The college football offseason is finally over, and not a moment too soon. After what felt like an endless offseason of lawsuits, judges and courtrooms, we finally get to put it all aside and focus on football. To celebrate, we're releasing our full slate of national picks from our group of experts.
Following Indiana's magical run to the national championship, the sport feels more wide open than ever. Six different teams field +900 odds or better to win the title, and our experts selected five different teams to hoist the trophy. Keep an eye on teams that have gotten close -- like Oregon, Notre Dame, and Texas -- to break through finally.
The same is true in the Heisman Trophy race, where Fernando Mendoza's surprise win gives hope across the board. Notre Dame's CJ Carr is the favorite, but even he's only sitting at +700. There's plenty of space for an unexpected contender to rise on the board.
Our nine college football experts made their picks for most underrated and underrated teams, playoff participants, Heisman winner and national champion. Picks for every category can be found below as we head into a highly anticipated Week 1. Texas A&M: The Aggies had a dream 10-0 start to the 2025 season before it came crashing down in home losses to in-state rival Texas and first-round playoff opponent Miami.
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko had to replace his offensive and defensive coordinators (Collin Klein, Jay Bateman) and a program-best 10 NFL Draft picks from last year's team. The No. 8 Aggies get No. 5 Texas at home this year, but its other three highest-ranked opponents -- No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 11 LSU and No. 13 Alabama -- all come on the road. Texas A&M could still be quite good in 2026, but feels like the most likely top-10 team to drop out of that rarefied air. -- John Talty (also Tom Fornelli, Richard Johnson, Brad Crawford, Chris Hummer) LSU: The assumption is that LSU's No. 1 ranked transfer class and the magic touch of Lane Kiffin will be enough to get the Tigers into the College Football Playoff immediately.
But the Tigers also entered last season with the nation's No. 1 ranked transfer class under Brian Kelly and flamed out at 7-6. A quick infusion of talent alone isn't going to immediately elevate the Tigers to the top of an ever-competitive SEC. The assumptions of greatness also hinge greatly on quarterback Sam Leavitt living up to his billing as the No. 1 ranked transfer of the class.
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