Three College Football Teams Poised for Breakout Seasons in 2026

This new era of college football can lead to some incredibly quick turnarounds.

Look no further than Curt Cignetti taking Indiana from the losingest program in college football history to national champions in two seasons.

That’s not the standard, obviously, but it goes to show what financial support paired with strong transfer-portal recruiting can do to flip over a roster.

Once again this season, there should be a number of teams poised to make shocking leaps forward in 2026. Here’s a look at three candidates

Virginia Tech

If you’re older than 35 or so, you remember Virginia Tech’s flash-in-the-pan run to a national championship loss to Florida State in 1999.

That was a part of an extended best run in program history which saw the Hokies win double-digit games in 13 seasons over a 17-year span from 1995-2011 — including eight straight to end that run.

With just one 10-win season in 14 years since, that consistency is long gone as Virginia Tech’s future in the sport hangs in the balance. Trying to ensure it won’t be left behind, the school hired former Vanderbilt and Penn State coach James Franklin this offseason and committed financially to football like never before.

It ended poorly for Franklin in Happy Valley, but he has a track record of exactly the consistency the Hokies are looking for. He won 10-plus games six times, including a College Football Playoff berth in 2024.

He also brought a number of Penn State players and commits with him to Blacksburg. It may not happen right away but don’t be surprised if Virginia Tech takes a leap forward in 2026.

Oklahoma State

Another new coach who brought some major weapons with him to his new school is Eric Morris at Oklahoma State.

He had the national leader in passing yards (Drew Mestemaker with 4,379), the national leader in rushing touchdowns (Caleb Hawkins with 25) and a top-three receiver in yards (Wyatt Young with 1,264 and 10 touchdowns) at North Texas last season.

All of them followed him to Stillwater for his debut season with the Cowboys.

His high-powered North Texas offense was best in the country last year in offensive SP+ — no easy task considering the metric factors in opponent difficulty.

It will be fascinating to watch how he and his tagging-along players adjust to a steep increase in difficulty moving up to the Big 12. But it seems to be exactly what the Cowboys need as a follow-up act for Mike Gundy, the winningest coach in program history who won just four games his last two seasons.

Florida

Jon Sumrall is also making a leap up, leaving Tulane for Florida.

He arrives in the Southeastern Conference with a 43-12 career record at Troy and Tulane the last four seasons. And he arrives at a school desperate to once more be a winner, with two national titles this century but also just one winning season in the last five.

Sumrall brought on accomplished Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner in the same role, retained star running back Jaden Baugh and landed a host of transfers, including four from Georgia Tech and standout receiver Eric Singleton Jr. from Auburn.

On paper, the pieces look good. How they come together will determine how big a jump the Gators make in Year 1.