2026 New Year's Resolutions For Every Top 25 College Football Team
Whether it's getting back in the gym to drop a few pounds or maybe working toward some career goals, we've all probably got some New Year's Resolutions—whether we want to admit it or not.
As the clock gets ready to flip from 2025 to 2026, college football teams are much the same.
In today's age of college football, all it takes is hiring the right coach and paying the right players to turn fortunes around in a hurry. For many of the teams on this list, it's just a matter of staying where they are or finding a way to take the next step forward.
For others, it's about winning what's right in front of them right now.
Using the 2025 College Football Playoff rankings, we'll take a look at every team and figure out what they need to do to keep this train rolling into next year. Here are the New Year's resolutions for every top 25 team.
Nos. 25-21: North Texas, James Madison, Iowa, Georgia Tech, Houston
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No. 25 North Texas Mean Green: Figure out the next step under Neal Brown
Losing head coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State was inevitable after a runner-up finish in the AAC, but the Mean Green are looking at a pretty hefty rebuild under Neal Brown. It starts with replacing star quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who's in the portal, but North Texas needs to strike gold in a hurry to keep the momentum going.
No. 24 James Madison Dukes: Build off a College Football Playoff finish
Oregon took it to James Madison throughout the first three quarters in the first round of the College Football Playoff, but the Dukes showed why they were there with a frenetic finish that closed the final margin to 51-34. It's been a terrific run under Bob Chesney—and Curt Cignetti before him—but with the coach off to UCLA, this is Billy Napier's team now. What's his program going to look like? QB Alonza Barnett III is in the portal, so that's a big negative to start.
No. 23 Iowa Hawkeyes: Find an offensive spark
Are we ever going to have any offensive explosiveness in the Kirk Ferentz era? For everybody who blamed Brian Ferentz, Tim Lester's unit isn't much better now. Even with one-year transfer QB Mark Gronowski this year, the Hawkeyes still finished around 120th nationally in total offense. That's never going to be good enough to compete in the Big Ten.
No. 22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Reload the offense
It's going to be extremely difficult for Georgia Tech to replicate a nine-win regular season next year with Haynes King out of eligibility and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner off to Florida. Quarterback Aaron Philo—who was expected to be a future star—is in the transfer portal and likely heading to Gainesville, too. Coach Brent Key wants to build his alma mater into an ACC title contender. The first step is keeping the offense tough to defend, even if there are defensive woes to address, too.
No. 21 Houston Cougars: Keep the momentum under Willie Fritz
What you may not know is Fritz is one of the best program-builders in the nation, having proved this at Georgia Southern, Tulane and now Houston. The Cougars had a remarkable one-year turnaround, going from a four-win season to nine victories this year. He has high hopes in Houston with a terrific recruiting footprint and a wide-open Big 12. The Cougars could compete for a league title in 2026.
Nos. 20-16: Tulane, Virginia, Michigan, Arizona, USC
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No. 20 Tulane Green Wave: Keep striking coaching gold with Will Hall
With Jon Sumrall off to Florida to be the head coach, it would be easy to write off Tulane as an AAC has-been that won't be able to replace Jake Retzlaff or all the other weapons that put them in the College Football Playoff. But remember: The Green Wave didn't skip a beat when Willie Fritz left for Houston. Hall doesn't have the pedigree of the other two, so this is a bit of a dice roll. But the program is in great shape already.
No. 19 Virginia Cavaliers: Capture 2025's lightning-in-a-bottle mentality
Virginia's magical season was derailed from a playoff run when Duke beat the Wahoos in the ACC championship game, but that shouldn't diminish Tony Elliott's Cavs and what they accomplished. They were in the nation's top 30 in both total offense and defense and won close game after close game. They will wait as QB Chandler Morris tries to get a sixth year of eligibility, but after getting a taste of winning, Elliott's program needs to continue to surge.
No. 18 Michigan Wolverines: Move past off-field mess
Michigan needs to move forward from recent off-field turmoil and transitions without dwelling on past issues involving Sherrone Moore, Jim Harbaugh, or Connor Stalions. The bottom line is this once-proud program is in a challenging period right now. Utah legend Kyle Whittingham was a phenomenal, stabilizing hire, but how long will it take for him to steady the ship? Will there be roster changes moving forward, including any impact on talented freshman QB Bryce Underwood? Whittingham's Wolverines must regroup quickly.
