2026 College Football Futures
2026 College Football Futures
We are on the eve of the kickoff to the 2026 college football season. We are one week away from the start of Week 0, an eight-game appetizer before five full months of nonstop college football. There are plenty of questions that will be answered throughout the season. Can the Big Ten make it four-straight national championships? Or will the SEC regain glory? Do schools like Texas and Notre Dame return to their expectation of making the College Football Playoff? Who will represent the 5th conference champion to qualify for the CFP?
But before we can answer these questions, let’s get ahead of some predictions for a handful of teams. Here are my 2026 college football futures.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of August 25th, 2026. Please gamble responsibly and within your means. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
More: How to Build Your Own Football Projections for 2026: A Guide
Mississippi State: Over 4.5 wins (-120)
I’m confused on this line, as Mississippi State went 5-7 in the regular season last year. That included a schedule that included road games against Texas A&M, while hosting Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee. Texas and LSU are on the schedule this year, both on the road, along with the Egg Bowl at Ole Miss. But they can pick off a home game against Alabama or Missouri, along with a more manageable schedule for SEC play.
If you haven’t heard, Mississippi State might have a guy at quarterback with Kamario Taylor. A 6-4, 230 pound signal caller with his mobility, along with Fluff Bothwell in the backfield at full health, this offense could be fun. This offense jumped from 86th nationally in PPG (25.8 PPG) in Jeff Lebby’s first year to 42nd (30.4 PPG) in year two. I’m a believer in this year’s Mississippi State team, and believe they will be bowling this year.
Northern Illinois: Under 3.5 wins (-136)
Conference realignment strikes again for the lower level conferences. This time, a shift occurs for Northern Illinois from the MAC to the…Mountain West? This team lost head coach Thomas Hammock to the NFL. That’s the same Thomas Hammock that led the Huskies to a win over Notre Dame, in South Bend. NIU went 3-9 last year with Hammock at the helm, and now add extra travel with road contests out west. A year ago, they barely escaped their FCS game against Holy Cross, 19-17. They may not be as lucky this year, as they host the FCS runner-up from a year ago, Illinois State. The remainder of their nonconference games – Iowa, Arizona, and Georgia Southern – are all on the road. I’m not sold on this being a great transition for the Huskies, and believe this could be a disaster of a season. I’m on their win-total under for the 2026 season.
Wisconsin: Over 6.5 wins (-105)
The schedule finally breaks for the Badgers. They avoid all four of Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, and Michigan this year. And while they have road games against Penn State, UCLA, Iowa, and a neutral site game against Notre Dame in Green Bay, the remainder of their schedule is manageable. I’m a big fan of their quarterback Colton Joseph, a transfer from Old Dominion, who showed his speed with multiple 75+ yard touchdown runs against Indiana in the opener a season ago. Luke Fickell is a good coach; we forget he took a Group of Five Cincinnati team to the four-team College Football Playoff. I’m on the Badgers to return to a bowl game and Luke Fickell to get off the hot seat in 2026.
More: 7 Dark Horse Teams to Make 2026 College Football Playoff
North Carolina: Under 4.5 wins (-105)
The Bill Belichick experience has been a disaster, as he’s transitioned from the NFL to college. General Manager Mike Lombardi is on paid administrative leave by the school’s administration, after a human resources complaint was filed by a former football front-office employee. As for the team on the field, their schedule does them no favors. Your three most difficult opponents this year – Notre Dame, Miami, and Louisville – all come to Chapel Hill. You miss out on playing Boston College and Stanford. Notre Dame is your first home game against a FBS opponent, and it comes on October 3rd (they play a neutral site game against TCU in Ireland for the first game of the college football season). And to make matters worse: their bye weeks are done by the end of September. Meaning, the Tar Heels will play nine-straight to close the year. If this season starts on a bad path, do we really think this team will continue to fight those nine weeks? I think this trainwreck continues until Belichick is out at the end of this year. I’m on the Tar Heels under win-total.
Pittsburgh: Over 7.5 wins (-146)
I saved Pittsburgh for last, because I’m very high on the Panthers entering 2026. I’ll also be playing their alt line, for over 8.5 wins at +154 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Unlike North Carolina, Pittsburgh has a favorable schedule in ACC play. Their first road game comes a month into the season, where they head to Blacksburg to take on the new look Virginia Tech on October 2nd. For road games, I like teams to avoid the coin flip matchups where the home field advantage comes into play. Pitt’s road games in conference play are Miami and Louisville – likely losses, and Boston College – a likely win. Only two of the five are true toss ups at Virginia Tech and at Cal to close the season.
Mason Heintschel feels like he is slept on entering 2026. He went 6-3 as a starter last year, with two losses coming to Miami and Notre Dame. With his first offseason getting reps with the first team offense, I think he can take a jump and be a top-5 quarterback in ACC play. If Pittsburgh can get off to a hot start with their four-game home stretch to start the year, this team can be near the top of the ACC this fall. I’m high on the Pitt Panthers this fall.
Texas A&M: Under 8.5 wins (-120)
Mike Elko has done a phenomenal job as a head coach. He is 35-16 in his four years at Duke and Texas A&M. He led the Aggies to an 11-1 regular season last year, reaching as high as 3rd in the AP Poll. Their season ended in the 1st round of the College Football Playoff, where they lost to eventual runner-up Miami. However, I believe the Aggies take a step back in 2026.
Texas A&M benefitted from an easy conference schedule last year. They went 7-1, with the only loss coming in the regular season finale to their in-state rival Texas. But if you were to remove their record against their opponents, the Aggies’ opponents had a 17-39 record in SEC play. Texas was the lone team to have a winning record in conference play. Now, the SEC has upped their conference games from eight to nine. The road games seem more difficult than a year ago, with trips to LSU, Missouri, Alabama, South Carolina, and Oklahoma. They also host Tennessee and Texas this year, which will not be easy.
Only Ohio State lost more to the NFL Draft (11 draftees) than Texas A&M, where they tied with Alabama with 10 draftees. They will be replacing four of the five offensive linemen from last year’s team. While they welcome transfers on the offensive line with SEC experience, only center Mark Nabou Jr. played for A&M a year ago. I believe Texas A&M will reload from their departures last year, but I’m banking on a slight step back. I’m on their under 8.5-win total for 2026.
What is your favorite 2026 college football future? Let me know on X!
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