He took the liberty to project the 2026 <\/a>College Football Playoff<\/a> bracket<\/a>. He\u2019s still a believer in the Hoosiers, but spoiler alert \u2014 he doesn\u2019t have them repeating. Check out who he\u2019s riding with next season below. <\/p>\n Curt Cignetti<\/a>\u00a0is building a monster. Indiana is fresh off completing its 16-0 championship season, but there\u2019s no rest for the weary.<\/p>\n There is no doubt in anyone\u2019s mind that the Hoosiers will be ready to compete once again next season. Fernando Mendoza<\/a>\u00a0will move on to the NFL, but\u00a0TCU<\/a> transfer quarterback\u00a0Josh Hoover<\/a>\u00a0is a more than formidable replacement. ESPN thinks the Hoosiers will win the Big Ten and continue their dominance.<\/p>\n Georgia hasn\u2019t been able to get back to the national title game after dominating college football for a couple of seasons. Count out\u00a0Kirby Smart<\/a>\u00a0at your own risk.<\/p>\n The Bulldogs have still captured multiple SEC titles in that time. They want more, and with\u00a0Gunner Stockton<\/a>\u00a0coming back for another season, they can achieve it. ESPN has Georgia winning the SEC.<\/p>\n Texas Tech is trying to crash the party at the top of the college football world. The Red Raiders made their first impact this season, winning the Big 12 but falling to\u00a0Oregon\u00a0in their playoff game.<\/p>\n Tech has a big-time transfer coming in at quarterback in\u00a0Brendan Sorsby<\/a>, and he\u2019s expected to take the team to the next level. We\u2019ll see what the Red Raiders have in store for an encore in 2026, but ESPN thinks they\u2019ll win the Big 12 and get a bye in the First Round once again.<\/p>\n Notre Dame won 10 consecutive games, but it couldn\u2019t convince the selection committee to punch their ticket to the 12-team Playoff. Then, they opted not to participate in bowl season, focusing on 2026 instead.<\/p>\n It could pay off, with\u00a0Marcus Freeman<\/a>\u00a0leading the way and quarterback\u00a0CJ Carr<\/a> returning. The Fighting Irish should, for all intents and purposes, be one of the best teams in the nation next season. ESPN believes a bye week is in its future.<\/p>\n Lincoln Riley<\/a> was tabbed to bring USC national championships as its head coach. He\u2019s yet to make the CFP, but ESPN has the Trojans firmly in the Top 12 at No. 5 for next season.<\/p>\n With quarterback Jayden Maiava<\/a> returning for another go-round, the offense should be potent. The Trojans could be a major problem for opponents when you look at what they\u2019re working with.<\/p>\n It was a majorly impressive season for\u00a0Mike Elko<\/a>\u00a0at Texas A&M this past year.\u00a0Marcel Reed<\/a>\u00a0was great at quarterback, and the Aggies were able to host their own home playoff game.<\/p>\n They fell short, but there\u2019s no reason to expect them not to be competitive again in 2026. Reed is returning, and if he takes another step, A&M could be dangerous inside the SEC and beyond.\u00a0An at-large bid is in their future yet again, per ESPN.<\/p>\n Ohio State couldn\u2019t go back-to-back, but it wasn\u2019t without trying. They put together an incredible effort, only falling to the two teams that played for it all in\u00a0Indiana\u00a0and\u00a0Miami.<\/p>\n Julian Sayin<\/a>\u00a0made it to New York for the Heisman Ceremony, and he\u2019ll be back in 2026, along with Jeremiah Smith<\/a>. It\u2019s easy to expect big things from the Buckeyes, and ESPN sees an at-large bid in their future. <\/p>\n The sting is real for Miami after losing in the national title game. The good news, though? The Hurricanes have the horses to return in 2026.<\/p>\n The Canes have taken the steps under\u00a0Mario Cristobal<\/a>, elevating their game and returning to the top of the mountain.\u00a0Carson Beck<\/a>\u00a0won\u2019t be there, but\u00a0Darian Mensah<\/a>\u00a0will be a heck of a replacement.\u00a0ESPN has Miami winning the ACC.<\/p>\n Dan Lanning<\/a>\u00a0has Oregon in the upper echelon. It feels like a national title is coming, but the Ducks have actually fallen to the past two national champions over the last two seasons in\u00a0Ohio State<\/a>\u00a0and now Indiana.<\/p>\n Dante Moore<\/a>\u00a0coming back is a huge boost, even after landing\u00a0Dylan Raiola<\/a>\u00a0in the transfer portal. Oregon should compete at the top of the food chain once again in 2026. ESPN has them getting an at-large bid.<\/p>\n Arch Manning<\/a>\u00a0is returning for another go-round. Texas won\u2019t let it be for naught, as it is surrounding him with stars all over the offensive side of the football.<\/p>\n Will it be enough? Time will tell, but after missing the College Football Playoff in 2025, the Longhorns will be more motivated than ever to get back to the 12-team dance. ESPN believes they will. <\/p>\n There\u2019s always a majorly unexpected program in here. ESPN chose Oklahoma State as its team that had a losing record last season that\u2019ll make it to the 12-team dance.<\/p>\n There\u2019s some reasoning behind it. North Texas head coach Eric Morris<\/a> is taking over and bringing some of his best offensive players, like quarterback Drew Mestemaker<\/a>. From the Mean Green to the Cowboys, they could deliver in Year 1.<\/p>\n![\"Georgia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GunnerStocktonGT-1024x538.png\")
Gunner Stockton (Brett Davis \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Lincoln-Riley-addresses-the-increase-in-Jayden-Maiava-turnovers-1024x538.png\")
\u00a9 Chris Pietsch\/The Register-Guard \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/darian-mensah_duke-1024x538.jpg\")
\u00a9 Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<\/p>\n![\"Mestemaker\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769792471_33_Mestemaker-1024x512.jpg\")
Tim Heitman-Imagn Images<\/p>\n