Ohio State reigned supreme in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, defeating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame on its road to glory. Like most things in college sports right now,

Texas will travel to Arlington for the Cotton Bowl, with a spot in the national championship on the line. Who they play next remains to be seen.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are enjoying their national championship as much as they can, but it didn't take long for the rest of the country to turn their attention to next season. The Buckeyes have already lost Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator and could see Chip Kelly depart as well.

Ohio State and Texas lead the 2026 College Football Playoff odds. The Week 1 showdown on Aug. 30 could set the tone for next season's championship race.

For the most part, I think going from four teams to 12 in the expanded College Football Playoff went quite well in the first season of the new format. While there are certainly some gripes to be had along the way,

We're into the college football offseason — albeit only in January — but it's time to continue NCAA.com's way-too-early preview of the season. I've already revealed way-too-early Heisman contenders and a way-too-early top-25 ranking,