Blake Biscardi and Conner Smith give their 2026 College Football season predictions, conference championship game picks, and CFP brackets.
The 2026 college football season is here, and Saturday Cadence is back with Blake Biscardi and Conner Smith making predictions for how the race to the College Football Playoff will unfold.
Conner Smith (@CSmithMedia) of Buckeye Huddle joined me to discuss the biggest storylines entering the season, from transfer portal spending and NIL to conference realignment and the impact of several first-year head coaches.
Among the biggest storylines are Lane Kiffin taking over at LSU, James Franklin beginning his tenure at Virginia Tech, and Pete Golding leading Ole Miss. Our conversation eventually turned to the conference races and the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Conference Championship Predictions
ACC
Miami (12-1) over Louisville (10-3)
The ACC is expected to be top-heavy, with Miami projected to defeat Louisville in the conference championship game. Conner also has the Hurricanes but projects Miami to defeat Pittsburgh instead.
Big 12
Texas Tech (11-2) over BYU (10-3)
Both of us agree in the Big 12, Texas Tech is the pick to finish ahead of BYU and claim the conference title.
SEC
Georgia (11-2) over Texas (10-3)
The SEC could be the most difficult conference to predict, as the transfer portal is creating greater parity throughout the league. Conner and I both pick Georgia to emerge from the cluster and defeat LSU (Conner) and Texas (me) in the SEC Championship Game.
Big Ten
Ohio State (12-1) over Oregon (12-1)
In the Big Ten, Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana headline a loaded group at the top of the conference. The Buckeyes are projected to defeat Oregon and claim the Big Ten Championship for the first time since 2020. Conner has the same game with the opposite outcome.
College Football Playoff Bracket
I have Ohio State entering the College Football Playoff as the No. 1 seed, with Notre Dame at No. 2, Oregon at No. 3, and Miami at No. 4.
My opening-round winners are (9) Oklahoma over (8) Ole Miss, (5) Georgia over (12) Boise State, (7) Indiana over (10) Texas Tech, and (6) Texas over (11) USC.
From there, (1) Ohio State advances past (9) Oklahoma, while (4) Miami eliminates (5) Georgia. (2) Notre Dame defeats (7) Indiana, and (6) Texas gets past (3) Oregon.
That sets up a semifinal matchup between (1) Ohio State and (4) Miami, with the Buckeyes advancing to the national championship. On the other side of the bracket, (2) Notre Dame defeats (6) Texas to earn its spot in the title game.
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame: National Championship
I am picking the Buckeyes to finish the season on top of the sport and win their second national championship in three years.
However, Conner has a different path, as seen above. His bracket also features several of the same national contenders, but he ultimately sees Georgia defeating Notre Dame for the title.
Blake Biscardi serves as Co-Founder, Lead Reporter, and Senior Editor of The Silver Bulletin. He hosts the Buckeye Cadence podcast, where he breaks down Ohio State football and basketball with an inside look into the programs. Covering Julian Sayin in New York City in 2025 was his Heisman moment, which became a viral moment in its own right. Biscardi is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and has degrees in Business Administration and Strategic Communication & Leadership.