College soccer 2026: The right way to get essentially the most enjoyable out of the season

We’ve virtually made it. After a very irritating offseason loaded with Congressional trivialities, horrible playoff concepts and a high-profile playing scandal, school soccer’s 158th season will kick off in lower than two weeks.

The video games are why we watch. This sport and its decision-makers typically appear to mess up the whole lot they contact, however regardless of how laborious we have tried, we have not screwed up Saturdays but. They’re nonetheless virtually good. And with the right battle plan, we are able to make them even higher.

College soccer’s superpower is that there’s all the time one thing wild, chaotic or foolish (in a great way) happening. There’s all the time an in depth sport nearing a end, a cool offense to look at and small-school insanity to comply with. Each yr I create a highway map for getting essentially the most out of the season. Here’s how you can get pleasure from your self to the fullest this fall.

Watch the large video games (duh)

Sometimes you need to seek for the enjoyable, and different occasions it is staring you within the face. The spectacle of an enormous sport is certainly one of school soccer’s greatest attracts. Here are the three video games from every week that function (A) the very best mixed projected SP+ rankings and (B) a projected scoring margin (per SP+) of lower than 10 factors.

(Games between two groups within the preseason Coaches Poll are in daring.)

Week 1: Clemson at LSU, Louisville vs. Ole Miss, SMU at Florida State

Week 2: Ohio State at Texas, Oklahoma at Michigan, Arizona at BYU

Week 3: LSU at Ole Miss, Florida at Auburn, SMU at Louisville

Week 4: Oregon at USC, Oklahoma at Georgia, Texas A&M at LSU

Week 5: Miami at Clemson, Florida at Missouri, Auburn at Tennessee

Week 6: Georgia at Alabama, Oklahoma vs. Texas, Texas A&M at Missouri

Week 7: Ohio State at Indiana, Notre Dame at BYU, Alabama at Tennessee

Week 8: Indiana at Michigan, Texas A&M at Alabama, Tennessee at South Carolina

Week 9: South Carolina at Oklahoma, Auburn at Ole Miss, Washington at Nebraska

Week 10: Oregon at Ohio State, Miami at Notre Dame, Georgia at Ole Miss

Week 11: Texas at LSU, Tennessee at Texas A&M, Ole Miss at Oklahoma

Week 12: Texas A&M at Oklahoma, Indiana at Washington, LSU at Tennessee

Week 13: Texas at Texas A&M, Oklahoma at Missouri, Auburn at Alabama

Because of the close-game requirement, this is not merely an inventory of video games that includes one of the best groups within the nation. But if this checklist is any indication, you are going to be watching fairly a little bit of Oklahoma (seven video games on this checklist), Texas A&M (six), LSU (5), Ole Miss (5) and Tennessee (5). The SEC dominates an inventory like this due to each its depth and its propensity for dramatic video games — 50% of convention matchups have been determined by one rating final season. But loads of non-SEC groups present up two or thrice as properly.

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Lane Kiffin vs. Ole Miss

It’s my long-standing place that if Halloween falls on a Saturday, LSU and Ole Miss ought to all the time be enjoying that day (as an homage to Billy Cannon and the 1959 sport). I’m keen to make an exception simply this as soon as, nevertheless, as a result of LSU’s Week 3 journey to Oxford deserves the largest highlight possible.

Tonight on @SECNetwork it is our annual Marty & McGee Talkin’ Season specials, Monday & Tuesday at 7 PM ET. We kick it off with Lane Kiffin. I requested him the query folks all the time ask me. So, our @E60 doc, was that every one bulls-t? pic.twitter.com/u8Pdnqo9tX

— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) August 10, 2026

Lane Kiffin’s resolution to go away Ole Miss for LSU — and to do it earlier than the Rebels’ eventual run to the College Football Playoff semifinals had begun — created probably the most acrimonious teaching modifications within the historical past of the game. (Granted, it may additionally be solely the second-most acrimonious transfer of Kiffin’s profession.) And this sport will likely be as essential as it’s hostile.

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Week 10 is sort of an excessive amount of (and Week 4 is fairly spectacular too)

Six of the 13 weeks listed above have no less than three carefully projected video games between (preseason) ranked opponents. That’s fairly thrilling, however two weeks particularly stand out.

First, Week 4 offers us a pleasant September wrap-up alternative led by Oregon’s journey to USC. It’s a sport that options related vibes to final yr’s end-of-September Oregon-Penn State conflict, if we’re being trustworthy. Meanwhile, the SEC’s ferocious slate consists of not solely the second-ever Oklahoma-Georgia sport (the primary one will likely be awfully laborious to prime) but additionally A&M at LSU (we will be watching a lot LSU in September), Texas at Tennessee, Ole Miss at Florida, South Carolina at Alabama, Vanderbilt at Auburn and Missouri at Mississippi State. Throw in Iowa at Michigan and a Friday evening Clemson at Cal sport, and that is virtually nearly as good because it will get.

