Preseason Top 25 College Football Rankings & Predictions For The Group of Six

This time of year in the college football calendar is usually reserved for big-picture discussions.

What will be the next domino to fall in conference realignment? Will better NIL/transfer portal rules ever be put in place? 

I wanted to take a minute to think about what’s going to actually happen on the field. So I’ve put together my early preseason Group of Six rankings for the 2026 season. 

I reserve the right to change these as we get closer to kickoff. But trying to come up with rankings at this point was much tougher than I thought it would be. A lot of G6 powerhouse programs are going through coaching changes – some have first-time head coaches and others have coaches who have proven themselves. 

Those teams are by far the toughest to rank for me. In the transfer portal era, you never know if a player coming from the FCS or Division II will keep thriving in the FBS. And you never know if a Power Four transfer who was highly regarded in high school will start to live up to that recruiting ranking.

So that’s why I usually rank teams with established coaches a little higher – we already know what they’re capable of.

So without further ado, here’s my early rankings of teams in the G6 going into 2026:

Top 10 Ranking of CFB Programs In The G6

10. Army

Army almost seems to be at an advantage in the transfer portal era. The Black Knights aren’t going to get better through the transfer portal, but they don’t lose many players through the portal, either. That means they can recruit players who fit their identity and develop them until they become star players.

Army went 7-6 last year but was even more competitive than its record shows. And with quarterback Cale Hellums and head coach Jeff Monken back, it’s tough to imagine Army won’t be solid again this year.

9. North Dakota State

A lot of people think North Dakota State will be even better than this. Some even believe the Bison could make the College Football Playoff in Year 1 of their FBS era if NCAA rules change.

I’m trying to temper expectations just a little bit. Yes, the Bison should immediately be one of the better teams in the Mountain West. But there’s a lot of solid programs in that conference as well.

NDSU has one of the better rosters in the G6. And I think Tim Polasek is a good head coach after leading the Bison to a national title in 2024. But I also believe that thinking NDSU will dominate the Mountain West immediately could be just a little bit lofty.

8. San Diego State

San Diego State enjoyed a great turnaround season in 2025. After going 3-9 in 2024, the Aztecs bounced back with a 9-4 record a season ago.

Sean Lewis is a great head coach in my opinion, one who could be looking at Power Four offers by the end of the year, and I expect he’ll lead the Aztecs to another strong season. SDSU’s offense should be exciting with quarterback Jayden Denegal and running back Lucky Sutton returning. 

Looking at the new-look Pac-12, I think SDSU should prove to be one of the top two teams in the conference.

7. James Madison

Yes, JMU lost head coach Bob Chesney and a lot of star players like G5 All-American quarterback Alonza Barnett III and running back Wayne Knight. But the Dukes have been here before and have already gone through a coaching change during their time as an FBS program and continued to play at a high level.

We may not know exactly how JMU will want to play. But we do know new head coach Billy Napier has already been successful in the Sun Belt. And the program has so much energy and support after making the College Football Playoff last year. I think JMU will be the best team in the Sun Belt once again, perhaps even by a wide margin.

6. Memphis

Memphis has a new head coach, but he’s one who has already proven he can lead a program to success quickly.

Charles Huff won a Sun Belt Championship with Marshall in 2024. And then he went to Southern Miss and nearly led the Golden Eagles to a Sun Belt title game appearance after they had gone 1-11 the year before.

The difference is Memphis hasn’t been a losing program. The Tigers are among the top G6 teams in terms of resources, and I like Memphis’ roster.

The tough part is, the American is going to be really strong this year.

5. New Mexico

I nearly left New Mexico just outside of my top five. But I couldn’t do it. While it’s an odd feeling to rank the Lobos this high, there’s no good reason not to.

Jason Eck led UNM to substantial improvement in Year 1 as the team’s head coach. And with quarterback Jack Layne, linebacker Jaxton Eck, and other great players returning, the Lobos are and should be one of the favorites in the Mountain West.

4. Navy

Navy is somewhat tough to project because the Midshipmen lost some star players like Eli Heidenreich and Landon Robinson – who were both drafted – as well as quarterback Blake Horvath.

But Navy has some talented players coming back, too, including Braxton Woodson, who looked like he’s ready for the starting quarterback role during limited action in 2025. And we know Brian Newberry is a good head coach, so I would be surprised if Navy isn’t competitive in the American once again.

3. UTSA

UTSA isn’t the clear favorite in the American, but I think the Roadrunners have a lot going for them. 

Within the conference particularly, some of the top teams last year like North Texas, Memphis, South Florida, and Tulane have all gone through coaching changes. Navy lost a lot of star power from last year, and while I think Army will be great in 2026, the Black Knights were .500 during the regular season in 2025.

Jeff Traylor is a head coach capable of winning a conference championship in the American, in my opinion. And Owen McCown is one of the best returning quarterbacks in the G6. 

So I think this is the perfect time for UTSA to put it all together.

2. UNLV

I expect UNLV will win the Mountain West in 2026. The Rebels have been so close the past few years, and now with Boise State out of the equation, I think they finally win the league this year.

The Rebels may have lost Anthony Colandrea, but they went and added former Oklahoma and Auburn transfer Jackson Arnold, who I think will be great in this offensive system. And Dan Mullen has already proven he can win at UNLV.

1. Boise State

To me, Boise State just seems like a safe choice. I’m fully anticipating the Broncos will continue to be a strong program in the Pac-12 with Spencer Danielson and his staff leading the way. 

The Broncos should have a strong running game led by Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines. And Maddux Madsen is a veteran quarterback who can lead an offense to success when healthy.

There’s a lot of change and turnover for some of the biggest programs in the G6. But other than changing conferences, Boise State returns a lot of talent and should be poised for another great year.

G6 College Football Teams, Ranked

Rank	Team
1	Boise State
2	UNLV
3	UTSA
4	Navy
5	New Mexico
6	Memphis
7	JMU
8	San Diego State
9	North Dakota State
10	Army
11	Texas State
12	East Carolina
13	Hawaii
14	USF
15	Troy
16	UConn
17	Fresno State
18	Air Force
19	Washington State
20	Tulane
21	Western Kentucky
22	Western Michigan
23	Miami (Ohio)
24	Old Dominion
25	Liberty