End of Season Championships and Awards
AP -- Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed has officially been named the 2026 Heisman Trophy winner, winning the trophy over USC quarterback Jayden Maiava, Texas quarterback Arch Manning, and Virginia quarterback Eli Holstein. Reed becomes the first Aggie quarterback to win the trophy since Johnny "Football" Manziel became the first freshman in history to win the award back in 2012.
Reed led the Aggies with 2,802 passing yards for 21 touchdowns to only one interception thrown all season. This paired with Reed's impressive 68% completion percentage and his outstanding play on the ground to the tune of 921 rushing yards and 13 more touchdowns led to him taking the trophy after Maiava was leading the polls all season long. Manning made a late surge in the season after some impressive wins for his Texas Longhorns while Holstein led the Cavaliers in an improbably push to becoming the #2 ranked school in the nation.
Reed will also pick up the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and the Paul Hornung Trophy along with a 1st-team All-American team position while Maiava was named the Davey O'Brien Award winner.
Another important thing to note was just how dominant the Georgia Bulldogs' defense landed amongst trophy winners, along with California's Ian Strong winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best receiver over Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, who was the heavy favorite going into the Big Ten Championship Game that saw the Buckeyes fall once again to their hated rivals, the Michigan Wolverines.
Conference Championship Results
C-USA Championship
Delaware (7-6, 6-2) 3 at Jacksonville State 17
PAC-12 Championship
San Diego State (8-5, 5-3) 16 at #12 Boise State (11-2, 8-0) 33
MWC Championship
#24 UNLV (10-3, 6-2) 17 at New Mexico (8-5, 6-2) 24
ACC Championship
#2 Virginia (12-1, 8-1) 38 at #12 Miami (10-3, 8-1) 31
Big 12 Championship
#13 BYU (10-3, 7-2) 17 at #11 Colorado (11-2, 8-1) 20
MAC Championship
Buffalo (8-5, 6-2) 35 at Kent State (9-4, 7-1 56
Sun Belt Championship
James Madison (8-5, 6-2) 30 at Arkansas State (10-3, 8-0) 31
American Championship
North Texas (5-7, 5-3) 35 at Tulsa (10-3, 7-1) 45
SEC Championship
#8 Texas (9-4, 7-2) 27 at #4 Georgia (11-2, 7-2) 35
Big Ten Championship
#5 Ohio State (11-2, 8-1) 22 at #1 Michigan (12-1, 8-1) 24
AP -- Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed has officially been named the 2026 Heisman Trophy winner, winning the trophy over USC quarterback Jayden Maiava, Texas quarterback Arch Manning, and Virginia quarterback Eli Holstein. Reed becomes the first Aggie quarterback to win the trophy since Johnny "Football" Manziel became the first freshman in history to win the award back in 2012.
Reed led the Aggies with 2,802 passing yards for 21 touchdowns to only one interception thrown all season. This paired with Reed's impressive 68% completion percentage and his outstanding play on the ground to the tune of 921 rushing yards and 13 more touchdowns led to him taking the trophy after Maiava was leading the polls all season long. Manning made a late surge in the season after some impressive wins for his Texas Longhorns while Holstein led the Cavaliers in an improbably push to becoming the #2 ranked school in the nation.
Reed will also pick up the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and the Paul Hornung Trophy along with a 1st-team All-American team position while Maiava was named the Davey O'Brien Award winner.
Another important thing to note was just how dominant the Georgia Bulldogs' defense landed amongst trophy winners, along with California's Ian Strong winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best receiver over Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, who was the heavy favorite going into the Big Ten Championship Game that saw the Buckeyes fall once again to their hated rivals, the Michigan Wolverines.
