College football's 26 most important games of the 2026 season, from Miami-Notre Dame to Ohio State-Indiana
The 2026 schedule is loaded with matchups that figure to shape the College Football Playoff picture
Resume-boosters. Strength of schedule deciders. Losses that tank game control. The College Football Playoff selection committee will have a steady helping of results to factor into their metrics during the 2026 season, thanks to a schedule filled with marquee non-conference and important league matchups pitting nationally-ranked teams -- or at least those perceived as threats seven months out.
Stacking as many quality wins and head-to-head results as possible is paramount to building a successful playoff argument, part of the reason Notre Dame failed to make the dance last fall.
The at-large number of playoff teams will remain at seven in 2026, along with four Power Four auto-qualifiers and the highest-ranked Group of Six champion.
Using our way-too-early top 25 at CBS Sports and CFP predictions as a guide, these are the 26 most important games that will help define the 2026 season.
26. Houston at Texas Tech, Sept. 19
The reigning Big 12 champions somehow avoid BYU and Utah during the regular season, which means the Red Raiders should feel good about their chances of getting back to the CFP if they get past Houston in Week 3. The Cougars won 10 games in 2025 under Willie Fritz and retained quarterback Conner Weigman and others in an effort to continue their ascension. This is a spotlight game for new Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who comes over from Cincinnati as one of this portal cycle's top signal callers.
25. Memphis at UNLV, Aug. 29
Group of Six projections are widely skewed, given mass coaching and personnel changes at various programs after James Madison and Tulane reached the 12-team bracket last season. But we're expecting these two to each win double-digit games in 2026. Dan Mullen's resurgence at UNLV may lead to a bigger opportunity next coaching cycle if the Rebels are as advertised. Memphis, one of several top-end programs in the wide-open American with a new coach, signed 53 transfers.
24. Clemson at LSU, Sept. 5
Will this mark a further indictment of Dabo Swinney's program, or can Clemson spoil Lane Kiffin's opener at Tiger Stadium? Takeaways after the first game of the season are often futile, but this one feels extremely important for the visiting team. Swinney has stuck to his guns with his recruiting philosophy and picked Chad Morris as his new play-caller to try to get back to explosive plays offensively. And considering the resources exhausted in the portal at LSU, Kiffin need not swing and miss here as a favorite.
23. Virginia Tech at Miami, Nov. 20
Anyone else buying stock in James Franklin's first season with the Hokies? There's a small chance Virginia Tech is 7-0 going to Clemson at the end of October, thanks to a favorable early slate. By then, the Hokies will no longer be disguised under the cloak of anonymity as a team in the ACC driver's seat. And for Miami to match last season's success under Mario Cristobal, it may take a league championship to get there before the final CFP reveal.
22. Penn State at Michigan, Oct. 17
USC and Michigan are two opponents we've circled on the Nittany Lions' slate entering Matt Campbell's first campaign, but there are a couple of others within the Big Ten equally worrisome if Penn State flatlines again. Michigan will be coming off an open date for this one, with plenty of time to plan for what the Nittany Lions are bringing to the table. The winner here stays in the conference title discussion, while a loss complicates matters expeditiously.
21. Miami at Clemson, Oct. 3
Maybe the Tigers are playing spoiler here against a top-ranked playoff hopeful and early ACC unbeaten? A win for Clemson would change the narrative a bit at the top of the league with plenty of games to play. Swinney had beaten Miami four straight times before the Hurricanes' win in 2023, the last time these two programs met.
20. Texas A&M at Alabama, Oct. 24
The loser here faces an uphill climb back in the SEC race and at-large playoff picture, given this game's midseason placement. Alabama is 10-2 against Texas A&M since the Aggies joined the conference, but has not hosted them since 2022. The last three games in the series were decided by six points or less.
19. Oklahoma at Georgia, Sept. 26
Two touchdowns should be enough to win this one between the hedges, pitting two hard-hitting and technically-sound defenses. You're not going to find two head coaches better at their crafts defensively matched up against one another next season. These two blue bloods haven't played since Georgia's overtime thriller against Baker Mayfield's Sooners back in the 2017 Rose Bowl.
