of the season, they do paint an accurate picture. It also gives an early look as to which games are worth monitoring.
So here’s a breakdown of one game that each way-too-early top 25 team has circled on its 2026 schedule.
1. Ohio State
Game: at No. 8 Indiana (Oct. 17)
Ohio State, obviously has a few marquee games on a yearly basis. It’s early season trip to Texas looms large and the Buckeyes will always pay plenty of attention to top rival Michigan near the end of the year, but few single games will be as important as Ohio State’s clash against the reigning national champions. Indiana supplanted the Buckeyes as the Big Ten’s hegemon in 2025 by downing Ohio State in the conference title game. Ryan Day and his squad would surely like to get back at the Hoosiers and take a commanding lead as they hunt for their first conference title since 2020.
2. Texas
Game: vs. No. 1 Ohio State (Sept. 12)
Texas has a litany of major SEC games to look forward to, including clashes against No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 6 Texas A&M. But an early season home game against the preseason No. 1 team is a huge opportunity for Texas to prove that it’s ready to return to the national stage after a relative down year in 2025. It’ll also be a huge early test for quarterback Arch Manning to prove that his late-season surge wasn’t a mirage.
3. Georgia
Game: at No. 15 Alabama (Oct. 10)
Georgia got the Alabama monkey off its back in the 2025 SEC Championship Game. The fact remains, though, that Kirby Smart struggles against the team for which he served as a defensive coordinator. Alabama beat the Bulldogs during the regular season last year. Since Smart took over in 2016, he has just two wins against Alabama — both in the postseason. This game always goes a long way towards defining the SEC overall, as well.
4. Oregon
Game: at No. 1 Ohio State (TBD)
Oregon’s 2026 schedule is relatively light — especially in the Big Ten — but there are a couple of games that will test the Ducks’ standing. Regardless of where it actually falls, Ohio State is the biggest contest that the Ducks are staring down. They are 1-1 against the Buckeyes since joining the Big Ten, though neither of those games occurred in Columbus. The most recent meeting saw Oregon losing 41-21 in the second round of the 2024 CFP.
5. Notre Dame
Game: at No. 12 BYU (Oct. 17)
Speaking of light schedules: Notre Dame’s slate looks extremely navigable. The Irish are guaranteed a spot in the CFP so long as they sit inside of the top 12 of the final rankings. They shouldn’t have a ton of trouble getting to that point, though there are a couple potential speedbumps. Notre Dame does face Miami fresh off its appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship, and that game is layered with storylines, but a road trip to BYU could present a bigger challenge since the Irish get the Hurricanes at home.
6. Texas A&M
Game: vs. No. 2 Texas (Nov. 27)
Texas A&M doesn’t need much motivation against a rival like Texas. But the Longhorns knocked the Aggies out of the SEC Championship Game last season and Texas A&M’s once-promising season spiraled from there. Revenge is a great motivator, especially in a prolific clash like this one.
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7. Texas Tech
Game: at Oklahoma State (Nov. 14)
Houston is the only preseason ranked opponent on Texas Tech’s 2026 schedule (thus far), but the Cougars don’t get the nod here. Instead, it’s worth keeping an eye on a late-season clash against what should be a rejuvenated Oklahoma State squad. The Cowboys are already receiving some hype as a potential dark horse after they hired up-and-coming coach Eric Morris, who brought some of the transfer portal’s top talent with him from North Texas. By the time this game rolls around, it could go a long way towards deciding the final Big 12 standings.
8. Indiana
Game: vs. No. 1 Ohio State (Oct. 17)
The quest to repeat begins for Indiana, which started to reload in the transfer portal before it even downed Miami in the College Football Playoff National Championship. It’s clear that the Hoosiers aren’t fading from the limelight as long as Curt Cignetti is coach. What better way to show you’re ready to run it back than by downing the preseason No. 1 team and reasserting your position atop the sport’s peak.
9. Michigan
Game: at No. 1 Ohio State
An early season nonconference clash against Oklahoma also looms large. Michigan’s annual game against Ohio State is the biggest, though, even beyond the obvious reasons. The Wolverines saw their four-game winning streak against the Buckeyes snapped in 2025. Plus, new coach Kyle Whittingham will be embarking on a new journey at Michigan. No better way to endear yourself to the fanbase than by beating their top rival, no matter what happens elsewhere on the schedule.
10. Oklahoma
Game: vs. No. 2 Texas (Oct. 10)
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables is now 0-2 in his last two games against Texas. The Sooners have been outscored by 57-9 in that span. They have failed to score an offensive touchdown in three of their last four Red River Rivalry games. Does anything more need to be said about how impactful this game is?
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11. USC
Game: vs. No. 4 Oregon (TBD)
USC has to play at No. 8 Indiana, host No. 1 Ohio State and face a home tilt against No. 4 Oregon. That’s tough for a USC team looking to make its first appearance in the CFP. In order to do that, the Trojans will need to beat at least one of the three aforementioned teams while remaining undefeated in their other contests. Given the Oregon game comes within the friendly confines of LA Memorial Coliseum, it presents the best chance at a win, though it obviously won’t be easy.
12. BYU
Game: vs. No. 5 Notre Dame (Oct. 17)
It doesn’t matter in the conference standings, but BYU’s home clash against Notre Dame could have a huge impact on the final CFP rankings. The Cougars and the Fighting Irish were the first two teams left out of last season’s playoff, after all.
