College Football 2026 Power Four And Group Of Six Conference Champion Predictions

The Pac-12 is back, the Big Ten seems practically unstoppable and the ACC’s top teams are surging. From the Power Four to the Group of Six, who could take home each conference championship this season? As FOX Sports’ college football experts, we’re here to make our predictions for which teams will finish the regular season on top.

The Big Ten is loaded with talented teams, including the Oregon Ducks, Indiana Hoosiers and Ohio State Buckeyes. It could be time for Arch Manning and Texas to claim the top spot in the SEC and stop Georgia from a three-peat. But the Pac-12’s resurgence is set for a brand-new conference champion as it debuts its eight new teams. 

Here are our conference championship predictions for Power Four and Group of Six teams:

Perhaps it’s as simple as Curt Cignetti being the best coach in the sport since he first arrived to a Power Four program, and it’s not close. Not only did he pull off the most miraculous one-year turnaround in the history of the sport in 2024, but he also one-upped himself with a 16-0 national title run and a Heisman Trophy winner in 2025.

College football is a sport where the personality of the head coach becomes the personification of the team, and Cignetti’s personality is best defined by four letters and two words: “I” and “win.” Put them together, and you get what Hoosiers football has been about and will continue to be about as long as he’s head coach.

Win total odds: Over 10.5 (+105), Under 10.5 (-125)
Odds to win Big Ten: +255 (second)

Head coach Dan Lanning has built such a high-level program that Oregon lost both coordinators after last season and is still in contention for a Big Ten title. The Ducks will enter the 2026 season with the most talented defensive line in college football thanks to a quartet of returning starters. They also added one of the best transfers available in former Minnesota safety Koi Perich. 

On the other side of the ball, quarterback Dante Moore should be a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate following a full year of starting experience and the healthy return of wide receiver Evan Stewart. The Ducks can win it all. 

Win total odds: Over 10.5 (+100), Under 10.5 (-120)
Odds to win Big Ten: +260 (third) 

Ohio State has the most loaded offense in the Big Ten — and maybe the country, we’ll see. Quarterback Julian Sayin, running back Bo Jackson and receiver Jeremiah Smith return and are playing under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in Ryan Day’s next edition of hiring an NFL mind to develop his players. 

Defensively, we know the Buckeyes have a lot to replace after losing eight starters to the NFL. And this group has a tough schedule, which includes a trip to Austin in Week 2 to face Texas for the third time since January 2025. But the consistency in performance of Day’s team is hard to ignore, and it will be hungry to win the Big Ten championship for the first time since 2020.

Win total odds: Over 9.5 (-180), Under 9.5 (+150)
Odds to win Big Ten: +180 (first) 

Maybe people are still in shock that Indiana did, in fact, win a national championship last year, but has anyone really looked at what the Hoosiers bring back this fall?

Curt Cignetti’s squad returns the bulk of a team that bulldozed its way to a 16-0 record, is armed with maybe the nation’s best defensive line and added a portal class headlined by receiver Nick Marsh, who may be the best receiver in the conference this side of Jeremiah Smith.

As crazy as it sounds, there’s a world where this team is more talented than last year’s Indiana squad. If Josh Hoover is better than average at quarterback, I think the Hoosiers repeat as Big Ten champs.

Miami’s run to the national championship last season was one of the most entertaining stories in college football. It’s one of those things that when this program is a contender, the sport is just more fun. 

Coach Mario Cristobal has plenty of returning talent — like wide receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher. But he’s also reloaded in the transfer portal and landed former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah to lead the offense, which arguably makes this unit one of the best in the nation. Defensively, the group has lost some elite players to the NFL, but there are still guys with experience ready to step up. 

Win total odds: Over 10.5 (-110), Under 10.5 (-110)
Odds to win ACC: -140 (first) 

Head coach Mario Cristobal positioned his team for a return trip to the College Football Playoff when he signed former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah from the transfer portal. Mensah steps into an offense that returns an elite running back in Mark Fletcher Jr. (1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns) and one of the sport’s best wide receivers in Malachi Toney (1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns), not to mention this year’s No. 2 overall recruit in left tackle Jackson Cantwell. 

