Intro to the 2026 College Football Season

About this episode

This episode serves as an introduction to the 2026 college football season, covering major changes and storylines to watch for.

In this episode, we officially welcome ourselves back to college football with a full 2026 season primer. Before preview season begins in earnest, we reset the board with the biggest changes you need to know, from conference realignment, new teams, and bowl games to rule tweaks, the coaching carousel and a longer road to the national championship in Las Vegas. Consider this your intro course for the upcoming season. We also run through the biggest names and roster moves shaping the season, including a huge crop of new head coaches, notable broadcast changes, the biggest transfer portal targets, and the quarterback storylines that could define the year. Plus, we look at early national title odds, conference favorites, Group of Six playoff contenders, and the broader themes we’ll be tracking all summer as our full preview series gets underway. Also: the Ball-Sac rivalry, North Dakota State’s FBS arrival, the triumph of bike shorts, the return of the Poinsettia Bowl, and a joyous march in the Fleck Parade. Timestamps: 0:00 - Welcome back 3:35 - What is this episode? 6:26 - The Basics 10:20 - Notable Changes 30:16 - New Coaches 35:49 - Announcer Changes 39:52 - Notable…

Topics covered

• college football
• season preview
• conference realignment
• coaching changes
• transfer portal
• national championship

Keywords

• college football
• 2026 season
• conference realignment
• coaching carousel
• transfer portal
• national title odds

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: iHeartPodcasts, North Dakota State

Places: Las Vegas

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