18. Notre Dame at BYU, Oct. 17
Notre Dame's playoff assurance in 2026 means the Fighting Irish need to reach the 11-win threshold to essentially guarantee an appearance inside the top 12. Ten wins might be enough, too. BYU, SMU and Miami are the only notable opponents of relative talent, and even then, there's a considerable gap between the Fighting Irish and the Mustangs and Cougars. A win against BYU on the road means Notre Dame's unbeaten season is possible under Marcus Freeman and top-seed billing in the CFP entering the second half of the campaign.
17. Texas vs. Oklahoma, Oct. 10
The theatrics and pageantry of Red River stand alone among early-season rivalries, and the 2026 installment should feature two teams inside the top 15. There's no promise of a competitive game, however, after Texas has won three of the last four meetings by an average of 32.3 points per game. Last year's loss to the Longhorns did not derail Oklahoma's season, and it's imperative that both of these teams are able to bounce back from this one quickly, regardless of the victor.
16. Alabama at LSU, Nov. 7
A barometer matchup for both programs, this one's vital for Kalen DeBoer and his future with the Crimson Tide. Arch-rival LSU is one of those handful of annual games you're graded on in Tuscaloosa from a variety of angles. Going into Tiger Stadium and winning would buy DeBoer more time and put the Crimson Tide on the path to a second playoff appearance in his three seasons as coach.
15. Ole Miss at Texas, Oct. 24
Heisman odds will take a turn once this battle on the Forty Acres between two high-profile returning quarterbacks is done. Arch Manning was terrific late in his first season as the Texas starter and punctuated the 2025 campaign with a multi-touchdown outing against Michigan that put him back at the top of the sport at the position. No number will be safe in this one between two of 2026's most prolific offenses.
14. BYU at Utah, Nov. 7
One of the toughest calls to make in this ranking of important games was which matchup to pick in the Big 12. Can BYU repeat last season's success? Are the Utes going to be a factor inside the top 15 with Morgan Scalley? These are questions no one has answers to in February, but the expected two-deeps for both offer some inclination that we'll be talking about the Cougars and Utes in November as league threats behind Texas Tech.
13. Oklahoma at Michigan, Sept. 12
Arguably the Sooners' most pivotal matchup in 2026, a road win over a nationally-ranked Wolverines squad would come in handy during final playoff deliberations later in the season. A loss before opening the SEC gauntlet diminishes the likelihood of a return CFP trip for Oklahoma. The Sooners used last year's win over Michigan in September as a catapult of sorts, establishing early confidence under quarterback John Mateer and a new offense.
12. Ohio State at USC, Oct. 31
One of potentially six games against ranked opponents for Ryan Day's team, this Halloween matchup in Los Angeles should set the stage for quite a bit of poll fluctuation within the Big Ten before the first CFP rankings reveal of the season. This is the Buckeyes' first contest with the Trojans since the 2017 Cotton Bowl, a victory that snapped a seven-game skid against USC dating back to 1974. Lincoln Riley hasn't yet reached the CFP at USC, but his 2026 team could give him a shot.
11. LSU at Ole Miss, Sept. 19
This isn't your typical former coach vs. old program narrative. The bad blood is real, at least from the Ole Miss side, after Kiffin left the Rebels at the CFP alter last fall for an opportunity in Baton Rouge. His welcome back to Oxford will not be warm, and LSU's defense has Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy -- two transfers Kiffin landed at Ole Miss -- to deal with as the early pecking order within the SEC starts to sort itself out near the top.
10. Oregon at USC, Sept. 26
The Trojans will be unbeaten and rolling with Jayden Maiava at quarterback as Dante Moore and the Ducks come to the Coliseum in Week 5, marking the Big Ten's first showcase game of the season. The date with Oregon is USC's first of three straight against quality conference competition that will determine where this team stands at the midyear point. The placement of this one gives the Ducks a chance with two new coordinators to establish themselves against Boise State and Oklahoma State early before battling the Trojans.
