Last season, college football crowned perhaps its most unlikely national champion ever -- the Indiana Hoosiers, led by second-year coach Curt Cignetti and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. (We told you it was unlikely!)
We also saw a scintillating College Football Playoff, in its second year under the 12-team format, as the third different Big Ten team in three years claimed the title.
But there were other thrills along the way. Georgia claimed another SEC championship, Ole Miss went on an unlikely run after losing its coach just before the playoff began, Texas Tech made its major investments in the transfer portal pay off, Duke somehow emerged as the ACC champ and missed the CFP while conference mate Miami made it all the way to the title game. In the Group of 5, James Madison and Tulane both made it to the CFP, while North Texas showed the big boys what high-octane offense really means.
What could be coming for an encore?
To get you ready for all the action coming this fall, Bill Connelly broke down every FBS conference, using his unique analysis and projections while also offering his thoughts on the top players and prospects for all 138 teams.
SEC
While top to bottom, the SEC remains the strongest conference in the land, the league is in the unfamiliar position of not having played for the national championship for three years running. Will this phenomenon change in 2026? With how loaded Ohio State, Oregon and potentially Indiana will be again, it's hard to say yes. But if Georgia can rediscover how to make big plays, or if Texas' star transfers stay healthy and thrive, or Texas A&M's line transfers click, or Lane Kiffin catches lightning in a bottle at LSU, or Keelon Russell ignites Alabama's offense, or Pete Golding keeps his small-sample magic going at Ole Miss, or Oklahoma's ... well, you get the point. Preview
Big Ten
Congratulations in advance to Oregon. If the Big Ten is to continue its recent streak of a different national champion for each season -- Michigan in 2023, Ohio State in 2024, Indiana in 2025 -- Dan Lanning's Ducks are the most likely beneficiary. Maybe it's indeed Oregon's turn. Or maybe 2026 is the year where we circle back to old names. Ohio State is starting the season first nationally in SP+, after all. Or maybe we're just living in Indiana's world now, and the Hoosiers are here to claim all the titles for the foreseeable future. Preview
Big 12
One year does not a dynasty make, but just as the offseason has been defined by Texas Tech, the conference's 2026 season will be defined by whether anyone can make a serious run at the champs, even without Brendan Sorsby at quarterback. There are certainly plenty of candidates. BYU looks great. Utah and Kansas State might contend with new coaches. Oklahoma State has been rebuilt from the ground up. Arizona and Houston will look to improve further after 2025 surges. Preview
ACC
Life in the ACC certainly isn't boring. Last year set a high bar for the 2026 season, but we have quite a bit to look forward to. We get another mammoth Miami-Notre Dame game (though we have to wait until November for it this time), redemption efforts from both Clemson's Dabo Swinney and North Carolina's Bill Belichick (and, kind of, Florida State's Mike Norvell), James Franklin's debut at Virginia Tech, and a potentially very bitter game between the defending conference champ, Duke, and the contender that stole its star QB (Miami). And even if the Canes deliver for the entire regular season for once and claim one of the spots in the ACC title game, the battle for the other spot could be ridiculously wild. Preview (plus Notre Dame)
Pac-12
The new-look Pac-12 begins play with six new teams, a fun flex-week idea and the best projected average SP+ rating of any conference in the Group of 6. It isn't a power conference, but it should be the best of the rest. The winners of 13 of the last 14 Mountain West titles (Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Utah State) have joined Oregon State and Washington State, along with Colorado State and a Sun Belt import, Texas State. Preview
American Conference
The 2026 season could test the American's general viability. The reformation of the Pac-12 adds a challenger to the mid-major throne, and with many of last year's best teams getting stripped bare by power programs, we'll see if the conference can produce a particularly high-quality champion. But even if it doesn't, the title race itself should be fantastic to follow. Preview (plus UConn)
Sun Belt
It's almost like the living was just a little too good in the Sun Belt. The nation's most sensible college football conference -- one that continues to focus on things like "geography" and "local rivalries" and "natural divisions" -- has also been one of its most fun for quite a while. And in recent years, it had become increasingly successful, too. Preview
Mountain West
In terms of average projected SP+ ratings, the Mountain West might be the second-best conference in the new Group of 6 (behind the Pac-12). UNLV and a suddenly exciting New Mexico will lead the way out of the gate, but the addition of North Dakota State adds all sorts of intrigue. With a potential rebound from Air Force and the hope of a continued rise from Hawai'i, the Mountain West should be awfully fun to watch even if the lowest-rated teams are as poor as expected. Preview
Conference USA
Last year's top two teams, Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State, both return just enough to hope for contention again, but Western Kentucky always contends, Liberty appears built to rebound after last year's sudden stumble, Delaware enjoys fantastic continuity, and after last season's sudden 10-losses-to-10-wins surge in Kennesaw, everyone else in the conference enters 2026 hoping for a surge as well. Preview
MAC
Life's pretty hard in the land of MACtion. You know what? It's time to celebrate that. The MAC plays FBS football because it's hard! And even if it's another tough year, some MAC team will likely take down some power conference foe, and then one will slug through a gauntlet of midweek November night games, likely in unfriendly weather, to win the conference title. Sounds hard? You're damn right! Preview