2026 will probably be the trickiest preseason poll of my lifetime to predict. Typically you’d expect Ohio State, Georgia, & Alabama to occupy a chunk of coveted real estate near the top of the polls to begin the season, but these programs have all just been knocked out by the likes of Miami, Ole Miss, & Indiana. This is a paradigm shift.

How quickly / drastically do you expect the pollsters to react / overreact to these recent outcomes? What teams to you project in the PRESEASON Top 5?

Ohio State travels to Austin, Texas wk 2 to take on the Longhorns. Would you expect one or both programs to be in the Top 5? If so, which traditional blue bloods or young money upstarts are getting bumped to make room for the Longhorns & Buckeyes, who started 2025 #1 & #3 respectively.

I usually have a good idea where most teams will be slotted going into any given yr, but I have no idea where many teams may be ranked going into next season.

Any guesses?