The first official snapshot of the 2026 college football season has arrived, even if the Coaches Poll itself doesn’t exactly carry the same weight it once did. Let’s be honest, these rankings haven’t decided a championship in years. The College Football Playoff selection committee’s rankings are what ultimately matter. Even the AP Top 25 remains a more prominent weekly measuring stick, considering that many coaches don’t personally fill out their ballots.
But it’s August, which means it’s time to talk football.
Ohio State enters the preseason No. 1 with the Big Ten placing three teams inside the top six. Oregon is No. 2, while reigning national champion Indiana checks in at No. 6. Georgia lands at No. 3, and the SEC once again flexes its depth with nine teams cracking the top 25. The Big Ten isn’t far behind with eight teams, while the Big 12 and ACC place four and three teams, respectively, inside the rankings.
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Of course, preseason polls are less about predicting the future than establishing expectations. They often reveal which programs carry the most national respect entering Week 1, and which teams may be getting too much or too little credit.
So, here are a few teams in the initial Coaches Poll that are either overrated or underrated.
Underrated: No. 5 Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s 2026 schedule is what it is. The Fighting Irish won’t face much of a test until a mid-October trip to BYU or a November rematch with Miami. But that might not matter much for a team bringing back more proven production than any other team in the FBS.
That continuity starts at the most important position. CJ Carr enters his second season as the starter with a chance to develop into a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender. The defense might be even scarier. Notre Dame returns eight starters from a unit that could make a case as the fiercest in the country.
The Fighting Irish certainly haven’t forgotten how last season ended, either, after feeling they were unfairly left out of the College Football Playoff. Marcus Freeman will make sure Notre Dame channels that frustration into an advantage.
Overrated: No. 8 Texas A&M
Listen, a team that went 11-2 last season and returns nine starters deserves plenty of respect. But No. 8 feels a little aggressive. Maybe it’s the recency bias from how last season ended, with Texas A&M dropping its final two games, including a home loss to eventual national runner-up Miami in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Quarterback Marcel Reed struggled in those last two games with five turnovers and zero touchdowns. Maybe that was a better reflection of where the Aggies actually stood.
After a win at Notre Dame in Week 3, Texas A&M beat seven teams that either fired their coach or finished with a losing record. The only other win against a team that finished above .500 came at Missouri.
The Aggies have plenty of talent to be a top-10 team in 2026, but I’ll need to see them prove it before buying in.
Underrated: No. 12 Texas Tech
There’s some obvious Texas Tech hate in this Coaches Poll. Maybe it’s lingering resentment over the Brendan Sorsby saga. Maybe it’s a backlash to the Red Raiders’ aggressive roster-building and the eye-popping investment by booster Cody Campbell. Whatever the reason, No. 12 feels a little low for a team that could realistically go unbeaten as Big 12 champions.
The biggest concern is at quarterback. Will Hammond was expected to get ample recovery time after tearing his ACL last season, but now he’s on track to return for Week 1 as Texas Tech’s starter. There’s understandable uncertainty about how quickly he’ll return to form, but if he’s close to 100%, the Red Raiders possess one of college football’s highest ceilings in the regular season.
Even if Hammond needs time to shake off the rust, this roster is deep enough to keep the Red Raiders in the College Football Playoff picture.
Underrated: No. 13 LSU
It’s fair that voters are hesitant to immediately buy into Lane Kiffin at LSU. Good or bad, there’s certain to be plenty of headlines in Baton Rouge.
Kiffin has consistently built explosive offenses throughout his career, and again, he has the type of quarterback who can maximize that system in Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt. If he stays healthy, the Tigers have the offensive upside to challenge anyone in the SEC.
The rest of LSU’s top transfer class only adds to the optimism. The Tigers landed defensive difference-makers like edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen and linebacker TJ Dottery, giving coordinator Blake Baker more pieces to work with.
There are legitimate questions with so many new faces, but that’s also why LSU feels undervalued.
Overrated: No. 17 Penn State
Matt Campbell couldn’t ask for a much friendlier schedule in his first season in Happy Valley. But that doesn’t guarantee Penn State will take advantage of it following a massive roster transition. Campbell brought two dozen players with him from Iowa State, but the bigger concern is the talent that followed James Franklin to Virginia Tech.
Quarterback Rocco Becht is an upgrade at the most important position, but the Big Ten landscape is a much different challenge than what he faced in the Big 12.
Campbell has proven he can build a winner, and Penn State has plenty of resources, but expecting an immediate jump into the top 20 might be asking a lot.
Overrated: No. 23 Clemson
Last year, Clemson was one of our “underrated” teams after opening the preseason at No. 6 in the Coaches Poll. Instead, the Tigers stumbled to their worst finish in 15 years. Now they’re back in the preseason rankings despite having far too many questions.
Clemson matched a school record with nine selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, then did little in the transfer portal (shocking, I know) to replace that production. The Tigers also aren’t recruiting at the elite level that fueled their run as a national power, making it harder to simply reload every offseason.
The offense now appears to belong to Christopher Vizzina, who has patiently waited his turn but has played only limited meaningful snaps. Projecting an immediate bounce-back on offense requires a leap of faith.
It seems the coaches are giving Dabo Swinney the benefit of the doubt.
