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PFF names dark horse teams that could win every Power 4 conference in 2026
Posted on 8/22/26 at 7:03 pm
Posted on 8/22/26 at 7:03 pm
SEC – Ole Miss
Ole Miss being a dark horse makes sense because of what the team did last year. With Lane Kiffin gone, some might think that the Rebels will take a step back since he brought multiple players to LSU with him.
However, Ole Miss still has some key players from the 2025 college football season, including QB Trinidad Chambliss and RB Kewan Lacy. Those two helped the Rebels clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff and reach the semifinals.
SEC – Tennessee
Tennessee will look a little different in 2026. The Volunteers will have a new quarterback (George McIntyre or Faizon Brandon), and former Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles comes to Knoxville to hold the same position.
After a strong start to the 2025 season – winning the first five of six games – Tennessee fell to Alabama and went on to lose the next three of six matchups. If the Vols’ new QB plays consistently, an SEC title run is not out of the question.
SEC – Missouri
Missouri has a solid roster led by running back Ahmad Hardy. The 20-year-old was a consensus All-American last year after rushing for 1,560 yards and 16 touchdowns in 12 games. During the offseason. Missouri added Auburn transfer linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. to replace All-SEC standout Josiah Trotter.
Last year, the Tigers went 5-0 before losing to Alabama in a home contest. In the next four games, Missouri lost to Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma, and those teams reached the CFP. A healthy Hardy should help the Tigers beat the playoff-caliber teams in the SEC.
Hardy might play near the end of the season. Right now it looks like he will missed the whole season.
Missouri? LOL I am still sticking to 5-7.
LINK
Ole Miss being a dark horse makes sense because of what the team did last year. With Lane Kiffin gone, some might think that the Rebels will take a step back since he brought multiple players to LSU with him.
However, Ole Miss still has some key players from the 2025 college football season, including QB Trinidad Chambliss and RB Kewan Lacy. Those two helped the Rebels clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff and reach the semifinals.
SEC – Tennessee
Tennessee will look a little different in 2026. The Volunteers will have a new quarterback (George McIntyre or Faizon Brandon), and former Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles comes to Knoxville to hold the same position.
After a strong start to the 2025 season – winning the first five of six games – Tennessee fell to Alabama and went on to lose the next three of six matchups. If the Vols’ new QB plays consistently, an SEC title run is not out of the question.
SEC – Missouri
Missouri has a solid roster led by running back Ahmad Hardy. The 20-year-old was a consensus All-American last year after rushing for 1,560 yards and 16 touchdowns in 12 games. During the offseason. Missouri added Auburn transfer linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. to replace All-SEC standout Josiah Trotter.
Last year, the Tigers went 5-0 before losing to Alabama in a home contest. In the next four games, Missouri lost to Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma, and those teams reached the CFP. A healthy Hardy should help the Tigers beat the playoff-caliber teams in the SEC.
Hardy might play near the end of the season. Right now it looks like he will missed the whole season.
Missouri? LOL I am still sticking to 5-7.
LINK
This post was edited on 8/22/26 at 7:35 pm
9
Posted on 8/22/26 at 7:11 pm to TrueLefty
Look, how many Bama fans still believe this guy was better than Joe Burrow?
Posted on 8/22/26 at 7:20 pm to TrueLefty
Double post.
This post was edited on 8/22/26 at 7:36 pm
Posted on 8/22/26 at 7:22 pm to TrueLefty
quote:
A healthy Hardy should help the Tigers beat the playoff-caliber teams in the SEC.
I guess there's always a first time for everything.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 7:31 pm to wadewilson
quote:
Look, how many Bama fans still believe this guy was better than Joe Burrow?
Are you having a stroke?
Posted on 8/22/26 at 7:36 pm to TrueLefty
I would maybe take Houston though TT should have it and USC because of Maiava.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 7:43 pm to wadewilson
quote:
Look, how many Bama fans still believe this guy was better than Joe Burrow?
He is much, much better than you. Just in the general sense of being a human.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 8:01 pm to TrueLefty
Ole Miss isn't a dark horse after last season and that QB etc returning.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 8:03 pm to TrueLefty
Heisman candidates at QB and RB.
Receiver has good balance of 4-6 guys who do different things at an elite level
Deuce Alexander is one of the fastest players in the country. Johntay Cook is unguardable in the slot. Horatio fields in a jump ball fade route machine.
OL returns the interior with talented but untested tackles. The dip shite we got from lsu is our weakest link. And he was a 5 star OL outta HS.
Defense is still the strength of the team.
D Line is stacked. No one outside of Georgia is running on us.
Upgraded the back seven especially at linebacker and corner. We’ve got 8 guys in the secondary that could start at most SEC schools.
Question marks are coaching which we atleast got a preview of in the playoffs against pretty elite competition.
Season comes down to staying healthy and staying focused.
Receiver has good balance of 4-6 guys who do different things at an elite level
Deuce Alexander is one of the fastest players in the country. Johntay Cook is unguardable in the slot. Horatio fields in a jump ball fade route machine.
OL returns the interior with talented but untested tackles. The dip shite we got from lsu is our weakest link. And he was a 5 star OL outta HS.
Defense is still the strength of the team.
D Line is stacked. No one outside of Georgia is running on us.
Upgraded the back seven especially at linebacker and corner. We’ve got 8 guys in the secondary that could start at most SEC schools.
Question marks are coaching which we atleast got a preview of in the playoffs against pretty elite competition.
Season comes down to staying healthy and staying focused.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 8:18 pm to TrueLefty
PFF throws shite at the wall
Posted on 8/22/26 at 8:25 pm to TrueLefty
quote:
Last year, the Tigers went 5-0 before losing to Alabama in a home contest. In the next four games, Missouri lost to Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma, and those teams reached the CFP.
I guess this is one of the reasons they are called PFF instead of CFF.
This post was edited on 8/22/26 at 8:26 pm
Posted on 8/22/26 at 8:35 pm to wadewilson
quote:
Look, how many Bama fans still believe this guy was better than Joe Burrow?
Tua has a higher nfl winning %
Posted on 8/22/26 at 8:55 pm to TrueLefty
quote:
However, Ole Miss still has some key players from the 2025 college football season, including QB Trinidad Chambliss and RB Kewan Lacy. Those two helped the Rebels clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff and reach the semifinals.
If any of the other teams ahead of us had these 2 players returning good lord at the dick riding
And yet Indiana loses a lot and their heisman winner and replaces him with a mediocre qb and they get an easy schedule and are somehow a lock for the top 5 for some reason . Based on actual talent and returning players OM should be ahead of Indiana
Posted on 8/22/26 at 9:17 pm to TrueLefty
I’m not saying AI wrote that, but yeah AI wrote that.
Posted on 8/22/26 at 10:32 pm to captdalton
quote:
He is much, much better than you. Just in the general sense of being a human.
oh, you mad
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