> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.collegefootballnewsletter.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Big Ten Conference Preview - URL: https://www.collegefootballnewsletter.com/big-ten-preview/ - Published: 2026-08-10T16:05:37.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-14T23:54:03.000Z - Author: Will Hendricks ## Let's Talk About the Champs The Big Ten enters 2026 looking to win the national championship for the fourth consecutive season, something that hasn't been done since... the four years immediately before, when the SEC won four straight titles from 2019-2022. Those days are over, though. This is the Big Ten's era. There's a legitimate argument that the top tier of the Big Ten is now stronger than the top tier of the SEC, and I'm all in on that take. The NIL and transfer portal era has flattened the top of college football, allowing the Big Ten to rise into the spotlight. More importantly, I don't think it's leaving anytime soon. If this resembles the SEC's rise in the mid-to-late 2000s, it won't be long before it's more than just the conference's elite competing for national championships. The depth across the league could become just as intimidating as its headliners. If you followed college football at all last season, it's impossible to ignore what Indiana accomplished. **They dominated.** In every facet of the game, the Hoosiers were the best team in the country. Ohio State and Oregon were outstanding, but Indiana was better. The biggest surprise in the Big Ten during the 2025 season wasn't Indiana's rise—it was Penn State's dramatic fall from grace, which ultimately led to the firing of James Franklin. Outside of that, Indiana's road victory over Oregon and its conference championship win over Ohio State in Indianapolis only shocked those who didn't heed Curt Cignetti's famous advice. If you had, in fact, Googled him, you would have found exactly what he promised: **Curt Cignetti wins.** It was only a matter of time before he started doing it at Indiana. But can he keep it going? Let's get into it. --- ## 1\. Indiana **2025 Results:** We don't need to spend much time on this one. The Hoosiers went a perfect **16-0**, steamrolling nearly everyone in their path. They crushed Illinois by 53 points, won at Oregon, defeated Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, and then marched through the College Football Playoff with wins over Alabama, Oregon, and Miami to capture their first national championship. Of their 16 victories, only four were decided by single digits, and they never trailed for a second during the playoff. Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy, and Indiana reached the pinnacle of college football. **Keys for 2026:** Why would I doubt Curt Cignetti now? I have absolutely no reason to, so I'm not going to. Josh Hoover transfers in from TCU to take over the offense, and while some have questioned the move, I don't remember anyone proclaiming Fernando Mendoza was the missing piece after Kurtis Rourke graduated. Cignetti identified his quarterback, and history says that's a pretty good sign. Trust what he has cooking. The Hoosiers do have plenty to replace on the defensive side of the ball, but let's not forget just how dominant that unit was last season. Even if the defense takes a slight step back, it should still rank among the best in the country. The schedule will be much more challenging, though. A brutal 35-day stretch featuring Ohio State, at Michigan, USC, and at Washington will test Indiana like it wasn't tested a year ago. That stretch could finally knock the Hoosiers off... or it could simply add to what has become one of the most impressive runs in college football. **2026 Prediction:** **12-0** --- ## 2\. Ohio State **2025 Results:** The Buckeyes had about as perfect a regular season as you could ask for, finishing **12-0** with only one game decided by fewer than three scores—the season opener against Texas. Unfortunately for Ohio State, the postseason told a different story. The Buckeyes went **0-2**, falling to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game before dropping a 24-14 decision to Miami in the Cotton Bowl. It wasn't the ending they envisioned while defending their national title, but it was still another outstanding season in Columbus. **Keys for 2026:** Ohio State had four players selected within the first 11 picks of this year's NFL Draft, making the replacing the departures of Caleb Downs, Carnell Tate, Arvell Reese, and Sonny Styles the biggest challenge of the offseason. Replacing that level of talent is never easy, regardless of how well you recruit. Fortunately for Ryan Day, Julian Sayin returns under center, allowing the Buckeyes to focus on finding even more ways to get Jeremiah Smith the football. Smith is already one of the most dangerous players in college football, and he'll once again be the focal point of the offense. As for Sayin, I think he's a very good quarterback—but I also think he's become a bit overrated. He's capable of leading Ohio State to another