The Buckeyes Are the Team to Beat

ESPN's preseason college football power rankings for 2026 are out, and Ohio State sits atop the list. The Buckeyes, who finished 12-2 in 2025 and went 9-0 in Big Ten play, are positioned to win their second CFP national championship in three seasons — and would be the fourth straight Big Ten school to claim the title, a run the conference has not produced since the SEC did it from 2019 to 2022.

Ohio State's offense returns quarterback Julian Sayin, running back Bo Jackson, and star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The defense is the question mark: head coach Ryan Day must replace eight defensive starters, including four players taken in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. The Buckeyes' road schedule — Texas, Iowa, Indiana, and USC — is forgiving, but home dates with Oregon and Michigan loom large.

The Top 5: Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas

No. 2 Georgia enters as the highest-ranked SEC team. Quarterback Gunner Stockton returns for a second season as starter, and the defense is loaded with star power at linebacker in Chris Cole, Chase Linton, and Quintavius Johnson. The Bulldogs' biggest concern is pass rush: they ranked last in the SEC with just 20 sacks in 2025.

No. 3 Notre Dame was left out of last year's CFP despite a 10-2 record. The Irish must replace running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, who combined for 2,046 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns; Aneyas Williams steps into a starting role, and quarterback CJ Carr will be asked to carry more of the passing load.

No. 4 Oregon has lost in the CFP to the past two national champions. Quarterback Dante Moore bypassed the NFL draft to return, and the Ducks do not face Indiana in the regular season — but they do play at Ohio State on November 7, a game that could decide the Big Ten's top seed.

No. 5 Texas rounds out the top five. The Longhorns are largely an unknown after an offseason of change, but the roster talent is undeniable. Notably, in an offseason full of congressional hearings, eligibility lawsuits, and a high-profile gambling scandal, ESPN's Mark Schlabach opened the rankings by noting that this season — starting when North Carolina plays TCU in Dublin on Aug. 29 — will be decided by coaches on the field, not judges off it.

Three SEC Teams in the Top 10

The SEC puts three teams in the top 10: Georgia at No. 2, Texas at No. 5, and LSU at No. 10. The rest of the SEC top 25 includes Texas A&M at No. 11, Ole Miss at No. 13, Oklahoma at No. 14, and Alabama at No. 16 — a placement that underscores how far the Crimson Tide have slid in the preseason prognostications. Michigan checks in at No. 17.

Prediction-market odds attached to the rankings give Notre Dame the best chance to make the CFP at 82 percent, followed by Oregon (75), Ohio State (70), Georgia (69), Texas (66), LSU (42), Alabama (40), Texas A&M (39), Ole Miss (35), and Clemson (12).

What This Means for CFB 27

For College Football 27 players, ESPN's power rankings are a useful preview of how the game's team ratings will shake out in the coming roster update. Ohio State and Georgia project as the two strongest teams in the country, which mirrors the top-end team OVRs in the game's launch ratings. If you are starting a Dynasty save before the roster refresh, the rankings are a cheat sheet for the safest blue-blood picks — and for identifying value programs like Notre Dame and Oregon that are rated slightly below the SEC elite but carry top-four talent in the simulations running through the 2026 season.