Samwise College Football Newsletter
Friday, July 10, 2026
Ohio State tops ESPN FPI preseason rankings for 2026
Ohio State leads ESPN’s preseason Football Power Index rankings for 2026, earning a score of 28.7 to claim the top spot in the first major predictive rankings release of the preseason. The Buckeyes are followed by Texas, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Georgia rounding out the top five. Indiana’s national championship run earns the Hoosiers the No. 6 slot, while Miami, Alabama, LSU, and Texas Tech complete the top 10. The FPI uses predictive analytics to estimate team strength, making it one of the more objective early-season power gauges available before a single 2026 game has been played.
Sources: Saturday Down South Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Curt Cignetti overtakes Kirby Smart in ESPN’s preseason coach rankings
Indiana’s Curt Cignetti has claimed the No. 1 spot in ESPN’s annual ranking of the best college football coaches, displacing Georgia’s Kirby Smart after Cignetti’s stunning national championship run with the Hoosiers. ESPN’s panel of 10 experts split 5–4–1 in first-place votes, with Cignetti edging Smart by a single vote and Ohio State’s Ryan Day receiving the last. Smart’s defenders note his extraordinary resume — an SEC record of 40–5 since 2021, eight conference title game appearances, and nine consecutive AP top-7 finishes — but Cignetti’s title at a program that hadn’t won a Big Ten championship in decades proved decisive.
Sources: Saturday Down South Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Big 12 Media Days highlights: Deion Sanders and Joey McGuire lead the soundbites
Big 12 Media Days delivered the offseason’s best soundbites Thursday as coaches gathered to address the upcoming season. Colorado’s Deion Sanders and Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire led the quotable moments, with Sanders setting expectations for the Buffaloes and McGuire outlining the Red Raiders’ ambitions heading into what could be a landmark year for the program. The annual media event serves as the unofficial starting gun for the season’s narrative cycle, as coaches addressed conference competition dynamics, NIL developments, and the expanding College Football Playoff landscape ahead of fall camp opening in August.
Tennessee and Adidas reveal all-black ‘Dark Mode’ uniforms for 2026 season
Tennessee and Adidas completed their 2026 uniform reveal trilogy Thursday with the unveiling of the Volunteers’ all-black ‘Dark Mode’ alternate jerseys — the flashiest addition to a new-look suite that also debuted orange and white sets earlier this week. The jerseys debut under Tennessee’s brand-new 10-year deal with Adidas, replacing the Vols’ longtime relationship with Nike. Tennessee last wore a version of the dark uniform against Oklahoma in 2025 and lost 33–27. The Vols open 2026 against Furman on September 5, with a home SEC slate featuring Texas, Alabama, and LSU. Merchandise goes on sale July 10.
Sources: Saturday Down South Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Kentucky’s Will Stein bolsters coaching staff with four new hires
First-year Kentucky head coach Will Stein announced four new staff additions Thursday, continuing an active offseason of program-building at Lexington. Stein, hired this winter to lead the Wildcats through significant transition, has been methodically assembling his coaching and support roster across position groups ahead of fall camp. Kentucky is among the more closely watched rebuilding projects in the SEC heading into 2026, with the program eager to return to the conference’s competitive tier under new leadership. The additions signal Stein’s intent to build sustainable infrastructure as the Wildcats prepare for a challenging schedule that includes multiple top-10 opponents.
Sources: FootballScoop Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
ESPN FPI Preseason Top 10
1. Ohio State (28.7)
2. Texas
3. Notre Dame
4. Oregon
5. Georgia
6. Indiana
7. Miami (FL)
8. Alabama
9. LSU
10. Texas Tech
Preseason Conference Favorites
SEC
Texas ‧ Georgia ‧ Alabama ‧ LSU
Big Ten
Ohio State ‧ Oregon ‧ Indiana
Big 12
Texas Tech
ACC / Ind
Miami (FL) ‧ Notre Dame
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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