2026 College Football Preview: The Biggest Question Facing Top Teams

We’re at the point of the college football offseason where fan bases can still point to their team and convince themselves that they have no flaws. However, FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt won’t even view the top teams in the nation with a similar lens. In the most recent episode of the “Joel Klatt Show,” Klatt shared what he believes are the biggest questions facing each of the 12 highest-ranked teams in his post-spring top 25 poll heading into the upcoming season. Some are obvious, such as how certain programs will replace productive players. Others, though, are factors Klatt believes could quietly make or break a team’s season. So, let’s take a look at what Klatt views as the biggest question surrounding each top team. After former Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck followed Kyle Whittingham to Michigan, Klatt questioned whether Beck could help Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood replicate the rushing impact Devon Dampier had over the last two seasons, when he totaled nearly 2,000 rushing yards. “If you look at the top four teams in quarterback rushing last year, it’s the three service academies and Utah. That’s a big part of what Jason Beck does on offense,” Klatt said. “Do I think it’s going to be that extensive? Probably not. You want to protect Underwood a little bit. This is going to be a more physical conference and demanding schedule in the Big Ten. You don’t want him [Underwood] running a ton, but this is what Jason Beck does. They’re probably going to have a better run game surrounding the quarterback than maybe even Utah did, even though Utah can run the football.” If Michigan can successfully use Underwood in the run game, Klatt wouldn’t be surprised if the Wolverines compete at the top of the Big Ten. “If that pans out, this becomes a very difficult offense to stop,” Klatt said. “If Michigan leads the Power 4 in rushing, which Utah was able to do a year ago … then they’d become a team and a style that nobody wants to play. They’d be in that mode where they’re the antidote to what Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State do.” Klatt thinks that Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables has a good situation on his hands entering 2026, believing that John Mateer is one of the best quarterbacks in college football and that the Sooners’ defense is among the best in the nation. However, he emphatically stated that the Sooners have to improve on the ground, especially if they want to keep Mateer healthy this season. “This problem was the reason that John Mateer wasn’t able to play to his potential,” Klatt said. “Early in the year, Mateer was incredible. In fact, he was on a lot of people’s Heisman lists, including mine. But it was a lot of Mateer in the run game.” “I thought Oklahoma was exposing Mateer too much, and the reason was that they weren’t getting anything out of their backs,” Klatt continued. “When the quarterback complements the run game, then you can be effective using your backs and your quarterback. Last year, Oklahoma was unable to do that.” While Klatt cautioned Oklahoma from using Mateer too much, he believes the Sooners might have a major reward waiting for them if they have an effective run game. “He can’t be Superman every week. I don’t think he’ll get through a nine-game SEC schedule,” Klatt said. “If they have a run game, plus a top-10 defense and Mateer’s playmaking ability, then they can be a real threat in the SEC,” Klatt continued. “They can level themselves up to a team that can do some real damage in the playoff.” Klatt acknowledged that he has USC ranked higher than most, while also recognizing potential concerns along the Trojans’ defensive line. Still, he believes USC might not need drastic improvement there to emerge as a legitimate contender in 2026. “During Lincoln [Riley’s] tenure at USC, they’re 132nd in the country in yards per carry allowed — and that’s when you remove sacks,” Klatt said. “The question is not if they can become a dominant defense, but let’s take a look at something that’s a little bit under the radar, which is this margin between what you gain per carry and what you give up per carry. That gives you a real good idea of how strong you are at the line of scrimmage.” “When you look at Lincoln Riley’s tenure at Oklahoma, they were third in yards per carry difference. They were pretty good, even if they didn’t play great defense,” Klatt continued. “They were good at the line of scrimmage in terms of what they gained and what they gave up. If you look at his tenure at USC, they’ve been 55th in the country in yards per carry difference. If they can shrink that down and that defense is just OK stopping the run, then they’re going to have something here because they’ve been able to run the football.” Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed looked like a Heisman contender after leading the Aggies to an 11-0 start last year. But he crumbled in the last two games, throwing two interceptions in the loss to Texas before throwing two interceptions in the first-round College Football Playoff loss to Miami (Fla.). Klatt believes Reed has to raise his floor a bit in order for Texas A&M to be a true contender in 2026. “He’s a low-floor, high-ceiling player,” Klatt said of Reed. “If he can get those games and eliminate those bad performances, or even just have one [bad] series here or there, now A&M is a team that has to be reckoned with in those big games vs. a team that falls flat in those big games. “If Reed becomes a player and plays to his potential in all of those matchups, now you’re certainly talking about a team that’s going to go back to the playoff, can compete for the SEC championship and maybe — with the way that they’ve recruited and the stability they’ve had under Mike Elko — compete for a national semifinal and reach the national championship game.” Lane Kiffin brought in 40 players through the transfer portal this offseason as he prepares for his first year as LSU’s head coach. While that makes up nearly half the roster, Klatt has some faith that Kiffin can successfully answer his big question in 2026. “Can you have top-end success with that big of a roster shift in Year 1? Yes, you can,” Klatt said. “Texas Tech last year had 21 transfers and 11 [new] starters. Last year, [Lane] Kiffin’s own team at Ole Miss had 32 transfers. Indiana, a couple of years ago, had 27 transfers in their turnaround with [Curt] Cignetti. If you’re looking at their projected depth chart, you’re probably looking at 11 or 12 starters from the portal. So, it comes down to culture and execution. How quickly can they buy into the culture? [Kiffin] was able to do that quickly at Ole Miss, so it leads you to believe that they’ll be able to buy into the culture. “They’re going to have to hit the ground running. You look at guys like quarterback Sam Leavitt and offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, they’re going to make this roster better. It’s like the most expensive roster in all of college football. And it’s going to have to be ready to go right away. First four games: Clemson, [Louisiana] Tech, Ole Miss in Kiffin’s return and then they’re going to face Texas A&M. Two losses would leave them with no margin for error.” Klatt believes the top seven teams in his post-spring rankings are in a tier of their own entering fall camp. Still, before elevating Texas into that group, he wants to see the Longhorns improve on the ground after last season’s disappointing finish. “Texas was putrid running the football [last season],” Klatt said. “If you look back to [Steve Sarkisian’s] really good teams, whether he’s been a head coach or an offensive coordinator, they’ve been able to run the football well. That 2020 Bama team he was the coordinator of. They had Najee Harris. They could run the crap out of the ball, but Texas just couldn’t do it last year. It was bad. The running backs’ yards per carry last year ranked 120th in the country. “They should be better up front. Sark’s at his best when he’s running it well, and he’ll have to do it with a rebuilt running back room. They got transfers Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown … these guys have to play well. If they do, then Arch [Manning’s] not going to be under as much pressure. That was the problem with Texas last year: Everything was on Arch’s shoulders. He actually played fine in the back half of last year.” Klatt believes Miami’s biggest question is simple: How will the Hurricanes replace three first-round talents in the trenches — offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa and edge rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor? Even so, he’s confident Mario Cristobal can rebuild those units. “They lost so much off their line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. It’s clearly a question of can you remain dominant at the line of scrimmage? That’s what allowed them to make the run all the way to the national championship game,” Klatt said. “They were terrific on the offensive line — they didn’t allow a ton of pressure and they were able to run the ball — and their defensive line got after it. “You’re replacing all these guys — offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa, edge rusher Rueben Bain and edge rusher Akheem Mesidor — who were high-round draft picks. Who do you have behind them?” Klatt continued. “They’ve recruited and developed offensive and defensive lines. That’s what Mario Cristobal does. “If there’s not much of a dropoff, this team’s going to go back and compete for a national championship. They’re that good. … They’ve got a ton of former five-star players.” Klatt believes Georgia and head coach Kirby Smart have earned the benefit of the doubt, calling the Bulldogs the class of the SEC despite failing to win a College Football Playoff game in each of the last three seasons. Still, he has concerns about the offense and whether the Bulldogs have enough playmaking ability to break out of that recent postseason rut. “The problem with Georgia the last couple of years, at least in my estimation, is their lack of playmakers on the outside,” Klatt said. “It killed Carson Beck two years ago. So many drops. They led the country in drops. Last year, they didn’t have a big-play threat. Can you go and win a shootout? I don’t know if they can because the