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By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports
Narratives, narratives, narratives.
The entire college football landscape is driven by perception and propaganda.
All season long, all we heard from ESPN was that the SEC is the most dominant league. But what did we get on the field? Another season with the national champion coming from the Big Ten.
At a certain point, you must concede the truth: The Big Ten is the best.
And in the context of the teams out West, the truth changes the power structure. The results of this year’s Playoff crystalized the pecking order.
There is a massive gap between the Big 12 and the Big Ten. Texas Tech getting embarrassed by Oregon was just the cherry on top.
And now, with a new year upon us, these rankings will reflect that gap.
Moving forward, the conference hierarchy is clear. It goes: Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, then the Mountain West.
The ACC, through Cal and Stanford, remains in the mix as well. The Bay Area schools will vary in hierarchical order depending on the individual success of each school.
With all that in mind, here’s my Way-Too-Early Power Ranking for the 2026 Season.
1. Oregon
The top team in the West remains the Oregon Ducks.
Consistently knocking on the door, it’s only a matter of time until they break through.
Curt Cignetti’s success with less talent potentially puts more pressure on Dan Lanning. But having gone 48-8 and built an enviable culture in Eugene over his first four seasons as a head coach, Lanning’s ceiling remains exceptionally high at age 39.
Cignetti, a crafty 64-year-old with 16 years of head coaching experience, went 34-12 in his first four campaigns, making his first subdivision national title appearance in Year Nine.
2. USC
There’s nothing more embarrassing than hyping up a USC team that ends up falling on its face.
That was the case too often during the Pac-12 era. But this is different.
The Big Ten has clearly established itself in the new college football landscape, and USC is trending up.
Recruiting is red hot, and Lincoln Riley runs a capable offensive system.
Don’t overlook the Trojans heading into the new season.
3. BYU
If Texas Tech was that far off, then what does it say about BYU?
Sure, the Cougars beat Georgia Tech in a close, meaningless game. It was a good win. But if Oregon did that to the Red Raiders, what would they have done to BYU?
Perceptions matter, but results matter even more. And the Big 12 is down bad.
If you think it was hard for BYU to get respect last year, the 2026 season is going to be even worse.
4. Washington
Credit the lawyers who drafted the contract with Demond Williams Jr. The language may have kept him in Seattle and saved Washington’s season.
The awkwardness of the situation will be a unique challenge to overcome. But success will make people forget.
And the Dawgs are poised for a strong season. The team still needs to get over the proverbial hump.
Yet, the foundation is in place.
5. Utah
It’s entirely possible that the Utes committed an all-time fumble by letting Kyle Whittingham go. How he does at Michigan will be telling.
But Morgan Scalley has been the coach in waiting for years, and the program has prepared for this moment.
Losing several coaches to the Wolverines was not a good look, though, and is less than ideal.
Still, coming off an 11-win season with your starting quarterback and top running back returning makes for a good situation.
6. Arizona State
The Sun Devils enter the season with new weapons on offense.
Kenny Dillingham crushed the portal at the wide receiver position and brought in quarterback Cutter Boley from Kentucky to lead the offense.
The 15-to-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio is not great, though, and Boley’s 1.3 average yards per rush doesn’t inspire confidence.
Even so, Arizona State did well in the portal and should be a fringe Top 25 team to start the year.
7. Arizona
Noah Fifita enters his redshirt senior season as the best quarterback in program history.
With a year of Seth Doege’s offensive system under his belt, the Arizona offense could be even stronger in 2026.
Tre Spivey III is one of the top wide receivers in the Big 12, and Gio Richardson is set for a breakout year. On the other side of the ball, Danny Gonzales is one of the top defensive coordinators in the country.
Expectations are growing in Tucson.
8. California
It’s a new era in Berkeley with Tosh Lupoi leading the program.
When he was hired, it was an open question whether Lupoi could attract talent in the portal the way Justin Wilcox did. But currently holding the nation’s No. 13 transfer class, per 247Sports, that question has been answered.
Miami’s success in the Playoff helped boost the ACC’s reputation, which has a mild benefit on the Bears.
But more importantly, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele returns for his sophomore year with high expectations.
9. Boise State
The Pac-12 era begins for Boise State in 2026. It’s a fresh start for one of the West’s marquee programs.
Yet, the world hasn’t forgotten about the blowout loss to Washington in the LA Bowl. The result was concerning.
The Broncos are very far off from what’s considered, frankly, a mid-tier team in the Big Ten. How does the transition to the Pac-12 change perceptions?
That’s what the upcoming season is all about. At the very least, it starts with a dose of reality.
10. New Mexico
There’s something brewing in Albuquerque. The performance in the Rate Bowl against a Big Ten opponent was respectable.
Jason Eck is quickly emerging as one of the top coaches in the West. Realistically, New Mexico was lucky that he didn’t get poached by a bigger fish.
Now entering Year Two in the Duke City with a fractured Mountain West, it’s easy to say UNM is a favorite to win the league.
Don’t forget about the Lobos.
Next Up: UNLV, Washington State, San Diego State
Miller covers College Basketball and College Football as well as Formula 1 racing as a Senior Writer and Assistant Editor for SuperWest Sports.
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