Seven weeks are down and six regular-season weeks are still to come in the 2026 college football season. As the sport’s pecking order takes shape, conversations will circle back to the College Football Playoff and which 12 teams should be left standing after conference championship Saturday.
The first half of the season delivered some classic moments. There was Texas’s rally to knock off Ohio State, Georgia winning for the first time since 2014 in Tuscaloosa, BYU holding off Notre Dame in Provo and, of course, Ole Miss surviving Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford. But there was also the unexpected, from Michigan’s Bail Mary win against Western Michigan to Iowa’s walk-off in the Big House and UCLA’s road upset of Oregon with a backup quarterback.
As we look ahead to the second half, some high-profile games stand out. There are also a few matchups that have clearly been elevated, given that they may now have postseason ramifications after how the first-half of the season has gone.
Here’s a closer look at the 15 games that Sports Illustrated is most looking forward to from now until the end of rivalry week:
No. 7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas
Saturday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
I’ll sign up to watch Trinidad Chambliss go on the road and play any of the big brands in the SEC at this point. Especially since he’s having to do more with the Ole Miss defense taking a step back from last year. Since the loss at Florida, which wasn’t Chambliss’s fault, he’s scored eight touchdowns in two games and the Rebels have won by a combined margin of 63 points.
The Texas offense might not be able to keep up with Chambliss, but the Longhorns’ defense, with or without the currently injured nation’s sack leader Colin Simmons, should at least give the Ole Miss quarterback something compelling to solve.
No. 14 Houston at No. 10 Utah
Saturday, Oct. 24, 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
A clear divide has emerged in the Big 12, and the Cougars and Utes find themselves in a four-way battle for both the conference crown and an automatic spot in the CFP. There may be no player more valuable to their team than Conner Weigman is to Houston this season, with 26 total touchdowns, the most of any player in FBS. But the Cougars are flush with talent all over the field, from tight end Patrick Overmyer and receiver Amare Thomas to running backs Makhi Hughes and Re’Shaun Sanford II.
Utah has benefitted from the 100th-toughest strength of schedule but has largely controlled those games. The two-quarterback formations are fascinating and the defense hasn’t skipped a beat (11th in FBS in scoring) after Kyle Whittingham’s departure.
North Dakota State at New Mexico
Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 p.m. ET, CW
Late night defense in the Mountain West? We can’t wait. The Bison and the Lobos are the top two scoring defenses in the country and will meet to establish the best program in the conference this season, with the winner being perhaps the only team in the league with a shot at the playoff. New Mexico has 21 takeaways, including 13 interceptions, and a turnover margin of +17, all of which rank first in FBS by a wide margin. North Dakota State just completely stifles opposing passing games, allowing 133.9 passing yards per contest and an opposing completion percentage of just 53%. This game might seem like a slog, but it’s really just two teams operating at an impressively high level on defense.
No. 20 Florida vs. No. 5 Georgia
Saturday, Oct. 31, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is an annual treat and quite literally will be exactly that this year on Halloween afternoon in Atlanta. It will also be the first time these two teams meet as ranked opponents since 2020, as Gators coach Jon Sumrall seems to have restored some momentum in Gainesville. Georgia has won eight of the last nine meetings and dominated most of those outings, but it’s hard to see this year’s Florida team getting blown off the ball. The Gators, led by running back Jadan Baugh, have come back down to Earth after a 4–0 start, and yet still managed to go into Austin and beat Texas while starting their backup quarterback. There’s no reason they couldn’t do the same against a vulnerable, and slightly more desperate Georgia, coming off of its own surprise loss to Auburn.
No. 3 Ohio State at No. 16 USC
Saturday, Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
This will be the first full glimpse we get at Ohio State sans Julian Sayin, who is out indefinitely with an arm injury. Whether it’ll be Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair remains to be seen, but either way, this game against the Trojans will be the best litmus test to see if the Buckeyes can still push for the postseason without QB1. USC’s defense, supposedly reinvented under Gary Patterson, still ranks 79th in FBS in points allowed per game and 104th in yards allowed per play. That means the burden will continue to fall on quarterback Jayden Maiava and the offense as the Trojans face a treacherous schedule down the stretch with their playoff hopes still alive.
No. 1 Miami at No. 4 Notre Dame
Saturday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
This matchup in South Bend has “Game of the Year” written all over it. There’s genuinely not a single bad unit in this game. Notre Dame is sixth in scoring offense and sixth in scoring defense. Miami, led by Darian Mensah and Malchi Toney, is first in offense and seventh in defense. There’s NFL level talent all over the field, two Heisman front-runners in Mensah and CJ Carr behind center and the stakes are increasingly high, especially for Notre Dame, which doesn’t have a marquee win after last week’s loss to BYU and may not get another chance for another one. Given the “Catholics vs. Convicts” history between these two teams, this game has all the makings of being the next chapter in this storied rivalry—and it would be utterly shocking if it didn’t deliver.
No. 2 BYU at No. 10 Utah
Saturday, Nov. 7, TBD
Nov. 7 is going to be the day of the 2026 season that you should cancel everything and spend as much time in front of a television as possible. Miami–Notre Dame is clearly in the No. 1 prioritization spot, but close behind it is the Holy War, one of the most passionate rivalries in the sport. BYU has nabbed the last three victories and is in the midst of what could be the best season in program history, so the pressure will be on the Cougars to deliver. Kalani Sitake, quarterback Bear Bachmeier and the defense showed no signs of fear against Notre Dame, but there’s just something different about having to play your in-state rival at their place. This game will also have significant Big 12 ramifications, with the loser potentially missing out on the conference championship game.
