Expanding the College Football Playoff has led to parity in the sport.
After the CFP expanded to a 12-team field in 2024, 20 different programs have made the postseason tournament. Eight teams, including Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Miami (Fla.) made their first CFP appearance in the 12-team format in 2025. With these additional spots, more fans believe their school has a chance to compete for the most important trophy in the sport.
So, who will be the next crop of programs to break into the 12-team playoff for the first time in 2026?
FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt previewed the 10 teams that are most likely to make their first 12-team College Football Playoff appearance on the latest episode of “The Joel Klatt Show.”
Klatt: “Iowa’s had eight-plus wins in the last full 10 seasons. Kirk Ferentz is as consistent as anyone in the sport. … For them, though, it’s about replacing the right players. The offensive linemen from the Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line that was obviously a very good group. Can you replace those players up front? They’ve hit the [transfer] portal for skilled gamers from the G-5 from the FCS, and I feel loads of these guys will likely be good, skilled guys that’ll repay. … They’ll want one win out of those three — Michigan, Ohio State, Washington.”
9.
Klatt: “I like what Jedd Fisch builds. He builds good, high quality applications. They bought their quarterback Demond Williams again. He’s bought 4 returning starters on the offensive line. I feel the massive key for Demond Williams goes to be taking part in higher in massive video games.
“Oct. 3, they go to USC … They welcome Iowa in. They welcome Penn State into Iowa Stadium. They’ve Indiana at house. After which at Oregon of their rivalry sport to finish the season… They’re 25-2 at Husky Stadium [over the last four seasons]. This is among the nice groups in all of Husky Stadium.”
Demond Williams Jr. led Washington to a 38-10 victory over Boise State within the LA Bowl. (Photograph by Kevin Terrell/Getty Photographs)
8.
Klatt: “Houston is coming off a 10-win season and ending within the top-25 underneath Willie Fritz, and Willie Fritz is a extremely good soccer coach. They convey again their quarterback, Connor Weigman. He’s bought an all-Large 12 huge receiver, Amari Thomas, on the surface. They added Makai Hughes. Keep in mind, Makai Hughes was with Fritz again within the Tulane days, and that labored for them. Makai Hughes went to Oregon. We thought he was going to be an enormous contributor for Dan Lanning a 12 months in the past, however that didn’t actually pan out. So now he’s again with Fritz this time at Houston.
“I like what I see. They’ve bought a highway sport at Texas Tech; I don’t love that. They’ve bought this essential three-game stretch with Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Utah goes to be a tricky one.”
7.
Klatt: “I like Arizona right here. Brent Brennan is now in Yr 3 in Tucson, and he brings again his first-team All-Large 12 quarterback Noah Fifita. He’s going into Yr 4 as a starter. … They keep their defensive coordinator, in order that they’re going to have some continuity there; that’s Danny Gonzalez, who brings a extremely distinctive construction, which is difficult for groups to arrange for.
“They introduced some defensive assist to fill the portal. They misplaced loads of actually good gamers, and notably out of the secondary, a few of these guys to the draft. … Now it’s concerning the schedule; it’s backloaded. They’ve an early sport at BYU, which isn’t going to be straightforward, as a result of BYU is a tricky place to play.”
6.
Klatt: “It’s nearly attending to the convention championship sport, and that are the most certainly candidates to do this? I feel Utah is a type of. Morgan Scalley isn’t going to flip every thing the wrong way up in Salt Lake. This man is a Utah lifer … they’re nonetheless going to be aggressive on protection, they’re nonetheless going to be good on the offensive line. He’s gotten to be taught from Kyle Whittingham. They’re not going anyplace. They bought their quarterback again in Devon Dampier.
“The schedule units up properly for Utah. … They’ve bought Idaho, Arkansas, Utah State, at Iowa State, off week, Kansas and at Colorado. I actually like their possibilities at a convention championship sport.”
Morgan Scalley was promoted from defensive coordinator to go coach this offseason after being the pinnacle coach in ready. (Photograph by Bryan Byerly/ISI Pictures/ISI Pictures through Getty Photographs)
5.
