Ranking college football's Top 5 revenge games of the 2026 season

ESPN unveiled kickoff times and television assignments for more than two dozen of college football’s biggest games of the upcoming 2026 season on Tuesday. And while there was a focus on several prominent early-season matchups, ESPN also included some of college football’s most anticipated regular-season showdowns — including several vital rivalry games.

Within that list of ABC/ESPN games was an array of key “revenge” games for some of the sport’s biggest brands, including SEC powerhouses Alabama and Texas. Following Tuesday’s announcement, On3’s JD PicKell joined the Crain & Cone show crew to determine next season’s Top 5 “revenge games” of 2026.

Without further ado, let’s check out the Top 5 revenge games for the 2026 college football season:

1. LSU at Ole Miss (Sept. 19)

This is THE revenge game of 2026, as both teams have plenty of reason for retribution. Ole Miss’ 24-19 win sparked LSU’s disastrous 2025 season that led to a coaching change last season. But this one’s personal after the way Lane Kiffin spurned the College Football Playoff-bound Rebels to take over at rival Tigers last November. Now Kiffin returns to town and even the Oxford (Miss.) Police expect a chaotic affair. This one won’t be for the faint of heart with an unheard-of level of venom and vitriol expected from both fanbases, which will no doubt be well-sauced given its 7:30 pm ET kickoff.

Jake Crain: “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but you can include Ohio State-Michigan and Auburn-Alabama, I think there’s going to be more hate in this one. Like pure, unadulterated hate. Think about the two tsunamis about to hit each other. … It’s got like 300 vibes.”

2. Miami at Notre Dame (Nov. 7)

The infamous “Catholics vs. Convicts” rivalry series between two of college football’s premier programs takes on extra significance in 2026, especially after last season’s Selection Sunday controversy. The CFP selection committee specifically cited Miami’s 27-24 season-opening win over Notre Dame as THE determining factor in the ‘Canes earning 2025’s final at-large bid after both finished the regular season with the same overall record. The Irish haven’t forgotten that snub and have wanted revenge ever since.

JD PicKell: “And the fact that this game is in November, too, makes it feel a little more Playoff-y, which it may very well be for Miami and Notre Dame, respectively. … It should be extremely personal for Notre Dame, and I can’t wait to see it go down with the backdrop of Touchdown Jesus. It’s going to be electrifying.”

3. Texas at Texas A&M (Nov. 27)

The Lone Star Showdown is one of college football’s most bitter and heated rivalries. It also represents the third opportunity for third-year Aggies head coach Mike Elko to finally secure his first win in the series. Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns have swept the first two games since the series resumed in 2024 following a 13-year hiatus, including a 27-17 win in Austin last season. This Week 13 rivalry has also involved serious CFP and SEC ramifications each of the past two years, and 2026 should be no different.

David Cone: “I actually had this at No. 2, … because it is a historic rivalry with a lot of vitriol, but we got deprived of it for so long. … It’s been very exciting with Texas coming over to the SEC, and both years it’s had implications for the postseason. To me, Texas A&M has to go get this one on Nov. 27.”

4. Ohio State at Texas (Sept. 12)

While not a season-opening matchup like it was a year ago, this Week 2 showdown in Austin will undoubtedly be circled on the calendars of every Texas football player and fan after falling short in a 14-7 loss to open the 2025 season in Columbus. It was a particularly difficult debut for Arch Manning, who was making his first start as Texas’ QB1 after two years as the backup. Both teams return second-year starting QBs with Manning and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin leading two of the sport’s most explosive offenses.

JD PicKell: “You’d hope it’s a redemption game for Arch, because even though the numbers weren’t quite as bad as they felt watching the game a year ago, we all left that game Week 1 saying like, ‘Hang on, Arch, what?’ … With (it being) his fourth year in the system, having this game at home, this feels like a spot for Arch Manning to exercise some demons.”

5. Florida State at Alabama (Sept. 19)

Last but hardly least, especially for Crimson Tide fans, is the return game from last season’s disastrous season-opening loss in Tallahassee. Despite Alabama entering the 2025 season ranked in the Top 10, it was Florida State that opened the year 1-0 after handing the visiting Tide an embarrassing 31-17 beatdown. Of course, both programs went in diverging directions after the game, with Alabama rallying to make the Playoffs while FSU suffered through a second consecutive losing season at 5-7 overall.

Jake Crain: “If you’re Alabama playing this game Week 3 or Week 4, you want to make a statement to the world that that was a fluke, and this team should’ve beaten the breaks off Florida State last year. I would not be surprised if Kalen DeBoer doesn’t stop running it up in T-Town.”