Non-Bowl Teams That Will Improve Dramatically in 2026

College football's regular season is over, championship week is complete, and the College Football Playoffs and postseason are set.

Several teams you wouldn't expect are watching, and several others who've watched too many important games in recent memory are looking for a jolt—whether via a coaching change or a talent infusion from the transfer portal.

These days, it's easier than ever for a one-year turnaround. Entire rosters can be built via the transfer portal, and sometimes, a little excitement from a coaching change or a trickle-down effect from getting one big transfer target can make all the difference.

We think a lot of teams will fit that bill in 2026. Across the country, a handful of teams have the opportunity and some building blocks for a big-time turnaround. 

From a duo of SEC teams to some Group of Five up-and-comers to other Power Four programs sprinkled within, several teams are due for a record correction a year from now. Here are our picks for Most Improved in Class for 2026.

Air Force Falcons

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Troy Calhoun isn't used to losing at Air Force, but the Falcons endured an injury-plagued, inconsistent campaign in 2025 to fall to their second consecutive season under .500.

This is a program that won 43 games from 2019-23, including four seasons of at least nine wins and three double-digit victories. 

Next year, things are set up for them to rebound.

Dual-threat quarterback Liam Szarka will be back to lead an explosive offense, and he can hopefully stay healthier than he did this year, despite still leading the team in passing and rushing yards. Second-leading rusher Owen Allen is back, too.

Though the defense was atrocious, they were extremely young, and eight of the top nine tacklers are back for Calhoun. However, the big catalyst is Szarka, who is one of the best G5 players you've not heard of.

This should be a team that makes it back to the postseason next year and contends for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.

Auburn Tigers

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The Hugh Freeze era is over, and with Alex Golesh now on the Plains, this program is a sleeping giant that could wake up in a hurry—maybe as quick as the Tigers' offensive tempo will be in 2026.

Take into consideration all the weapons Auburn has on offense that simply haven't clicked. Cam Coleman is one of the most explosive, athletic receivers in the country, and Jeremiah Cobb is a quality runner.

Under center, not only do you have Ashton Daniels, who reignited Auburn's offense once he took over for Jackson Arnold, but there's also elite freshman Deuce Knight.

It's hard to envision Arnold being a part of the program in 2026, but what if Byrum Brown follows Golesh from USF?

Regardless, the Tigers are going to have the players to do big things in Golesh's high‑octane offense, which has already proved it works in the SEC, where he was a wildly successful offensive coordinator under Josh Heupel at Tennessee.

Throw in DJ Durkin's defense after Golesh made the extremely intelligent decision to retain the interim head coach and terrific defensive coordinator, and Auburn is set up.

This team is ready to win now. It's a sleeper in the SEC if everything clicks right away.

Florida Gators

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Much like Auburn, there's no reason for Florida to be missing bowl games; the Gators have far too much talent.

Just how much were things spiraling for former coach Billy Napier? Once he was fired, Florida hardly suffered at all from a bunch of decommitments. These kids wanted to play in Gainesville—not for Napier.

Now, Jon Sumrall is coming over from Tulane after the Green Wave's run in College Football Playoffs, and there are lots of pieces in place for Florida to thrive right away.

All that starts with quarterback DJ Lagway, who had a dud of a season where he was very interception-prone and suffered from poor decision-making throughout the entire year. But there's no denying his elite ability.

Jadan Baugh is a top-tier SEC running back, and the young stable of pass-catchers would be the envy of many teams in the nation. 

Throw in a defense that has benefitted from waves of quality recruiting classes, and Florida looks like it could win eight or nine games with the right transfer portal puzzle pieces and if the team buys into Sumrall's intensity.

Kansas State Wildcats

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For a team expected to contend for the Big 12, 6-6 was a colossal disappointment—so much so that Kansas State decided to bypass a bowl.

Coach Chris Klieman got sick of today's world of NIL and transfer portal, so he retired. The Wildcats replaced him with former offensive coordinator and quarterback Collin Klein.

Klein is one of the most brilliant, young offensive minds and has done a tremendous job as the coordinator at Texas A&M, where he will lead the Aggies throughout the playoffs before heading to Manhattan.

Awaiting him there is dual-threat quarterback Avery Johnson, who has as much untapped potential as any quarterback. 

The 'Cats found something at running back with Joe Jackson, and he'll now team up with Dylan Edwards for an explosive 1-2 punch.

Defense will be a major challenge for Klein, who will have to use the portal and recruiting for a rebuild, starting up front where major reinforcements are needed.

The bad news is a good defense is vital to a turnaround, but the good news is K-State can't be much worse than it was on D in 2025. There's major upside potential with this program.

Liberty Flames

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When Jamey Chadwell left Coastal Carolina to replace Hugh Freeze at Liberty, big things were expected.

Instead, the Flames have steadily fallen off the past couple of seasons, going 8-4 last year and then stumbling to a brutal 4-8 record this season. An argument could be made that they were the biggest disappointment in the entire Group of Five.

Now, they've got to find a way to return to the Conference USA power they were previously.

