With the beginning of the 2026 school soccer season formally now simply days away, it is an ideal time to refresh your self on among the greatest themes that may dominate the season.
Listed here are 10 of the most important storylines as we enter the third season of the 12-team Faculty Soccer Playoff period.
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Massive Ten vs. SEC battle continues
If we’re counting latest playoff titles as the last word barometer, the Massive Ten presently has the higher hand. The league has received the final three nationwide championships with three completely different groups — Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana.
Will a kind of three groups win the title once more to increase the streak to 4? Can Oregon be the staff to make it 4 in a row?
Maybe tellingly, AP voters are backing the Massive Ten early this season. All 69 first-place votes within the preseason ballot went to Massive Ten groups. Not a single SEC staff obtained a first-place vote, although the league had seven groups within the prime 13 and 9 groups within the prime 25.
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The SEC once more has an argument that it is the deeper convention in 2026. Final season, seven groups completed with two or fewer convention losses. The Massive Ten had simply 5 such groups and just one different with three convention losses.
However the arguments over convention depth are fairly, properly, shallow when one league is hogging all of the nationwide titles. The Massive Ten’s declare to being the most effective convention in school soccer will solely get stronger with one other championship this season.
Indiana received the Massive Ten’s third straight Faculty Soccer Playoff in January. (Picture by CFP/Getty Pictures)
(CFP by way of Getty Pictures)
The 12-team playoff is again for a 3rd season and sure, it appears completely different as soon as once more.
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The 2 predominant modifications forestall repeats of what occurred on the finish of the 2025 season. Due to the rule that put the highest 5 convention champions within the discipline, ACC champion Duke missed out on the playoff in favor of James Madison.
That rule is gone. As a substitute, all 4 energy convention champions are assured a spot within the discipline whereas the fifth spot for a champion will go to the highest-ranked Group of Six staff. The percentages of two Group of Six groups entering into the sphere once more are extraordinarily low.
Moreover, Notre Dame is assured a spot within the discipline if it is within the prime 12 within the remaining CFP rankings. A 12 months in the past, the Irish had been the primary staff out of the sphere when Miami jumped them within the remaining rankings. However Notre Dame was nonetheless within the prime 12 even with Miami forward. Had the rule been in impact in 2025, Notre Dame would have nonetheless made the postseason and Miami, which made the nationwide title sport, would have been overlooked.
What’s going to playoff appear to be sooner or later?
The rivalry between the SEC and the Massive Ten goes to proceed all through the 2026 season in playoff discussions too. The 2 conferences have all the facility in terms of determining the long run format of the postseason. They usually have not found out the way to come to an settlement on it.
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The Massive Ten initially proposed a format that will assure it and the SEC extra spots than the opposite energy conferences. That concept went nowhere. Now, the Massive Ten is in favor of increasing the playoff to 24 groups and has even supplied to scrap the Massive Ten title sport if the playoff doubles in dimension.
Moreover, a 16-team playoff has been floated with 4 play-in video games forward of a playoff format that appears like the present 12-team iteration. Does which have any help?
Like final season, the way forward for the CFP goes to be hotly contested. And guess what? If there is no consensus, the 12-team playoff goes to return for 2027.
Lane Kiffin returns to Ole Miss in Week 3. (Picture by Parker S. Freedman/Getty Pictures)
(Parker S. Freedman by way of Getty Pictures)
Lane Kiffin’s first season at LSU
Is it playoff or bust at LSU?
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After main Ole Miss to the Faculty Soccer Playoff in 2025, Lane Kiffin could not resist LSU and agreed to hitch the Tigers earlier than the postseason started. By now, you understand that Ole Miss did not need Kiffin teaching the Rebels within the playoff whereas additionally working at a bitter rival and promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding.
Now, Ole Miss enters the 2026 season with comparable nationwide title odds and the next preseason rating within the AP High 25 as Kiffin overhauled LSU’s roster. In are former Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt, ex-Colorado OT Jordan Seaton and former Ole Miss edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, amongst others.
After firing Brian Kelly following a 24-point dwelling loss to Texas A&M, the Tigers completed 7-6 in 2025. It was the varsity’s sixth-straight season with at the least three losses since an undefeated run to the nationwide championship in 2019.
Nobody rational is asking Kiffin to guide the Tigers to an undefeated season in 2026. However as Ole Miss is once more a playoff contender, the Rebels are the bar in his first season in Baton Rouge. Oh, LSU heads to Oxford in Week 3, too. It is arduous to consider an even bigger revenge sport for a house fan base in fairly a while.
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What’s going to teaching carousel appear to be in 2026?
The firings of Kelly and James Franklin throughout the center of the 2025 season had been the beginning of an particularly energetic teaching cycle. Greater than 30 FBS faculties employed new coaches forward of the 2026 season.
The teaching carousel cannot spin as quick throughout and after the 2026 season, proper?
