If there is one thing the expanded 12-team playoff and transfer portal era has shown us, it’s that nobody knows anything in August. Teams entering the season with national championship expectations can completely unravel, while programs flying under the radar can suddenly find themselves in the playoff hunt by November.

The 2026 season will likely be no different. As we enter the slowest part of the offseason — where conference commissioners and playoff expansion dominate the headlines — we put together a list of teams that could find themselves in unfamiliar territory when the dust settles.

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Louisville Cardinals:

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Jeff Brohm and company will get an early-season test when they travel to Nashville to face Ole Miss. It's a massive opportunity for the Cardinals and the culmination of an optimistic offseason that included the addition of former Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz via the transfer portal and the retention of All-ACC running back Isaac Brown.

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Louisville also appears loaded along the line of scrimmage and returns plenty of experience in the secondary. The schedule eases considerably after the Ole Miss matchup, creating a potential pathway into the playoff conversation. If the Cardinals can leave Nashville with a win, the table could be set for a season that exceeds expectations.

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Florida Gators:

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Optimism is on full display in Gainesville — but then again, it usually is this time of year. More often than not, that optimism has been deflated by Week 2 or 3 following a frustrating loss that sends Gator fans spiraling into another season of disappointment. That cycle became all too familiar during the Billy Napier era, one many in Gainesville would prefer to forget.

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But Napier is gone, and former Group of Five star Jon Sumrall has been tasked with righting the ship. To this point, he appears to be doing exactly that. It has been an impressive offseason for the Gators, highlighted by positive recruiting momentum, encouraging practice reports, and a renewed sense of energy around the program. The question now is whether any of it will translate to Saturdays.

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If nothing else, Florida will have every opportunity to prove itself against one of the nation's toughest schedules. The Gators once again face Georgia, this time in Atlanta, and must travel to Austin to take on a loaded Texas squad. They do, however, get Oklahoma and Ole Miss at home. Talent is not the issue in Gainesville. Florida has plenty of playmakers on both sides of the ball and enough athleticism to compete with anyone on its schedule.

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The biggest question remains quarterback.

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At least initially, the Sumrall era appears to be ahead of schedule, but Florida needs to capitalize on the abundance of skill-position talent currently on the roster. If the Gators can steal a game or two as an underdog and avoid the familiar slip-up losses that have haunted recent seasons, they could find themselves squarely in the postseason conversation for the first time since 2020.

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With another brutal SEC schedule ahead, the quarterback position will likely determine everything. It may ultimately be the reason Florida exceeds expectations — or the reason it falls short once again.

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South Carolina Gamecocks:

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The South Carolina Gamecocks head into their sixth season under head coach Shane Beamer. To say the Beamer era has been a roller coaster would be an understatement, filled with dramatic highs and frustrating lows.

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The 2025 season certainly fell into the latter category.

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The Gamecocks entered last year riding the momentum of a strong 2024 campaign that saw them win six straight games to close the season, including victories over No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 23 Missouri, and No. 12 Clemson. South Carolina narrowly missed the College Football Playoff and appeared poised to build on that success.

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Instead, the season unraveled.

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After opening the year with a win over Virginia Tech, the Gamecocks lost eight of their final ten games and limped to a disappointing 4-8 finish. What looked like a program on the rise suddenly found itself searching for answers.

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Fortunately for South Carolina, elite talent remains in Columbia.

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The Gamecocks return one of the nation's most exciting cores, led by quarterback LaNorris Sellers, explosive wide receiver Nyck Harbor, and future NFL first-round pick Dylan Stewart. Few teams in the SEC can match that level of top-end talent.

As always, South Carolina will have opportunities to make its case against a brutal conference schedule. The Gamecocks face Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Oklahoma before wrapping up the regular season with their annual showdown against Clemson. If South Carolina can navigate that gauntlet and reach nine or ten wins, expect the Gamecocks to be firmly in the playoff conversation come November.

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Expectations are once again soaring in Columbia.

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Fans are expecting a major bounce-back season, and anything less could create real pressure on Beamer. Another disappointing year likely won't be received nearly as patiently as the last one.