Ranking college football's Top 12 post-Spring CFP National Championship contenders

A month after unveiling his post-Spring offseason Top 25 ranking, On3 analyst JD PicKell was asked this week to distinguish which teams he considered legitimate national championship contenders next season. And with the 2026 College Football Playoff still a 12-team field — at least for one more year — PicKell determined his true leading title contenders by highlighting his Top 12 teams.

“Previously, I was the guy that said ‘Don’t expand past four teams with the College Football Playoff because there’s not four teams in any given year that are worthy of contending for a national championship,'” PicKell said Tuesday. “I feel very differently with the way the portal has impacted college football, the way that NIL has impacted college football. I think there’s probably, right now, 12 teams that could legitimately push for a national championship. And it’s my 1 through 12.”

But while there are familiar programs in the mix, including three of the last four national champions ranking among his top seven “strongest” contenders list, PicKell made sure to throw a couple of curveballs into the mix during Tuesday’s Q&A-driven The Hard Count with JD PicKell (and a special appearance by show producer Kaiden Smith).

With that in mind, let’s dive into JD PicKell‘s Top 12 post-Spring national championship contenders. They are broken down between his “strongest” challengers and his “darkhorse” candidates:

1. Georgia Bulldogs

This might be a little bit of a surprise based on how Georgia has fared in the last two Playoffs. After winning back-to-back CFP national titles in 2021 and 2022, the two-time defending SEC champion Bulldogs have gone one-and-done with consecutive defeats in the national quarterfinals.

But PicKell sees something different in this year’s Georgia squad, which returns starting QB Gunner Stockton and RBs Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens. PicKell highlighted the Bulldogs’ superior depth on both sides of the ball, including a “seasoned” defense with experience at all three levels, especially in a secondary led by projected Top 10 picks KJ Bolden at safety and Ellis Robinson IV at corner.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

While the Buckeyes could arguably open next season as the AP preseason No. 1, PicKell has them at No. 2 due in large part to the wealth of defensive talent the team lost to the NFL, including four picks among the Top 11 selections.

Still with an offense led by star WR Jeremiah Smith and sophomore QB Julian Sayin, a returning 2025 Heisman Trophy finalist, Ohio State will undoubtedly be among next season’s national title favorites. Mix in a handful of transfer additions on defense from Alabama and the Buckeyes should challenge for their second national championship in the past three seasons.

3. Oregon Ducks

The Ducks return a majority of last season’s national semifinalist roster after superstar QB Dante Moore bypassed the 2026 NFL Draft to return for another season in Eugene, as did Oregon’s entire starting defensive line. That is led by elite pass rusher Matayo Uiagalelei.

And despite the offseason turnover at coordinator, PicKell is confident the internal promotions will keep the Ducks’ continuity in order, thanks to all the returning talent back in 2026. That includes a healthy Evan Stewart at WR, and an elite secondary that’s boosted by the addition of transfer safety Koi Perich.

4. Miami Hurricanes

Following last season’s surprising Playoff run to the national championship game, the Hurricanes arguably improved following the last-second portal additions. Duke QB-WR tandem Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate headline the class.

If Miami head coach Mario Cristobal can get his rebuilt offensive line in order quickly, the ‘Canes offense will have the elite talent to compete with anybody on this list. That’s emphasized by running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and dynamic receiver Malachi Toney back for another run at a title.

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

After missing out on last year’s CFP, PicKell expects a highly motivated Irish to definitely be in the national championship mix in 2026. Especially given the wealth of talent Notre Dame has coming back.

That begins with sophomore starting QB CJ Carr, who is currently in a dead-heat with Texas’ Arch Manning as the offseason betting favorite to win next year’s Heisman Trophy. The one serious question revolves around the Irish’s rebuilt run game after losing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to the NFL.

6. Texas Longhorns

While many college football pundits are once again projecting the Longhorns as a potential preseason No. 1 and Arch Manning as the favorite to win the 2026 Heisman Trophy, PicKell isn’t jumping on that bandwagon. At least not just yet.

And it has nothing to do with Texas’ elite talent, especially after landing a Top 10-ranked transfer portal class that includes WR Cam Coleman and RBs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers. Still, after last year’s early-season struggles, PicKell needs to see more, especially from its rebuilt offensive line.

7. Indiana Hoosiers

The reigning national champion Hoosiers round out PicKell’s top seven strongest national championship contenders. That is mostly due to how much third-year head coach Curt Cignetti has to replace from last year’s undefeated squad.

Indiana did well to bring in the On3’s No. 1-ranked transfer portal class, including former TCU QB Josh Hoover. But PicKell needs to see more before he crowns them as true national championship contenders once again.

JD PicKell’s 2026-27 National Championship dark horses

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders
9. Oklahoma Sooners
10. Texas A&M Aggies
11. LSU Tigers
12. Ole Miss Rebels

PicKell: “So I think there’s 12 teams, I think it’s a mix of having a quarterback that can take over when you get to that 12-team Playoff, plus having a brand of ball that travels, much like Miami last year.”