Mark Blaudschun
By Mark Blaudschun
fwaa.com
We are starting to get a good feel for the 2026 season.
The first indication seems to be that Miami, FL and Notre Dame, along with Texas (after its remarkable comeback victory over Ohio State last Saturday in Austin) and Georgia look like early front runners.
Oklahoma and Oregon were exposed last week, so we move on.
This week's games:
LSU at Ole Miss: Start with the SEC power matchup of Top 10 teams. which is enough to sell this primetime show. Now we add the flavor of Lane Kiffin, this year's LSU coach, who returns to Oxford and the program he made a power before leaving BEFORE the end of last season.
I can't remember a college football game with this much off-the-field drama since the Miami-Notre Dame Catholics and Convicts Buzz and that was 40 years ago. LSU is better and probably would win on a neutral field. But winning at Ole Miss against a very, very good team will take some doing.
North Carolina at Clemson: These appear to be two very average ACC teams, but there is some drama here. North Carolina is looking to go to 3-0 for Coach Bill Belichick, which would mark a significant upswing in the Tar Heels' progress, especially with a victory at Clemson. The other side of the coin is even more intriguing. Early losses to LSU (basically a rout) and then to North Carolina would continue to put heat on Coach Dabo Swinney of Clemson.
SMU at Louisville: These ACC slepper teams are talented enough to win the conference and even gain a CFP berth. But the focus in the ACC is on:
a) the Miami Hurricanes
b) Florida State's decline
c) Clemson, and
d) the trials and tribulations of Bill Belichick.
Standing just off stage are Louisville and SMU, both legitimate Top 20 teams. The winner could face Miami in the ACC title game since both teams do not play Miami during the regular season.
Michigan State at Notre Dame: This is a game with historical background beyond the long-time rivavlry. It was 60 years ago-and yes we remember watching the game on television when No. 2 Michigan State faced No. 1 Notre Dame in East Lansing in November, 1966. It was considered the game for the national championship. The game ended in a 10-10 tie decades before overtime was installed in the college game. The result was basically a split national title between the two star-studded teams.
Both are still searching for the glory days, Michigan State more so that Notre Dame. Game looks one-sided. Notre Dame is a legtimate national title contender. Michigan State, under first-year coach Pat Fitzgerald, is looking to make the upper-division of the Big Ten.
Florida State at Alabama: This could get ugly early. Alabama is making all sorts of noise that it wants to rejoin the college football elite circle. FSU, however, continues to struggle under the loosening grip of Coach Mike Norvell. A lop-sided loss here and Norvell might not even finish the season in Tallahassee.
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