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Preseason Magazines
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April 15th
Five Big 12 teams make ESPN’s Post-Spring Top 25
From ESPN … In college football’s NIL and transfer portal era, there’s no debate the balance of power has shifted from the SEC to the Big Ten.
After SEC teams won four straight national titles from 2019 to 2022, Big Ten teams have won each of the past three: Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana.
The Hoosiers’ perfect 16-0 season in 2025, which culminated with a 27-21 victory against Miami in the College Football National Championship game, might have been the best evidence that once-woebegone programs can change their fortunes with the right coach and budget.
Will the SEC end its “slide” in 2026? Will the Big Ten continue its dominance?
Those two leagues have seven of the top 10 teams in our updated Way-Too-Early Top 25, so it’s a debate that will continue to play out until the final CFP game of January 2027.
These rankings have been updated from the initial rankings, which were published immediately after January’s national championship game, based on player movement, coaching changes and developments this spring.
From the Big 12 …
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders
2025 record: 12-2, 8-1 Big 12
Previous ranking: 7
2026 outlook: After their offense fell flat in the CFP, the Red Raiders spent big to upgrade that side of the ball. Sorsby was one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal and is a true dual threat. Running backs Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams are returning, and the Red Raiders grabbed a trio of speedy receivers out of the portal. The losses on defense are enormous, starting with Bailey, Hunter and Height up front. Ibirogba was ESPN’s No. 1-rated interior defensive lineman in the portal, and White and Trick were highly ranked on the edge. The Red Raiders will be counting on Romaine to fill in for the irreplaceable Rodriguez.
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12. BYU Cougars
2025 record: 12-2, 8-1 Big 12
Previous ranking: 11
2026 outlook: The Cougars won 11 games or more for the second straight season. Their biggest victory might have been locking up coach Kalani Sitake, who turned down Penn State to remain at his alma mater. The Cougars have a good core of star players — quarterback Bear Bachmeier and tailback LJ Martin lead the way on offense. Lyons and former Oregon tight end Roger Saleapaga looked ready to help in the spring, along with speedy freshman receiver Legend Glasker. Parker Kingston, the team’s leading receiver in 2025, is no longer with the team after he was arrested in February on felony rape charges. Kelly Poppinga was promoted to defensive coordinator after Jay Hill left for Michigan.
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18. Utah Utes
2025 record: 11-2, 7-2 Big 12
Previous ranking: 25
2026 outlook: New Utah coach Morgan Scalley was able to persuade quarterback Devon Dampier to run it back after he had 3,325 yards of offense and 34 touchdowns in 2025. Leading rusher Wayshawn Parker also will return. Now, the bad news: Along with losing bookend offensive tackles Fano and Lomu, the Utes lost a boatload of assistants and players who followed former coach Kyle Whittingham to Michigan. Daley, who had 11.5 sacks in 2025, is a big loss on defense, as are Snowden and Lea’ea. Scalley hired Utah State’s Kevin McGiven as offensive coordinator, and linebackers coach Colton Swan was promoted to take charge of the defense.
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23. TCU Horned Frogs
2025 record: 9-4, 5-4 Big 12
Previous ranking: 20
2026 outlook: After getting the Horned Frogs back on track, coach Sonny Dykes made big changes. He hired former UConn offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis to replace Kendal Briles, who left for South Carolina. The Huskies had a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver and 1,000-yard rusher for the first time in school history in 2025. There will be fewer Air Raid elements and more physicality under Sammis. Hoover transferred to Indiana, and Dykes plucked Craig from the Ivy League to take over. Last season, Craig passed for 2,869 yards with 28 total touchdowns. Replacing McAlister’s production won’t be easy, but Jordan Dwyer is back and will be the No. 1 receiver.
