The college football season is set to open on Saturday with UNC taking on TCU in Dublin, Ireland to kick off the Week Zero schedule. It’s crazy to think the season is already a day away and before we know it, we’ll be talking about the playoffs.

So, let’s get ahead of the action before it actually kicks off and give our early playoff predictions. There are a ton of teams to talk about, so let’s get into it.

Breaking down my predicted seeds from 12 to 1 for the College Football Playoff

At number 12, as my Group of Six representative, I have Boise State. At number 11, I have Michigan. Even with their difficult schedule, I think they find a way to get in. At number 10, I have LSU. Even though they lose to Ole Miss early this year, I think they figure it out late and push themselves into a playoff spot. At number 9, I have Ohio State. Even with the difficult schedule, they will find a way in as well, but not as high as people would think and I believe they shouldn’t be viewed as a lock.

At number 8, I have Oklahoma. John Mateer takes a step forward, and the offense is good enough while an elite defense carries them. At number 7, I have my Big 12 champion in Texas Tech. I do think they’ll stumble somewhere in the regular season, but it’s going to be so difficult to beat that Texas Tech team twice.

At number 6, I have my ACC champion in Miami. At number 5, I have Notre Dame with the easiest schedule. And you could argue to put them a little bit higher, but I do want to give credit to the teams that actually have a conference championship. At number 4, I have my SEC runner-up in Georgia. At number 3, I have my runner-up in the Big Ten in Indiana. At number 2 is my Big Ten champion in Oregon. And my number 1 overall seed will be Texas as my SEC champion. Here’s my full ranking prediction:

1. Texas
2. Oregon
3. Indiana
4. Gerogia
5. Notre Dame
6. Miami
7. Texas Tech
8. Oklahoma
9. Ohio State
10. LSU
11. Michigan
12. Boise State

Predicting the first round and quarterfinals

Now let’s get through the first-round matchups. Notre Dame beats Boise State. Miami beats Michigan. LSU goes on the road and beats Texas Tech. Ohio State goes on the road and beats Oklahoma. None of those should shock anyone.

Notre Dame and Miami hosting at home with the talent advantages they have should handle business, and LSU and Ohio State are battle-tested SEC and Big Ten squads going into hostile environments and winning anyway. That’s what those programs do.

In the quarterfinals, I have Georgia beating Notre Dame. Then I have Texas beating Ohio State. Then Miami beating Indiana and Oregon beating LSU. And you may say, Tegan, you just put Indiana as the 3-seed and now they’re losing in the quarterfinals? Yes. Miami is a nightmare matchup for them, and the Hurricanes have the athletes to exploit Indiana’s weaknesses in ways the rest of the Big Ten couldn’t during the regular season.

The semifinals and a national championship worth waiting for

In the semifinals, I have Georgia getting the revenge in the SEC Championship against Texas, and then Oregon getting the best of Miami. That sets us up for a national championship I’ve been wanting to see for years at this point: Dan Lanning versus Kirby Smart.

And I’m going with Dan Lanning getting his first national championship and Oregon’s first national championship in school history. That’s where I’m planting the flag. Oregon has the roster, they have the coaching staff, and Lanning has been building toward this moment since he arrived in Eugene. Kirby Smart is one of the best coaches in the entire country, and Georgia will be right there as always. But I think 2026 is the year Oregon finally breaks through.

Now, I reserve the right to change this all the way up until Week 1 of the college football season, but I’m sticking with this as it currently stands. Oregon wins it all, and if I’m wrong, I’m wrong. I’ll live with that.