guys on the outside just don’t scare me. Ever since [Brock] Bowers went out the door, who has been the threat? At some point, you’ve got to at least come to the conclusion that you’re not going to shut everyone out. You’re not going to hold everyone under 24 points. “Their leading returning receiver from last year’s group is a veteran, London Humphries, who had 18 catches. Is he the guy? They brought in the 6-foot-4 wide receiver from Georgia Tech, Isaiah Cannon, and he was their third-leading receiver last year. Does he turn into a real No. 1? … They’re going to need a young guy to step up.” Many would assume Indiana’s biggest question is whether new quarterback Josh Hoover can replace reigning Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. Klatt, however, believes the more pressing issue is on the defensive side of the ball. “I think you’ve got to go two levels deeper. What drove that team? Cignetti talked about this when talking about Josh Hoover. [He said], ‘What’s a quarterback’s best friend? A run game and a good defense.’ So, their question for me is about their defense,” Klatt said. “Their defense, schematically, was almost built completely around D’Angelo Ponds. I know that’s strange. He was a 5-foot-9 corner on the outside. But he allowed freedom of movement for the rest of the defense. They had a ton of zone and simulated pressures because they could roll the defense away from Ponds. He could handle everything back there. He could handle half the field and the boundary in the passing game and also come up and play in run support. Ponds was the critical factor in what was one of the top defenses in all of college football.” “If they can replace him, they’re going to be good again on defense.” Similar to Indiana, some might assume Ohio State’s biggest question in 2026 is replacing three defensive players taken in the top 11 of the NFL Draft, leaving major holes at all three levels of the defense. But Klatt has confidence in defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to reload that unit, and instead has greater concern about the Buckeyes’ offensive line. “I’ve covered a ton of their games and you can look back on all of their losses, going back to Oregon in the middle of the year [in 2024] … they got beat up at the line of scrimmage [in all of those losses],” Klatt said. “They couldn’t protect Julian Sayin. They couldn’t convert on short yardage. It was an issue in every one of those losses. Now, their offensive line has a lot of guys back. Arthur Smith is their new offensive coordinator, and he’s got a run game background from his time in the NFL. “When you look at a team that allowed five sacks in each loss against Indiana and Miami, something has to change up front. They’ve got to get better up front. … Ohio State was just 51st last year in yards per carry. That has to improve. If it does, watch out. This will be one of the best offenses, if not the best offense, in college football.” Unlike Indiana and Ohio State, Klatt believes Notre Dame’s biggest question is more straightforward, as the Irish must replace two standout running backs, including Heisman finalist Jeremiyah Love. “Who is replacing that production? If they get great production out of the run game, they will be a great team,” Klatt said of Notre Dame. “They’re going to be excellent on defense. I think quarterback CJ Carr is going to have a solid year. But it just can’t be a throw team. They’re going to have to run the ball. They became the first team with two first-round running backs since 2008. “Instead of hitting the portal, they’re going to fix this thing from within. They’re putting their faith in Aneyas Williams, who had 58 carries last year, freshman Nolan James, who had 14 carries last year, and Kedren Young, who is a big back at 235 pounds and missed last season after having 21 carries in 2024. Those are your top three guys, and they have a combined 93 career carries in college football.” Klatt is bullish on Oregon head coach Dan Lanning as he enters his fifth season in Eugene. He’s consistently stated that he might take him over any other young head coach in the country, pointing to Oregon’s continued growth under his watch. But after Oregon’s 56-22 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff semifinal last year, Klatt is beginning to wonder if the Ducks are ready for the big moments. “They allowed 56 points against Indiana and 41 against Ohio State in their last two CFP losses,” Klatt said. “Dan Lanning is supposed to be a defensive guy. In big games, their defense doesn’t really show up. The way they lost to Ohio State, getting run off the first half at the Rose Bowl, and Indiana, I know one of those [scores] was a pick-six, but the defense has got to get better and up to task for the big games. “They’ve got two new coordinators on each side of the ball. Chris Hampton, who was promoted from safeties coach to defensive coordinator, is going to have to look at those games and figure out a way to play better defense when it matters. You can get in a shootout, but I’m talking about going from 56 [points allowed] to 30. How do you give up 30 and not 41 or 56 to allow this experienced offense to go out there and potentially go win the game?”