Michigan, LSU To CFP? Ranking The 10 Teams Most Likely To Make Debut In 12-Team Format

Expanding the College Football Playoff has led to parity in the sport. After the CFP expanded to a 12-team field in 2024, 20 different programs have made the postseason tournament. Eight teams, including Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Miami (Fla.) made their first CFP appearance in the 12-team format in 2025. With these additional spots, more fans believe their school has a chance to compete for the most important trophy in the sport. So, who will be the next crop of programs to break into the 12-team playoff for the first time in 2026? FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt previewed the 10 teams that are most likely to make their first 12-team College Football Playoff appearance on the latest episode of “The Joel Klatt Show.” Klatt: “Iowa’s had eight-plus wins in the last full 10 seasons. Kirk Ferentz is as consistent as anyone in the sport. … For them, though, it’s about replacing the right players. The offensive linemen from the Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line that was obviously a very good group. Can you replace those players up front? They’ve hit the [transfer] portal for experienced players from the G-5 from the FCS, and I think a lot of those guys will be smart, experienced guys that’ll pay off. … They’ll need one win out of these three — Michigan, Ohio State, Washington.” Klatt: “I like what Jedd Fisch builds. He builds good, quality programs. They got their quarterback Demond Williams back. He’s got four returning starters on the offensive line. I think the big key for Demond Williams is going to be playing better in big games. “Oct. 3, they go to USC … They welcome Iowa in. They welcome Penn State into Iowa Stadium. They have Indiana at home. And then at Oregon in their rivalry game to end the season… They are 25-2 at Husky Stadium [over the last four seasons]. This is one of the great teams in all of Husky Stadium.” Klatt: “Houston is coming off a 10-win season and finishing in the top-25 under Willie Fritz, and Willie Fritz is a really good football coach. They bring back their quarterback, Connor Weigman. He’s got an all-Big 12 wide receiver, Amari Thomas, on the outside. They added Makai Hughes. Remember, Makai Hughes was with Fritz back in the Tulane days, and that worked for them. Makai Hughes went to Oregon. We thought he was going to be a huge contributor for Dan Lanning a year ago, but that didn’t really pan out. So now he’s back with Fritz this time at Houston. “I like what I see. They’ve got a road game at Texas Tech; I don’t love that. They’ve got this critical three-game stretch with Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Utah is going to be a tough one.” Klatt: “I like Arizona here. Brent Brennan is now in Year 3 in Tucson, and he brings back his first-team All-Big 12 quarterback Noah Fifita. He’s going into Year 4 as a starter. … They retain their defensive coordinator, so they’re going to have some continuity there; that’s Danny Gonzalez, who brings a really unique structure, which is hard for teams to prepare for. “They brought some defensive help to fill the portal. They lost a lot of really good players, and particularly out of the secondary, some of those guys to the draft. … Now it’s about the schedule; it’s backloaded. They have an early game at BYU, which is not going to be easy, because BYU is a tough place to play.” Klatt: “It’s just about getting to the conference championship game, and which are the most likely candidates to do that? I think Utah is one of those. Morgan Scalley isn’t going to flip everything upside down in Salt Lake. This guy is a Utah lifer … they’re still going to be aggressive on defense, they’re still going to be good on the offensive line. He’s gotten to learn from Kyle Whittingham. They’re not going anywhere. They got their quarterback back in Devon Dampier. “The schedule sets up nicely for Utah. … They’ve got Idaho, Arkansas, Utah State, at Iowa State, off week, Kansas and at Colorado. I really like their chances at a conference championship game.” Klatt: “Out of the ACC, you have Miami and who? Who else at this point is going to be strong in the ACC? Might be Louisville. … [Last season], they beat Miami on the road. Three of their four losses were by three or less, including two in overtime. “They bring in Lincoln Kienholz from Ohio State — that’s a wait-and-see for me. He’s an older player, but not experienced. … He can rely on his star running back Isaac Brown. … They’ve got 33 transfers coming in. They hit the portal for wide receivers, including Vandy’s leading receiver from last year, Trey Richardson. They brought in a tight end out of the portal, Brody Foley from Tulsa; he got over 500 yards and seven touchdowns last year. They’ve got a really good returning defensive end, Clev Lubin; he’s their best player on defense. “It’s about getting to the ACC Championship, where you’ve got a shot in one game to potentially win a championship and go to the playoff. … Look at their ACC schedule. They don’t have to play Miami. They don’t have to play Clemson. They don’t have to play Virginia, and they don’t have to play Virginia Tech. So for me, they won the ACC schedule lottery.” Klatt: “Let’s say that big question is answered positively, and that Michigan’s got an offense that’s humming against, and they’re Michigan, again. Well guess what? Here’s the tough part: Their schedule is brutal this year. … They’ve got to play Oklahoma. They’ve got to play Iowa. They’ve got to host Penn State. They’ve got to host Indiana. They’ve got to play Oregon. They’ve got to go to Ohio State. It’s a ridiculously difficult schedule, there’s no doubt. “I do think it’s one of those schedules that, because they’re willing to play and hang on to one of these tough, marquee non-conference games, there is a chance that Michigan would get consideration, if not love, at the end of the season, even as a 9-3. … With that schedule, if you’re facing Ohio State with the right to go to [the CFP], that would be a huge win.” Klatt: “I’m bullish on USC. They have not made a playoff. And I think this is a team that could absolutely make a playoff run this year. I think Lincoln [Riley] finally has the team that can play requisite football at the line of scrimmage. … They showed me signs. I thought the game against Michigan, the game against Iowa — those were tough, hard-nosed wins. “They were quietly one of the best teams in the country at home. They were 7-0. And now this year, they get Oregon, Washington and Ohio State at home. Klatt: “BYU was oh so close a year ago. They were in that Big 12 Championship Game, and they came up short. Now they came up short because of their offense. They couldn’t do anything against that [Texas] Tech defense. … Both losses last year for Kelani Sitake and BYU were to Texas Tech. Texas Tech was very good and BYU was 12-2. “BYU should be in the Big 12 Championship Game. They’re too consistent a program. They got their quarterback back. I love this program. … I love Bear Bachmeier’s one heck of a player. He and LJ Martin are going to need to lead this offense. They get three starters back in the secondary. Should be one of the best defenses in the Big 12.” Klatt: “If they don’t make the playoff, I’m going to be very surprised. … Obviously, they were in the four-team playoff. That’s the only CFP that LSU has been to — the Joe Burrow year. That’s shocking. That’s why Lane Kiffin is there. “Kiffin’s got 10-plus wins in four of his last seasons at Ole Miss. This guy can coach. … This is absolutely the no-brainer of no-brainers. This team screams playoff this year. … I think [Sam] Leavitt is a really good player. I think it’s going to be a team that is very good. I think they can be better on defense. They’re certainly gonna be better on offense. And I’m going to be surprised if LSU is not a 10-win team.”