Preseason AP Poll and SP+ Rankings 2026 Top Conference Champion Contenders

The preseason AP Poll and Bill Connolly's SP+ rankings are out.

This post examines the AP and SP+ top conference championship contenders and their respective strength-of-schedule (SOS).

"Two things matter in college football (CFB): a team's roster and the schedule." Coach Pepper Rodgers (RIP)

ACC - Three teams ranked in the AP Poll.

No. 7 Miami - SP+ No. 8 - 49 SOS - Depending on the outcome of the Miami at Notre Dame game on November 11th, one of the two teams should finish 12-0 and the other 11-1.

He's improved, but with two losses to ACC teams that did not make the 2025 playoff (PO), you cannot entirely discount a Miami player making a game-changing penalty, or Mario's Alice in Wonderland clock management.

No. 24 SMU - SP+ No. 28 - 54 SOS - The Ponies open at FSU on September 7th, play 24 Louisville on the road in Week 3, and visit Notre Dame on November 21st.

SMU is one of the teams ranked in the preseason AP Poll that may not be there at season's end.

No. 24 Louisville - SP+ No. 27 - 60 SOS - Jeff Brohm can coach; the man won a lot of games at Purdue. Louisville has one of the best rosters in the ACC; will Ohio State transfer QB Lincoln Kienholz play like Tyler Shough, now starting in the NFL, or last season's QB flop, Miller (he gathered no championship) Moss?

NR Clemson - SP+ 23 - SOS 41 - Has Dabo Swinney found his lost fastball? Last season saw nine Clemson players drafted, and seven wins.

We'll get an early tell when Clemson visits LSU's Death Valley on September 5th and hosts Miami in Clemson's Death Valley on October 3rd.

The second-deepest and most talented roster in the ACC after Miami.

ACC Champ -

Louisville opens with Ole Miss in Nashville and closes with the rivalry game vs Kentucky. Louisville plays SMU at home and does not play Miami or Clemson.

Miami vs Louisville for the ACC title. Miami wins its first ACC Championship since joining the conference in 2004.

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No. 4 Notre Dame - SP+ No. 3 - 62 SOS - No conference champ game for the Irish.

A 3-game schedule: At 14 BYU, home against No. 7 Miami and No. 19 SMU.

With this schedule, Notre Dame should be PO-borderline with one loss and PO over and out with two losses.

But if ranked 12th or better by the Committee, the Domers are in the PO. If Notre Dame is ranked 12th, the Irish will hopefully knock out an SEC team that is ranked 11th.

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B12 - Four teams ranked in the AP Poll.

No. 12 Texas Tech - SP+ No. 7 - 71 SOS

With its G6-equivalent schedule, Moe, Larry, or Curly could start at QB for the Red Raiders and win 11, if not 12, games.

Texas Tech does not play No. 14 BYU and No. 21 Utah in the regular season and hosts No. 23 Houston.

No. 14 BYU - SP+ No. 18 - 53 SOS

BYU hosts Notre Dame and visits Utah. If the Cougars can split these two games, it will have an excellent chance of making the PO, even with a conference championship game loss to Texas Tech.

No. 21 Utah - SP+ 24 - 65 SOS

What will the Utes look like without Coach Whit and OC Jason Beck now at Michigan?

No. 23 Houston - SP+ 36 - 56 SOS

Under head coach Willie Fritz, these Cougars went 10-3 last season with a bowl win over LSU. QB Connor Weigman, who led the B12 last season with 36 Total Touchdowns, is back, and 71% of Houston's 2025 production returns.

The Cougars open the season hosting Beavis, miss BYU, and play at Utah on November 24th.

Big 12 Champ -

I think Houston wins tough games at Kansas State and Utah, and rematches against Texas Tech in the championship game, but the Red Raiders are deeper on both sides of the LOS, prevail, and return to the PO as B12 champion, but without a first-round bye.

Cody Campbell's investment in Texas Tech returns a 2nd conference championship and back-to-back playoff appearances.

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The Southeastern Conference - Nine teams ranked in the AP Poll.

The SEC, Where It Just Means More, except for the six teams that did not win five or more games in 2025 and the five PO teams that did not play for a National Championship.

8-2 versus the Big Ten in the 2024 and 2025 postseasons? Nothing to see here; move right along.

No one should be surprised the next time an SEC team wins a National Championship. The talent is still there in Dixie, as evidenced by recruiting rankings and NFL draft picks.

But even the most talented rosters without good coaching cannot win it all, and the payback for hubris we are witnessing is a witch. And Greg Sankey refuses to dial down the hubris? Hmmmm.

No. 3 Georgia - SP+ No. 4 - 25 SOS

A very young group of Dawgs playing behind Coach Kirby Smart and QB Gunner Stockton won another SEC championship in 2025, before running into the Houdini-like Trinidad Chambliss in the Sugar Bowl.

A more seasoned Georgia team is ready to take another bite out of the SEC and be more than a rumor in the 2026 PO.