No. 12 Kentucky at No. 11 Tennessee
Saturday, Nov. 7, TBD
It would have been difficult to predict this matchup, out of all of the great SEC games on Nov. 7, having the biggest impact on the playoff race. And yet Will Stein has the Wildcats rolling and the Volunteers just manhandled Alabama in a rivalry game. Kentucky is the only team in the SEC with three road victories over league opponents and currently boasts the second-most difficult schedule in the country up until this point. Coming out of the bye, the border war rivalry game looms large, as both teams will likely have just one loss and will control their destiny down the stretch. Tennessee’s rock steady defense (10th in points allowed) may be what can finally slow down Stein’s sharp offense, especially in a hostile Neyland Stadium
No. 13 Alabama at No. 18 LSU
Saturday, Nov. 7, TBD
Annually, the Nick Saban Bowl is must-watch television, especially if played in primetime in Death Valley. And this year, given that both teams have (at least) two losses before the end of October, this will likely be an elimination game. The Tide may worry about first-year starting quarterback Keelon Russell on the road, given that he just played his worst game of the year at Tennessee. The LSU defense can be terrifying as well, with Princewill Umanmielen (11 tackles for loss, eight sacks) and Jordan Ross (seven TFL) leading a dominant defensive line. One program will be leaving extremely disappointed and with some serious questions about their head coach.
No. 15 Iowa at No. 24 Northwestern
Saturday, Nov. 7, TBD
This game ranks high on the list of “games we didn’t think would matter so much in the preseason.” And yet because of the Big Ten’s implosion outside of Indiana and Ohio State (and even the latter’s questionable quarterback situation), the gap is open for a team to fill the void. In past years this would’ve been a classic Big Ten West game—three yards and a cloud of dust with good defense. However, the Wildcats’ offense is digging deep into Chip Kelly’s bag of tricks to be far more respectable than year’s past, currently ranking 22nd in yards per play.
Iowa is mostly the same, which means Kirk Ferentz has a dogged and well-coached defense, still in the top 10 in the country in points allowed per game. At the new Ryan Field, it’s certainly possible that one of these teams grabs the reins as the third- or fourth-best team in the conference.
No. 8 Texas Tech at Oklahoma State
Saturday, Nov. 14, TBD
The Red Raiders, perhaps to their liking, have gone somewhat under the radar since the Brendan Sorsby controversy this offseason. That’s largely due to a weak strength of schedule, currently at 80th in FBS as of Week 8, because both of Tech’s offensive and defensive numbers are down across the board. And a trip to Stillwater is the toughest matchup left on the docket.
Oklahoma State only seems to play in back-and-forth shootouts (vs. Oregon, at West Virginia, at Houston), which should make this an excellent game to watch, The Cowboys might be out of the running, but any chance to watch Drew Mestemaker solve a defense like Texas Tech’s is worth tuning into.
No. 17 Wake Forest at No. 23 SMU
Saturday, Nov. 14, TBD
There’s little question that Miami is running away with the ACC and almost assuredly grabbing the league’s automatic bid this year. But could the conference steal a second? Wake Forest and SMU are the next best hopes—and will get the chance to settle a spot in the conference championship game on the field. Jake Dickert deserves a look for national coach of the year for how he’s elevated the Demon Deacons and, in particular, ex-UNC quarterback Gio Lopez, whose QBR is up 34.7 points from last year—the biggest jump of any player in the country. A win over SMU, whose strength of schedule is only 65th-toughest up until this point, would give Wake another quality win that could push the school toward an at-large bid.
Oregon State at No. 21 Boise State
Saturday, Nov. 14, 6 p.m. ET, USA Network
If you haven’t learned their names already, study up on Oregon State duo Braden Atkinson and Jesse Legree. The quarterback (Atkinson) and receiver (Legree) combo leads the nation in passing yards, passing touchdowns, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and has the Beavers ranked in the top five nationally in points (42.7) and yards (527.0) per game. With both losses coming to upper echelon Big 12 teams in Houston and Texas Tech, Oregon State is squarely in the Group of 5 playoff conversation … so long as they can beat Boise State on the blue turf in mid-November. The Broncos haven’t lost since the opener against Oregon, but have looked vulnerable at times, making this matchup pivotal for the aspirations of both teams.
Mississippi State at No. 7 Ole Miss
Friday, Nov. 27, noon ET, ABC
Mississippi State will be fully out of the running by the time the Egg Bowl kicks off, but that doesn’t make this game any less watchable. First of all, its (mostly) standalone nature on Black Friday gives it extra juice. And, we should get to watch Kamario Taylor vs. Trinidad Chambliss, perhaps the two most exciting quarterbacks in all of college football go head-to-head in a heated rivalry game.
Taylor’s first start last season was in the Egg Bowl, and though the Bulldogs lost 38–19, Taylor ran for 173 yards and two touchdowns in what was a precursor to his breakout 2026 season. He’s come a long way as a passer, which should give him a better chance to deal a devastating blow to the Rebels, who will still likely be on the cusp of playoff contention at this point.
No. 16 USC at No. 9 UCLA
Saturday, Nov. 28, TBD
There’s no denying that this game has lost some of its luster over the years between USC’s fall from national title contender and UCLA’s inability to maintain consistency. And yet 2026 is the season that could revitalize the battle for the Victory Bell. The Bruins are on pace for their best season since at least 2014, and perhaps even better than that, thanks to the overhaul by Bob Chesney. The team is tough, dominates the turnover battle (5th nationally in turnover margin), runs the ball effectively with Wayne Knight and Anthony Woods Jr. and boasts a top 20 defense.
This game is more than a month away, but there’s certainly a chance UCLA could be looking to complete a perfect regular season and, at worst, secure a CFP bid, making this a high quality and historic rivalry game with real stakes. Sign me up.
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