playoff appearance, but I don't see him as a legitimate Heisman contender. Put him on an average roster, and I don't think the production would be nearly the same. He's a good quarterback, not a transcendent one. The schedule won't do Ohio State any favors, either. The Buckeyes have an early road trip at Texas before road trips to Indiana and USC later in the year. Home games against Oregon and Michigan help balance things out, but I think this team takes a small step back during the regular season. **2026 Prediction:** **10-2** *(Losses to Texas and Indiana)* --- ## 3\. Oregon **2025 Results:** A double-overtime victory over Penn State during a White Out set the tone that 2025 was going to be a special season for Oregon. Two weeks later, however, Indiana cooled that momentum by walking into Autzen Stadium and defeating the Ducks. Oregon responded exactly how a championship contender should, rattling off impressive wins over ranked Iowa and USC to build a résumé strong enough to earn the No. 5 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Ducks opened the postseason with a win over James Madison before dismantling Texas Tech to reach their first national semifinal since the 2015 season. Unfortunately, their championship hopes once again ran into the buzzsaw known as Indiana, ending Oregon's season one game short of the national championship appearance . **Keys for 2026:** Dan Lanning and Dante Moore are back for another run, but this year's biggest storyline isn't at quarterback—it's on the sidelines. Both offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer and defensive coordinator Chris Hampton were promoted from within, providing some continuity, but there are always questions when both play-callers are taking over for the first time. The Ducks also have to replace the production of tight end Kenyon Sadiq on offense and defensive standouts Bryce Boettcher and Dillon Thieneman, all three of whom were selected in the NFL Draft. As expected, Oregon responded with another elite recruiting class and a strong transfer portal haul to help fill those holes. Some say TE Jamari Johnson is going to be even better than Sadiq. I say, lets wait and see. The talent is certainly there for Lanning to finally bring a national championship to Eugene, but the schedule won't make it easy. Road trips to USC and Ohio State highlight a difficult slate, while home games against Michigan and Washington give the Ducks a much-needed advantage in two critical matchups. Dante Moore looks to cement his name in Oregon lore, and winning a Heisman trophy would put him next to the likes of Marcus Mariota. Moore is certainly elite enough to accomplish such feat, but he looks to do something no Oregon quarterback has done, not even Mariota, win the national championship. **2026 Prediction:** **11-1** *(Loss at Ohio State)* --- ## 4\. Michigan **2025 Results:** The Wolverines had about the season most people expected. What nobody expected was what happened during their offseason. Michigan finished the regular season **9-3**, with losses at Oklahoma, at USC, and at home against Ohio State. Considering where the program was heading into the season, that was about what the country expected from Sherrone Moore. What no one expected was Moore being fired just two weeks after the Ohio State game following an investigation into a relationship with a staffer. Meanwhile, athletic director and former CFP Committee Chair Warde Manuel will also be relieved of his duties at the end of this coming year following the investigation into Moore. **Keys for 2026:** Enter universally liked good guy **Kyle Whittingham**. The greatest coach in Utah history, Whittingham was essentially pushed toward retirement by the school and administration before he was ready to call it a career. How do I know he wasn't ready to retire? Would someone who was ready to retire take another job **14 days later?** I didn't think so. Whittingham now steps into a Michigan program that needs to regain the discipline and hard-nosed identity it had under Jim Harbaugh. And who better to bring that back than Whittingham? Whittingham has traditionally run a run-heavy offense and, in past years, has incorporated the quarterback into that rushing attack. That makes Bryce Underwood's development one of the biggest storylines in Ann Arbor. After an underwhelming freshman campaign, Underwood needs to take a major step forward, and his effectiveness could ultimately determine how far this Michigan team goes. Whittingham also brings two new faces with him to Ann Arbor: Jason Beck on the offensive side and Jay Hill on defense. Beck's tenure at Utah was up and down, but Hill's time at BYU was anything but. Expect the defense to be stout early, while most of the questions surrounding this team center around the offense. Unfortunately for Michigan, the schedule doesn't give them much room for error. The Wolverines host Oklahoma in Week 2, welcome Indiana to Ann Arbor in October, and then travel to Oregon and Ohio State in November. That's a brutal way to finish the season. **2026 