Here's some advice entering college football's second half of the season: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/revisiting-2026-preseason-college-football-predictions-10-things-we-were-dead-wrong-about/ ago and erase it from memory. This is the year of parity within the top 25 in what is likely the final frontier for the 12-team playoff era. Enjoy the current structure while it lasts, because we're soon doubling the number of teams invited to the dance and side-stepping potential narrative-setting outcomes in October for heavyweights simply gearing up for the stretch run.
Across the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC, the playoff picture is coming into focus ahead of the selection committee's first rankings in two weeks. The Group of Six race has spiked interest too, with five programs still with a legitimate path at getting the guaranteed bid. Like all bold predictions, we're calling our shots as the second half begins.
These 10 proclamations cover conference races, postseason dilemmas and individuals within the sport we're expecting to define November. And commissioner Brett Yormark has BYU to thank for that. Saturday's last-second win over previously second-ranked Notre Dame was the Cougars first over a top-10 opponent since 2018 and kept the Big 12 at three unbeatens at midseason -- the most of any Power Four conference.
BYU, Texas Tech and Utah are all situated inside the top-15. Houston's damn good, too. Unless Arizona thwarts the Red Raiders on Oct. 31 in Lubbock or hands Utah a loss on Nov. 14, it feels like the BYU-Utah showdown next month will have significant CFP implications.
Neither the Cougars or Utes play Texas Tech during the regular season, so we could have a three-team situation unfolding in the CFP discussion. The CFP selection committee will have a mutiny on it hands if they put a nine-win SEC or Big Ten team above BYU or a 12-win Texas Tech. This league will sort itself out over the next six weeks, but rest assured, there's going to be a second Big 12 CFP entry beyond the league's champion if there's a one-loss finisher.
One of five Power Four unbeatens at midseason, UCLA is the unlikeliest of the group under its first-year coach. The Bruins squashed Oregon on the road a few weeks ago with the rest of the campaign being the survive-and-advance mentality. Chesney's preseason win total was set at 6.5 by oddsmakers and a win Saturday against Michigan State would eclipse that that with five games left.
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