Tearz49ers Presents: The North Remembers

[Baze]

I played this team most recently using Washington - they are certainly a tricky team to deal with and there is a lot of potential on both ends of the field. Hopefully you can unlock Lindsey while Darius Taylor remains a force, and on defense that defensive line needs to come alive to help the back end.

[Captain Canada]

Got some solid weapons on offense that could certainly do damage in Year 1.

[Tearz49ers]

[redsox907]

you gonna need to empty the bag to get the 4th overall prospect to go to Minny

love the breakdown

[Tearz49ers]

I played this team most recently using Washington - they are certainly a tricky team to deal with and there is a lot of potential on both ends of the field. Hopefully you can unlock Lindsey while Darius Taylor remains a force, and on defense that defensive line needs to come alive to help the back end.

I think with Lindsey it will be about those short to mid range passes, if he can do that well then the offense will be able to utilise a two threat punch with handing the ball off to Taylor. The defensive line is going to rely alot on Anthony Smith and T.J Bush that's for sure, and we will need them to disrupt the pocket because the linebacking core isn't the strongest.

Got some solid weapons on offense that could certainly do damage in Year 1.

Definitely enough talent to cause a few problems in the first season for sure!

you gonna need to empty the bag to get the 4th overall prospect to go to Minny

love the breakdown

The fact he is an instate recruit I couldn't not add him to the board, as you say it's going to take a full bag to persuade him to come here, but I'm hoping Warner's winning ways and building teams will help with that also!

[Soapy]

recruiting board

[Tearz49ers]

recruiting board

Thank you, my friend. I can't say I ever want to do it again!

[Captain Canada]

That breakdown is gorgeous. You can tell a ton of work went into it

[Tearz49ers]

College football is finally back, and as the 2026 season prepares to get underway, there might not have been a more intriguing national picture in recent years. Twelve months ago, few would have predicted that Indiana would be standing alone at the top of the sport, but Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers ripped up the script, completing a perfect 16-0 season and capturing the first National Championship in program history. Now the challenge is doing it all again, only this time there will be no element of surprise. Ohio State begins the new campaign as the No. 1 team in the country after falling short of its own championship expectations last season, whilst Dan Lanning and No. 2 Oregon continue their pursuit of the one prize that has so far escaped them. Notre Dame enters at No. 3 with CJ Carr back under center, and a roster Marcus Freeman believes is capable of taking the Fighting Irish all the way, whilst Kirby Smart and Georgia find themselves sitting somewhat unusually at No. 4 despite remaining one of the deepest and most talented programs in college football. Then, perhaps fittingly, defending National Champion Indiana begins its title defense at No. 5, with Josh Hoover facing the unenviable task of replacing Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. Five teams, five very different stories and the same ultimate goal. The road to the 2027 National Championship begins here.



Ohio State begins the season as the No. 1 team in the country, and there is certainly enough talent in Columbus to justify that ranking. The Buckeyes finished last season 12-2 after going unbeaten through the regular season. Still, defeats in the Big Ten Championship Game and College Football Playoff brought what had looked like another potential National Championship season to a disappointing end.

The good news for Ryan Day is that Julian Sayin returns at quarterback after establishing himself as one of the best young quarterbacks in college football last season. Sayin was a Heisman Trophy finalist in his first full year as the starter and now enters 2026 with another year of experience and arguably the best receiver in the country lining up alongside him.

That receiver is, of course, Jeremiah Smith. Smith has already caught 163 passes for more than 2,500-yards and 27 touchdowns through his first two seasons and somehow still has another year of college football ahead of him. Bo Jackson returns at running back, Brandon Inniss gives Sayin another experienced target, and four starters return along the offensive line. New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith shouldn't have too much trouble finding ways to score points with this group.

There are slightly more questions defensively after several starters departed for the NFL, but Ohio State doesn't exactly struggle to replace talent. Matt Patricia remains in charge of the defense, and players such as Eddrick Houston and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. will now be expected to step into larger roles. There probably isn't a more talented roster from top to bottom in college football, and after the way last season ended, Ohio State will enter 2026 with one goal in mind.



At some point, Dan Lanning has to get Oregon over the line. The Ducks have become one of the most consistent programs in college football under Lanning and finished last season 13-2, but once again their National Championship hopes ended before they could reach the final.

Both of those defeats came against Indiana.

The second was particularly painful as the Ducks were beaten 56-22 by the Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff semifinal, ending another season in which Oregon looked capable of winning its first National Championship. Lanning has built the roster to compete with anybody in the country; now Oregon has to prove it can finish the job.

Dante Moore gives them every chance of doing exactly that. Moore turned down the opportunity to enter the NFL Draft and returns after completing 72 percent of his passes for 3,565-yards and 30 touchdowns last season. He wasn't perfect, throwing ten interceptions and struggling in that playoff defeat against Indiana, but another year in Eugene could turn Moore into one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison give Oregon plenty of talent in the backfield, whilst Dakorien Moore looks ready to take another step at receiver. The Ducks also return eight starters from a defense that allowed fewer than 18 points per game last season. Oregon doesn't really have an obvious weakness on paper. The question isn't whether the Ducks are talented enough to win a National Championship anymore; it's whether this is finally the year they do it.



