Every season is defined by storylines. Some are good and others make you think out loud. Either way, they are ever present and there is always more to the story.
Here are 26 storylines which will continue to play out while college football is going on in the stadiums around the country.
NFL players returning to college football
This is the story which will dominate all the airwaves. We have seen LSU bring in players on their women’s soccer team. Now, the school is doing the same on the football team, if the courts continue to allow them. This will be a story that does not go away. As much as we want it to.
Notre Dame chasing their first national title since 1988
Lou Holtz was the last coach to lead Notre Dame to a national championship following the 1988 season.
It is 38 years later, Holtz has passed away, and the Irish are still looking for another title. Under Marcus Freeman, 2026 can be the season with CJ Carr leading the offense and Lance Moore providing leadership on defense.Â
With an easy schedule ahead of them, any more than one loss during this season and Notre Dame fans will be devastated.Â
Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks looking to get over the hump
Oregon has never won a national championship. But they are spending like they want to be the next team to do so, following Indiana.Â
With all the money Phil Knight has given to the Ducks program, if Dan Lanning does not get to the title game, questions will creep in even more about his ability to win in the biggest moments.
Luke Fickell looks to save his job at Wisconsin
Like Matt Campbell, we all wondered what it would take to get Fickell to leave Cincinnati. It ended up taking a lot of broken promises from Wisconsin and Athletic Director Chris McIntosh. Those broken were not admitted to until McIntosh was already on his way out the door to take a different position with the Big Ten Conference.
This season, Fickell has more resources and a far less challenging schedule. Time will tell if it saves his job in Madison.Â
Mike Norvel finishing the season with Florida State
After a 13-0 season in 2023, Norvel and the Florida State Seminoles have been dreadful, going 2-10 in 2024 and 5-7 last year. On top of this, Norvel was given a massive and unneeded contract extension from the school following the 2023 season — an extension with a buyout high enough that Florida State could not fire him yet. But, if the fans grow any more apathetic, the school will have to find the money and make the change.Â
Indiana defending their title with a more challenging schedule
Indiana has really played no one in the past two seasons, even buying out of Power Four games to schedule the worst schools possible. The Big Ten called their bluff in 2026 and scheduled the Hoosiers to take on Ohio State, Michigan, Washington, and USC. The only team they do not have to face is Oregon. But the rest of the conference schedule will finally challenge Curt Cignetti and new starting quarterback Josh Hoover.
The SEC and the playoffs
In the past three seasons, no SEC team has made it to the national title game. Ole Miss almost made it in 2025, coming up just short against Miami. But other teams who are normally reliable are not holding up their end of the bargain.
Georgia has yet to win a playoff game and Alabama beat another SEC in the first round in 2025, only to be defeated 38-3 in the Rose Bowl against eventual champion Indiana. If the SEC wants to continue their claim of superiority, the conference needs to get back to and win the national title game.
BYU or Texas Tech in the Big XII?
The Brendan Sorsby saga is finally over with the correct and logical conclusion. While good news for fans, it is not good for Texas Tech.
Quarterback Will Hammond will need to take over for the presumed starter in Sorsby coming off a season ending injury from 2025. The Red Raiders opening schedule is not challenging. This will be to the benefit of the team as Hammond needs to make sure he is healthy.
If Hammond is not healthy all season, look to QB Bear Bachmeier to lead BYU to the Big XII title.
The Cougars do not have Texas Tech on the schedule in 2026. This means that, in a weaker than normal Big XII, the Cougars have the inside path to Dallas. This is their year to win as Texas Tech deals with minor issues on the roster.
The Pac-12 final week game plan is not as complicated as it once sounded
It is still different though.Â
Teams already know if they will be playing at home or away. They do not know who their opponent will be as the conference is looking to create matchups which give any potential playoff contender a chance to make it. We will need to see how it works and if the concept lasts for more than the initial season.
North Dakota State in the Mountain West
North Dakota State and their 10 national championships since 2004 have moved up to the Mountain West Conference.Â
The Bison enter a one of the favorites in the conference. With New Mexico quarterback Jack Layne having season ending surgery on his elbow, it now looks like North Dakota State and UNLV are the cream of the crop. Who will win the conference will be interesting to follow. Will the winner get a playoff berth from the Group of Six?
Group of Six representatives in the playoffs
Will it be one of North Dakota State or UNLV? It might also be Memphis or Navy from the American.
There are a few schools we are looking at to see who makes the playoff starting in December. It could be a school mentioned above. Or it could be Boise State or someone who is currently far off the radar.
Miami looking to win the ACC for the first time
In an incredible stat, Miami has never won an ACC football title. The Hurricanes have never played for a title. In recent years, late season losses have doomed Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes. 2026 finally must be the season when Miami wins the conference. With the talent gap Miami has over the remaining teams in the ACC, it is win or bust.Â
LSU being the most hated team with Lane Kiffin
Between Lane Kiffin bringing in professional athletes, the way the state gets involved to the detriment of the program and of course, Kiffin, LSU is going to be hated on.
Temporary injunctions, shady innuendoes, and the money spent by the football and basketball team will all combine to make everyone root against LSU outside of Baton Rouge.Â
Beginning of the end for Dabo Swinney with Clemson
According to Dabo Swinney’s own words, his team sucked in 2025. If this is true, Swinney has no one to blame but the person who built the roster — him.