No. 17 Arizona Wildcats: Win the Big 12
Don't laugh: The Big 12 isn't out of the picture for the Arizona Wildcats. Remember Arizona State came from nowhere a year ago, and Texas Tech's transfer portal dominance is paving a potential title path this year. The Red Raiders aren't going anywhere, but why not the Wildcats? Noah Fifita should be back and was much better in Year 2 under Brent Brennan. The most exciting thing for Arizona is this team finished 16th nationally in total defense. That's a major building block, and coordinator Danny Gonzales is returning. This is a sleeper team.
No. 16 USC Trojans: Compete for the Big Ten title
Last season, USC looked a long way off competing in its new league, but the Trojans took a large leap this season. The defense was much more rugged, and coach Lincoln Riley's offense was filled with playmakers. The Trojans signed the nation's top recruiting class, and even though they've got to replace Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon on the perimeter, they've got options. This team could be right up there with Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon next year.
Nos. 15-11: Utah, Vanderbilt, Texas, BYU, Notre Dame
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No. 15 Utah Utes: Maintain Kyle Whittingham's winning ways in the Morgan Scalley era
It's the end of an era in Salt Lake City with defensive coordinator Scalley stepping into longtime coach Whittingham's role after the latter decided to head to Michigan. Scalley is inheriting a very healthy roster that could boast quarterbacks Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin, running back Wayshawn Parker and much more. This team is set up to win big now and compete for the playoffs.
No. 14 Vanderbilt Commodores: Navigate life post-Pavia
There's no question Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia is going to leave a likely unfillable void at Vanderbilt following a 10-win season. Don't forget about star tight end Eli Stowers, too, but Pavia is the type of player who can win games on his own. The Commodores shocked everybody when they flipped 5-star quarterback Jared Curtis from Georgia, and he should get a chance to start for coach Clark Lea's team right away. Can they keep it rolling?
No. 13 Texas Longhorns: Take care of unfinished business from 2025
The Longhorns were the preseason No. 1-ranked team and supposed to win the national championship. Instead, even though they upset rival Texas A&M to end the season, they didn't even make the playoffs. Still, Arch Manning is returning next year, and there will be terrific players up and down the roster on both sides. Injecting Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator will add intensity, too. It's time to show they've got a championship moxie.
No. 12 BYU Cougars: Finish what they've left undone the past two years
In 2024, BYU started the season 9-0 and didn't make the Big 12 title game. This season, they were 11-1, but a 34-7 loss to Texas Tech in the league championship handed them their second loss of the year to the Red Raiders and knocked them out of the playoff picture again. Kalani Sitake has a lot of weapons back in 2026, and the Cougars are hungry to make the final 12. They need to close the deal.
No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Keep Marcus Freeman in South Bend
There's really not a lot to say about Notre Dame's on-field resume for 2026. The Fighting Irish belonged in the College Football Playoff this year after finishing runner-up a season ago. I hate their take-my-ball-and-go-home mentality to pout and not play in a bowl game, but the frustration was high. Now, NFL teams—specifically the New York Giants—are barking up Freeman's tree. The Irish don't want that to happen. They need to keep their young coach and keep surging toward that title.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 10 Miami Hurricanes
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Win the Portal Again
In today's age of college football, playing the portal to perfection can be the key to a championship run. Few have done it better than Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Miami—and all three are still alive in the College Football Playoff.
The Hurricanes have a lot of work to do this offseason.
Just like last year when they had to replace top overall pick Cam Ward, the Hurricanes have to find Carson Beck's replacement. With the money the U can throw around, they shouldn't have a hard time doing that.
But rebuilding a championship-caliber defense won't be easy. Defensive ends Rueben Bain Jr. and sixth-year senior Akheem Mesidor are off to the NFL, and the secondary also needs reinforcements.
The good news is elite defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman is as good as they come, so he will put together a good group if the talent is there. Coach Mario Cristobal has enjoyed tons of success building the 'Canes into a top-tier team with portal adds. This offseason may be his biggest project.
No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide
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Fix the Running Game—and Ryan Williams
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer has done a good job this year having Alabama in the second round of the College Football Playoff, especially when you consider the Crimson Tide are severely lacking weapons around quarterback Ty Simpson.
First of all, where is the running attack?
