We’re a couple of months away from the college football season, so CBS Sports revealed 10 teams that are generating the most buzz ahead of the fall. We’ll be paying attention to these teams more than others it seems.

Whether it’s player and coaching movement, drama or more financial investment, these teams are worth watching. Not to mention the expectations around some of these teams!

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So without further ado, let’s dive into the teams that are generating a lot of buzz for the 2026 campaign. We start in Blacksburg.

We’ll kick off the list diving into Virginia Tech. The Hokies are generating buzz for the first time in awhile now that James Franklin is at the helm.

Whether it’s bringing in Penn State transfers, more money or simply showing a new philosophy, there’s a lot of positivity around the program. Franklin hasn’t won a national championship, but he was highly successful at Vanderbilt and Penn State, so it should be the same expectations here.

If you want to talk about generating buzz, Oregon is doing just that. The Ducks are inching closer to a national title under Dan Lanning after making the CFP semifinals last year.

With QB Dante Moore back under center, as well as the return of injured WR Evan Stewart, this should be a dynamic offense. Expect Oregon to compete for the Big Ten and college football’s ultimate prize this year.

If you thought Ole Miss was hot last year, look at the buzz they’re generating this year! QB Trinidad Chambliss managed to get a waiver to play again this year and Pete Golding is at full operation following the Lane Kiffin drama last year.

Coming off a CFP semifinal appearance, that’s the expectation again, and it helps when you have a solid QB. The Rebels have some juice right now and just wait for that game vs. LSU in Week 3!

Florida is generating buzz going into the 2026 season under a new regime. If you listen to new head coach Jon Sumrall, you might want to run through a brick wall.

After leading Tulane to the CFP last year, Gator fans hope Sumrall can do the same in Gainesville for the first time. The biggest thing though is to figure out the quarterback piston between Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr.

Miami nearly climbed the entire college football mountain last year, but fell in heartbreaking fashion to undefeated Indiana in the national championship. But Mario Cristobal and crew are generating a good amount of buzz going into a new season.

Darian Mensah transferred from Duke and is the new QB. WR Malachi Toney goes into his sophomore season and is one of the most electric playmakers in college football. We’ll see how the defense regroups after a handful of studs went to the NFL.

Is Indiana generating more buzz than last year? Maybe, maybe not. But Curt Cignetti is on the cover of the new EA Sports College Football 27 video game! That’s a start.

You can’t top last year’s 16-0 championship squad, unless they do it again. Josh Hoover takes over at QB for Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. But as the reigning champs, Hoover and company have to at least contend to go back to back at this point. Those are the expectations in Bloomington now!

USC is always generating buzz, especially under Lincoln Riley. That doesn’t mean it’s always positive in Southern California though.

Defense has been the Achilles heel for most of Riley’s teams at USC and even at Oklahoma. If QB Jayden Maiava takes another step forward and there’s an average defense to help out, the Trojans could find themselves in the CFP for the first time.

Notre Dame is generating buzz again, but hopefully in a positive way! This is a good football team and they’re well past going 10-2 and opting out of the postseason last year.

Marcus Freeman got his team to the national championship the other year but just missed out on the dance in 2025-26. With QB CJ Carr back and an elite defense led by CB Leonard Moore, this is a team you don’t want to mess with this fall.

Now we’re really getting into “generating buzz” territory. The Longhorns have a lot of hype, led by QB Arch Manning. WR Cam Coleman transferred in from Auburn to give him a true No. 1 this year.

But with the way Steve Sarkisian has elevated the level of play in Austin, it’s pretty much national championship or bust. They’ve made great runs before, but missing the CFP last year was a bitter pill to swallow.

You didn’t think you’d read through this whole list and not see LSU did you? Lane Kiffin is generating buzz, again, and this time its in Baton Rouge. Whether it’s his comments to the media, his ability in the transfer portal or him just being Lane, we’re paying attention.

Sam Leavitt transferred from Arizona State to take over at QB, Kiffin remade nearly the entire roster and the Tigers have big time CFP expectations. After bolting from Ole Miss, this has to be the place where Kiffin finally gets it done. Many will watch rooting for him to succeed and maybe many more rooting for the polarizing coach to fail.