Replacing the elite pass-rush tandem of Reuben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor — both of whom became first-round NFL Draft picks — will certainly be challenging, but this remains one of the sport’s most talented rosters.

Not that it matters, but Miami has never won the ACC championship, and it’s been a member since 2004. Not that it matters because the Hurricanes reached the national title game without even qualifying to play for the ACC title in 2025. 

Is it the best team in the league? On paper, sure. It’s difficult to talk yourself into someone else winning it when you know Cristobal has the league’s most prolific passer at quarterback last year, this year, Darian Mensah, and he’s got a set of tools that would make Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor drool: wide receiver Malachi Toney, running back Mark Fletcher and wide receiver Cooper Barkate.

The ACC — at least from a cash perspective — is Miami and then everyone else. I think the actual football results will match.

The Hurricanes lost a ton from last year’s dominant defensive line in Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, but I’d argue they’ve upgraded at quarterback with Darian Mensah. All-world speedster Malachi Toney is also back in the fold.

One of my favorite college football factoids: Miami has never won an ACC football title. 

That changes this year.

Only once since 2013 has a team not named Alabama or Georgia been crowned SEC champion, as those two powers maintain a stranglehold on the league. This year, though, the Longhorns will enter as the prohibitive favorites thanks to the presence of quarterback Arch Manning, now in his second season as the starter, and a host of other potential first-round NFL Draft picks around him on both sides of the ball. 

Manning should have one of the best wide receiver tandems in the country as returner Ryan Wingo (834 yards, seven touchdowns) pairs with Auburn transfer Cam Coleman (708 yards, five touchdowns). An early showdown with Ohio State in Week 2 should be a good measuring stick for the Longhorns. 

Win total odds: Over 9.5 (+120), Under 9.5 (-142)
Odds to win SEC: +310 (second)

You take Texas or whoever. I’ll take the only program more consistent than the repo-man on the second of every month: Georgia. The SEC belongs to Georgia until someone takes it away, and no one has been able to do that since 2023 — former Alabama coach Nick Saban’s last year coaching the sport. Kirby Smart has done a remarkable job meeting the challenges that have arisen in this modern era of college football.

And the results stand up. In fact, since 2020, the Bulldogs have a conference championship or a national championship in four out of the last five years. Is Georgia football boring to watch? Yes. Is it the most effective football in the sport? You better believe it, and that’s why it wins.

Smart and his Bulldogs wait you out, let you blunder and then smother you with a defense and a run-game so breathtaking that Georgia hasn’t fielded a 1,000-yard receiver in a single season since 2004 — and that’s the only season a Dawgs receiver has accomplished that feat. 

Win total odds: Over 9.5 (-180), Under 9.5 (+150)
Odds to win SEC: +260 (first) 

This is the year. Texas arguably has the most talented roster in the country and is a favorite to win it all. After a shaky start to his first year as a starter, quarterback Arch Manning is poised to be one of the best in the country and has playmakers around him — starting with receiver Cam Coleman, who was one of the most coveted gets in the entire transfer portal. 

Defensively, Will Muschamp returns to Austin as Steve Sarkisian’s defensive coordinator and gets to work with Collin Simmons and a dangerous defensive unit that is poised for a massive season. The Longhorns have a tough schedule — Ohio State in Week 2, plus SEC games against Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU and Texas A&M. But for the first time in two seasons, they don’t have to play Georgia until possibly meeting in the conference championship game.

I’ve spent the last eight years living in SEC country, and this is one of the more wide-open seasons down South that I can remember. 

The nine-game conference schedule is going to have an impact and a few fan bases that have enjoyed 10-2 or 9-3 campaigns are going to have to reckon with seasons more along the lines of 8-4 or 7-5 — prepare for the call-in shows accordingly.