Swinney has been a great coach and has brought the Tigers back to national relevance. If he cannot get the train turned around in 2026, Clemson will have to make a tough decision about whether to keep him on the sidelines or if he needs an administrator’s office to shake hands and kiss babies.
USC finally making a run to the playoffs
This is the fifth season at USC for Lincoln Riley. It is finally time to give fans something to cheer for.
In Saturday’s season opening win over San Jose State, the stadium was almost empty. If the same sight is seen at the end of another disappointing season for the Trojans, Riley will need to go. He knows this to be the truth, and he is going to use his top recruiting class all he can to make sure he has a job for next season.
Georgia finally winning a playoff game?
Georgia has been in the playoffs both seasons with a bye. After the 2024 season, Georgia lost to Notre Dame and in 2025, Ole Miss in their first game. This is not what Kirby Smart, or the fans expect from the Bulldogs.
Smart is in no trouble in Athens. Fans are impatient though and they want to see this team start moving forward again, rather than standing still as great, but not elite.
Arch Manning and the hype
The biggest recruit in the history of college football, Manning started slow as the starting QB for Texas in 2025. This led to Texas going 9-3 and missing the playoffs one season after making it to the semifinals.
Manning got better as the season went on and comes into 2026 as the Heisman Trophy favorite. Can he perform to these expectations?Â
QB1 for the 2027 NFL Draft?
Dante Moore is currently projected as the QB 1 for the 2027 NFL draft. This is no certainty though as there are others like Drew Mestemaker, Manning and Julian Sayin who will have something to say. Depending on how this season plays out, we will find out who the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, or another team with the top selection decides to draft for their team.
A non-QB winning the Heisman Trophy?
Derrick Henry in 2015 and DeVonta Smith in 2020 — both players had two things happen which helped them win the Heisman Trophy. They both had monster seasons, and they both played in a season where no qyarterback separated themselves from the pack.
The Heisman Trophy has become a "best quarterback" award. This is unfortunate but it has happened. If a player like Jeremiah Smith, Malakhi Toney or even Lance Moore wants to win, it will take a massive feat. We can only hope.
Florida ranked again with Jon Sumrall
Billy Napier can build a roster. The issue was getting the most out of that roster.Â
The Florida Gators are hoping that they have found a coach in Sumrall who has both. So far, the returns are promising and Florida fans hope that it is not an illusion.
The return of Michigan with a good coach
Sharone Moore was a mess. It was even worse than we thought. Now that Kyle Whittingham has taken over, there will be a sense of accountability around the program again.
Although Justice Haynes left for Georgia Tech at running back, the Wolverines are still talented, and Whittingham will get the best out of them. He has also not missed a day of workout since 1983, so he knows about commitment and determination.
Penn State under Matt Campbell
The talent at Penn State will be down in 2026. With a new coach comes a new roster. Or in this case, the Iowa State roster from 2025.
Rocco Becht will lead the offense for the Nittany Lions, and he knows it better then any player can. We also know that Penn State has a schedule which sees them missing Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana. This will help elevate the results artificially — something that will look good in the record books but will not help should Penn State make the playoffs.
Fewer expectations for James Franklin with Virginia Tech
The expectations were so high at Penn State in 2025 that two losses got James Franklin fired during the middle of the season.
The losses were bad. But James Franklin was and is a great coach.Â
Virginia Tech wants to get back to their peak in the early 2000s. For now, they are happy getting back to eight and nine wins on a regular basis. Franklin will certainly do this. In the ACC, this will also give the Hokies a chance to compete for the conference championship.
Drew Mestemaker moving up to Oklahoma State
Eric Morris told a compelling story about Mestemaker and seeing him as a receiver in high school. A friend told him to come check this kid out and that he was going to be great.Â
After looking at him on the field, Morris told his friend that he looks like an ok receiver. His friend told him that he would be your quarterback, not receiver. The friend was right and Morris luckily listened.
In 2025, Mestemaker finished first in the country with 4,379 passing yards and tied for second with 34 TD passes at North Texas. Following Morris to Oklahoma State, Mestemaker will need to prove himself at a higher level if he wants to continue to the NFL.Â
Keelon Russell takes over in Alabama
The Alabama quarterback position is always something worth watching. Even though the last solid quaterback from Alabama was Joe Namath, Alabama still inspires people to watch.
With Austin Mack and Russell battling for the position this fall, Russell won the job and will look to get Alabama back to the playoffs and into title contention, something the Crimson Tide has not had since Nick Saban abruptly left after 2023.
Collin Klein returns home to Kansas State
The prodigal son has returned. Optimus Klein is coming back to Manhattan and taking over his alma mater.
Ever since Klein became a coach, this was bound to happen. After a season in which Avery Johnson and the Wildcats were disappointed, Chris Kleiman decided it was time. He stepped down as head coach. But only after calling Klein, then the offensive coordinator at Texas A & M to make sure he was going to accept the job if he did. After getting the confirmation he needed, Kleiman left and Klein will come in to bring Kansas State back to the heydays, which was also the time in which Klein was leading the team as QB on the field.
Add us as a preferred source on Google