Viewer's guide to the college football season: Rankings, transfers, contenders and more

It's mid-August, which means we are mere weeks away from kickoff of the 2026 college football season.

We’ve now had two iterations of the 12-team College Football Playoff, with the Big Ten winning both of them, which makes three consecutive titles for the conference going back to the final four-team version. (That fact may have been brought up a time or two this offseason, much to the chagrin of the SEC.)

We’ll have at least one more version of the 12-team playoff as the sport’s powers that be couldn’t find common ground on a new format before this season got rolling, but there’s been a subtle tweak anyways after some drama last year.

So we’re back for Round 3, and there are a slew of worthy contenders in a wide-open landscape where transfers are more evenly spreading the talent around the country while scoring sizable NIL deals.

Who are those contenders? Which transfers could make some noise right away? Which teams could play a spoiler role during the season and perhaps even sneak into the playoff as a dark horse?

We’ll break down everything you need to know ahead of the college football season in the coming weeks as we count down to Week Zero and beyond.

What’s new this college football season?

Every college football season brings tweaks and changes and 2026 is no different. This year brings with it a Pac-12 revival (of sorts), a step up in competition for North Dakota State and much more.

Here's what's new ahead of the upcoming season, and yes, the College Football Playoff format has once again been altered.

QB transfers to know

In the new era of player movement, the most coveted position in sports sees a lot of flux. Top-tier quarterbacks are regularly changing campuses to secure a bag or find more playing time. We know it’s hard to keep track of all the movement, so we’ve got you covered.

Here are all the marquee QB transfers to know ahead of the season. As you’ll see, there are plenty of familiar faces in new places.

Non-QB transfers to know

Obviously, the quarterback position isn’t the only one that will factor into the College Football Playoff race. The sport saw countless key players change locales this offseason and we’ve kept track of the ones you shouldn’t ignore (Texas, in particular, did well for itself in the transfer portal).

Here are the key non-QB transfers to familiarize yourself before Week 1 begins in earnest in September.

QB battles

Which teams have crucial decisions to make before the season kicks off? There are still a few prominent teams who haven't picked their starting quarterback.

At the top of that list is Alabama, which needs to choose between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack. Russell was a five-star recruit in the class of 2025 and the No. 2 quarterback in the country behind Michigan's Bryce Underwood. Mack, who came from Washington with coach Kalen DeBoer, backed up previous starter Ty Simpson last year.

Here are the biggest QB competitions ahead of the season.

Top 25 countdown

Which schools will make the College Football Playoff field and vie for the national championship this year?

With teams like Texas Tech, Ole Miss and even national champ Indiana virtually coming out of the woodwork last season, it’s anybody’s guess. But we have an educated one. Join us as we count down the Yahoo Sports Preseason Top 25.

Teams Nos. 13-25, No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 11 Alabama, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 8 Texas Tech …

Best non-conferences games

It won’t take long for the knee-jerk opinions to come out this season as there are a number of enticing matchups in the opening few weeks.

With Boise State vs. Oregon, Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame, Oklahoma vs. Michigan and Ohio State vs. Texas all in the first two weeks of the season, there will be plenty of hand-wringing (or celebrating) early this year.

Here are the 10 best non-conference games this season.

Favorite win total bets to make

Will Bill Belichick's North Carolina Tar Heels struggle again this season? What about Dabo Swinney's Clemson Tigers?

You can get a good idea of the perceived strength of a team heading into a season based on its win total at your favorite sportsbook.

Here are 12 of our favorite win total bets before action begins, and here is our college football betting guide for this season.

College Fantasy Football draft kit

It's the inaugural season of College Fantasy Football on Yahoo, and award-winning analyst Eric Froton is ready to help you get ready! If you're new to the game, not to worry. We have everything you need to prep for your drafts, which are open now. Below is our draft kit, featuring rankings, draft strategies, tips, analysis and more.

• College Fantasy Football draft kit

• College Fantasy Football 101: Everything you need to know

• Eric Froton's favorite way to play College Fantasy Football

• ▶️ What's the biggest difference with CFF?

Play Yahoo's new College Fantasy Football game: Create or join a league now!

More analysis ahead of the season

• Josh Pate: Notre Dame could win the SEC right now

• Can John Mateer carry Oklahoma back to CFP?

• SEC’s top QB: Trinidad Chambliss or Arch Manning?

• Is LSU a real national championship contender?

• Enquirer: What buried the Protect College Sports Act?

• Enquirer: Are any of the new CFP proposals good?

• Why 12 teams is ’perfect’ for the CFP

• Josh Pate: OSU’s Julian Sayin is the Big Ten’s best QB

• Notre Dame’s soft schedule doesn’t diminish its talent

• Could Navy be a College Football Playoff sleeper?