Indiana made history in 2025-26, winning the national championship for the first time ever.
IU’s first-time championship is the first such title since Florida won it all in 1996. Since then, every other champion has been from a program that’s done it before.
Who will be the next program to break the seal and win the championship for the first time? ESPN’s Bill Connelly tackled that question in a new story published on Friday morning.
Oregon, of course, topped the list. The Ducks have long been considered the best program to never win the national title and have been perennial CFP contenders over the last decade.
As for SEC programs to get into the mix, a pair made Connelly’s top 5: Ole Miss at No. 3 and Mizzou at No. 5. Connelly notes that Ole Miss claims 3 national titles from 1959-62, but the Rebels never finished atop the AP Poll. Here’s the rest of his analysis:
One major question for the coming years: Is a Pete Golding program as capable of said run as Lane Kiffin’s program was? Kiffin was Ole Miss’ best head coach of the past half-century, and while Golding might have the best backfield in the country at his disposal with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, they’ll each be gone after 2026, and Golding’s program will have to stand on its own. We’ll see what the Rebels have to offer moving forward.
Ole Miss has a 2% chance to win the national title, per the latest odds on Kalshi:
Prediction Markets College Football Playoff champion? Learn more about Prediction Markets Kalshi Ohio St. 13% Notre Dame 13% Texas 12% Oregon 11% Indiana 10% Georgia 10% Miami (FL) 8% LSU 5% Texas Tech 4% Texas A&M 2% PredictMizzou lands at No. 5 following a strong few years under coach Eli Drinkwitz. The Tigers have averaged 9 regular-season wins per campaign over the last 3 years, though they have not yet made the College Football Playoff. Here’s an excerpt of Connelly’s analysis on Mizzou:
Drinkwitz has raised the program’s recruiting profile and has shown a deft touch in the portal in recent seasons, and Mizzou’s ceiling has risen as well. Of course, maintaining an edge in the SEC is pretty difficult, and the Tigers’ quality has slipped a smidgen in both years since their 2023 surge. But they’re a projected top-20ish team again this season, and in Austin Simmons, Drinkwitz attracted one of the most high-ceiling (if also rather low-floor) QBs in the portal this offseason.
Week 0 begins on Saturday.
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2 SEC teams make ESPN’s list of top 5 potential first-time title winners Saturday Down South.
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