I love college football, and while I’m a Cornhusker fan through and through, I watch all the college football I can. There is very little that can happen in the college football world that doesn’t influence the Huskers in some way, so staying up to speed is something I attempt to do. I am far from a college football guru, but then again, I have my thoughts and opinions on the upcoming season. In this segment I’ll give you 24 teams who have my interest or a storyline I’ll be following.
24 Teams with a Storyline to Watch in 2026
Notre Dame – After missing the CFP and then opting out of a bowl game, are the Irish looking for revenge or just reestablishing themselves as national champion contenders? Marcus Freeman needs to be careful, sometimes teams lose sight when looking for retribution or vengeance. What will it be with Notre Dame?
Texas – The Longhorns were also left out of the CFP after being a preseason No. 1 pick. They complained about playing Ohio State, but it was the loss to Florida that did them in. Will Ohio State be an excuse again this year if they’re left out? Sark is doing a lot of preseason talking and posturing.
LSU – The Bayou Bengals are always a topic of discussion, throw in a controversy magnet like Lane Kiffin and you have fodder for headlines throughout the season. Is Kiffin the next Saban, Miles, and Orgeron, or is he just another Brian Kelly? He brings a bizarre history with him to Baton Rouge.
Oregon – Is it talent or coaching? Oregon may be a true test for that question as the Ducks go into the season with new coordinators on both offense and defense. We may get to see just how much moxie Dan Lanning has and if talent can win without coaching.
Texas Tech – The king of the mountain took a tumble before the season even started with the Brendan Sorsby betting fiasco. The issue has yet to be resolved, but if Sorsby ever sees the field again I’ll be shocked. Or maybe appalled would be the better word. Will Tech enter the CFP like last season, a powerhouse weak at quarterback?
Indiana – Cignetti’s team over the last two seasons is often referred to as a ‘White Unicorn’, something unreal. Will that continue? Several people believe it will with the addition of TCU transfer QB Josh Hoover. I’m not sold, eventually what goes up must come down. AKA Nebraska.
North Carolina – The question continues to be asked, what was that we witnessed from Bill Belichick last season? Can we expect more of the same or will Bill turn it around? Will Bobby Petrino be the difference or will he finish another season as interim head coach?
Alabama – Kalen DeBoer is a good coach and will serve Alabama well but do the Crimson Tide fans have the patience for nine- and ten-wins seasons? Must DeBoer win a Natty in the next two years to keep his job?
Colorado – Was Deion Sanders simply a flash in the pan or does he bring real substance to Colorado? How long does the administration and the fans support ‘Prime’ if he continues to produce mediocre seasons. Can they afford not to?
Virginia Tech – Can you say domino effect? Three schools are joined at the hip, Virgina Tech, Penn State, and Iowa State. No matter how you spin it, in my mind the Hokies were the big winners here. It may not happen this season, but Nittany Lion fans will be asking, “Why couldn’t Franklin do that here?”
Penn State – I thought Penn State pooped the bed getting rid of Franklin, but perhaps it was in fact time for a change. Matt Campbell is an excellent coach, and he’ll do well at Penn State, however, will he exceed Franklin? I anticipate a flat line record between Franklin and Campbell.
Iowa State – The Cyclones are the big losers in the three team connect. That’s not to say Jimmy Rogers isn’t a good coach, but Campbell cleaned out the cupboard before he left and took all the momentum with him. I look for a downfall here and a long tough road to getting back. AKA Nebraska.
Utah – This one is intriguing for no other reason than Utah gave a head coach with a 177-88 record the boot. They want to say Whittingham was ready to retire, but that didn’t seem to be the case as he took the Michigan job without hesitation. At some point the Ute fans will say, “What in the heck did we do?” AKA Bo Pelini and Nebraska.
JMU – The last seven seasons at JMU Curt Cignetti and Bob Chesney posted a record of 73-15. Cignetti left for Indiana and won a national championship. Chesney left for UCLA. Enter Billy Napier who moved back down the ladder from Florida where he went 22-23. Before that Napier had success at Louisiana where he went 40-12 in four seasons. Will Napier do better in a lesser environment or did JMU take a step backwards?