13. Miami
Game: at No. 5 Notre Dame (Nov. 7)
Miami gets Notre Dame while it’s in the meat of its ACC schedule. The Hurricanes are the early favorite to win the ACC after advancing all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2025, so they’re in good shape to at least make it back to the playoff. Nov. 7’s clash against Notre Dame is Miami’s best chance to add a truly marquee win to its résumé, especially since the Fighting Irish will be motivated to avenge 2025’s loss and subsequent playoff snub in favor of the rival Hurricanes.
14. LSU
Game: at No. 20 Ole Miss (Sept. 19)
In case you were living under a rock in November, Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU shortly after the Rebels capped their regular season with an Egg Bowl win against Mississippi State. He did so in spite of the fact that Ole Miss made the playoff. Now he will make his SEC debut at LSU on the road against Ole Miss. Cinema.
15. Alabama
Game: at No. 14 LSU (Nov. 7)
The home game against Georgia would have been an obvious choice here for the reasons outlined above. Alabama’s rivalry with LSU, however, has lost some of its luster in recent years, largely because the Crimson Tide have won their last three meetings by an average of 18 points per game.
LSU is hoping that changes with Lane Kiffin leading the charge, while Alabama is trying to keep pace at the top of the SEC and prove it can still compete at the national level under Kalen DeBoer. This shapes up as a more hotly contested rivalry clash, one that could help determine one of the two spots in the SEC Championship Game.
16. Louisville
Game: at Kentucky (Nov. 28)
CBS Sports is high on Louisville in 2026. We’re also high on Kentucky, which was recently identified as one of four teams that could take an Indiana-like step next season with new coach Will Stein leading the way. The Wildcats have been on fire in the transfer portal. If both teams live up to their respective projections, this could be a de facto CFP play-in game since it comes at the end of the regular season.
17. Missouri
Game: vs. No. 10 Oklahoma (Nov. 28)
Though it’s fair to decry certain aspects of conference realignment, it did revive some long-dormant rivalries. Missouri’s old feud against Oklahoma was one of many that got defrosted once the Sooners joined the SEC. The Tigers and the Sooners have split each of their last two games. As with other clashes on this list, given the timing of this one — it’s each team’s regular season finale — there could be an at-large playoff spot up for grabs.
18. Utah
Game: vs. No. 12 BYU (Nov. 7)
Utah enters a new era with Kyle Whittingham off to Michigan and his longtime named successor — former defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley — officially takes the reins. The Utes are expected to compete in the Big 12 in Scalley’s first year. They’ll have to get past in-state rival BYU, which won 12 games and made it to the Big 12 Championship Game in 2025, to achieve that goal.
19. Washington
Game: at No. 4 Oregon (TBD)
If you haven’t caught on yet, rivalries are a pretty big deal on a list like this, especially rivalry games between two potentially ranked opponents that are involved in the CFP race. Washington hasn’t won against Oregon since 2023, when it marched all the way to the national title game. The Huskies have lost each of their last two against the Ducks by double digits. To take that next step Washington has to beat its old foe.
20. Ole Miss
Game: vs No. 14 LSU (Sept. 19)
Could it be anything else? The entire Kiffin saga is explained above in LSU’s entry. It’s safe to say that the fans inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium won’t be very welcoming to Ole Miss’ former boss. The Rebels have actually competed in the playoff — more recently than LSU, in fact — but this just might be their own personal national championship game next season.
21. Houston
Game: at No. 7 Texas Tech (Sept. 19)
Houston quietly put together a great season in 2025, winning 10 games for the first time since 2021 after capping the season with a win against LSU in the Texas Bowl. Now the Cougars are looking to take a big leap under coach Willie Fritz, who is a renowned program builder whose teams tend to improve from year to year. In order to compete, they’ll have to beat premier programs like Texas Tech. It’s appropriate, then, that Houston’s first Big 12 opponent in 2026 is the Red Raiders.
22. Penn State
Game: at No. 9 Michigan (TBD)
Expectations will be high in Matt Campbell’s first year. Penn State expects to compete. That’s why it fired coach James Franklin, who did a really good job, but ultimately failed consistently compete for titles. While Campbell will get some leeway, he’s going to need to be at least competitive against the Big Ten’s top tier.
23. SMU
Game: at No. 16 Louisville (TBD)
SMU also plays at Notre Dame in November, which could be a nice late-season statement opportunity for the Mustangs. But with as open as the ACC has been in recent seasons, every conference game matters a whole lot more. On paper, right now, SMU’s toughest conference opponent is Louisville, especially since the Cardinals will have homefield advantage.
24. Virginia Tech
Game: at No. 13 Miami (TBD)
Maybe a fresh start is all James Franklin needed. He certainly elevates Virginia Tech’s floor and ceiling. He’s the type of coach who could have Virginia Tech competing for an ACC title in the first year. We’ll know if Franklin is ready to change the narrative of his struggles against ranked teams when his Hokies take on Miami.
25. South Carolina
Game: vs. No. 6 Texas A&M (Nov. 7)
LaNorris Sellers’ return provided stability at quarterback for South Carolina, though he needs to play a lot better if South Carolina wants to back up this ranking. The Gamecocks also have edge rusher Dylan Stewart, one of the best players in college football regardless of position, anchoring their defense. They’ll have to rely on those stars if they want to navigate a brutal schedule that features four SEC opponents with a preseason ranking. USC already came painfully close to upsetting Texas A&M in 2025. The Gamecocks will have home-field advantage as they try to get over the hump with a statement victory next season.
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