College Football Superlatives: Previewing Every Big Storyline for the 2026 Season

With new coaches, a reshuffled conference landscape, and a fresh playoff format, the 2026 college football season gets underway soon. Indiana is entering as the defending champion, while major storylines include Lane Kiffin starting over at LSU and Arch Manning returning again for Texas. The piece assigns “superlatives” to players and coaches as a preview: Arch Manning is labeled Most Likely to Be a Star after a 3,100-yard, 26-touchdown season in which Texas went 10-3 and missed the playoff. Kirby Smart earns Most Likely to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse for Georgia’s physical approach. Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) is named Most Athletic as he chases elite receiving marks. Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss) is Best Smile, and Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame) is Team Mascot.