Prediction:** **8-4** --- ## 5\. USC **2025 Results:** The Trojans had about the season you would have expected. They won the games they were supposed to win and lost the games where they entered as underdogs, finishing the regular season **9-3**. An Alamo Bowl loss to TCU stung, but overall, there wasn't too much to complain about. **Keys for 2026:** Lincoln Riley enters his fifth season in Southern California, and what does he really have to show for it? A Pac-12 Championship Game appearance? After being pulled away from a successful tenure at Oklahoma, Riley's time at USC simply hasn't lived up to expectations. And honestly, nothing about this offseason has convinced me that 2026 is going to be any different. Jayden Maiava returns for his senior season, but he hasn't impressed me enough over the past two years to convince me that this is the year he suddenly takes the leap into an elite quarterback. USC also didn't exactly load up through the transfer portal, with a relatively underwhelming incoming class doing little to increase my confidence that the Trojans are ready to take the next step. The schedule does give USC some advantages. The Trojans host both Oregon and Ohio State at the Coliseum, which could be two of the biggest games of their season. Still, I don't think home-field advantage will be enough to get them over the hump. Then there's the trip to Bloomington in November. Indiana proved last season that Bloomington isn't exactly a friendly place to visit, and USC gets a storybook opportunity to knock off the defending national champions on their home turf. Unfortunately for the Trojans, I don't think they take advantage of it. **2026 Prediction:** **9-3** --- ## 6\. Washington **2025 Results:** Once again, the Huskies fit right into the mold of winning the games they were expected to win—with one major exception. Washington handled a pretty good Illinois team in Seattle late in October, only to come out of its bye week and lose on the road to a bad Wisconsin team. I guess things evened out for Jedd Fisch's Dawgs, though, as a dominant bowl victory over Boise State gave Washington its **third nine-win season in four years** since the Jimmy Lake debacle. **Keys for 2026:** Demond Williams is the biggest factor for the Huskies this season. At the end of last season, Williams signed a contract to continue playing for the Dawgs for roughly **$4.5 million**, only to turn around and announce that he was transferring to LSU. Washington then took legal action, and, wouldn't you know it, Williams magically decided he didn't want to transfer anymore. The word throughout the summer and fall camp has been that Williams' attitude has changed and that he truly wants to be in Montlake and lead the Huskies. Fisch can say that all he wants, but it's going to take the first few games of the season to verify that it's actually true—and to find out whether his teammates still fully support him. Washington's biggest loss from last season is undoubtedly running back Jonah Coleman. Over his two seasons in Seattle, Coleman totaled more than **1,800 yards and 23 touchdowns**, with 15 of those touchdowns coming last season alone. Jayden Limar and Trey Cooley will need to work together to replace that production. The Huskies' biggest advantage this season might be their schedule. A trip to USC on the first weekend of October provides their biggest early conference test. If Washington can get through that game, there is an outside chance the Huskies could enter their matchup with Indiana sitting at **10-0**. And if that happens, Montlake is going to be rocking. **2026 Prediction:** **9-3** --- ## 7\. Penn State **2025 Results:** As wrong as it could have gone. The Nittany Lions entered the season ranked **No. 2 in the country** and looked like they were ready to live up to the hype. Then came Oregon and the White Out. This was James Franklin's opportunity to prove that Penn State was finally ready to take the next step. The double-overtime loss was heartbreaking, but it certainly wasn't the end of the world. Losing to UCLA the following week, however, was. Penn State dropped four straight games after that, sending the season into a complete spiral. Franklin was eventually fired, and the Nittany Lions more or less coasted to a bowl game, where they defeated Clemson to salvage a winning season. It was a far cry from what anyone expected from the preseason No. 2 team. **Keys to 2026:** The coaching search did not go exactly as Penn State hoped. Several of their top candidates turned down the job or were persuaded to stay by their current employers—or, in some cases, by cookie CEOs. At last, they found their guy in former Iowa State head coach **Matt Campbell**. Campbell brings a whopping **23 transfers from Iowa State** with him to Happy Valley, including quarterback Rocco Becht. In many ways, think of this year's Nittany Lions as last year's Cyclones—but now they're wearing blue and white. The good news for Penn State is that the schedule sets up extremely well. The Nittany Lions