ESPN’s Heather Dinich on Texas football’s 2026 CFP chances, playoff expansion and more | On Second Thought

ESPN’s Heather Dinich on Texas football’s 2026 CFP chances, playoff expansion and more | On Second Thought

From On Second Thought by Austin American-Statesman

January 15, 2026 · 45 min

About this episode

Heather Dinich discusses Texas football's chances in the 2026 CFP and the impact of NIL and the transfer portal.

ESPN college football analyst Heather Dinich joins the On Second Thought podcast to discuss football’s national championship chances in 2026, the rising tide of NIL/transfer portal and her Indiana alma mater’s rise to within one win of a national championship. Hosts Cedric Golden and Kirk Bohls also examine Texas’ portal class which includes coveted wideout Cam Coleman, Longhorn women’s coach Vic Schaefer’s benching of All-America point guard Rori Harmon and the coach’s heated comments about having to play blue bloods LSU and South Carolina in back-to-back road games. Ced’s Corner newsletter Make sure to sign up for Ced's Corner, the new newsletter from the mind of the American-Statesman's resident sports columnist Cedric Golden. Ced will give you hot takes and his view of Longhorns sports and everything beyond via email each Tuesday. Texas Sports Nation with Kirk Bohls Sign up for Texas Sports Nation with Kirk Bohls to get news, exclusive analysis and insights on University of Texas sports. Plus, get notified when Bohls publishes a new column. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Hosts: Cedric Golden, Kirk Bohls

Guest: Heather Dinich

Topics covered

  • Texas football
  • CFP chances
  • playoff expansion
  • NIL
  • transfer portal

Keywords

  • national championship
  • Cam Coleman
  • Rori Harmon
  • Vic Schaefer

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: On Second Thought

Places: Indiana, South Carolina

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