Schools all around the country have figured the importance of being able to offer big NIL contracts to players and that means those traditional powerhouses no longer have the same advantage over others as they once did.
Conferences are deeper and much more competitive than they were and that is likely going to lead to an expansion in the Playoffs sooner rather than later, although no deal was completed to have that happen at the end of the 2026 season.
Changes to rosters have always been very common in College Football as players choose to move onto the professional level, but the NIL contracts do allow for players to stick around longer at this level and develop further before taking the leap into the NFL. It felt the case for some of the top names returning to College Football, including Archie Manning, although the schools have come together to currently ban those players who have skipped to the pro Leagues without completing College eligibility who are now pushing to be able to return to this level.
Dae'Quan Wright may have been suiting up for the Cleveland Browns, but took up an offer to play for the LSU Tigers in 2026, although it is a move that is still travelling through the legal system after the SEC stepped up and made Wright ineligible to play.
We are likely to hear how the courts decide that should be played out over the course of the season, although the NFL has made it clear that anyone who signs with a College team is not able to play in the pro Leagues this season.
Despite the new era of College Football with all of the NIL deals flying around, the usual suspects will begin the season at the top of the unofficial Rankings.
Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas all come in before the defending Champions Indiana and the Big Ten Conference has taken over from the SEC as the best at this level.
Well, that should say best at the very top, although the SEC remains a deep, competitive Conference that will see teams feast on one another having created a schedule where each teams play an additional Conference game compared with previous seasons.
Five SEC teams made the twelve team Playoff in 2025 with the Playoff Committee respecting the level of competition faced, but it is telling only one made the Semi Final.
Controversies are never that far behind, even with an expanded Playoff field, and the Miami Hurricanes being invited into the tournament and the ACC Champion missing out raised eyebrows. However, the Hurricanes made up for that by reaching the National Championship Game before narrowly coming up short against the Indiana Hoosiers.
Week 0 is a pretty quiet week as the College Football season begins, but this is an exciting time for fans and we do have an international game being played in Ireland.
Later in the season there is another being played at Wembley Stadium in London as College Football follows the NFL in expanding the game. This is a positive for the international fans, although those back home may be concerned of losing big games to places where those may not be appreciated as much as they would be in the usual setting.
2025 was a tough year for the College Football Picks and the last couple of years have been disappointing.
It is something that has needed some adjustments as to how picks are to be made and that will hopefully be seen in the results over the next five months.
There will be some ups and downs, but there were too many really poor weeks in 2025 and that cannot happen again, although the game is played on a field and not on paper so you also need to have that luck of the fine margins to move in the direction we would want to see.
TCU Horned Frogs vs North Carolina Tar Heels Pick: The College Football season will kick off on Saturday, but in Dublin rather than the United States, when the TCU Horned Frogs and North Carolina Tar Heels face off.
The two had contrasting seasons in 2025 with the Horned Frogs finishing with a 9-4 record and the Tar Heels at 4-8, which was most disappointing seeing as it was the first year under Head Coach Bill Belichick.
Off field distractions did not help, but it should also be pointed out that College teams do take a bit of time to implement methods of new Head Coaches. In the past, the impact may not be assessed until a couple of recruiting years to put a team together that could be competitive, but that process can be speeded up in the NIL contract era and the Tar Heels will be hoping the former New England Patriots Head Coach's reputation can do that for them.
The last recruiting class was praised, but Belichick may have hoped for calmer preparation for the 2026 season and has not been the case.
Michael Lombardi has been forced to accept administrative leave having had a complaint made against him and Bill Belichick's son, Steve, has been the Defensive Co-Ordinator, but has taken time away from the team for medical reasons.
A new Offensive Co-Ordinator is going to be asked to improve the North Carolina Tar Heels after the struggles of last season, and Bobby Petrino is very experienced at the College Football level. He is going to have a new Quarter Back leading the Tar Heels after Billy Edwards Jr earned the starting job, but the limited experience in College Football is one issue and he missed the majority of 2025 with an injury having started a couple of times for the Wisconsin Badgers before transferring to North Carolina.
Billy Edwards Jr is going to be tested by this TCU Defensive unit, even if Jacob Fields was told to leave the team after an issue with a teammate, and the problem may all begin up front with the Tar Heels unlikely to establish the run with any consistency.
That will force the Quarter Back into a tough spot as he has to take to the air to keep the chains moving and it may allow the Horned Frogs to win the battle of field position.
Last year, the Horned Frogs blew out the North Carolina Tar Heels as the road favourite and restricted the home team to just 50 yards on the ground. They are unlikely to be that stout again, but the Horned Frogs Defensive Line will feel they can win up front and that will offer them a big chance to control this game.
A new Quarter Back and a new Offensive Co-Ordinator will be coming together for the TCU Horned Frogs who are hoping to challenge for the Big 12 Championship and, ultimately, a place in the College Football Playoff.
There is a real expectation that the TCU Offensive plan will be much more balanced this season, while Jaden Craig becomes the starting Quarter Back looking to show the NFL what he can do at a stronger College level than he previously played. Jaden Craig played well with Harvard, and earned some interest from NFL scouts, but playing in the Big 12 Conference will allow the Quarter Back to put stronger film on tape.
One of the keys to the development of the Quarter Back is to avoid the big turnovers and Jaden Craig has shown plenty of ability to do that while preparing for the season, which will give Head Coach Sonny Dykes plenty of confidence. The Horned Frogs have Jeremy Payne back to give the Offensive unit balance as the leading Running Back from last year and the expectation is that TCU will have too much for the Tar Heels for a second season in a row.