Week 10 just about is nearly as good because it will get. It leads, in fact, with Oregon-Ohio State and perhaps the 2 most anticipated 2025 rematches of the season (Miami-Notre Dame and Georgia-Ole Miss), however it retains going. Alabama visits LSU, Texas A&M visits South Carolina (one other rematch of a 2025 absurdity), Texas visits Missouri and Penn State visits Washington, and I have never even talked about that we get the Holy War (BYU at Utah), that the Friday evening video games are TCU at Arizona and USF at East Carolina, and that MACtion begins! That’s virtually an excessive amount of! I wish to transfer a few of that stuff to Week 9!

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Soak within the weirdest of bizarre Week 0s earlier than they take it away from us

Be it by means of laws or easy modifications in scheduling guidelines, one of many methods we’ll be making an attempt to rein within the overloaded December-January portion of the faculty soccer schedule — which this season will finish Jan. 25 — will likely be to maneuver issues up a bit and get everybody began the week earlier than Labor Day weekend in what’s now Week 0. Our days of specializing in only a smattering of video games (and, doubtlessly, beginning the season with a sport in Ireland) are numbered.

If it is any comfort, although, this yr’s Week 0 slate is among the many weirdest, most enjoyable ones but.

Our eight-game FBS slate will begin in Dublin with TCU vs. North Carolina and both the continuation of the “UNC under disarray under Belichick!” narrative or the doorway of a brand new “Belichick rebound?” one. But that is solely the beginning: We additionally get NC State at Virginia in Charlottesville (as a substitute of Brazil, as initially proposed), and in Memphis at UNLV we get a damn-near elimination sport within the race for the Group of 6’s computerized CFP berth. Hawai’i at Stanford is a rematch of the sport that introduced us to the Tokyo Toe a yr in the past, and Jacksonville State at North Dakota State is NDSU’s first official sport as an FBS program (and a rematch of the 2015 FCS title showdown).

We additionally get a large slate on the decrease ranges of the game. Starting that Thursday, there are 22 video games involving FCS groups, together with among the prime packages within the subdivision — Montana State (at Utah Tech), Montana (vs. Southern Utah), Tarleton State (vs. Prairie View A&M), South Dakota State (vs. Stetson), Illinois State (vs. St. Francis, an NAIA opponent), UC Davis (at Portland State), Rhode Island (at Merrimack) and South Dakota (vs. Central Connecticut). There are additionally carefully projected video games equivalent to Abilene Christian at Lamar and Monmouth at Tennessee Tech.

We’re not executed! There are large Division II video games, equivalent to Ferris State at Pittsburg State, Grand Valley State at Charleston and Minnesota Duluth at Slippery Rock, plus large NAIA video games in Benedictine at Morningside and Dordt at Indiana Wesleyan! It’s a smorgasbord of soccer — albeit one that may require you to hop in your laptop computer to discover a feed to stream — however it’s additionally an opportunity to test on a bunch of groups moreover those you may be watching the remainder of the season. Perfect.

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Training wheels off at quarterback

Last yr, seven of the highest 10 groups within the preseason AP ballot had new beginning quarterbacks, and the three that did not (Penn State, Clemson and LSU) fairly shortly disappeared from the scene. The season was all about new stars rising.

This yr, it is all about who’s coming again. Eight of the highest 10 groups within the coaches’ ballot return their starters, and the 2 that do not — defending finalists Indiana (Josh Hoover) and Miami (Darian Mensah) — have introduced on extraordinarily skilled transfers. The knowns are heavy this yr, and the quarterback play ought to be dynamite. Texas’ Arch Manning will dominate headlines as a result of he is Arch Manning, however you may make a fairly justifiable case that he is not even one of many prime 5 returning QBs within the nation. (You can also make a case that he is one of the best. I’m simply saying there’s quite a lot of competitors.)

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Ignore all strength-of-schedule conversations till November if potential

I’m simply saying they are going to be loud and frequent. And with the loser of Week 2’s Texas-Ohio State sport nonetheless dealing with plenty of challenges afterward, the complaining/whining will begin fairly early. (Especially if Texas loses.)