avoid Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State, eliminating three of the biggest obstacles in the conference. Michigan, USC, and Washington are really the only major threats on the schedule. If Campbell can get this massive group of transfers to gel quickly, Penn State has a chance to bounce back in a big way. **2026 Prediction:** **9-3** --- ## 8\. Iowa **2025 Results:** Yet again, Iowa did exactly what we expected Iowa to do. The Hawkeyes finished **9-4**, with all four losses coming against ranked opponents: Iowa State, Indiana, Oregon, and USC. A bowl victory over a good Vanderbilt team left Iowa feeling optimistic heading into the offseason. **Keys for 2026:** Iowa is going to be the same Iowa football we've come to know under Kirk Ferentz. Mark Gronowski was the best quarterback the Hawkeyes have had in years, and even he wasn't able to put up eye-popping numbers in Iowa City. Now Jeremy Hecklinski steps into the role, and I don't think there's anyone in the country who believes this is finally the guy who's going to bring a potent offense to the Hawkeyes. The biggest key for the Hawkeyes, once again, is the defense. And, frankly, can the defense score more points for them? Because the offense is going to struggle, as always. The good news is that Iowa avoids both Indiana and Oregon this season. The bad news is that trips to Michigan and Washington provide two difficult road tests, while a home game against Ohio State gives the Hawkeyes another opportunity to pull off one of those classic Iowa upsets. Or, you know, it could be a complete beatdown in front of the sick kids. You never really know what you're going to get when Ohio State comes to Iowa City. **2026 Prediction:** **8-4** --- ## 9\. Illinois **2025 Results:** An up-and-down season for the Illini saw huge blowout losses to Indiana and Ohio State. While their losses to Washington and Wisconsin were also by multiple scores, both games were closer, and Illinois was favored in each. A win over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl saw the up-and-down season end on a positive note, with the Illini finishing the campaign at 9-4. **Keys for 2026:** The biggest question for the Fighting Illini this season is how they are going to replace quarterback Luke Altmyer. Altmyer was a solid two-year starter for Illinois and gave them the production they needed to put together a 10-win season followed by a 9-win season. The good thing for the Illini is that Katin Houser now steps into that role. After starting his career at Michigan State, his two-year stint at East Carolina produced a 3,300-yard passing season with 18 touchdowns. The biggest question is whether he can stay away from the turnovers, something he struggled with at Michigan State and during his first year with the Pirates. An entirely new left side of the offensive line is tasked with protecting Houser's blind side. They start the season against UAB before hosting Duke, a game where the Blue Devils will look to get revenge for their loss at home to the Illini last season. Games against Ohio State and Oregon loom large on the schedule, but every other game is winnable if the chips fall the right way for the Illini. **2026 Prediction: 8-4** --- ## 10\. Minnesota **2025 Results:** Unexplainable losses to Cal and Northwestern spoiled what could have been a great season for P.J. Fleck and the Golden Gophers. Nonetheless, they escaped New Mexico in the Rate Bowl and ended the season with an 8-5 record. **Keys to 2026:** P.J. Fleck and crew must row the boat. Drake Lindsey starts his sophomore season with high hopes of improving on his already solid freshman campaign. Darius Taylor, Jalen Smith, and Javon Tracy return for the Gophers, a trio that combined for over 650 rushing yards, 1,000 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns. The familiarity of these three, along with Lindsey, is what could carry the Gophers to a successful season. Plus, what could go wrong when your center, who anchors the entire offense, is named Ashton Beers? The Gophers are not dealt any favors in the scheduling department, as they are forced to travel to Indiana, Washington, and Penn State. Hosting Michigan provides a small amount of help in the fight for the Little Brown Jug, but not much. **2026 Prediction: 7-5** --- ## 11\. Wisconsin **2025 Results:** An extremely tough schedule for the Badgers featured a total of seven games against ranked opponents. They ended up winning two of those games en route to a 4-8 season. **Keys to 2026:** Luke Fickell looks to start his fourth year in Madison, and I think this is the year things start to turn around for him. Colton Joseph transfers in from Old Dominion, while Abu Sama III comes from Iowa State, where he put up 730 rushing yards and five touchdowns for the Cyclones. A revamped defense should give the Badgers more physicality on that side of the ball than in any of Fickell's previous years. They will be battle-tested early, as Notre Dame comes to Green Bay in Week 1 to play the Badgers at Lambeau Field. Not having to travel in back-to-back weeks until