That said, this is the year for Texas. Steve Sarkisian has amassed as much talent as he’s ever had in Austin. Cam Coleman is pound-for-pound the best player in the country. I’m not necessarily an Arch Manning believer, but the bones of this team are good enough to carry the Longhorns to an SEC title.

Can anyone catch Texas Tech? Spending-wise, probably not. On the field? I think so.

Give me BYU and quarterback Bear Bachmeier to get it over the line in conference play. I like what the Cougars bring back on both sides of the ball and, more importantly, Kalani Sitake didn’t depart for greener (happier?) pastures in Happy Valley.

Texas Tech will challenge, but the offseason drama involving Brendan Sorsby and the seemingly wishy-washy approach to back-up Will Hammond under center gives me pause.

Win total odds: Over 8.5 (-150), Under 8.5 (+125)
Odds to win Big 12: +550 (second) 

If quarterback Will Hammond emerges from his 2025 injury with the same explosiveness in his arm and legs as he displayed last year when former Red Raider Behren Morton went down, I see no reason to doubt Joey McGuire can lead Texas Tech to a consecutive Big 12 title. The Red Raiders’ roster is the best in the Big 12, and it might be the only one with enough firepower to compete for a national title in that league. 

With running back Cameron Dickey back — as well as Quinten Joyner, who missed last season with injury — the run game ought to give Hammond enough help to find receivers Coy Eakin and Micah Hudson when it matters most. Defensively, coordinator Shiel Wood has a unit led by Adam Trick — who had 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a pick last year — that can be as strong this year as it was last year.

Win total odds: Over 10.5 (-200), Under 10.5 (+160)
Odds to win Big 12: -105 (first) 

The most talented roster in the Big 12 almost certainly belongs to Texas Tech, which continues to outspend its conference counterparts in every transfer portal and recruiting cycle. But the Cougars return a wealth of experience on both sides of the ball. 

Quarterback Bear Bachmeier should make a noticeable leap from his true freshman to sophomore seasons, and he still has excellent tailback LJ Martin (1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns) by his side. Eight defensive starters return from a unit that ranked 19th nationally in scoring (19.1 points per game) in 2025, though coordinator Jay Hill left for Michigan. This team should contend for the College Football Playoff. 

Despite what you might think, the Brendan Sorsby legal drama didn’t totally derail this team. Sophomore quarterback Will Hammond is coming back from an ACL injury and has been looking good this offseason. If he can regain his explosiveness and get enough help from the rest of his offense, the Red Raiders will be in good shape. 

That’s because they have plenty of talent outside the quarterback room, from running backs Cameron Dickey and Quinten Joyner to receiver Micah Hudson — plus the fact that coach Joey McGuire loaded up on defensive talent through the portal after losing top talent from last season. Add in that the Red Raiders have a favorable schedule that doesn’t include BYU or Utah, and you’ve got a clear path to the Big 12 title game and probably the College Football Playoff, too. 

The Midshipmen have won at least 10 games in each of the last two seasons amid the most successful stretch in program history, and that should continue thanks to 11 returning starters in 2026.

Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-160), Under 7.5 (+125)
Odds to win American: +380 (first) 

No program has won more games since 2014 (107) without making the College Football Playoff than the Tigers.

Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-105), Under 7.5 (-125)
Odds to win American: +600 (fourth) 

Jeff Traylor has offensive continuity with veteran quarterback Owen McCown back for his senior season and playmakers around him to make the Roadrunners dangerous. 

Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-125), Under 7.5 (-105)
Odds to win American: +500 (second) 

No conference endured more brain drain in the coaching ranks than the American. I’m going with a returning staff at Navy with head coach Brian Newberry and offensive coordinator Drew Cronic to get this done. But Memphis and Charles Huff should challenge.

A bonus prediction: I think the Midshipmen get into the CFP conversation, and it creates a whole host of other issues and discussions about when to schedule the Army-Navy game if the field ever expands to 24 teams.