Georgia's SP+ 25th SOS is the easiest in the SEC. But the schedule is not the easy-peasy schedule that Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Texas Tech play in 2025.

Georgia plays at No. 9 Ole Miss SP+ 15, No. 10 Oklahoma SP+ 12, at 13 Alabama SP+ 11, 25 Missouri SP+ 19, and old foes Auburn SP+ 26, Florida SP+20 in Atlanta, and rival Georgia Tech SP+43.

The majority of Top 25-ranked teams would find it difficult to finish 8-4 with this schedule, but not these Dawgs.

No. 5 Texas - SP+ No. 6 - No. 1 SOS has a stacked roster and is favored by many to win it all in 2026. And yes, the SOS is goosed by SP+ ranking 11 SEC teams in its top 25, but the Longhorns' 2026 schedule is still far from manageable by any schedule-ranking standard.

A blessing on the recovering Sark, but he rostered his way to a B12 title, and the next time he gets Smart will be the first time.

The Texas D finished the 2025 season ranked 25th in Total defense. But Sark fired his longtime DC, Pete Kwiatkowski, and replaced him with former Texas Coach-in-Waiting, Will Muschamp.

This hire and the USC hire of Gary Patterson as its DC will be scrutinized in 2026.

I'm a CFB QB-oriented guy, and so, 2026 SEC Champion:

11-1 Georgia rematches with Ole Miss and Trinidad Chambliss in the SEC Championship game, avenges its sole loss at Ole Miss, and wins another SEC title.

Kirby figures out the PO's long layoff, wins the Sugar Bowl game, and advances in the PO. 3-loss Texas also makes the 2026 PO field, along with two other SEC teams.

At least six SEC teams win five or fewer games in 2026, and many of the AP-ranked SEC teams will lose three or more games.

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Big Ten Conference - Eight teams ranked in the AP Poll.

The B1G has one fewer team ranked than the SEC in the AP Poll, but Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, LSU, and Alabama are ranked between No. 6 Indiana and No. 14 USC.

The AP voters, despite the on-field evidence that the CFB paradigm has changed since 2023 with direct payment to athletes, NIL opportunity, and largely unregulated free agency, and that paradigm shift, the B1G is 10-7 against the SEC in the regular season and 8-2 in the postseason, continue to value the middle of the SEC well above Big Ten teams not named Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana.

If the Big Ten wins the next ten Natty's, perhaps things will change?

SP+ has kind of gotten the CFB's new paradigm: No. 1 Ohio State - SP+ No. 1 - No. 4 SOS, and No. 2 Oregon - SP+ No. 2 - 21 SOS, share the same AP and SP+ rankings.

This is the first time the B1G has had two teams ranked at the top of the AP Poll since 1961, when Iowa was ranked first and Ohio State second, and the first time for an SP+preseason top two.

But things are much the same with the SP+ as with the AP Poll; between SP+ No. 5 Indiana 31 SOS and SP+ No. 13 USC 11 SOS, we find SP+ No. 6 Texas, No. 10 LSU, No. 11 Alabama, and No. 12 Oklahoma.

No. 16 Michigan - SP+ 17 - No. 5 SOS, No. 17 Washington - SP+ 21 - 23 SOS, No. 18 Penn State - SP+ No. 21 - 59 SOS, and No. 22 Iowa - SP+ No. 22 - 34 SOS, are ranked in the AP Poll and by SP+.

Oregon's 2026 opponents' rankings not shown above: No 28 Boise State, SP+38, is the highest-ranked G6 team in both the AP and SP+ rankings; No. 33 Illinois - SP+ 32, 26 SOS, and No. 34 Oklahoma State - SP+ 39, 39 SOS, are among Others Receiving Votes in the AP Poll.

2026 opponents not ranked in the AP Poll and not receiving votes: UCLA SP+ 48, Nebraska SP+ 37, Northwestern SP+ 49, and Michigan State SP+ 67. FCS Portland State is not ranked.

Other B1G SP+ rankings: Minnesota SP+ 45, Maryland SP+ 53, Rutgers SP+61, Wisconsin SP+ 62, and Purdue SP+83.

Big Ten teams that I believe are SP+ underrated: 13 USC, 14 Michigan, 32 Illinois, 37 Nebraska, 45 Minnesota, 48 UCLA, 62 Wisconsin, and I believe 82 Purdue would defeat many G6 teams ranked ahead of the Boilermakers.

The 2026 Big Ten Champion -

Based on Indiana's 31 SOS and missing Oregon and playing Ohio State and USC in Bloomington, I think the Hoosiers return to Indianapolis, and with Oregon playing Ohio State in Columbus, Indiana will rematch with the Buckeyes in the championship game.

Ohio State wins the championship game.

Many teams could contend for the B1G title, including OBD, USC, Michigan, Washington, and, with the 59th-ranked SOS, Penn State.

In 2026, the B1G conference is much larger than just the B1G 3 of Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana. Four Big Ten teams make the 2026 PO field: the B1G 3 and one other quality championship contender.

Let's Play Ball and BEAT BOISE!