The 2026 college football season is on the horizon, and with it is no better time to release the first edition of The League Winners Power Rankings to begin the year. Each week, our staff will put together their list for the best college football teams in the country. We’ll tally the average and create a composite to see which teams made the list – and who are on the cusp.
Where does your favorite team land? Let’s find out.
2026 College Football Power Rankings: Week 0
These College Football Power Rankings are not official endorsements or critiques of any team. This list is a composite of multiple members of The League Winners entering Week 0 of the college football season.
| Rank | Team | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 2. | Indiana | Big Ten |
| 3. | Oregon | Big Ten |
| 4. | Georgia | SEC |
| 5. | Miami (FL) | ACC |
| 6. | Texas | SEC |
| 7. | Notre Dame | Independent |
| 8. | Ole Miss | SEC |
| 9. | Oklahoma | SEC |
| 10. | Texas A&M | SEC |
| 11. | Texas Tech | Big 12 |
| 12. | LSU | SEC |
| 13. | USC | Big Ten |
| 14. | Alabama | SEC |
| 15. | BYU | Big 12 |
| 16. | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 17. | Tennessee | SEC |
| 18. | Houston | Big 12 |
| 19. | Penn State | Big Ten |
| 20. | SMU | ACC |
| 21. | Washington | Big Ten |
| 22. | Utah | Big 12 |
| 23. | Louisville | ACC |
| 24. | Clemson | ACC |
| 25. | Auburn | SEC |
Honorable Mentions: Iowa, Missouri, Florida, NC State, Boise State, South Carolina, and UNLV.
Other Notes: Just as they finished during the regular season, Ohio State sits atop our power rankings entering 2026. And, just like last year, the SEC keeps its stranglehold on the overall representation in these rankings, with nine teams making the cut. Closely followed behind them is the Big Ten with seven selections, while the ACC and Big 12 each have four apiece. Notre Dame is the lone independent represented in these rankings.
As always, we’ve included our individual College Football Power Rankings for Week 14 from the contributors at The League Winners.
| Rank | Cameron Hofer | Kyle Jones | Shane Barrett | Brandyn Pokrass | Thomas Christopher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ohio State | Ohio State | Ohio State | Ohio State | Indiana |
| 2. | Indiana | Oregon | Georgia | Oregon | Ohio State |
| 3. | Oregon | Georgia | Indiana | Indiana | Miami (FL) |
| 4. | Notre Dame | Texas | Miami (FL) | Miami (FL) | Georgia |
| 5. | Georgia | Notre Dame | Oregon | Georgia | Texas |
| 6. | Miami (FL) | Miami (FL) | Texas | Texas | Oregon |
| 7. | Texas | Indiana | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| 8. | Texas Tech | Texas A&M | Ole Miss | Texas A&M | Ole Miss |
| 9. | Ole Miss | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | LSU |
| 10. | Oklahoma | LSU | Texas A&M | Ole Miss | Oklahoma |
| 11. | Texas A&M | Texas Tech | Texas Tech | LSU | Texas A&M |
| 12. | USC | Ole Miss | LSU | Texas Tech | Texas Tech |
| 13. | Alabama | Alabama | USC | BYU | USC |
| 14. | Tennessee | USC | Michigan | Alabama | BYU |
| 15. | LSU | Penn State | Tennessee | USC | SMU |
| 16. | Michigan | BYU | Alabama | Washington | Houston |
| 17. | Penn State | Michigan | BYU | Michigan | Utah |
| 18. | Houston | Tennessee | SMU | Houston | Tennessee |
| 19. | Utah | Washington | Washington | SMU | Penn State |
| 20. | BYU | SMU | Clemson | Tennessee | Michigan |
| 21. | Louisville | Iowa | Utah | Louisville | Washington |
| 22. | Washington | Utah | Penn State | Penn State | Auburn |
| 23. | SMU | Houston | Louisville | Missouri | Alabama |
| 24. | Florida | Louisville | Missouri | Boise State | NC State |
| 25. | South Carolina | Clemson | Auburn | UNLV | Boise State |
Follow along as we update this list each week. And, moving forward, we’ll add trends to show our rising teams – and those falling. Do you think we missed a team? Let us know!
Discover more from The League Winners
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
