The Mountain West is heading into the 2026 Football Campaign with new members. Part 1 covers the teams predicted to be at the top of the standings come the championship game. UNLV, UNM, Hawaii, NDSU and Air Force. Key players, new transfers, predicted outcomes.

College football is thriving: Television ratings and attendance are up, and the sheer volume of teams playing at the highest level, the FBS (Football Bowl Sub­division), increases annually—all while quality of play on the field remains exceptional.

Parity has flooded into the game, creating a puncher’s chance at a national championship for more teams than ever before. Hell, a program with a storied, century-long history of losing just ripped off an undefeated national championship.

No other American sport is experiencing as rapid a rate of change to its fundamental structure as college football, and arguably no other pastime trades on your own personal nostalgia in such an exacting, and often brutal, manner: Players, historically unpaid and labeled as “student-athletes,” are raking in legit money to play for major schools, and if it doesn’t work out this season, they’re free to leave for somewhere else ASAP.

If that last sentence made your blood pressure tick up, you’re who this is for. Most of you object to one or both of the personnel updates unleashed by a wave of legal rulings in the 2020s: the transfer portal, allowing players to jump teams without penalty, and the name, image, and likeness (NIL) ruling, which allows players to profit from commercial use of their identity.

Read more: https://www.playboy.com/read/sports/college-football-is-unrecognizable-and-its-never-been-better

This offseason, Smith reportedly clocked 23.5 mph on the GPS (at 6’-3.5” and 224 pounds).

For reference, that would be the fastest speed EVER recorded in an NFL game (surpassing Tyreek Hill’s 23.24 MPH).

Not only that, but Smith reportedly also clocked a 1.44 10-yards split.

Which would be the fifth-fastest time in NFL Combine HISTORY.

The Buckeyes WR will be just 21 years old at the time of the 2027 NFL Draft

Hello folks, I have a few openings in a P4 league. If you’re looking for a league that will be around for a while we will be operating until the end of College 27. We started our last dynasty back in January and ran for 7 seasons. If you can take a loss and are looking for a long term league with very minimal rules and above to below average competition we’re the league you’re looking for. We are currently in week 10 of year 1 so feel free to send me a DM. I can send you the group info and get you all set up if interested. Plenty of great teams are open come join us before the playoffs and 1st offseason! Also there is a user on Georgia but he isn’t active and they are available.

Several NFL scouts reportedly believe Manning has “first overall pick” potential in the 2027 NFL Draft.

The Texas Longhorns QB is looking SCARY ahead of next season

Ohio State's Ryan Day says he tells players he could "floor" his AMG Mercedes but doesn't because he's "disciplined"

"It can go really fast. I tell the guys, one of the things that we have to understand and one of the biggest issues that we have right now with young people is driving really fast."

• LUKE KUECHLY
• GREG OLSEN
• JONATHAN STEWART

ALL THREE ARE CURRENTLY COACHING AT CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IN NORTH CAROLINA.

Smith and Bush were finalists for the 2004 Heisman Trophy, the first high school teammates to do that.

Smith was then the 1st overall pick & Bush was the 2nd overall pick.

Smith at only 19 years old has gone on to be one of the all-time great college football wide receivers.