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24. Houston Cougars
2025 record: 10-3, 6-3 Big 12
Previous ranking: NR
2026 outlook: Willie Fritz wins everywhere he coaches, and the Big 12 should be on notice after a 10-win surge in his second season at Houston. The team returns quarterback Conner Weigman, who had 25 touchdown passes and a 65.9% completion rate last fall, and top wide receiver Amare Thomas. Koziol certainly will be missed and Houston has some holes to fill on the defensive line, but the core of the 2025 team comes back, and Fritz added several transfers with ties to his last team, Tulane, in Hurst, White and Hughes, who rushed for 2,778 yards in two seasons with the Green Wave before his workload vanished at Oregon last fall. If the lineman transfers click, Houston could push Texas Tech and others in the Big 12 race.
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April 13th
CBS Sports: Is CU’s lineup undersized? Perhaps not, but CU still faces an uphill climb to a bowl game
From CBS Sports … Over the weekend, videos of Colorado’s roster running out of the tunnel went viral. Many pointed to the size of the Buffs’ roster as a concern, saying that they looked undersized for a major conference team.
Quickly, offensive coordinator Brennan Marion took to social media to defend the group.
“We will be just fine…” Marion posted on X. “Just click bait anything to attack Prime. I’m here we good!”
An analysis of the roster shows that size doesn’t appear to be a major issue for the Buffaloes. Colorado’s projected offensive line sits at an average of 6-foot-4.6 inches tall and 321 pounds. Only one of their starters sits below 310 pounds, and it’s Georgia transfer Bo Hughley, who started two games for the Bulldogs.
The defensive line tells a slightly more complicated story. The group sits at an average of 263.8 pounds, which is a little light. Projected starter Santana Hopper is only 265 pounds. However, he arrives at Colorado after ranking among the best interior defensive linemen in the American while with Tulane, and is known for his activity and functional strength inside.
Additionally, Colorado has bigger players on the roster. Hulking Baylor transfer Samu Taumanupepe sits at a cool 375 pounds. Maryland transfer Sedrick Smith is 320. If the Buffaloes want to get more size on the field, they have the opportunity.
Size shouldn’t be the main concern for the offensive line. It’s chemistry.
Colorado has flipped out offensive lines nearly every year, something only exacerbated two years ago when Sanders threw his existing players under the bus and said he had to get new linemen. However, instability along the offensive line is a major issue for building consistent units.
Colorado has tried the portal-shuffling method plenty of times with poor results. Before left tackle Jordan Seaton transferred, the Buffaloes were set to return three starters. Even so, left guard Yahya Attia and right tackle Larry Johnson III give the unit building blocks. Offensive line coach Gunner White is also the first returner at the position under Coach Prime. If he can get the unit to average, it opens up the offense dramatically.
Little margin for error
The day Sanders walked into the Colorado football facility, he told the existing roster that he was bringing his own Louis Vuitton baggage. Outside of college superstars Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders and Jordan Seaton (since transferred to LSU), most of it has proven defective.
Thirty-six players transferred out of the program, with 20 landing at Power Four schools. More than 60 newcomers are expected to enter the program.
The level of talent coming is high as the Buffaloes have a top-25 transfer class, fourth-best in the Big 12. Linebacker Liona Lefau (Texas), defensive back Boo Carter (Tennessee) and Moore (Texas) are all potential all-conference selections. Perhaps a returning offensive line coach can bring some much-needed consistency to the Buffaloes’ most troubled unit.
But heading into Year 4, Colorado still faces many of the same issues. The lack of high school recruiting means that only two projected starters were recruited by the staff out of high school: Lewis and Attia. Typically, Years 3 and 4 would be the moments when the staff’s identification and development start paying off.
The schedule also provides few moments of respite. Colorado plays road games against Georgia Tech and Northwestern in non-conference play. Home games against Texas Tech and Utah bode poorly. Depending on Kansas State’s success under first-year coach Collin Klein, the Buffaloes could be underdogs in every FBS game until the season finale against UCF.
Coach Prime helped the Buffaloes overcome daunting odds to reach a nine-win season in 2024. But unless he has another rabbit to pull out of his hat, Colorado has a difficult path back to bowl eligibility.
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One Reply to “Preseason Magazines”
Fuck em up. Fuck em up. Go CU!
Go Buffs