Notre Dame might enter the season with the biggest point to prove of anyone inside the Top 5.

Marcus Freeman's Fighting Irish finished last season 10-2 but were controversially left out of the College Football Playoff, bringing their season to an end without even getting the opportunity to prove whether they belonged amongst the best teams in the country. There should be no shortage of motivation in South Bend because of it.

CJ Carr returns after an excellent first season as the starting quarterback. Carr threw for 2,741 yards with 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions and enters his sophomore season with expectations considerably higher than they were twelve months ago. With Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price both gone, Notre Dame's offense will now belong to Carr.

Replacing Love might be the biggest concern. He rushed for 1,372 yards last season and was one of the most dangerous offensive players in college football, whilst Price gave Notre Dame another legitimate threat out of the backfield. Aneyas Williams will be asked to take on a larger role, and Ohio State transfers Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham have been added to a receiving group that already includes Jordan Faison.

Defensively, there is plenty to like. Boubacar Traore, Drayk Bowen, Leonard Moore and Brauntae Johnson give Notre Dame proven talent at every level, and Freeman has continued to recruit extremely well. Notre Dame has been knocking on the door for the last few seasons, and the expectation has changed in South Bend. Making the playoff isn't the goal anymore. This is a roster expected to compete for the National Championship.



It feels unusual seeing Georgia sitting as low as No. 4 going into a season, which probably tells you everything you need to know about what Kirby Smart has built in Athens.

Georgia finished 12-2 last season and once again established itself amongst the best teams in college football. The Bulldogs may no longer carry quite the same feeling of invincibility that surrounded those back-to-back National Championship teams, but anyone writing Georgia off probably hasn't been paying attention to what Smart has done over the last decade.

Gunner Stockton returns for his senior season after completing almost 70 percent of his passes for 2,894-yards, 24 touchdowns and just five interceptions last year. Stockton finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting, and although he doesn't receive the same attention as some of the other quarterbacks inside the Top 5, Georgia knows exactly what it has under center.

The concern is what surrounds him. Zachariah Branch, Colbie Young, Dillon Bell and Noah Thomas are all gone from last season's receiving corps, leaving London Humphreys as one of the few proven returning options. Georgia added Georgia Tech transfer Isaiah Canion whilst Talyn Taylor, Sacovie White-Helton and Landon Roldan will all be expected to take on larger roles.

Defense will once again be where Georgia expects to separate itself. Smart continues to recruit defensive talent at a level few programs can match, and the Bulldogs return a large portion of last season's production. Georgia might not be the fashionable choice to win it all going into 2026, but we've seen enough over the years to know that probably suits Kirby Smart just fine.



Yes, you read that correctly.

The Indiana Hoosiers will begin the 2026 season as defending National Champions.

What Curt Cignetti achieved in Bloomington last season was one of the most remarkable stories college football has ever seen. Indiana went a perfect 16-0, defeated Ohio State to win its first outright Big Ten Championship since 1945 and then rolled through Alabama and Oregon in the College Football Playoff before defeating Miami 27-21 to win the first National Championship in program history.

Now comes the difficult part.

Doing it again.

Indiana loses the player who became the face of that Championship season in Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza became the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and replacing him would normally leave a huge question mark over an offense, but Cignetti once again went into the transfer portal and found one of the most experienced quarterbacks available.

Former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover takes over under center and brings plenty of experience with him. Hoover isn't Mendoza and expecting him to immediately reproduce what the Heisman winner did last season would be unfair, but he has already played a lot of college football, and his ability in Indiana's RPO-heavy offense should make the transition considerably easier.

Indiana still has weapons around him. Charlie Becker and Omar Cooper Jr. give Hoover talent on the outside, whilst Cignetti has once again used the portal to fill holes across the roster. The offensive line contains plenty of veteran experience and although there are questions surrounding the running back and tight end positions, this isn't an offense that needs to be completely rebuilt.

The defense might ultimately decide whether Indiana can genuinely defend its Championship. Mikail Kamara and several important pieces are gone, but defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker returns to anchor the defensive front, and Cignetti has continued to build through a mixture of transfers and developing players already inside the program.

Nobody is going to overlook Indiana anymore.

The Hoosiers aren't the incredible underdog story they were when Cignetti first arrived in Bloomington. They aren't trying to prove they belong alongside Ohio State, Oregon and the traditional powers of college football.

They've already beaten them.

Indiana enters 2026 with a target on its back, and for the first time in program history every opponent on the schedule will know they're playing the defending National Champions.

Now we find out whether Curt Cignetti has built a great team...

Or a great program.

[Tearz49ers]

That breakdown is gorgeous. You can tell a ton of work went into it

Just trying to pull out all the stops on my return! All be it adding time to my updates, but once I have a base that's easy to update, then I am good to go