mid-November helps the Badgers in the early part of the season, where almost all of their games are winnable. Avoiding Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon, and Washington gives the Badgers hope that they could have a winning season. **2026 Prediction: 7-5** --- ## 12\. Nebraska **2025 Results:** The Cornhuskers started the year off with a close win against Cincinnati. They then proceeded to beat up on bad teams and, frankly, get dominated by good teams. Out of their six losses, only two of them were within three scores. The season was capped off by a blowout loss to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. **Keys to 2026:** With the departure of former five-star Dylan Raiola, UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea looks to be the starter for the upcoming year, beating out TJ Lateef, who started after Raiola went down with an injury last year. Colandrea threw for a solid 3,500 yards and 23 touchdowns last year for the Rebels, but the Big Ten is a far different league than the Mountain West. If the Cornhuskers want to be successful, they need a big season from Colandrea and their defense. Last season, Power Four opponents against Nebraska averaged 32.4 points per game...not good. They need to limit that number if they want any chance of improving on their win total from last year. An easy non-conference schedule gives way to a treacherous Big Ten schedule. Games at Oregon, Illinois, and Iowa all pose big hurdles, while home games against Indiana, Washington, and Ohio State provide upset opportunities, no matter how much of a long shot they may be. **2026 Prediction: 6-6** --- ## 13\. Michigan State **2025 Results:** An abysmal conference season for the Spartans saw them lose their first eight conference games by an average margin of two touchdowns. The win against Maryland in the final week of the season only allowed Jonathan Smith to be fired after a win instead of a loss. That's it. **Keys to 2026:** The Spartans hired Pat Fitzgerald, who had been out of coaching for the past two years after being fired from Northwestern amid an investigation into allegations that he knew about the sexual hazing of underclassmen and kept quiet. Seems like the stand-up type of guy you want leading your program. The Spartans lost quarterback Aidan Chiles to Northwestern in the transfer portal, and they now turn to sophomore Alessio Milivojevic. He showed potential after throwing for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Cam Edwards transfers in from UConn and looks to build off his 2025 campaign, which produced 1,200 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Fitzgerald, who was a defensive-minded coach with the Wildcats, brings in six new starters on a defense that struggled last year. While their schedule isn't the hardest that it could be in the Big Ten, it doesn't provide a lot of easy wins. However, it does provide some season-changing opportunities if the Spartans can get hot. **2026 Prediction: 5-7** --- ## 14\. UCLA **2025 Results:** Somehow, firing DeShaun Foster after the third game of the year gave the Bruins life—for four games. A close loss to Northwestern was followed by wins against Penn State, Michigan State, and Maryland. The Bruins' luck ran out quickly, as they then lost their final five games by an average margin of 30 points. **Keys to 2026:** Bob Chesney takes over as head coach after leading James Madison to the playoff last year. He brings with him a number of players, most notably Wayne Knight, the leading rusher for the Dukes last season. Nico Iamaleava returns for his junior season, and he is almost the only returning starter on the offense. The defense sees seven new transfers come in as well. This UCLA team will be almost completely new when they take the field against Cal. While they don't have to play Ohio State or Indiana this year, they get to play basically everyone else. **2026 Prediction: 3-9** --- ## 15\. Maryland **2025 Results:** The Terrapins were flying high. They were 4-0 and held a 20-3 lead against Washington in the fourth quarter. They ended up blowing that game to the Huskies and then proceeded to lose the rest of their games for kicks and giggles as well. The second straight 4-8 season for Mike Locksley puts him squarely on the hot seat to start the 2026 season. **Keys to 2026:** I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing for the Terrapins, but it looks like the majority of their starters will be returning this season. Malik Washington and DeJaun Williams anchor the backfield once again, while four of their five offensive linemen from last year return. Like I said, I'm not sure this is going to help very much, as it didn't last year. If Maryland can keep the momentum they had at the start of last season going a little longer, they might be able to sneak out a few extra wins. But a bowl appearance would be an incredible miracle. **2026 Prediction: 4-8** --- ## 16\. Northwestern **2025 Results:** The Wildcats had a surprisingly good year under David Braun in his third season as head coach. Starting