It was a blowout last year and this one should be much more competitive, but TCU look like a team that will be amongst the best in the Big 12, while the Tar Heels are still growing under Bill Belichick. Being without the Defensive Co-Ordinator cannot be good news for North Carolina and a double digit win for the TCU Horned Frogs to open this season looks likely.
San Jose State Spartans @ USC Trojans Pick: There are many teams around the College Football scene who would be very happy with a season of nine wins, but the USC Trojans are expected to challenge for a place in the College Football Playoff and that has simply not happened under Head Coach Lincoln Riley.
This is the fifth season Lincoln Riley will be Coaching the Trojans and they have failed to win at least ten games since his opening season when a loss in the Pac-12 Championship Game cost the team a chance of entering the Playoff.
USC are just 16-10 in the last couple of seasons and things are not going to be easy in 2026 as they play in the loaded Big Ten Conference where the defending Champions Indiana and favourites to win the next National Championship Ohio State Buckeyes both operate.
It can be argued that the Trojans enter this season behind former Pac-12 rivals Oregon Ducks as well, but they can only focus on their own schedule for now. The next couple of months will see the Trojans have plenty of chances to prove themselves as they will be hosting both Oregon and Ohio State and playing Indiana on the road, but building momentum before that run of games in late September through to November will be the key for this Big Ten team.
Lincoln Riley is under pressure with the expectation around the Trojans who are bringing back plenty of starters and who have an experienced Quarter Back in Jayden Maiava leading the team on this side of the ball. After throwing 3700 yards and 24 Touchdowns in 2025, Jayden Maiava will be looking to lessen the turnovers having thrown 10 Interceptions last year and doing that will certainly put the Trojans in a strong position to be successful.
They are very big favourites to open the season with a victory over the San Jose State Spartans who finished with a 3-9 record last year having won at least seven games in four of the previous five seasons. San Jose State are overseen by an experienced and successful Head Coach in Ken Niumatalolo, but this is a team with low expectations as they continue what is a rebuilding project in the third year under this Head Coach.
You do have to respect the fact that Ken Niumatalolo will get the best out of his team and the Spartans were 'only' beaten by 31 points at the Texas Longhorns last year.
He does have a new Quarter Back in Luke Weaver after a couple of contenders were beaten out in training camp, but it should be noted that Weaver has limited experience of playing at the FBS level of College Football and certainly will not have been used to competing against team likes the USC Trojans.
Making things more challenging is that Luke Weaver and the Spartans are facing a USC Trojans Defensive unit that have a new Defensive Co-Ordinator in Gary Patterson and who are looking to show they can compete with the very top teams in the Big Ten. Players are excited to be playing in the system being run by Patterson, while his time with the TCU Horned Frogs saw the new Defensive Co-Ordinator produce a strong TCU Defensive unit year after year as the Head Coach.
This is a huge spread, but the USC Trojans opened last season with a 60 point and a 39 point win in non-Conference games and playing in Week 0 means the team have a chance to make an early statement to the rivals in a strong viewing spot.
The expectation is that the Trojans Defensive unit will be looking to really show up for Gary Patterson and that can create the turnovers and big plays to set the Offensive unit up with short fields. It could end up seeing the Trojans pulling easily clear, although there is always a concern with a spread like this one that a big lead can sometimes lead to a team coasting and allowing a backdoor cover even when dominating almost all aspects of a game.
New Mexico State Aggies @ Florida State Seminoles Pick: The end of the 2023 season will always sting those associated with the Florida State Seminoles and seeing rivals Miami Hurricanes reach the National Championship Game last year may only have added to the frustration that lingers around the Head Coach.
A 7-17 record in the last two years means Mike Norvell cannot hope that the feel-good factor of the 2023 season can keep him in charge of the Seminoles if they are not able to produce a much stronger season all around in 2026.
It also means four of the six seasons played under Mike Norvell have ended with a losing record and there is going to be little patience with the Head Coach if the Florida State Seminoles cannot build momentum into this season.
The Seminoles are big favourites opening up against the New Mexico State Aggies, but they move into 'prove it' games very quickly with the SMU Mustangs and Alabama Crimson Tide on deck. The ACC has been a pretty open Conference, but the Seminoles will need transfer Ashton Daniels to finally feel settled in the Quarter Back position having bounced from Stanford to Auburn before arriving in Tallahassee.
Florida State fans will be questioning the standard of the roster after pre-season predictions were made and the Seminoles are not expected to be one of the stronger teams in the Conference. This will not be good news for the Head Coach, but this opening game gives Florida State an opportunity to come out and make an immediate statement about what they can achieve.
Head Coach Tony Sanchez is not under the same pressure as his counterpart, but that does not mean he personally and the New Mexico State Aggies have no expectations of their own. After finishing with winning records in 2022 and 2023, the Aggies have had three wins in 2024 and four in 2025 and Sanchez is looking for the team to take the next step.
New Mexico State play in the Conference-USA and that means this is a significantly tougher opponent than one they would be playing in most weeks.
Last year, the one major school faced saw the Aggies blown out mid-season by the Tennessee Volunteers, and in 2026 they are going to be starting this season with a Quarter Back who is moving up from the FCS level, which can be challenging too.
22 Interceptions in the last couple of seasons suggests Trey Hedden could have to go through a quick learning curve at this level and Florida State may be able to create one or two short fields to really begin to pull away.
No one associated with the Seminoles is going to be looking back at 2025 with any fondness, but it should be noted that the team were able to produce two massive wins when facing lower level opponents. One was against a FCS opponent, but Florida State also crushed Kent State from the MAC and there is every reason to believe they can win in Week 0 very comfortably before heading into much tougher contests over the weeks and months ahead.
MY PICKS: TCU Horned Frogs - 8.5 Points @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)
USC Trojans - 38.5 Points @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)
Florida State Seminoles - 30.5 Points @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)
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