My stance is evident and constant: The SEC and Big Ten groups with brutal schedules this season signed up for it by becoming a member of these conferences and will likely be extraordinarily properly compensated for his or her struggles. They aren’t entitled to playoff spots just because their schedules are more durable than different groups that by no means acquired a Power Two invitation (and would not flip one down in the event that they did). But I’m fairly certain fairly a number of head coaches disagree with me on that one and can air their complaints as regularly as potential. Ignore them till the house stretch. You’ll be happier and more healthy.

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The Pepto-Bismol All-Stars

Each yr, sure groups play in an inordinate variety of shut video games. Last season, for instance, Army and Jacksonville State ended up in 9 one-score finishes, and Arizona State, Arkansas State, Iowa State, Missouri State, Ohio, Ole Miss and Virginia performed in eight.

According to my ultimate preseason SP+ projections, there are a whopping 19 groups with no less than eight video games projected to complete inside one rating, together with 4 with 9 such video games and two with 10! You will likely be watching lots of their fourth quarters.

10 video games: Army, California

9 video games: Colorado, NC State, San Diego State, Vanderbilt

8 video games: Baylor, Florida, Georgia Southern, Kansas State, Louisville, Old Dominion, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, South Alabama, UCF, Utah, Virginia

Army may lead the pack in anxious finishes for 2 straight seasons. Congratulations?

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The 4 greatest title races to comply with

Conference title video games are getting a foul rap in the mean time — like bizarre Week 0s, they might be on the chopping block in a universe with a redesigned calendar and expanded CFP. (Once once more: The downside is not the existence of the title video games, it is the truth that they’re the thirteenth sport. We can work round that and nonetheless maintain on to the title video games.) But earlier than we discover ourselves in a world of four-way convention ties and no title video games, let’s absorb what ought to be some fairly rattling enjoyable 2026 title races.

1. American Conference. Based on final week’s SP+ numbers, eight of the American’s 14 groups have a projected convention win complete inside one sport of the highest two: Navy (5.8 common convention wins), Memphis (5.3), East Carolina (5.2), UTSA (5.2), Army (4.6), USF (4.6), Tulane (4.6) and Tulsa (4.3). And the subsequent two colleges on the checklist — Florida Atlantic (3.7) and Temple (3.7) — are groups which have stable overachiever potential. This is nearly anybody’s race, in different phrases. And from USF at Army and Navy at FAU in Week 2 by means of Tulane at USF and Tulsa at UTSA in Week 13, there is a huge sport between some mixture of the groups above in practically each week of the season. Hell yeah.

2. SEC. Again, 50% of SEC convention video games completed inside one rating final yr, and 7 of 16 groups completed inside a sport of the highest of the league. (That virtually made it really feel like a letdown when, with all of the mixtures out there, we ended up with the fifth Bama-Georgia title sport in 9 years.) This yr, per SP+, we’re beginning out with seven groups projected inside a sport of the highest two: Georgia (7.0), Texas (6.0), LSU (5.8), Texas A&M (5.6), Tennessee (5.2), Oklahoma (5.2) and Alabama (5.1). There’s no purpose to suppose this race will likely be any much less wild.

3. Mountain West. The new MWC has 10 groups, and 5 of them are inside one projected win of the highest: UNLV (5.9), New Mexico (5.4), Hawai’i (5.2), Air Force (5.0) and newcomer North Dakota State (4.9). UNLV has one of the best general rating however is breaking in a brand new quarterback; New Mexico is the second greatest however performs all 4 of the opposite contenders. The probabilities of a shocking plot twist or two are fairly sturdy.

4. Sun Belt West. Only one FBS convention nonetheless has divisions, and the Sun Belt West had itself a wild race final season, with 4 of seven groups ending inside a sport of first place. Perhaps not surprisingly, 4 are projected inside 0.3 wins of the highest in 2026: Louisiana (5.2), Troy (4.9), Louisiana Tech (4.9) and Arkansas State (4.9). The East division might see a enjoyable race in itself, with James Madison maybe falling again to the pack and the likes of Old Dominion or Marshall making an attempt to take benefit. But the West ought to be an absolute battle royale.

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Watch the weekday video games

Saturdays are one of the best, however among the silliest and greatest video games in a given season occur at different factors within the week. The ACC’s Friday evening slate final yr gave us Virginia’s extra time win (and subject storm) over No. 8 Florida State.

Beyond that, the ACC additionally gave us an otherworldly duo of Louisville over No. 2 Miami and Cal over North Carolina in the identical evening, and we acquired probably the greatest MACtion video games in years with Kent State’s wild win over Akron.

This season’s Tuesday-through-Friday choices give us a enjoyable mixture of high-profile Friday video games, rivalries, well-anticipated rematches, key American Conference battles and, normally, midweek silliness. Here’s a curated choice:

Week 1: Colorado at Georgia Tech (Thursday).

