Five bold predictions for the 2026 College Football season

The new era of college football is all about being bold.The first two seasons since the Great Realignment and the expansion of the College Football Playoff have shown us that what we think we know before a season will be irrelevant by the time the dust settles.We’ve seen the miraculous rise of a powerhouse (Indiana), the dramatic fall of others (Penn State, Clemson), and it’s anybody’s guess what is to come over the next four months.With that in mind, I’ve outlined my five bold predictions for the 2026 season:The Hoosiers travel to Memorial Stadium on Oct.10.

Both teams should be 5-0, with Indiana riding a 21-game winning streak into a date with the Cornhuskers and their rabid fans.If both teams hold up their end of the bargain and we do get a battle of undefeateds in Lincoln, you should expect an incredible atmosphere as Matt Rhule’s Huskers look for their biggest win in over a decade.It won’t be easy, as the Hoosiers are projected to be a double-digit favorite, but this is a really tricky schedule spot for Indiana.Not only is it their second road game in a row after a trip to New Jersey to take on Rutgers on Oct.3, but it also comes immediately before a two-game stretch against Ohio State (at home) and Michigan (away).

It’s a horrendous sandwich spot for the Hoosiers, and an unbelievable opportunity for Rhule to get a program-changing victory.Nebraska, with some wind in its sails, will get the job done.We’re in a golden era of college football in Texas.The Longhorns, led by Arch Manning, are one of the favorites to win the national championship for the second year in a row.The Aggies, fresh off a trip to the College Football Playoff in 2025, have the third-best SP+ (a catch-all metric developed by analytics guru Bill Connelly) in the SEC.And Texas Tech finally made good on the hype in 2025, winning the Big 12 and getting a bye as the No.

4 seed in the Playoff.We also shouldn’t forget that North Texas had the best scoring offense in the countr...