There are plenty of games every year that are worth looking forward to in the college football season. Conference games can have a lot of big moments. Here are the top 10 conference games in college football in 2026.
Alabama made the CFP last season, but there are some real concerns about the program slipping. With a tough schedule (including Florida State in the nonconference) and some roster turnover, the Crimson Tide will need to get rolling early and build momentum before their matchup with LSU. Keelon Russell or Austin Mack will start at quarterback and will need to get a lot of good reps in before this game. Ryan Coleman-Williams will have to find his freshman form and Alabama will also need to get the ground game going better than last season. The defense will be talented, specifically in the secondary.
Lane Kiffin will get his first taste of the Alabama-LSU matchup. Sam Leavitt will be his quarterback after having some success at Arizona State. Harlem Berry and Caden Durham are a good tandem at running back, while Trey’Dez Green is a matchup nightmare at tight end. The offensive line was bolstered by the addition of Jordan Seaton, while the defense has the talent to improve from their 23rd-ranked scoring output last season. This game usually has high stakes and this could be a play-in game for the winner given the talent on each roster.
Texas has a lot of hype surrounding the roster, but for good reason. Arch Manning played well at quarterback down the stretch and he’ll have more of a running game with transfers at running back, Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown, coming in. Cam Coleman enters from Auburn and should pair well with Ryan Wingo for a great pair of receivers. Trevor Goosby returns to a good offensive line. Colin Simmons is a great edge rusher and can lead a great defense.
Oklahoma made the CFP last season, but they were defeated by Alabama. They have CFP aspirations again, which is bolstered by quarterback John Mateer, a good dual-threat. His top receiver, Isaiah Sategna III, leads a talented receiver core, but more of a ground game will be needed. Defenisvely, the front should be really talented and led by David Stone and Jayden Jackson. There are some playmakers in the secondary. Oklahoma has a tough schedule and this game could end up helping them get in the CFP. They’ll also want revenge for last seasons’ loss in the rivalry.
Georgia has 14 starters returning from a team that went 12-2 and made the CFP Quarterfinals. Gunner Stockton is back at quarterback after a solid season and he will be re-joined in the backfield by Nate Frazier, who rushed for 947 yards last season. New receivers will need to step up, but the offensive line should be good this season. Defensively, they have plenty of talent at the second and third levels, but need to get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. They lost an exciting matchup with Alabama in the regular season last year then won in the championship and a similar thing is on the table for this season.
Alabama finds themselves on this list a few times. They should be favored in every game of the season up until this point. With five games already played this season, the starting quarterback should be figured out and ready for a big matchup. Having this game at home will help. This will start a brutal stretch of games because after this the Crimson Tide will have: at Tennessee, vs. Texas A&M and at LSU. A win could be the difference in making the CFP or not and could really impact Kalen DeBoer’s job security.
The Game is lower on this list than usual and that has to do with Michigan’s turnover. Kyle Whittingham now leads the Wolverines after a great stint at Utah. He’ll be tasked with working with young talent on offense in quarterback Bryce Underwood and wide receiver Andrew Marsh, who showed some good flashes as freshmen. The offensive line should have quality, while the defense has a good secondary. John Henry Daley comes in from Utah to bring a great pass rusher. Michigan has a few big games on the schedule and need to win at least one or two to make the CFP.
Ohio State is projected to go back to the expanded CFP for the third year in a row. Jeremiah Smith is the best player in the sport and has now had a year to help the development of quarterback Julian Sayin. Bo Jackson can bring life to the running game after a good freshman break out. The offensive line has enough returning starters, while the defense will be looking for new impact players to surround edge rusher Kenyatta Jackson and cornerback Jermaine Matthews. A national championship is the expectation for the Buckeyes and with how tough the schedule is, they may need to win this game to make the CFP.
Ohio State will have been tested in the nonconference schedule due to their matchup with Texas, but this will be their first big conference matchup of the season. The Buckeyes will want revenge for their loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game last season and could take advantage of the roster turnover the Hoosiers are going through.
Indiana doesn’t have a good nonconverence schedule, so their big conference games matter for them to make the CFP. The offensive line returns three starters, including tackle Carter Smith. Charlie Becker will be joined by Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh to give the team a good receiving core. Josh Hoover takes over the offense after transferring from TCU and brings experience to the position. The Hoosiers bring back six starters on defense from a unit that ranked second in scoring. The Hoosiers won the national championship last season, but can show they can sustain success as a program with a win in this game.
Texas defeated the Aggies by 10 points last year and will be aiming to do the same thing on the road this season. this is the last game of the season and could give a good indication if the Longhorns are on their way to a run in the CFP, or even need to win the game to get in.
The Aggies made the CFP last season and bring back quarterback Marcel Reed, running back Rueben Owens and wide receiver mario Craver. That should help them create big plays, especially if the line holds up. Mike Elko has done a great job reloading the defense and has five defensive starters returning. They will want to beat their rivals in what should be a crazy environment, but they also could be on the cusp of making the CFP with a win late in the season.
Georgia defeated Ole Miss in the regular season last year, but lost to them in the CFP, creating a revenge game on the road. While the Bulldogs should have a great defense, they may need to score points to keep up with the Ole Miss offense. With games before this against Oklahoma, Alabama and Florida, the Bulldogs will have plenty of tough games to get through.
Ole Miss made the CFP semifinals and brought back quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy to have great offensive expectations for the season. While the defense lost some talent, they also added some from the transfer portal. They also retained defensive lineman Will Echoles and linebacker Suntarine Perkins, who have great future pro potential. Defeating Georgia again will be tough, but it can be done to help Ole Miss stay in the CFP race late in the season.
The Longorns didn’t play LSU last season and two of the more storied programs will meet this year. Texas travels to Death Valley and it will be interesting to see how they react to such a tough environment. The Longhorns have some tough road visits, including playing games at Tennessee and at Texas A&M, so they will need to be road warriors to reach their potential.
LSU has a lot of expectations for a team that has a new coach and a lot of new players, but that comes with the program. They have a few tough games, but not many more notable than playing Texas a preseason title favorite. A win in this game can prove that LSU is on the right track to competing for titles.
LSU and Ole Miss already weren’t friendly. Then Lane Kiffin took the LSU job while Ole Miss made the CFP. This season, he has to return to his former stadium and coach in what will be a hostile environment. Not only will the hype surrounding this game and the environment be crazy, both teams have a chance to compete in the SEC and make the CFP if the cards fall their way.
Ole Miss fans will be ready for this one, but so too will a lot of the players who were in the program under Kiffin. They will want revenge on their former coach for leaving them. A lot of talent remains on the Ole Miss roster and a run back to the CFP could start with this game, as it is their first big conference test.
Oregon is the preseason top team in the country. Quarterback Dante Moore could’ve gone pro, but instead decided to return to school. There will be plenty of skill position talent around him, including receiver Dakorien Moore and Evan Stewart to go with tight end Jamari Johnson. The offensive line will need to step up, while the defensive line already has talent including returners edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei and defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington back after potentially being early round draft picks. Koi Perich comes in from Minnesota to bolster the team from his safety position. There are preseason expectations for the team to be great and there is no better test for that than playing Ohio State on the road.
Ohio State had some battles with Oregon two seasons ago, but didn’t play the Ducks last season. The talent in this game should matchup well and there could be a rematch in the Big Ten Championship Game and maybe the CFP as well. Ohio State has other big matchups: at Texas, at Indiana, at USC and vs. Michigan. If they lose one or two of the others, Ohio State can use this game to bolster their CFP case.
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