Florida State – Not much to say here except Mike Norvell must win to keep his job. The only reason he isn’t gone already is because of the price of his buyout. Never has a team fallen so quickly as when Noles QB Jordan Travis suffered a season ending leg injury in 2023. The Noles finished the season 13-0 but missed the CFP and promptly were beaten by Georgia 63-3 in the Orange Bowl. Norvell’s teams have been 7-17 since. There is no tomorrow in Tallahassee.
Oklahoma State – Former North Texas coach Eric Morris replaces Mike Gundy, the winningest coach in OSU history, going 170-90 over 21 seasons. Morris will attempt to pull the old Cignetti ‘bring my team with me trick’ at Stillwater. After going 22-16 in three seasons at North Texas, he brings his own luggage in QB Drew Mestemaker, RB Caleb Hawkins, WR Whyatt Young and 15 other North Texas players. Will it be enough?
Michigan State – This one is of interest because of new head coach Pat Fitzgearld. Formerly at Northwestern, Fitgerald always seemed to do more with less. The thought now is he may be able to really produce if given the resources he seemed to lack. Out of football since before NIL it must be seen if Fitgerald can adapt to the times and a new setting. It’s a huge adjustment. Can he make it?
Northwestern – The surprise here, new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. The college football world was taken aback with this hire. Kelly seems to be an odd fit for what head coach David Braun has been doing on offense and while Kelly seems to have success at the college level, he has failed miserably in the NFL. So, which version do the Wildcats get?
UCLA – The Bruins hired Bob Chesney from JMU after he went 21-6 in two seasons and took them to the CFP as one of the Group of Six teams. Chesney seems to have already breathed new life into the UCLA program by bringing in 41 transfer portal players with 10 of those following him from JMU. This is yet another attempt at a Cignetti type turnaround. At some point will we see a complete meltdown with this type of strategy, or will it bring success every time?
Vanderbilt – Deigo Pavia is ancient history. So, how will the Commodores look without him? True freshman QB Jared Curtis is expected to be the starter and claims he’ll pick up where Pavia left off. A bold statement from someone with no experience. Not everyone can boast and bluster their way to winning, sometimes that backfires. Was it Clark Lea of Pavia that made Vandy?
Colorado State – New head coach Jim Mora takes over in Fort Collins. I like this hire and am disappointed we won’t see Colorado – Colorado State match ups. Maybe in the future. Mora has had success at the college level, going 39-11 in his first three seasons at UCLA and 18-7 his last two at UConn. Will Colorado State catch fire now that they are in the PAC-12 and Mora is at the helm?
New Mexico – Jason Eck is and has been a name to watch. New Mexico will never be anything more than a Group of Six placeholder, but Eck can make them winners and bring attention to the program, enough so that there will be schools clamoring for his services before its done. There will be openings, the question is how long can New Mexico keep him?
North Dakota State – The Bison made the jump to FBS after winning 10 FCS national Championships in the last 15 years. They join the Mountain West along with UTEP and Northern Illinois, after Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, San Deigo State and Utah State jumped to the PAC-12. NDS has consistently played Power 4 schools in their non-conference games and had success. Will they have the same success with a full FBS schedule moving forward?
Nebraska – The Huskers made the list because of the quarterback story. What will Anthony Colandrea be? Will he be another Jeff Sims due to misevaluation? Is he another Dylan Raiola, overhyped and underperforming? If you are a Husker fan you are hoping he is none of the above, just the Anthony Colandrea we saw at UNLV. Even if we only get 80% of the Colandrea the Rebels saw it will be the best any QB has performed since Rhule arrived. I’m good with 80%, but what if we get 100%?
There are now 138 teams in the FBS, and truthfully every one of them has their own storyline to watch. These are just 24 that piqued my interest and ones I’ll be watching this coming season. However, none closer than Nebraska.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
Photo courtesy of the Falls City Journal Home – Falls City Journal – Falls City, NE
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