We won’t rule something out after final 12 months — nobody noticed Franklin’s midseason firing coming presently a 12 months in the past — however all indicators level to fewer teaching modifications. Coaches like Florida State’s Mike Norvell, Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell and Baylor’s Dave Aranda enter the season with stress for his or her groups to place up profitable seasons, however with 22 energy convention coaches getting into both their first or second seasons at their present faculties, there probably will not be as a lot motion.
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The Pac-12 is reborn with six new members
After two years with simply Oregon State and Washington State as its members, the Pac-12 added six groups forward of the 2026 season.
Most of these groups got here from the Mountain West, as Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State came visiting. Texas State joined from the Solar Belt.
This model of the Pac-12 will not be mistaken for an influence convention. It barely has sufficient groups for a convention championship sport. Since there are solely eight faculties within the league, every staff performs one other twice within the common season and people matchups shall be finalized earlier than the top of the season.
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However regardless of its restricted numbers, this can be a league that ought to compete with the American to be the most effective non-power convention in soccer this season. Boise State is likely one of the Group of Six favorites to make the playoff, and a staff like Fresno State and even San Diego State may even make a case for the postseason with a Pac-12 title.
Tim Polasek’s North Dakota State staff has made the soar to the FBS degree.
(Justin Tafoya by way of Getty Pictures)
What’s going to North Dakota State do on the prime degree?
The Mountain West went out and received one of the profitable soccer packages of the 2000s to assist replenish its ranks after the Pac-12 took 5 of its members.
Longtime FCS powerhouse North Dakota State is now on the prime degree of faculty soccer and nobody must be stunned if the Bison compete for the Mountain West title. In any case, this can be a staff that has received 9 video games towards FBS faculties over the previous 21 seasons.
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The convention schedule is not inviting; the Bison need to journey to Air Pressure, UNLV, New Mexico and Hawaii. These are 4 of the most effective remaining packages within the Mountain West. However the Bison ought to get at the least one win in these video games, and the non-conference schedule is extraordinarily straightforward. Due to an NCAA rule change, North Dakota State is eligible to go to a bowl this season and it will be a shock if the Bison aren’t bowl eligible.
Unpopular modifications to the punt guidelines
Punts will look a bit completely different in 2026 and lots of coaches weren’t joyful about it. Due to an offseason rule change, groups who line as much as punt will now need to have at the least 5 gamers sporting Nos. 50-79 on the road of scrimmage. If they do not, sure situations will should be met and any gamers who’re on the road as a part of a numbering exception can’t shift earlier than the snap.
The Massive Ten’s coaches had been all apparently towards the rule and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, the punt-friendliest head coach in school soccer, stated there was “no compelling purpose” for the rule change.
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The foundations are more likely to forestall groups from designing intelligent punt faux ideas to confuse their opponents. However let’s be actual, we do not want fewer punt fakes. We want extra of them. Might the modifications result in extra blocked punts if returning groups are now not as frightened of a faux as they’d have been?
Oklahoma State employed Eric Morris after firing Mike Gundy three video games into the 2025 season.
(Stacy Revere by way of Getty Pictures)
Which faculty may have a first-year coach bounce?
With 17 energy convention coaches of their first 12 months at their new faculties, there are sure to be at the least a couple of groups that make a significant leap from a disappointing 2025. Who’re the likeliest candidates?
After a catastrophe of a 1-11 season in 2025, Oklahoma State employed North Texas coach Eric Morris. Former UNT QB Drew Mestemaker is now in Stillwater, together with prolific RB Caleb Hawkins. A Week 2 sport towards Oregon will probably be a loss, however the Cowboys do not play both BYU or Utah and likewise keep away from Arizona. A bowl sport could be very potential.
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UCLA can also be in line to enhance after a 3-9 season in 2025. The Bruins employed Bob Chesney from James Madison, and RB Wayne Knight adopted him to Los Angeles together with a bunch of different former Dukes. A stronger operating sport is essential for UCLA; QB Nico Iamaleava was the staff’s main rusher in 2025.
It is time to get used to company logos in your favourite staff’s jersey
In case you’re a soccer fan, you are most likely numb to the sponsor names and logos which might be commonplace on the entrance of jerseys in practically each league throughout the globe. In case you’re a baseball fan, you are most likely already glossing over the company logos on the sleeve of MLB jerseys, although the helmet sponsorships within the postseason are nonetheless a bit bizarre.
How lengthy will it take to get used to comparable branding in school sports activities? The 2026-27 faculty 12 months is the primary the place faculties can promote company brand area on their jerseys and quite a few packages throughout the nation have already inked seven-figure offers. Heck, the Massive 12 even has a cope with Monster to plaster the vitality drink firm’s brand on each jersey and taking part in floor.
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The patches are going to look misplaced at first, however because the weeks go on, we’re inevitably going to get used to them. It stinks that corporatism has invaded one other a part of school soccer, but it surely was additionally the pure development as faculties flip over each leaf searching for revenue-generating alternatives.