Last Friday, the college football transfer portal officially closed, providing some of the most entertaining, action-packed two weeks for fans amid the offseason.
The rising importance of NIL compensation has turned the portal into something synonymous with the Wild West. Players are jumping all over the nation in search of more money, and coaches being accused of tampering has seemingly become a yearly occurrence.
Nevertheless, you can now start to feel how certain teams are shaping up ahead of the season, which kicks off in August. Here’s my way-too-early top 10 rankings for the 2026 college football season.
- Ohio State
Despite landing the fifth-best class in the portal according to 247sports.com, the Buckeyes’ strength this offseason was retention.
They return Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin at signal-caller, as well as top wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Smith will be joined by Chris Henry Jr., the top-ranked wide receiver in the class of 2026 from perennial high school powerhouse Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). Henry looks to provide the Buckeyes with more offensive firepower to overcome the woes they had in the Big Ten Championship against Indiana and in the CFP Quarterfinals against Miami.
- Indiana
While the reigning national champions are losing a tremendous portion of their roster to the NFL Draft, head coach Curt Cignetti still reeled in yet another impressive transfer portal class to build off the previous year’s championship-winning class.
TCU transfer Josh Hoover looks to take over the reins from Heisman Trophy winner and projected No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza at quarterback. Though massive shoes to fill, Hoover is fresh off an impressive season with the Horned Frogs, throwing for 3,472 yards and 29 touchdowns. Not to mention, electric wide receiver Charlie Becker will return for his junior campaign, emerging as one of Hoover’s top targets.
- Oregon
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore made waves in the college football world on Jan. 14 after announcing his return to Eugene for the 2026 season, with the caption reading, “Heisman Year 🔥.”
Moore’s return is joined by wide receivers Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan, who both had major impacts on Oregon’s offensive success in 2025. Combined with running backs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr., the Ducks look downright scary on offense.
Defensively, the Ducks have NFL talent all over the field. Defensive linemen Bear Alexander and A’Mauri Washington are back, as well as linebackers Teitum Tuioti and Matayo Uiagalelei. Running the ball against Oregon will be extremely hard for opposing Big Ten offenses.
- Texas
Will 2026 be “The Year of Arch Manning” and the Texas Longhorns? Many seem to think so after the commitment of top wide receiver and Auburn transfer Cam Coleman from the portal. His addition to a wide receiving corps consisting of veterans Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V is crucial, and with transfer running backs Raleek Brown (Arizona State) and Hollywood Smothers (NC State), depth is no issue for the Longhorns.
Even better, edge rusher Colin Simmons is back on the defensive line. Projected to be a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, Simmons posted 12 sacks and 15 tackles for loss in 2025 and is already being compared to NFL star Von Miller.
- Georgia
What’s a top 10 without Georgia?
Head coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs have been an earmark of consistent success in recent years, producing NFL talent year in and year out. Once again, the Bulldogs are loaded with that talent.
It’s crucial to have a quarterback with experience on the field, and the Bulldogs have that in Gunner Stockton. Alongside returners Nate Frazier (RB), Isiah Canion (WR), Lawson Luckie (TE) and a crushing offensive line, Stockton has plenty of offensive weapons to support their highly touted defense.
- LSU
Head coach Lane Kiffin took over the reins of the program in December after the firing of Brian Kelly, and he’s since completed almost a full 180 of the roster with strategic use of LSU’s plentiful NIL resources. He’s brought over several coaches from Ole Miss and landed three of the portal’s top 10 prospects, including quarterback Sam Leavitt (1), offensive lineman Jordan Seaton (4) and edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen (5). A combination of the two makes LSU a clear-cut favorite to make the playoffs.
- Miami
Head coach Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes turned heads this season after making a run to the CFP National Championship Game before losing to champion Indiana.
Recently landing Duke’s Darian Mensah (QB) and Cooper Barkate (WR) from the portal, the Hurricanes look like they have a national championship–caliber roster once again. Offensively, wide receiver Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher Jr. return after stellar 2025 campaigns. Combined with a defense pending the return of highly ranked defensive tackle Ahmad Moten, and you have a recipe for success brewing in Coral Gables.
- Notre Dame
The talent is there in South Bend for Marcus Freeman’s Fighting Irish; however, the question is simple: can they get over the hump and avoid careless early-season losses? Notre Dame has developed a reputation as one of the best late-season performers in the country, but always seems due for a bad loss at the beginning of the season. Should they avoid that loss and sneak into the playoffs, the Irish are a clear-cut contender to make a deep postseason run.
- Ole Miss
Without Kiffin, I was a little skeptical to put Ole Miss on this list, even after their performance with now head coach Pete Golding at the helm for last season’s playoff run. But looking at their returners and performance with the portal, I quickly changed my mind.
Golding landed the second-ranked class of the 2026 transfer portal and has since retained star running back Kewan Lacy and quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, pending the results of a legal battle regarding a final year of eligibility. If all pans out well for Chambliss, the Rebel’s upside is sky-high.
- Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s John Mateer looked like a Heisman-caliber quarterback before injuring his thumb and needing midseason surgery before returning to play. Still, he helped muscle the Sooners to the playoffs before losing to Alabama in the first round.
With a healthy Mateer coming back for 2026, as well as offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, the Sooners have the means for an explosive offense, nicely complementing an experienced defense that returns almost its entire secondary.