Head coach Jamey Chadwell had won at least eight games in a season 10 times across his 16-year career, so the Flames should bounce back from a disappointing 4-8 mark last fall. 

Win total odds: Over 8.5 (+110), Under 8.5 (-140)
Odds to win Conference USA: +270 (first) 

Charles Kelly returns quarterback Caden Creel, who threw for 1,500 yards and rushed for 1,100 yards in a nine-win season last year. And Creel gets to throw passes to 6-foot-8 Deondre Johnson, who averaged 24.4 yards per catch last season.

Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+105), Under 7.5 (-136)
Odds to win Conference USA: +450 (third) 

Sophomore quarterback Caden Creel is back after combining to throw for more than 1,500 yards and rush for 1,100 last season, and perhaps most intriguingly, he’ll have 6-foot-8 receiver Deondre Johnson as a target after he averaged 24.1 yards per catch a year ago.

Last year was an enigma for Liberty and head coach Jamey Chadwell. I like a few of the pieces this team brought in, and I think they right the ship and win the conference this year. Expect Chadwell to be on some wish lists in the ACC and SEC by season’s end.

The defending MAC champions bring back starters at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and offensive line for a group that won six straight games to end the 2025 season. 

Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+125), Under 7.5 (-160)
Odds to win MAC: +360 (first)

The RedHawks have a bona fide FCS star at tailback in former Monmouth running back Rodney Nelson, who rushed for 1,802 yards and 18 touchdowns last year.

Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+105), Under 7.5 (-136)
Odds to win MAC: +360 (second)

The Broncos have a proven program with plenty of returning talent to run it back and defend their conference title.

Miami has quietly been one of the most consistent Group of Six teams the last few years. Give me the RedHawks to get to their third-straight MAC title game under head coach Chuck Martin.

The Rebels have the league’s most accomplished coach in Dan Mullen, formerly of Mississippi State and Florida, and the arrival of former five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma, Auburn) from the transfer portal should keep the offense humming.

Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-174), Under 7.5 (+134)
Odds to win Mountain West: +260 (first) 

Rebels running back Jai’Den Thomas returns after putting up 1,273 yards from scrimmage in 2025.

 It’s going to be fun to see what Dan Mullen and Jackson Arnold can accomplish together this season.

Dan Mullen was skewered for the way his Florida tenure ended, but the man certainly hasn’t forgotten how to coach. I like Mullen and the Rebels to keep the good times rolling in Vegas with former Oklahoma/Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold under center.

Quarterback Maddux Madsen is back for a third full year as the Broncos’ primary signal-caller, along with six other returning starters on offense for a program with a stronger pedigree than virtually everyone else in this rebuilt league.

Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-154), Under 7.5 (+125)
Odds to win Pac-12: +164 (first)

Apart from the return of quarterback Maddux Madsen, running backs Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley put up more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage last year.

Quarterback Maddux Madsen returns, as well as running backs Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines, which gives the Broncos plenty of experience behind a veteran offensive line.

Welcome back, Pac-12! It’s nice to have you here. I’ll take Boise State to win the league this year with the bulk of its roster coming back and quarterback Maddux Madsen still running the show.

The hottest coaching pipeline in college football added a big name from the carousel when the Dukes hired former Florida coach Billy Napier last December, whose task is to follow in the footsteps of Bob Chesney (UCLA) and Curt Cignetti (Indiana). 

Win total odds: Over 8.5 (-130), Under 8.5 (+100)
Odds to win Sun Belt: +270 (first)

Ricky Rahne’s team won 10 games last year, and cornerback Zion Frink can be the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year. As I wrote in my 138, he returned to Old Dominion after posting 60 tackles, six pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception in 2025.

Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-120), Under 7.5 (-110)
Odds to win Sun Belt: +460 (second)

Let’s see what former Florida coach Billy Napier — and his 41 transfers — can do after replacing Bob Chesney, who left for UCLA.

Billy Napier’s Florida tenure was altogether forgettable, but the man hasn’t forgotten how to coach. I like James Madison to keep things rolling with its third coach in four years.