Everything starts with a much better 2026 from quarterback Ethan Vasko who was pretty awful this year, throwing 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He has major ability as he showed at Coastal Carolina prior to his transfer, but it didn't materialize.

The biggest playmaker, though, is running back Evan Dickens, around whom the offense will revolve if he returns to Liberty rather than transfers.

After four consecutive double-digit, early-season losses to Jacksonville State, Bowling Green, James Madison and Old Dominion, the Flames were tough-luck losers, dropping four one-score games to Missouri State, Florida International, Louisiana Tech and Kennesaw State to close the year.

They've got to learn to win those close ones, and they'll turn it around.

Maryland Terrapins

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Talk about falling off the face of the college football planet.

Maryland started the season 4-0 with one of college football's most exciting young players in elite-armed freshman quarterback Malik Washington.

After close losses to Washington and Nebraska, though, the season spiraled. The Terrapins lost their final eight games and got less and less competitive.

Coach Mike Locksley has an extremely young team, and that inexperience showed as the season tumbled. But he has to keep everything together because if he does and they jell, the future is bright. The bottom line is 2026 is a make-or-break season for him.

In order to make a bowl, Maryland must survive the portal season. In the past, key pieces departed College Park after strong starts, negating Locksley's recruiting acumen.

The Terrapins love Washington's NFL ability, and there haven't been any rumors of him bolting. While DeJuan Williams was a decent all-around back, Maryland needs an explosive playmaker at the position, and it's got to re-outfit its receiving corps, too.

Defense is where the most upside remains with linebacker Daniel Wingate, star rising sophomores Zahir Mathis and Sidney Stewart, and incoming 5-star Zion Elee.

Again, the pieces are there for success. Locksley must put it all together now, or somebody else will have that chance in 2027.

Syracuse Orange

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There was a lot of excitement surrounding Fran Brown's Syracuse Orange entering his second season, with transfer quarterback Steve Angeli taking over for Kyle McCord.

But Angeli went down early in the year with a season-ending injury, and the campaign hit the skids afterward. Brown demoted defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson, who is reportedly set to join Lane Kiffin's staff as D-line coach at LSU.

Now, Brown must replace a dynamic recruiter and plenty of talent.

The best news, though, is Angeli will be back with plenty of big-play ability. Yasin Willis needs a rebound year at running back, but receiver Johntay Cook could have a breakout campaign with Angeli throwing him the ball.

Brown has shown in his two years that he can make dynamic adds through the transfer portal, and he'll need to do that to help rebuild his defense and get Angeli more firepower around him on offense.

But the ACC is pretty vulnerable, and Syracuse is just a year removed from a 10-win campaign in Brown's first season when they had a great quarterback healthy for an entire year. Angeli has that ability, too, so while some reinforcements are needed, don't be surprised if this team looks totally different a year from now.

Virginia Tech Hokies

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There's nothing yet indicating just what James Franklin's first finished-product roster at Virginia Tech is going to look like, but it's going to be a lot better than the version we saw this year.

The Hokies went 3-9 and fired coach Brent Pry (who is now the team's defensive coordinator) earlier this season, making one of the biggest splashes by luring ousted Penn State coach Franklin to Blacksburg.

Already, Franklin cherry-picked the Nittany Lions' recruiting class, added some more playmakers of his own and turned a group that was outside of the top 100 into a top-25 class, headlined by potential stars such as running back Messiah Mickens and quarterback Troy Huhn.

Relying on a true freshman under center wouldn't be wise, so expect the Hokies to go after a starting signal-caller in the portal with Kyron Drones exhausting his eligibility, as well as looking for other strategical moves to add from the portal.

A rebuild is not a one-year thing, but it's much more likely that a turnaround can occur that quickly in the portal era. You know the spotlight will be on Franklin, and the roster is going to see a huge upgrade.

This Hokies team could see four or five more victories in 2026, and competing for the ACC isn't out of the question.

West Virginia Mountaineers

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On paper, there are still a ton of question marks for the West Virginia Mountaineers in 2026 as the program enters the second year of Rich Rodriguez's return to Morgantown.

The team lost its top five tacklers, and the quarterback position isn't exactly locked down with Scotty Fox Jr. entering the offseason as the odds-on favorite to be under center as a sophomore next year.

After a barrage of injuries hit the running back corps, it's a big deal that Jaheim White will be healthy next year, and Diore Hubbard is a good-looking young prospect, too. Rodriguez also has a lot of nice players at skill positions who could emerge as contributors.

The biggest excitement around the program right now comes from what Rodriguez did in recruiting, flipping elite offensive lineman and legacy Kevin Brown and star safety Matt Sieg from Penn State. He also flipped running back Amari Latimer from Wisconsin and signed explosive receiver Keon Hutchins.

The roster is looking more and more like the fast, explosive athletes you come to expect from a Rodriguez-coached team, even if they're young.

What the Mountaineers do in the portal will shape next year's team. They need a veteran quarterback who can relegate Fox to learning for another year, and the defense needs reinforcements. But it's not out of the question to see this team in a bowl.