{"id":141816,"date":"2026-08-05T17:15:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T21:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/three-teams-ranked-outside-the-top-12-of-the-coaches-poll-who-will-make-the-college-football-playoff-141816"},"modified":"2026-08-05T17:15:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T21:15:07","slug":"three-teams-ranked-outside-the-top-12-of-the-coaches-poll-who-will-make-the-college-football-playoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/three-teams-ranked-outside-the-top-12-of-the-coaches-poll-who-will-make-the-college-football-playoff-141816","title":{"rendered":"Three teams ranked outside the top-12 of the Coaches Poll who will make the College Football Playoff"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

There are certain indicators that the college football<\/a> season is right around the corner, and one of the biggest telltale signs is the release of the preseason polls.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, the USA Today Coaches Poll dropped and had plenty of fans arguing online about the rankings of certain teams as well as the merits of preseason polls<\/a> in general.<\/p>\n

While I don’t have much of an issue with how the rankings came out, outside of a few spots here and there, I would like to identify a few teams that I believe will outperform their preseason ranking.<\/p>\n

ONE OF THESE EIGHT COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAMS WILL BE HOISTING THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY IN 2026<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

To be clear, the Coaches Poll isn’t the same as the College Football Playoff Rankings, but the top-12 of the preseason polls in a given year is generally indicative of who everyone thinks will be in the big dance come December.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, here are three teams from outside the top-12 that will make the College Football Playoff<\/a> in 2026.<\/p>\n

Maybe I’m just drinking the Lane Kiffin-laced Kool-Aid, but I have a hard time seeing the LSU Tigers<\/a> missing the CFP in 2026 given everything we know about them.<\/p>\n

The hiring of Kiffin alone turned the Bayou Bengals into Playoff contenders almost overnight, but it goes beyond just the head coach.<\/p>\n

WHAT DOES A REALISTICALLY SUCCESSFUL FIRST YEAR LOOK LIKE FOR HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN AT LSU?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Both coordinators are considered some of the best in college, with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and defensive coordinator Blake Baker likely headlining preseason Broyles Award watchlists.<\/p>\n

When you pair that coaching triumvirate with the reported $40 million roster that’s been put in place, which includes the nation’s top-ranked transfer portal class, you start to realize LSU is working with some serious firepower.<\/p>\n

I think 13 is a little low for this iteration of the Tigers, but I also doubt they’ll be sneaking up on anyone.<\/p>\n

Despite his public pleas for patience, Kiffin understands the elevated expectations at LSU, and I believe a Playoff appearance in 2026 is in the cards.<\/p>\n

It’s also the bare minimum in terms of accomplishments he will need to achieve to keep the heat off his back in year one.<\/p>\n

Just two seasons ago, the SMU Mustangs shocked the college football world by making the Playoff in their first year in the ACC.<\/p>\n

The Ponies took a step back in 2025 in terms of record, but when you peel the layers back, you realize how close they were to repeating as ACC representatives in the CFP.<\/p>\n

That includes a double-overtime loss to Baylor<\/a> in week two, and their only two losses in conference play came by a combined five points.<\/p>\n

SMU HEAD COACH RHETT LASHLEE POURS GASOLINE ON FIRE, DISPARAGES SUN BELT’S CLAIM TO CFP BERTH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

SMU ranks inside the top-25 in terms of returning production, and a big chunk of that comes in the form of veteran signal caller Kevin Jennings.<\/p>\n

The redshirt senior comes back to Dallas with a ton of experience and even has a Playoff appearance of his own under his belt.<\/p>\n

Both coordinators return as well, and the conference slate shapes up nicely, as the Mustangs avoid both Miami and Clemson in the regular season.<\/p>\n

I could see SMU making a return trip to the ACC Championship Game in 2026, likely against the aforementioned Hurricanes.<\/p>\n

Although the Canes look like the class of the conference on paper, the Mustangs defeated Miami as the less talented team just a season ago, and I trust head coach Rhett Lashlee in a one-game scenario as much as anyone in the ACC.<\/p>\n

I wrote about these very same Houston Cougars about a month and a half ago, tabbing them as my dark horse pick to win the Big 12, so I decided to put my money where my mouth is and double down on them as CFP contenders.<\/p>\n

Houston is 17th in the nation (and 2nd in the Big 12) in returning production overall, and top-ten when it comes to returning production on offense.<\/p>\n

The Cougars added a lightning bug in running back Makhi Hughes from the transfer portal, and while he wasn’t super productive while at Oregon, his numbers from his previous stop at Tulane<\/a> were eye-popping, and he should have similar production in Texas.<\/p>\n

I’m particularly impressed with young up-and-coming defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong, whose simulated pressure stylings have caused offenses headaches in recent years.<\/p>\n

I believe the veteran experience on both sides of the ball plus a manageable Big 12 schedule will make the Cougs a tantalizing pick to win the conference.<\/p>\n

In addition to avoiding BYU<\/a> and both Arizona teams, Houston will get Texas Tech early.<\/p>\n

The Red Raiders have been picked to win the conference by pretty much every writer with a pulse, but the Brendan Sorsby situation<\/a> may have their quarterback room in flux.<\/p>\n

It’s better to get them early before their talent has a chance to gel, and if the Cougars get the drop on Texas Tech, they could have an inside path at winning the conference outright.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/three-teams-ranked-outside-top-12-coaches-poll-make-college-football-playoff <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are certain indicators that the college football season is right around the corner, and one of the biggest telltale signs is the release of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-141816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThree teams ranked outside the top-12 of the Coaches Poll who will make the College Football Playoff - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/three-teams-ranked-outside-the-top-12-of-the-coaches-poll-who-will-make-the-college-football-playoff-141816\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Three teams ranked outside the top-12 of the Coaches Poll who will make the College Football Playoff - 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