The Tide have struggled all season moving the ball on the ground, and while Daniel Hill had some glimmers in a first-round win over Oklahoma, the team had just 28 yards on 25 rushes. Stunningly, UA is 120th nationally in rush offense.
That's not sustainable in the SEC. So, the offensive line and running back corps must improve, even if that means portal reinforcements.
To top that off, DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb must find out what's wrong with Ryan Williams or move on from him. The talented sophomore receiver has been a no-show the second half of the season, much like he was a year ago.
With Germie Bernard gone after this year, Williams needs to reemerge as a WR1, adding weight and refocusing on the scheme. Isaiah Horton could return, and freshman Lotzeir Brooks looks like a budding star, but Williams has elite potential.
DeBoer needs to recreate some offensive playmakers for 2026.
No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners
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Get John Mateer Some Support
Sure, Oklahoma is disappointed in choking away a big early-game lead against Alabama and bowing out of the playoffs in the first round.
However, that Sooners offense was smoke-and-mirrors shaky the entire season.
There's no question quarterback John Mateer is a gamer who played despite not being 100 percent after an early-season injury, but he isn't talented enough to carry the team on his shoulders without elite stars around him.
Brent Venables' defense is championship-caliber, and that side of the ball could have carried OU to a title run, but the offense wouldn't allow it.
Going into the portal to pull a true No. 1 running back would be a terrific start for the Sooners, who will have a young, elite offensive line next year.
The biggest thing to sweat right now for OU is Isaiah Sategna III's NFL decision. The junior finished just 35 yards shy of 1,000 in 2025 and was the team's offensive MVP. If he returns and the Sooners can add another star pass-catcher from the portal, next year is set up.
Venables is just a few pieces away, but he needs to make those shrewd moves now to keep them near the top of the SEC.
No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies
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Continue Marcel Reed's Progression
Mike Elko's Texas A&M Aggies were right at the top of the college football world throughout the entire season, but they crashed and burned at the end.
Don't forget, though, they were at least a year or two ahead of schedule.
This was just Elko's second season in College Station, and the Aggies were unbeaten heading into the season finale—a disappointing loss to hated rival Texas. Then, when Miami stonewalled them in the first round, it left a sour taste.
The Aggies have tons of playmakers on offense, and the defense was an opportunistic, talented bunch with stars at all stages. Orchestrating all that is QB Marcel Reed, who has as much star power as anybody in the country, but he's very raw.
Entering his junior year, he has to learn to rein things in and play within himself. He's got to hang in the pocket, take what defenses give him and not always try to make the game-changing play.
Familiarity with Holmon Wiggins will help. He replaces this year's coordinator, Colin Klein, who is off to coach his alma mater at Kansas State. How Reed progresses under Wiggins' tutelage will dictate just how high the Aggies can soar in 2026.
No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels
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Show the World it Wasn't All About Lane Kiffin
Lane Kiffin put the Ole Miss Rebels back on college football's map. But was it all because of him? Or is something he built just the first step toward sustainability?
That's new coach Pete Golding's burden to bear now.
The first step was solid in a domination of Tulane in the College Football Playoff. The next step is even bigger against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on January 1.
Win that game—a rematch of the Bulldogs' 43-35 victory in October—and the Rebels catapult themselves toward a national title and then 2026.
Everybody expected them to beat the Green Wave handily, and they did. If they upset the Bulldogs, the Golding era will get a jolt of excitement that should make recruits, portal targets and Rebels considering entering the portal—and perhaps following Kiffin to Baton Rouge—take notice.
There are plenty of pieces in place in Oxford to keep playing title-caliber football, and the opportunity is right now for Golding to prove Kiffin was just a starting point. This program is much more than him.
No. 5 Oregon Ducks
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Give Dan Lanning the Championship He's Building Toward
You may want to know what Dante Moore is going to do in 2026, and you'd be right there with every Oregon Ducks fan and NFL general manager in the country.
If the 20-year-old decides to enter the draft, he'd likely be right in the mix for the top quarterback taken.
That's all for later in 2026, though. Right now, it's all about the Ducks beating Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl on Thursday. If they can get past the second round for the first time since the playoffs expanded, everything is on the table for coach Dan Lanning's team.
Last year, the Ducks were the top overall seed but were steamrolled by an Ohio State on a mission to win a national title. That was an Oregon team many thought had everything it takes to win it all.
