Journalists shed light on the truth, so we should hold ourselves accountable, even when it comes to the foolhardy practice of making preseason predictions. Yes, even those "bold" predictions we make, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, are no less intriguing in the summer doldrums, when we dream of everything that looks or smells like college football. In July and August, the CBS Sports staff made preseason predictions for each power conference; some bold, some mundane.
At the halfway point of the 2026 season, we thought it the perfect time to revisit those picks and share some of the prognostications we got wrong, or at least now improbable in late October. But please, show us some grace. This has been a wild season.
Just last week, five of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 lost for the first time in history. Predictions, as you see, can be like aimlessly punching air to knock out a gnat. To serve our readers, we picked the 10 most egregious preseason predictions.
Let's see where the staff stood before the season. And then check out this article for our bold predictions for the rest of the way. The prediction: Tom Fornelli posited in his bold predictions that the Wolverines would improve upon their 24.8-point scoring average from Sherrone Moore's two seasons.
In fact, he believed the offense would resemble the 2023 unit that averaged 37.3 points. What happened: Well, they're not close. In fact, it's worse than we thought.
The Wolverines are averaging 22.7 points, ranking 105th nationally, and they changed quarterbacks last week, switching Bryce Underwood for Tommy Carr in a win against Penn State. The prediction: Richard Johnson and Fornelli unknowingly teamed up to declare Maryland as the Big Ten's most underrated team in the preseason. "The Terps bring back so much of the top-end talent that was young from last year's team," they said.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
