The countdown to the 2026 college football season is now measured in weeks rather than months, with coaches, players and fans alike marking the calendar for the first Saturday of play.
Conference Predictions
Across the Football Championship Subdivision, conferences have begun unveiling their preseason forecasts, compiling projected orders of finish that reflect the opinions of head coaches and a panel of selected voters.
The Big Sky Conference, for example, lists Montana State, Montana and UC Davis at the top of its projected order, while Eli Gillman of Montana earned the preseason offensive player of the year honor and Caden Dowler of Montana State was named defensive player of the year.
In the Colonial Athletic Association, Rhode Island, Monmouth and Elon are projected as the leading contenders, with Devin Farrell of Rhode Island tabbed as the conference’s offensive player of the year and Jaeden Jones of Monmouth receiving the defensive accolade.
The Mid‑Eastern Athletic Conference’s forecast places South Carolina State, North Carolina Central and Delaware State at the summit, and Chance Peterson of North Carolina Central was selected as its offensive player of the year while Jordan Franklin of South Carolina State earned the defensive honor.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference’s rankings feature South Dakota State, Illinois State and Youngstown State among the top spots, though the league did not attach individual player awards in its release.
The Southland Conference opted not to publish a preseason order or an all‑conference team, leaving observers to interpret the silence as a strategic move ahead of the season.
Meanwhile, the SWAC projects Alabama State, Jackson State and Bethune‑Cookman as its top three, with Andrew Body of Alabama State named offensive player of the year and Kam Sallis of Jackson State receiving the defensive award.
The United Athletic Conference’s outlook highlights Abilene Christian, Tarleton State and Austin Peay, and Chris Parson of Austin Peay was recognized as the conference’s offensive player of the year while Kaden Smith of Eastern Kentucky earned the defensive honor.