This year's group is flying a bit more under the radar, with the Buckeyes and especially the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers getting the headlines in the Big Ten.
However, the Ducks continue to get wide receiver weapons back from injury, and while they had a second-half defensive breakdown to let James Madison cover the spread, they also have a wealth of talent over there.
Oregon could be a sneaky-strong pick to win it all.
No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders
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Parlay Their Portal Play into a Payoff
When the portal is in play and there's money to throw around, you can change the fortunes of your program in a big way in just one offseason. The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the poster child for that in 2025.
After going 8-5 last year under Joey McGuire, they went portal-heavy, adding 22 players and more than 20,000 career snaps of experience. Guys like elite edge David Bailey Jr., offensive playmakers Reggie Vigil and Terrance Carter Jr. and defensive linemen Lee Hunter and Romello Height, among many others, made this team a powerhouse.
Now, the one-loss Red Raiders are entering the second round to play against the Oregon Ducks with national championship hopes in their eye.
This is a formula they're going to keep throwing out there each year. They are being mentioned as major players for top-rated portal quarterback, Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby, to replace Behren Morton. Others will follow.
If McGuire can continue to build rosters and continuity with portal wins, coupled with recruiting success, this is going to be the new age of college football's major success story.
No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs
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Complete This In-Season Turnaround with a Natty
When Georgia needed a missed Tennessee field goal to escape Knoxville undefeated and then lost to Alabama at home earlier this season, nobody was crowing about national championship hopes in Athens.
However, coach Kirby Smart righted the ship and kept things going forward, even in a season that wasn't nearly as dominant as some of those in the Bulldogs' past.
Now, the No. 3-seed UGA Bulldogs are battle-tested, physical and have played in several close contests—something that will help them down the stretch.
Talent has never been an issue, either. Now, the Dawgs will face Ole Miss in a rematch of an October game with a chance to make another run toward a national title. It seems quarterback Gunner Stockton is improving every game, and this team is dangerous.
Everybody is talking about the Big Ten triumvirate of Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon, and rightfully so. But the Bulldogs have a coach in Smart who has won a couple of national titles and is a master motivator. They've got a group of talented players on both sides of the ball who are believing in this title run, too.
Do not sleep on Georgia winning its first natty since 2021.
No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
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Find Sayin's Groove On Way to Another Title Run
When Ohio State lost the Big Ten championship game to Indiana, Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin got the ball to his top-two playmakers—Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate—12 times for 189 yards.
But when it came time for big plays, the redshirt freshman missed reads, threw late and couldn't lead his team into the end zone in a 13-10 loss.
In the game before that, the Buckeyes struggled for a half against Michigan before breaking the streak in The Game.
The Buckeyes aren't exactly soaring into the playoffs in their quest to repeat as national champions, but they were sputtering along as the No. 8 seed last year before catching fire.
Ohio State is the nation's most talented team, and it has abundant weapons. Freshman Bo Jackson is playing his best football, and the defense has been dominant. It's all about Sayin finding that championship form.
If he can do that in a second-round matchup against a strong Miami defense, the Buckeyes could get that momentum going once again, and this team is more than capable of repeating as champions.
No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers
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Put a Happy Ending on This Storybook Run
What Curt Cignetti has done in the college football wasteland of Bloomington, Indiana, in just two years is nothing short of remarkable and arguably unprecedented.
The Hoosiers have lost two games in two years and are unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the nation entering the College Football Playoff, fresh off a stunning upset of Ohio State.
If you didn't believe before, what are you waiting for?
Yes, the Hoosiers have made some shrewd transfer portal moves, making a major investment to get players who fit Cignetti's business-first mentality in the fold, led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
But the Hoosiers aren't a team that had a lot of existing talent. They also aren't just tearing things up on the recruiting trail. So, this is more about what Cignetti has built, how he's cultivating and developing talent and keeping these kids hungry for a championship.
He may be the best coach in the country.
Alabama stands in the way of Indiana's title run, so the Hoosiers need to win that game first. If they do, it'll be a bit of a symbolic victory—ousting the team that has been the dominant program of the past 20 years to prove they're here to stay.
There will be unfinished business afterward, but Cignetti's team can't just be satisfied with being the story. They've got to finish it with a happy ending for IU.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