Conference Championship Results
C-USA Championship
Delaware (7-6, 6-2) 3 at Jacksonville State 17
PAC-12 Championship
San Diego State (8-5, 5-3) 16 at #12 Boise State (11-2, 8-0) 33
MWC Championship
#24 UNLV (10-3, 6-2) 17 at New Mexico (8-5, 6-2) 24
ACC Championship
#2 Virginia (12-1, 8-1) 38 at #12 Miami (10-3, 8-1) 31
Big 12 Championship
#13 BYU (10-3, 7-2) 17 at #11 Colorado (11-2, 8-1) 20
MAC Championship
Buffalo (8-5, 6-2) 35 at Kent State (9-4, 7-1 56
Sun Belt Championship
James Madison (8-5, 6-2) 30 at Arkansas State (10-3, 8-0) 31
American Championship
North Texas (5-7, 5-3) 35 at Tulsa (10-3, 7-1) 45
SEC Championship
#8 Texas (9-4, 7-2) 27 at #4 Georgia (11-2, 7-2) 35
Big Ten Championship
#5 Ohio State (11-2, 8-1) 22 at #1 Michigan (12-1, 8-1) 24
2026 College Football Awards
National Awards
| Award | Player | Pos | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heisman Trophy | Marcel Reed | QB | Texas A&M |
| Maxwell Award | Marcel Reed | QB | Texas A&M |
| Doak Walker Award | Mark Fletcher Jr. | HB | Miami |
| Biletnikoff Award | Ian Strong | WR | California |
| Davey O'Brien Award | Jayden Maiava | QB | USC |
| Jim Thorpe Award | Brandon Jones | SS | North Texas |
| Outland Trophy | Luke Montgomery | OG | Ohio State |
| Dick Butkus Award | Raylen Wilson | MIKE | Georgia |
| Walter Camp Award | Marcel Reed | QB | Texas A&M |
| Bear Bryant COTY Award | Kirby Smart | HB | Georgia |
| Chuck Bednarik Award | Raylen Wilson | MIKE | Georgia |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Raylen Wilson | MIKE | Georgia |
| Lombardi Award | Elijah Griffin | DT | Georgia |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award | Jayden Maiava | QB | USC |
| Edge Rusher of the Year | Damon Wilson II | EDGE | Miami |
| John Mackey Award | Trey'Dez Green | TE | LSU |
| Broyles Award | Chris Ash | DC | Notre Dame |
| Rimington Trophy | Brady Small | C | Army |
| Lou Groza Award | Collin Rogers | K | Florida Atlantic |
| Ray Guy Award | Aaron Westberry | P | San Diego State |
| Jet Award | Derrick McFall | HB | SMU |
| Shaun Alexander Award | George MacIntyre | QB | Tennessee |
| Paul Hornung Award | Marcel Reed | QB | Texas A&M |
All-American First Team
| Pos | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Marcel Reed | Texas A&M |
| RB | Mark Fletcher Jr. | Nate Frazier | Miami | Georgia |
| WR | Ian Strong | Jeremiah Smith | Cameron Bates | California | Ohio State | Boise State |
| TE | Trey'Dez Green | LSU |
| OT | Carter Smith | Monroe Mills | Indiana | Virginia |
| OG | Luke Montgomery | Austin Siereveld | Ohio State |
| C | Brady Small | Army |
| DE | Braylan Shelby | Clev Lubin | USC | Louisville |
| DT | Elijah Griffin | Francis Brewu | Georgia | Notre Dame |
| LB | Jayden Wayne | Raylen Wilson | Nathaniel Staehling | California | Georgia | Michigan |
| CB | Judge Collier | Brice Pollock | South Carolina | Texas Tech |
| S | Marcus Ratcliffe | Brandon Jones | Texas A&M | North Texas |
| K | Collin Rogers | Florida Atlantic |
| P | Aaron Westberry | San Diego State |
All-MAC First Team
| Pos | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Noah Kim | Eastern Michigan |
| RB | Jalen Buckley | Austyn Dendy | Western Michigan | Bowling Green |
| WR | Nick Devereaux | Da'Realyst Clark | Patrick Clacks III | Eastern Michigan | Kent State | Buffalo |
| TE | Reece Adkins | UMass |
| OT | Greg Knox | Tristan Cook | UMass | Ball State |
| OG | Hunter Whitenack | Matthew Nehf | Western Michigan | Central Michigan |
| C | Nicholas Gallegos | Eastern Michigan |
| DE | Carson Nogel | Bai Jobe | Ohio | Miami University |
| DT | Ronald Hull | Joey VanWetzinga | Akron | Central Michigan |
| LB | Daven Adams | Langston Long | CJ Young | Bowling Green | Toledo | Miami University |
| CB | Amariyun Knighten | Matthew McKenzie | Miami University | Central Michigan |
| S | Boogsie Silvera | Dillon Tatum | Sacramento State | Miami University |
| K | Reice Griffith | Toledo |
| P | Emilio Duran | Toledo |