Week 2: Missouri at Kansas (Friday), Rutgers at Boston College (Friday)

Week 3: Syracuse at Pitt (Thursday), Houston at Texas Tech (Friday)

Week 4: Northwestern at Indiana (Friday), Clemson at California (Friday)

Week 5: North Texas at Tulsa (Thursday), Pitt at Virginia Tech (Friday)

Week 6: Jacksonville State at Kennesaw State (Wednesday), USF at UTSA (Thursday), Iowa at Washington (Friday), Florida State at Louisville (Friday)

Week 7: Georgia Southern at Old Dominion (Thursday), Memphis at Tulane (Friday), Washington at Purdue (Friday)

Week 8: East Carolina at Memphis (Thursday), James Madison at Appalachian State (Thursday), Air Force at Wyoming (Friday)

Week 9: Delaware at Western Kentucky (Tuesday), Troy at James Madison (Thursday), Baylor at UCF (Friday)

Week 10: Buffalo at Miami (Ohio) (Tuesday), Toledo at Sacramento State (Wednesday), UTSA at Florida Atlantic (Thursday), TCU at Arizona (Friday), USF at East Carolina (Friday)

Week 11: Ohio at Miami (Ohio) (Tuesday), Memphis at USF (Thursday), Louisiana at Louisiana-Monroe (Thursday), Houston at Colorado (Friday)

Week 12: Iowa State at UCF (Friday), Clemson at Duke (Friday)

Week 13: Miami (Ohio) at Western Michigan (Tuesday), TCU at Texas Tech (Thursday)

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Watch as a lot smaller-school soccer as you’ll be able to

I say it yearly, and it by no means turns into much less true: The extra smaller-school motion you watch, the more healthy you change into and the extra you like school soccer. We mentioned the surprisingly pleasant Week 0 slate above, however listed here are three (or so) large smaller-school video games for every week of the season.

North Dakota State’s FBS departure means we misplaced the annual Dakota Marker sport (NDSU vs. South Dakota State) for the second, however thanks partially to loaded early Division III and NAIA slates, it looks like we’ve got extra large video games than ever. Top-10 matchups are in daring. (I used coaches’ polls for FCS and Division III and SP+ projections for Division II and NAIA.)

Week 0 (Aug. 29): No. 1 Ferris State at No. 10 Pittsburg State (D-II) (Thursday), No. 6 Dordt at No. 8 Indiana Wesleyan (NAIA) (Friday), No. 5 Benedictine at No. 4 Morningside (NAIA)

Week 1 (Sept. 5): No. 2 Bethel at No. 1 North Central (D-III), No. 3 Mount Union at No. 5 Wheaton (D-III), No. 7 Wingate at No. 5 Delta State (D-II)

Week 2 (Sept. 12): No. 1 North Central at No. 9 Wartburg (D-III), No. 1 Ferris State at No. 12 Central Washington (D-II), No. 2 Grand Valley State at No. 21 Ashland (D-II)

Week 3 (Sept. 19): No. 5 Benedictine at No. 1 Grand View (NAIA), No. 4 Morningside at No. 6 Dordt (NAIA), No. 9 Youngstown State at No. 3 South Dakota State (FCS), No. 7 Wisconsin-River Falls at No. 9 Wartburg (D-III)

Week 4 (Sept. 26): No. 2 Montana at No. 6 UC Davis (FCS), No. 11 Montana Tech at No. 9 College of Idaho (NAIA), No. 12 South Dakota at No. 9 Youngstown State (FCS)

Week 5 (Oct. 3): No. 3 South Dakota State at No. 4 Illinois State (FCS), No. 8 Indiana Wesleyan at No. 7 Marian (NAIA), No. 7 Wisconsin-River Falls at No. 12 Wisconsin-Whitewater (D-III)

Week 6 (Oct. 10): No. 5 Wheaton at No. 1 North Central (D-III), No. 14 Georgetown (Kentucky) at No. 3 Lindsey Wilson (NAIA), No. 12 Wisconsin-Whitewater (D3) at No. 10 Wisconsin-La Crosse (D-III)

Week 7 (Oct. 17): No. 1 Ferris State at No. 2 Grand Valley State (D-II), No. 7 Wisconsin-River Falls at No. 6 Wisconsin-Platteville (D-III), No. 3 South Dakota State at No. 10 North Dakota (FCS), No. 13 St. Thomas at No. 2 Keiser (NAIA)

Week 8 (Oct. 24): No. 11 Lehigh at No. 8 Villanova (FCS), No. 10 North Dakota at No. 12 South Dakota (FCS), No. 25 Michigan Tech at No. 1 Ferris State (D-II)

