Oregon, Texas A&M among six college football teams confronting major regression in 2026

Growth isn't linear, and that's especially true in this current era of college football . A successful season one year is not a guarantee of another, and with how quickly rosters can change in the portal era, plenty of teams find themselves at the midpoint of the 2026 season wondering what happened to the optimism and hope surrounding their program last year. A wild coaching carousel last year added to the chaos of the portal, and a handful of teams who exited the 2025 season feeling like they were on the ascension have come crashing back to earth in 2026.