There's no major conference realignment to talk about (for once) ahead of a new college football season. Delaware and Missouri State moved up from the FCS to FBS and will play in Conference USA. But doesn't mean realignment is over. There's more to come for the 2026 season with the rebirth of the Pac-12 and a new-look Mountain West.

It's August and no games have been played, but that's not keeping ESPN's college football reporters from predicting the 12 schools that will make up the College Football Playoff beginning in December.

From our best guess to how the playoff will unfold to borderline absurd brackets, here is how the season could play out under very different circumstances.