2026 College Football Opens 12-Team Playoff Race With 33 New Head Coaches
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Sep 1
2026 College Football Opens 12-Team Playoff Race With 33 New Head Coaches
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Sep 1
Summary
More than 3,000 scholarship FBS players changed teams through the transfer portal as the 2026 season opens, reshaping rosters for the first full month of the 12-team CFP chase.
The playoff format now guarantees bids to the Power 4 champions, the top-ranked Group of 6 team and Notre Dame if it finishes in the top 12; the No. 1 seed also gets to choose its quarterfinal bowl.
September games between Ohio State-Texas, Boise State-Oregon, Oklahoma-Michigan and Clemson-LSU could carry outsized tiebreak and seeding weight in a field where head-to-head results may decide bubble spots.
Selection pressure already centers on how the committee will treat Notre Dame's margin for error, the SEC's new nine-game league schedule and whether the ACC or Big 12 can place multiple teams in the bracket.
ESPN's outlook points to another Big Ten-SEC title fight, with the SEC given a 39% championship chance and the Big Ten 38%.