CBS Sports' Brad Crawford has identified 26 of the college football (CFB) games in 2026 that will have the most impact on which teams are chosen for the 2026-27 CFB Playoff (PO).

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-2026-miami-notre-dame-ohio-state-indiana/

The folks at B1G HQ in Chicago should remind Brad that CBS is no longer an SEC broadcast partner. 13 games on his list are of the it Just Means More variety. Hmmm.

Eight B1G games are on the list in the order of ranking below. The No. 1 game does offer Brad a measure of hope for absolution.

No, 22 - 10/17 - Penn State at Michigan - A battle of experienced coaches new to the B1G.

No. 13 - 9/12 - Oklahoma at Michigan - Payback for the Wolverines?

No. 12 - 10/31 - Ohio State at USC - In year three of an 18-team Big Ten, these two teams that battled in eight Rose Bowl games, going 4-4, meet as conference opponents.

No. 10 - 9/26 - Oregon at USC - Ranking this game above TOSU at USC gives Brad's list a modicum of credibility.

No. 8 - 11/28 - Michigan at Ohio State - Will Ryan Day close his 2-4 gap versus the Wolverines?

No. 5 - 9/12 - Ohio State at Texas - Unlike the 2025 opener between Texas and Ohio State in Columbus, the two QBs come into the game as experienced starters, with a Week 1 cupcake chomping: Ohio State vs. Ball State and Texas vs. New World 😁Texas State.

This game will not kick off at Noon Eastern - Plan on watching the game on ABC at 7:30 PM Eastern, 4:30 PM Pacific, with Herbie and Chris on the call.

No. 3 - 10/17 - Ohio State at Indiana - Both the Buckeyes and the Hoosiers brought in solid transfer portal hauls. 247 Sports ranks Ohio State as the 5th-best portal picker, with Indiana ranked 8th.

Will transfer QB Josh Hoover approach the numbers Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza put up last season?

Many of the players Curt Cignetti brought with him from JMU are out of eligibility. How will a younger Indiana team perform in 2026?

Indiana is odds-on to be undefeated when this game is played. Ohio State is a +2.5 underbuck against Texas, but will be favored in the rest of its games.

Unfortunately, this game will likely kick off at Noon Eastern, and draw millions fewer viewers who would watch the game in prime time.

Number 1 - 10/17 - Oregon at Ohio State - Coming in at No. 1 makes 13 SEC games on Brad's list, a venial and not a mortal sin.

Coming into this Week 10 game, even with Ohio State and Oregon having difficult schedules, there is an excellent chance for both the Ducks and the Bucks to be undefeated or to have only one loss.

Ohio State will be coming off a Week 9 game against USC in Los Angeles. In Week 9, OBD hosts Northwestern. Both teams will be traveling from the Pacific to the Eastern time zone. Possibly a scheduling break for Oregon. But don't overlook a motivated Chipper and Northwestern.

This game should have a significant influence on PO seeding, and will also most likely be a Noon kickoff on Fox. Nevertheless, an ESPN College GameDay Week 10 showing in Columbus is likely.

Is it September 5th yet?

I think I was around six years old when I first heard my mom refer to the Sports Pages as the Men's Gossip Column. 🤪

As was the case with most things in life, she wasn't wrong.

On3 has an article up (Members Only) ranking the 10 'juiciest' college football games in 2026, the games with the most pregame buzz, a/k/a gossip.

1. LSU at Ole Miss - Lane Kiffin's first SEC game as the LSU head coach, against the MISS Lane left at the altar. Maybe 'Life' is a movie?

2. Ohio State at Texas -Impactful? Yes. Juicy? Meh. It's a big game featuring a B1G team and also featuring two top and now experienced QBs. Unlike last season, both teams have a Week 1 warm-up before meeting in Week 2.

But gossip? Just Sayin.

3. Miami at Notre Dame - Is there any piñata left over from the 2025 Notre Dame playoff pity party?

Are the Domers still P(eed) O(ff)? There are 12 reasons they shouldn't be.

4. Georgia at Alabama - Will Kirby Get Smart and get off the DeBoer 0-for-2 skid? (And the 12-team PO 0-2 skid?)

5. Florida at Auburn - With apologies to friend Gat and the Round Mound of Rebound, HUH?

6. Penn State at Michigan - Will Whit need a walker? Can you move folks from Ames to College Station and turn them into B1G winners?

7. Texas Tech at Cincinnati - Red Raiders Sorsby: 'Is there a lawyer in the house? Contract? I don't care about no stinking contract!'

8. OREGON at USC - Dan and Linc are heading into season five - any doubt about the better hire?

"... an opportunity for Riley to show he has finally fielded a team that can go toe-to-toe with one of the country's premier programs."🦆😍

9. Duke at Miami - Meh. The Hurricanes were smart enough to pay the Devils their due for the theft of Mensah.

10. Texas at Texas A+M - If these two teams are not Playoff locks before the last game of the regular season, the Eyes of Texas will be watching to see if Sark and Elk are still employed.

🤬Where's Canzano? No New World Pac-12 games on the list, shameful!