Revisiting 2026 college football preseason rankings: How Oregon, Ohio State fell from 1-2 projection and more misses

Revisiting 2026 college football preseason rankings: How Oregon, Ohio State fell from 1-2 projection and more misses originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

College football's preseason polls give us an idea of teams that are considered contenders at the start of the year. Sometimes several of those teams pan out and play well throughout the season. Some of them even end up going deep into the postseason.

But not every preseason ranked team pans out, and so far in 2026 there have been several misses. Two of the biggest are the preseason No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oregon Ducks, ranked No. 2 overall before the season. Oregon has three losses, and Ohio State has two.

There are other teams that fell off, as well. Here's a look at the biggest preseason misses so far this college football season.
MORE:How Miami rules the 1980s and reveled in Notre Dame rivalry

Teams that have failed to live up to preseason hype

Oregon Ducks: Preseason No. 2

Current Ranking: No. 23, 5-3

The Oregon Ducks were most of us at The Sporting News' preseason pick to win it all this year. But entering the first week of November, Dan Lanning's team is 5-3 with losses to Oklahoma State, UCLA and Illinois so far.

The OK-State game was the first sign of trouble with this Oregon team, as the Cowboys were unranked, and are not ranked entering Week 10. The Ducks improved to 3-1 with a 41-27 road win over USC, but lost starting quarterback Dante Moore after he took a scary hit to the head.

With backup Dylan Raiola, the Ducks have since lost to UCLA and 21-10 on the road to a 3-3 Illinois team on the road. Moore was ruled out for the season by Coach Lanning on Oct. 26.

While of course the injury to your star quarterback doesn't help, Oregon also lost two longtime coordinators. Offensive coordinator Will Stein is now the head coach at Kentucky, where he has the Wildcats as a CFP and SEC contender. Defensive coordinator Tosh Lupois is now the head coach at Cal.

Oregon has remaining games against Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Washington. Even if the Ducks were to win out, that's far cry from many who thought Oregon would win it all.
MORE: What everyone got wrong about Oregon before the season

Ohio State Buckeyes: Preseason No. 1

Current Ranking: No. 12, 6-2

Unlike Oregon, Ohio State is not out of the CFP hunt entirely just yet. Like Oregon, head coach Ryan Day also had an injury to his starting quarterback. Julian Sayin left Ohio State's 19-15 win over Indiana in Week 7 with a shoulder injury, and he has since been ruled out indefinitely.

The Buckeyes lost Week 2 on the road to Texas and got ranked wins over Iowa and the Hoosiers. In the Buckeyes' first game starting redshirt freshman Luke Fahey, Ohio State fell on the road to USC 30-18. Fahey played OK, but he overthrew several of his receivers.

OSU likely has to win out to make the CFP, which would include beating Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan at home. That might be easier said than done if the Buckeyes play like they did last week against the Trojans.
MORE: How Ohio State's QB situation could impact their CFP image

Texas A&M Aggies: No. 8

Current Ranking: Unranked, 4-4

Texas A&M made it to the CFP during head coach Mike Elko's second season in College Station. Although the Aggies returned several players from that team, including starting quarterback Marcel Reed, the Aggies are in danger of missing a bowl game.

TAMU's lone wins so far this season have come against Missouri State, The Citadel, Arizona State and vs. a struggling Arkansas team. All four of their losses to SEC teams in Kentucky, LSU, Missouri and Alabama have come by at least two scores.

Mike Elko is likely already on the hot seat, as Texas A&M still has to play South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas to close out the year.
MORE: How much would it coast Oklahom to fire Brent Venables?

Oklahoma Sooners: Preseason No. 10

Current Ranking: Unranked, 4-4

Like A&M, Oklahoma was expected to make it to the CFP again in 2026. The Sooners returned starting quarterback John Mateer as well as offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.

But 2026 has been a disaster for both Mateer and Arbuckle. Mateer has been a turnover machine so far this season, with seven interceptions and three fumbles. The Sooners' offense ranks 109th in scoring offense (22 points per game). The offense is so bad that Oklahoma even moved on from Ben Arbucke midseason.
MORE: How Michigan's Bryce Underwood is failing to live up to NIL price tag

Michigan Wolverines: Preseason No. 16

Current Ranking: Unranked, 5-3

The expectations for the Wolverines were high. Longtime Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham was expected to bring his decades of experience of winning games and conference titles to Ann Arbor.

But Michigan is 5-3 on the season, as the Wolverines fell out of the CFP conversation entirely with their 20-14 loss to Minnesota in Week 5. UM played well against No. 6 Indiana at home a couple weeks ago, but lost 13-6 in overtime.

Michigan had a quarterback change of its own, benching former five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood for true freshman Tommy Carr against Penn State in Week 6. Carr is the grandson of the legendary former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr.

Michigan already has three losses, and it might get worse for Coach Whittingham before it gets better. The Wolverines have remaining games against three ranked opponents to close out November. Michigan will go on the road to play Oregon on Nov. 14 then face undefeated No. 8 UCLA on the 21st. The Game this year is in Columbus against the Buckeyes on Rivalry Week.

Penn State Nittany Lions: Preseason No. 18

Current Ranking: Unranked, 4-4

Penn State hired longtime Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell to replace James Franklin in what was a late coaching hire by the Nittany Lions. Several folks thought Penn State could be a playoff contender this year, as Campbell brought several players over from Ames with him.

But through October, the Nittany Lions are fighting to make a bowl game for the sixth year in a row. Penn State lost four straight from Sept. 26-Oct. 17 in games against Wisconsin, Northwestern, USC, and Michigan. While three of them were one-score losses, the only ranked team in that group is USC. Penn State's lone wins are against Marshall, Temple, Buffalo and to 3-5 Purdue.

Former ISU quarterback Rocco Becht hasn't played great either, and he's taken 12 sacks and thrown five interceptions. Penn State has remaining games against Washington, Minnesota, Rutgers and Maryland. WIth how inconsistent Penn State has been, there's no telling how those games will go.

Louisville Cardinals Preseason No. 24

Current Ranking: Unranked, 5-3

Louisville was expected to make some noise in the ACC this season. Head coach Jeff Brohm had gone 28-12 across his first three seasons with the Cardinals, with a 10-win finish in 2023 and two consecutive 9-4 finishes.

But even with star quarterback Lincoln Kienholtz, who transferred over from Ohio State this offseason, Louisville already has three losses. The Cardinals lost to Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss in a 41-38 Week 1 thriller and also beat a ranked SMU team.

Louisville then lost against Wake Forest at home, and dropped a road game to an NC State team that fired their head coach just last week. What was supposed to be Brohm's year to make this team into an ACC contender could finish ugly. The Cardinals still have to play North Carolina, Pitt and 7-1 Kentucky.
MORE:Ankle surgeon weighs in on return timeline for Miami star Malachi Toney

Preseason AP Top 25