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.

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USC Trojans:

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The offseason buzz surrounding the USC Trojans has been overwhelmingly positive. Lincoln Riley secured the nation's No. 1 recruiting class while retaining key offensive playmakers Jayden Maiava and Makai Lemon. Entering the 2026 season, Riley's offense once again resembles the explosive units that made Oklahoma a perennial College Football Playoff contender in the late 2010s.

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Offense has rarely been the issue under Riley. Defense, however, has been another story. USC has consistently ranked among the nation's most disappointing defensive teams during his tenure, although gradual improvement has begun to emerge. The arrival of former TCU head coach and defensive mastermind Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator could be the catalyst the Trojans have been searching for. Patterson is expected to install his renowned match-zone 4-2-5 defense, the same scheme Riley has praised for the problems it created when the two faced each other in the Big 12.

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On paper, USC possesses elite talent and projects as a top-10 team at nearly every position group. For Riley, 2026 feels like a playoff-or-bust season.

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The schedule won't make things easy. USC must navigate a gauntlet that includes Ohio State, Indiana, Penn State, and Oregon, while opening the year with a dangerous non-conference matchup against a revamped Fresno State team that many expect to win the new Pac-12. The Trojans must take care of business against inferior opponents and finally eliminate the frustrating close losses that have defined much of Riley's tenure. If USC can steal one or two games against the Big Ten heavyweights, the Trojans should find themselves firmly in the College Football Playoff conversation.

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Utah Utes:

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Fox College Football analyst Joel Klatt once summed up the program perfectly: "Death. Taxes. And Utah Football."  It's hard to argue with that assessment. The Utes have been one of college football's model programs, winning at least nine games in eight of the past 10 seasons.

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Since 2004, Utah has been guided by two outstanding head coaches—Urban Meyer and Kyle Whittingham. With Whittingham departing for Michigan this offseason, longtime defensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting Morgan Scalley takes over. Fortunately for Utah, Scalley is no stranger to success in Salt Lake City. He has overseen some of the nation's best defenses and appears well-positioned to maintain the culture that has defined the program for two decades.

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On offense, Utah returns former New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier, who thrived in his first season with the Utes by accounting for 34 touchdowns and nearly 3,500 total yards. Dampier battled injuries throughout the year but showcased the dual-threat ability that makes him one of the Big 12's most dynamic quarterbacks. His biggest challenge in 2026 will be operating behind an offensive line replacing all five starters, including All-American and first-round NFL Draft pick Spencer Fano.

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Defensively, the Utes must replace four starting defensive linemen lost to the NFL Draft and the transfer portal. Utah once again turned to the portal to reinforce the front, and the expectation is that Scalley will keep the defense among the conference's best.

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Utah's ceiling in 2026 will depend on three factors: how quickly the offensive line develops, whether the rebuilt defensive front gels, and Dampier's ability to stay healthy. Scalley appears to have the program's continuity firmly in place, while Dampier enters the season as a legitimate dark-horse Heisman candidate.

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The schedule also breaks favorably. Utah avoids both Texas Tech and Arizona State during the regular season and hosts rival BYU in Salt Lake City. That should leave the Utes squarely in the hunt for the Big 12 championship.

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A 10- or 11-win season is well within reach—and, frankly, it's what Utah has conditioned us to expect. Even though the Utes avoid Texas Tech during the regular season, there's a strong possibility the two programs meet in the Big 12 Championship Game with a conference title and playoff spot on the line.