Week 9 (Oct. 31): No. 12 South Dakota at No. 3 South Dakota State (FCS), No. 10 North Dakota at No. 9 Youngstown State (FCS), No. 8 John Carroll at No. 13 DePauw (D-III)

Week 10 (Nov. 7): No. 7 Wisconsin-River Falls at No. 10 Wisconsin-La Crosse (D-III), No. 4 Illinois State at No. 10 North Dakota (FCS), No. 15 Abilene Christian at No. 5 Tarleton State (FCS)

Week 11 (Nov. 14): No. 4 Illinois State at No. 9 Youngstown State (FCS), No. 6 Wisconsin-Platteville at No. 10 Wisconsin-La Crosse (D-III), No. 6 Dordt at No. 12 Northwestern (IA) (NAIA), No. 10 Pittsburg State vs. No. 15 Northwest Missouri in Kansas City (D-II), No. 23 Cortland vs. Ithaca at Yankee Stadium (D-III), Coast Guard vs. Merchant Marine in Washington (D-III)

Week 12 (Nov. 21): No. 2 Montana at No. 1 Montana State (FCS), No. 12 South Dakota at No. 4 Illinois State (FCS), No. 11 Lehigh at Lafayette (FCS)

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Better but, undertake a small-school group

Want the total smaller-school expertise? Follow a group (ideally an excellent one) from begin to end. Here are 5 notably alternative choices.

Youngstown State. YSU’s most well-known run of brilliance got here below Jim Tressel, whose title evokes a sure sort of “relentless run game and linebackers with the biggest shoulder pads imaginable” aesthetic. At the second, nevertheless, the Penguins are one thing fully totally different. With quarterback Beau Brungard (3,234 passing yards, 1,468 speeding yards) working the present, YSU scored no less than 30 factors 10 occasions final season and averaged 42 factors over the past seven video games.

The offensive coordinator working the present? Mike Yurcich! The former OC at Oklahoma State, Ohio State and Penn State has free rein to experiment, and Brungard is a gradual supplier of magic. You want to look at as many Penguins video games as potential this season, and you will get loads of alternatives: They play 5 ranked FCS opponents, they usually go to Kentucky in Week 1.

Kutztown. Division II’s Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has plenty of enjoyable groups to comply with — Slippery Rock has been a favourite of mine in recent times — however one of the best program within the convention by far has been Kutztown. The Golden Bears are three-time defending PSAC champions, they play in Andre Reed Stadium, and with quarterback Judd Novak (3,070 passing yards, 547 speeding yards) and working again Steven Burkhardt (1,106 speeding yards), they could have the scariest backfield in Division II. They topped 40 factors 10 occasions final season and rolled to the D-II semis earlier than falling to Harding.

South Carolina State. We want some steely protection on this checklist, so we should always save a spot for the defending Celebration Bowl champs and two-time defending MEAC champs. The Bulldogs allowed 17 or fewer factors seven occasions final season, and of the 11 spots on the preseason MEAC first-team protection, they claimed 5, together with three on the line of defense (Joshua Barker, Ka’Von Chisolm and Jordan Dollard). In his final 4 seasons as a head coach (together with two at SC State), Chennis Berry is 41-8; his title ought to be on quite a lot of FBS athletic administrators’ lists.

Merchant Marine. There ought to all the time be room in your life for some candy, candy choice soccer, and there may not be a extra pleasant model of it than the Merchant Marine assault run by quarterback Bubba Mustain. His efficiency in last season’s rivalry win over Coast Guard (274 speeding yards, 150 passing yards in six completions, 5 mixed touchdowns) was completely ridiculous. The Mariners are projected favorites in eight of 9 video games this season.

Choose your Wisconsin fighter. If you learn my Friday previews — and I hope you do! — you understand of my abiding love for the best convention in school soccer, Division III’s Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. It is by far the deepest convention in D-III, it produced an out-of-nowhere nationwide champion final season (River Falls), and of the convention’s eight groups, 4 landed within the preseason prime 12 — No. 6 Platteville, No. 7 River Falls, No. 10 La Crosse, No. 12 Whitewater — and two extra acquired votes (No. 27 Oshkosh, No. 46 Stout).

Be it historical past (Whitewater has the sting there), colour scheme (laborious to beat Platteville’s blue and orange), underdog bona fides (Oshkosh is intriguing) or just who’s nouveau riche (River Falls) or who’s due (La Crosse’s final nationwide title was 31 years in the past), select your college and trip with it for the season. You’ll get pleasure from your self immensely.