College Football 2026 Predictions for Week 1 Rankings and NCAA Standings

The first week of college football is upon us, and the contenders and pretenders will begin making themselves known over the weekend.

There aren't too many premier matchups this week — there's only one top-25 clash — but fans should still be able to get a good idea of how legit their squad is by the end of the week.

Sunday's matchup between No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 24 Louisville will be one of the more intriguing games as two teams hoping to make a splash get an early chance to establish themselves as College Football Playoff teams.

Lane Kiffin and No. 11 LSU will also get a Week 1 test as they go up against a Clemson team looking to bounce back from a dreadful season.

Every team in the top-five should handle business in Week 1, but crazier things have happened.

Week 1 Rankings Predictions

Ali Gradischer/Getty Images

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
3. Notre Dame
4. Georgia
5. Texas
6. Miami
7. Ole Miss
8. LSU
9. Indiana
10. Oklahoma
11. Texas A&M
12. Texas Tech
13. Alabama
14. BYU
15. Michigan
16. Washington
17. Penn State
18. USC
19. SMU
20. Tennessee
21. Houston
22. Utah
23. Iowa
24. Missouri
25. South Carolina

Just missed: Florida, Arizona, Navy, Illinois, Vanderbilt

No Major Shakeups in Top 5

David Madison/Getty Images

The top five teams in the preseason poll will get a relatively easy start to the season.

No. 1 Ohio State faces Ball State and should have their second-string unit in by halftime. No. 2 Oregon has a slightly tougher game against Boise State, but will also coast to a victory.

No. 3 Georgia will trounce Tennessee State, and No. 5 Texas will make light work of Texas State.

No. 4 Notre Dame has the best chance to move up in the rankings as they go up against a Wisconsin team that should at least make a bowl game this year. The Fighting Irish will head to Lambeau Field and leave with a massive win over the Badgers that is convincing enough to move them up to No. 3.

Should Oregon stumble at all against Boise State, it wouldn't be a shock to see Notre Dame jump the Ducks as well as the Bulldogs.

Ole Miss, LSU Rise, USC Falls

Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

Ole Miss begins the Pete Golding era against a ranked opponent in Nashville, giving the Rebels a tremendous opportunity to prove they're still going to compete for a title without Lane Kiffin.

Louisville has the potential to make a run at the ACC championship this year, but the Cardinals are putting a first-year starter on the field against Trinidad Chambliss, arguably the best returning quarterback in the nation, who very well could take home the Heisman Trophy.

The Rebels will pick up a double-digit victory and move up a few spots in the rankings.

Meanwhile, in Baton Rouge, Kiffin will begin his time at LSU with a convincing victory against Dabo Swinney and Clemson. While Clemson perhaps isn't viewed as a CFP contender early in the season, the win will be enough for voters to bump LSU ahead of other top-10 teams who didn't have high-level Week 1 games.

USC is one of the few teams that have already played a game, but the 26 points the Trojans gave up against San Jose State likely have voters ready to bump them down a few spots.

USC will handle business against Fresno State, but the Bulldogs will put up enough of a fight that voters will have no choice but to move the Trojans to No. 18.