Biggest Questions with a Month Until the 2026 College Football Season

Ready or not, the 2026 college football season is fast approaching.

Once teams return to the practice field, we'll begin to have several key questions answered. Many of those unknowns revolve around a position battle—especially any quarterback competitions—transfer storylines and coaching changes.

Today, however, we're taking a step back and scanning the Football Bowl Subdivision through a national lens.

We've identified a major question from each of the four power conferences, along with a topic to follow in the Group of Six leagues.

ACC: Will Miami Run Away?

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Mario Cristobal

Finally, the 'Canes have proof of concept again. They finished with a 13-3 record after reaching the national championship last season.

Although the roster's key departures should not be simply dismissed—particularly on the offensive and defensive lines—the Hurricanes are the clear ACC favorite heading into the 2026 campaign.

But there's also a juxtaposition to remember.

As much as Miami was easily the league's top team in 2025, it still dropped two games. Duke ended up beating Virginia in the ACC Championship Game, and that result is probably the only reason the 'Canes managed their controversial-due-to-timing jump of Notre Dame in the final CFP rankings.

Miami also ruffled some feathers with a late pull of quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Cooper Barkate from the transfer portal. Their arrivals mean the Hurricanes, already armed with Malachi Toney, should have an elite offense.

Once again, The U looks fantastic on paper—and the schedule isn't terribly daunting. Will the rest of the ACC spoil the party, or is Miami genuinely back?

Big Ten: Can the 2nd Tier Ascend?

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Bryce Underwood

Headlined by reigning champion Indiana while both Ohio State and Oregon lurk close behind, the Big Ten is loaded as usual. Curt Cignetti has required us to believe in IU, while OSU and Oregon are CFP regulars at this point.

Any disagreements in regard to that trifecta are just modest ones. That's an obvious "Big Three" situation.

Last season, though, the conference lacked a true fourth contender. The offenses of Iowa, Michigan and Washington mostly disappeared in competitive games, and USC's defense faced a similar issue. None of the schools that missed the Playoff had anything close to a compelling case for inclusion.

Meanwhile, the SEC boasted five CFP teams with Texas and Vanderbilt listed above USC and Michigan in the final rankings. Like it or not, those conferences always compare themselves to each other—and the SEC stood tallest in 2025.

The projected second tier—think Michigan, Penn State, USC and Washington, maybe Iowa or Nebraska—has plenty to prove in the fall.

Big 12: As Usual, Do We Know Anything?

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Two years ago, Utah landed the preseason Big 12 champion nod. Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Arizona rounded out the league's top five.

And they proceeded to total a 13-32 conference record.

Sweet.

On the other hand, Arizona State—predicted to finish last—hoisted the trophy. Colorado and BYU surged from 11th and 13th, respectively, to share the Big 12's best conference record (but lost the tiebreaker to make the title game).

Last year, BYU ascended from a middle-of-the-pack projection to being the conference runner-up. Kansas State and Baylor, however, fell terribly shy of optimistic preseason views at 6-6 and 5-7, respectively.

How smart are we this time around?

Texas Tech, despite the offseason drama surrounding Brendan Sorsby, is the early favorite in the conference ahead of BYU and Utah. The following tier includes K-State, Houston, Arizona and ASU.

Inevitably, some expectations will not go unmet. But will a different Big 12 squad pull off yet another surprise at the top?

SEC: Whose Hype Are We Buying?

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Arch Manning

Georgia? Duh. Not since 2016, the first year of Kirby Smart's tenure, have the Dawgs dropped three regular-season games. Perhaps they stumble in 2026, but immense benefit of the doubt is reasonable.

After them, the conversation gets rather fun.

Alabama, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas A&M each punched a CFP ticket last season. Yet will a first-year starter guide a return trip for Bama? The latter three, based on their tricky SEC schedules, all have a slim margin for error.

Texas has no shortage of talent, particularly if Arch Manning raises his performance this season. LSU enjoyed a splashy offseason, hiring Lane Kiffin and loading up transfers to revamp the roster. Someone out there has probably talked themselves into Florida, Missouri or Tennessee, too.

When the CFP bracket is unveiled, expect to see several SEC programs. Whether we'll have guessed them correctly is the trick.

Group of 6: What's the Hierarchy?

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Throughout the 11-year College Football Playoff era, Group of Five programs have fought for a shot at a New Year's Six bowl. Their access to playing for a national championship grew as the CFP expanded to 12 teams in 2024, too.

Either way, though, the American—previously known as the AAC—has most often represented the group in the NY6 or Playoff.

As the G5 becomes the G6 in 2026, how will we view the leagues?

For now, the American is still the theoretical headliner. However, the Pac-12 raided the Mountain West and could be viewed favorably right away. James Madison elevated the Sun Belt's status with a CFP trip in 2025, as well.

Since the CFP rankings are the product of a subjective process, perception matters. It's safe to suggest that G6 conferences will be campaigning loudly—as they should!—after any and every marquee win this season.