9. Georgia at Alabama, Oct. 10
As long as the Crimson Tide avoids being upset at home early or fails to escape a pair of SEC road games against programs that failed to reach bowl eligibility last fall, this one has all the trimmings of an expected top-10 matchup between unbeatens in Week 6. Georgia's SEC Championship romp in December was only Kirby Smart's second win in nine tries against Alabama, with five losses coming by a single possession.
8. Michigan at Ohio State, Nov. 28
The stakes here are always high, regardless of CFP and Big Ten reflections. But for the Wolverines, Kyle Whittingham's debut against the Buckeyes holds a significant indication of where this program is headed under his watch at the end of his first campaign. Implications are enhanced if Michigan takes the next step with Bryce Underwood and remains in playoff contention throughout.
7. Texas at LSU, Nov. 14
Turn your heads, Texas fans. Your team is going to face immense pressure several times next season on the road in the SEC. Unfortunately, all of last season's losses came away from Austin for the Longhorns, who struggled to generate firepower on offense in two of those contests. Should the road woes continue, especially during the final month of the 2026 season, Texas will fall short of expectations despite its star-studded roster.
6. Texas at Texas A&M, Nov. 27
Graced with three chances to leave a lasting impression on the CFP committee in November against bowl-bound programs from last season, Texas A&M will have revenge on its mind against Texas after the Longhorns halted the Aggies' unblemished run in 2025. Texas A&M never recovered, losing to Miami in the first round of the CFP a few weeks later to disrupt an otherwise impressive showing and top-10 finish from Mike Elko in Year 2. This matchup could decide a bid in the SEC Championship Game as well.
5. Ohio State at Texas, Sept. 12
As much as Steve Sarkisian wanted to blame his team's season-opening loss at Ohio State for their failure to reach the CFP last fall, the differentiator was actually a forgettable performance at Florida a few weeks later that damaged hopes. That said, it's easy to see why programs across the country are canceling various upcoming series with elite opponents, given the disadvantages in the CFP era with conferences moving to nine-game schedules. This will be one of the last such meetings between two preseason titans and, once again, will have a significant impact on the CFP committee later in the year.
4. Georgia at Ole Miss, Nov. 7
Go ahead and cancel all weekend plans on Nov. 7 next season. Three of college football's most important games of the year with playoff implications will all be played that Saturday. The selection committee's debut rankings are relatively meaningless, considering this slate is coming a few days after their reveal. This is where the end-of-season SEC hierarchy is established.
3. Ohio State at Indiana, Oct. 17
Despite six straight wins to open the season with TCU transfer Josh Hoover at quarterback, the jury will still be out on the Hoosiers heading into this seismic opportunity at home against the Buckeyes. It'll mark Indiana's first game against an opponent of comparable talent since taking out Miami for a national title and should give Curt Cignetti a better understanding of his team's chances of repeating. Indiana plays Michigan, USC and Washington as well, with those games narrowly missing this group despite their importance.
2. Miami at Notre Dame, Nov. 7
Judging by our way-too-early playoff projections, the Hurricanes and Fighting Irish should be two of college football's best teams next fall. In fact, we expect this contest to be the only blemish on either team's entire schedule, leading to top-4 postseason billing. Enjoy the final matchup of this home-and-home agreement while you can. It's likely the last we'll see of it for a long time unless Notre Dame bucks its preference for independence.
1. Oregon at Ohio State, Nov. 7
Calling our shot now -- the loser of this game will not reach the Big Ten Championship and could be vying for one of the league's final at-large spots in the CFP. The Ducks host Michigan and Washington after this one, and this will be Ohio State's third straight matchup against a top-15 league opponent. Something has to give here. Dan Lanning going head-to-head with Day is the ultimate chess match, and this is the first meeting between the two elite coaches since the Buckeyes' 20-point beatdown at the Rose Bowl two seasons ago.
