New No. 1 leads college football too-early Top 26 after spring practice

Spring practice has wrapped up for most of the college football teams across the country, so it's time to revisit our too-early Top 25 teams ahead of the 2026 season. Indiana was winning its first national title the last time we published our rankings of the national title contenders . How much has changed in the last three months?

Well, there's a new No. 1 after Texas held the top spot in January. It's Ohio State now leading the field with the returns of quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith giving the Buckeyes one of the nation's top offenses.

The Longhorns are still in the top-five mix, while Notre Dame, Miami improved its place near the top. Mississippi also gained ground with the return of Trinidad Chambliss. Texas A&M and Clemson were among the teams falling back.

So how does it all shake out? Below is our post-spring Top 25, once again heavily slanted toward the Big Ten and SEC. Rankings from January in parenthesis: 1.