the season 5-2, they experienced blowout losses to Tulane and Oregon but shocked the world with a win against Penn State. Reality set in as they had to play tougher Big Ten teams such as USC, Michigan, and Illinois, but a late win against Minnesota got the Wildcats back to a bowl game. They capped their season off with a win over Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl. **Keys to 2026:** Head coach David Braun hires a new offensive coordinator (but an old name), Chip Kelly, to help run his offense. After leaving the head coaching job at UCLA to take the OC job at Ohio State, Kelly helped the Buckeyes win the national title. He left for the bigger stage again, this time as the OC of Las Vegas. He made it a solid 11 games in the NFL this time, and once again, he's back in the Big Ten. I think Northwestern is going to regress in Braun's fourth year, as Aidan Chiles transfers in to take over at quarterback. Chiles proved that he was not the guy at Michigan State and struggled against stout Big Ten defenses. Maybe Kelly can help with that, but I'll need to see it before I believe it. The Wildcats were given no favors with their schedule, as they are forced to travel to Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State. They open up their brand-new stadium on October 2nd as they host Penn State, and hopefully, it provides a great home-field advantage because Iowa and Illinois come to town later in the season. While talent-wise the Wildcats will be similar, I think other teams have gotten better and their schedule has gotten much harder. **2026 Prediction: 4-8** --- ## 17\. Rutgers **2025 Results:** A 3-0 start in non-conference play gave way to a 2-7 conference record, with wins over Purdue and Maryland. We learned earlier what Maryland did, and we haven't even gotten to Purdue. That should tell you something. A close loss at Minnesota and a loss at home to Penn State were the only highlights you could even think to look at in all those games. **Keys to 2026:** Rutgers is taking an interesting approach in this era of college football and opted to bring in no new transfers on offense. As Greg Schiano enters his 18th season as head coach (ignore the small stints with the Buccaneers and Ohio State), he looks to reload with just the players he has developed. Athan Kaliakmanis was drafted by Washington in last April's NFL Draft, and AJ Surace looks to be the man as he steps into the starting role, having attempted only nine passes in his college career. That shouldn't matter if you have KJ Duff on the perimeter, as he looks to build upon his 60 receptions, 1,084 yards, and seven touchdowns from last year. Look for him to be the offensive MVP for the Scarlet Knights. There's no guarantee of a perfect non-conference record this year with their trip to Boston College, but their conference schedule this year doesn't look much better. They miss out on Purdue and therefore will be the underdog in all but maybe one conference game. When Michigan State comes to Piscataway in the final week of the season, it could be a key game to try and salvage a little hope before the offseason. **2026 Prediction: 3-9** --- ## 18\. Purdue **2025 Results:** It was bad. Ball State and Southern Illinois were the only two wins, and they came in the first two weeks of the year. Ten straight losses to end the year really put a damper on Barry Odom's first year as head coach. **Keys to 2026:** Year two for Odom, I'm afraid, isn't going to go much better. They do have Ryan Browne returning at quarterback, but there is so much more unknown, as each side of the ball has a majority of its starters coming in from the transfer portal. Non-conference games against Wake Forest and Notre Dame don't provide much cushion, and it could even result in a worse record. **2026 Prediction: 1-11** --- Once again, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this preview of the Big Ten Conference. Keep an eye out for posts on social media, and I am pleased to announce that something is coming later this week that you're not going to want to miss. There are huge implications and a chance for you, the reader, to get in on some action! As always, thank you for the support, and please share this with your friends and family who love college football as much as we do! --- ## Looking Ahead Over the next month, leading up to Weeks 0 and 1, I'll be publishing my previews for each Power Conference, along with my final College Football Playoff predictions and Heisman Trophy pick. Below is the schedule for the upcoming conference previews. Get excited, and tune in to see what I have to say about your favorite team. **August 13** – Look out for a **HUGE** announcement! **August 17** – Big 12 Preview (Can they show up on the national stage?) **August 24** – SEC Preview (It does definitely just means more) **August 31** – College Football Playoff & Heisman Trophy Predictions --- [ ](https://x.com/cfbnewsletter?ref=collegefootballnewsletter.com) [ ](https://www.instagram.com/thecollegefootballnewsletter?ref=collegefootballnewsletter.com)