Klatt: “Out of the ACC, you may have Miami and who? Who else at this level goes to be sturdy within the ACC? Could be Louisville. … [Last season], they beat Miami on the highway. Three of their 4 losses had been by three or much less, together with two in extra time.
“They convey in Lincoln Kienholz from Ohio State — that’s a wait-and-see for me. He’s an older participant, however not skilled. … He can depend on his star operating again Isaac Brown. … They’ve bought 33 transfers coming in. They hit the portal for huge receivers, together with Vandy’s main receiver from final 12 months, Trey Richardson. They introduced in a good finish out of the portal, Brody Foley from Tulsa; he bought over 500 yards and 7 touchdowns final 12 months. They’ve bought a extremely good returning defensive finish, Clev Lubin; he’s their greatest participant on protection.
“It is about attending to the ACC Championship, the place you’ve bought a shot in a single sport to probably win a championship and go to the playoff. … Take a look at their ACC schedule. They don’t must play Miami. They don’t must play Clemson. They don’t must play Virginia, they usually don’t must play Virginia Tech. So for me, they gained the ACC schedule lottery.”
4.
Klatt: “Let’s say that massive query is answered positively, and that Michigan’s bought an offense that’s buzzing in opposition to, they usually’re Michigan, once more. Nicely guess what? Right here’s the robust half: Their schedule is brutal this 12 months. … They’ve bought to play Oklahoma. They’ve bought to play Iowa. They’ve bought to host Penn State. They’ve bought to host Indiana. They’ve bought to play Oregon. They’ve bought to go to Ohio State. It’s a ridiculously tough schedule, there’s little doubt.
“I do suppose it’s a type of schedules that, as a result of they’re keen to play and grasp on to certainly one of these robust, marquee non-conference video games, there’s a probability that Michigan would get consideration, if not love, on the finish of the season, at the same time as a 9-3. … With that schedule, should you’re dealing with Ohio State with the precise to go to [the CFP], that may be an enormous win.”
Michigan in Joel Klatt’s post-spring high 25 🏈 Joel Klatt Present
3.
Klatt: “I’m bullish on USC. They haven’t made a playoff. And I feel it is a staff that would completely make a playoff run this 12 months. I feel Lincoln [Riley] lastly has the staff that may play requisite soccer on the line of scrimmage. … They confirmed me indicators. I assumed the sport in opposition to Michigan, the sport in opposition to Iowa — these had been robust, hard-nosed wins.
“They had been quietly among the best groups within the nation at house. They had been 7-0. And now this 12 months, they get Oregon, Washington and Ohio State at house.
2.
Klatt: “BYU was oh so shut a 12 months in the past. They had been in that Large 12 Championship Sport, they usually got here up quick. Now they got here up quick due to their offense. They couldn’t do something in opposition to that [Texas] Tech protection. … Each losses final 12 months for Kelani Sitake and BYU had been to Texas Tech. Texas Tech was superb and BYU was 12-2.
“BYU ought to be within the Large 12 Championship Sport. They’re too constant a program. They bought their quarterback again. I really like this program. … I really like Bear Bachmeier’s one heck of a participant. He and LJ Martin are going to want to guide this offense. They get three starters again within the secondary. Ought to be among the best defenses within the Large 12.”
1.
Klatt: “In the event that they don’t make the playoff, I’m going to be very shocked. … Clearly, they had been within the four-team playoff. That’s the one CFP that LSU has been to — the Joe Burrow 12 months. That’s surprising. That’s why Lane Kiffin is there.
“Kiffin’s bought 10-plus wins in 4 of his final seasons at Ole Miss. This man can coach. … That is completely the no-brainer of no-brainers. This staff screams playoff this 12 months. … I feel [Sam] Leavitt is a extremely good participant. I feel it’s going to be a staff that is excellent. I feel they are often higher on protection. They’re definitely gonna be higher on offense. And I’m going to be shocked if LSU isn’t a 10-win staff.”
