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Expanding the College Football Playoff has led to parity in the sport. After the CFP expanded to a 12-team field in 2024, 20 different programs have made the postseason tournament. Eight teams, including Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Miami (Fla.) made their first CFP appearance in the 12-team format in 2025. With these additional spots, more fans believe their school has a chance to compete for the most important trophy in the sport. So, who will be the next crop of programs to break into the 12-team playoff for the first time in 2026? FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt previewed the 10 teams that are most likely to make their first 12-team College Football Playoff appearance on the latest episode of “The Joel Klatt Show.” Klatt: “Iowa’s had eight-plus wins in the last full 10 seasons. Kirk Ferentz is as consistent as anyone in the sport. … For them, though, it’s about replacing the right players. The offensive linemen from the Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line that was obviously a very good group. Can you replace those players up front? They’ve hit the [transfer] portal for experienced players from the G-5 from the FCS, and I think a lot of those guys will be smart, experienced guys that’ll pay off. … They’ll need one win out of these three — Michigan, Ohio State, Washington.” Klatt: “I like what Jedd Fisch builds. He builds good, quality programs. They got their quarterback Demond Williams back. He’s got four returning starters on the offensive line. I think the big key for Demond Williams is going to be playing better in big games. “Oct. 3, they go to USC … They welcome Iowa in. They welcome Penn State into Iowa Stadium. They have Indiana at home. And then at Oregon in their rivalry game to end the season… They are 25-2 at Husky Stadium [over the last four seasons]. This is one of the great teams in all of Husky Stadium.” Klatt: “Houston is coming off a 10-win season and finishing in the top-25 under Willie Fritz, and Willie Fritz is a really good football coach. They bring back their quarterback, Connor Weigman. He’s got an all-Big 12 wide receiver, Amari Thomas, on the outside. They added Makai Hughes. Remember, Makai Hughes was with Fritz back in the Tulane days, and that worked for them. Makai Hughes went to Oregon. We thought he was going to be a huge contributor for Dan Lanning a year ago, but that didn’t really pan out. So now he’s back with Fritz this time at Houston. “I like what I see. They’ve got a road game at Texas Tech; I don’t love that. They’ve got this critical three-game stretch with Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Utah is going to be a tough one.” Klatt: “I like Arizona here. Brent Brennan is now in Year 3 in Tucson, and he brings back his first-team All-Big 12 quarterback Noah Fifita. He’s going into Year 4 as a starter. … They retain their defensive coordinator, so they’re going to have some continuity there; that’s Danny Gonzalez, who brings a really unique structure, which is hard for teams to prepare for. “They brought some defensive help to fill the portal. They lost a lot of really good players, and particularly out of the secondary, some of those guys to the draft. … Now it’s about the schedule; it’s backloaded. They have an early game at BYU, which is not going to be easy, because BYU is a tough place to play.” Klatt: “It’s just about getting to the conference championship game, and which are the most likely candidates to do that? I think Utah is one of those. Morgan Scalley isn’t going to flip everything upside down in Salt Lake. This guy is a Utah lifer … they’re still going to be aggressive on defense, they’re still going to be good on the offensive line. He’s gotten to learn from Kyle Whittingham. They’re not going anywhere. They got their quarterback back in Devon Dampier. “The schedule sets up nicely for Utah. … They’ve got Idaho, Arkansas, Utah State, at Iowa State, off week, Kansas and at Colorado. I really like their chances at a conference championship game.” Klatt: “Out of the ACC, you have Miami and who? Who else at this point is going to be strong in the ACC? Might be Louisville. … [Last season], they beat Miami on the road. Three of their four losses were by three or less, including two in overtime. “They bring in Lincoln Kienholz from Ohio State — that’s a wait-and-see for me. He’s an older player, but not experienced. … He can rely on his star running back Isaac Brown. … They’ve got 33 transfers coming in. They hit the portal for wide receivers, including Vandy’s leading receiver from last year, Trey Richardson. They brought in a tight end out of the portal, Brody Foley from Tulsa; he got over 500 yards and seven touchdowns last year. They’ve got a really good returning defensive end, Clev Lubin; he’s their best player on defense. “It’s about getting to the ACC Championship, where you’ve got a shot in one game to potentially win a championship and go to the playoff. … Look at their ACC schedule. They don’t have to play Miami. They don’t have to play Clemson. They don’t have to play Virginia, and they don’t have to play Virginia Tech. So for me, they won the ACC schedule lottery.” Klatt: “Let’s say that big question is answered positively, and that Michigan’s got an offense that’s humming against, and they’re Michigan, again. Well guess what? Here’s the tough part: Their schedule is brutal this year. … They’ve got to play Oklahoma. They’ve got to play Iowa. They’ve got to host Penn State. They’ve got to host Indiana. They’ve got to play Oregon. They’ve got to go to Ohio State. It’s a ridiculously difficult schedule, there’s no doubt. “I do think it’s one of those schedules that, because they’re willing to play and hang on to one of these tough, marquee non-conference games, there is a chance that Michigan would get consideration, if not love, at the end of the season, even as a 9-3. … With that schedule, if you’re facing Ohio State with the right to go to [the CFP], that would be a huge win.” Klatt: “I’m bullish on USC. They have not made a playoff. And I think this is a team that could absolutely make a playoff run this year. I think Lincoln [Riley] finally has the team that can play requisite football at the line of scrimmage. … They showed me signs. I thought the game against Michigan, the game against Iowa — those were tough, hard-nosed wins. “They were quietly one of the best teams in the country at home. They were 7-0. And now this year, they get Oregon, Washington and Ohio State at home. Klatt: “BYU was oh so close a year ago. They were in that Big 12 Championship Game, and they came up short. Now they came up short because of their offense. They couldn’t do anything against that [Texas] Tech defense. … Both losses last year for Kelani Sitake and BYU were to Texas Tech. Texas Tech was very good and BYU was 12-2. “BYU should be in the Big 12 Championship Game. They’re too consistent a program. They got their quarterback back. I love this program. … I love Bear Bachmeier’s one heck of a player. He and LJ Martin are going to need to lead this offense. They get three starters back in the secondary. Should be one of the best defenses in the Big 12.” Klatt: “If they don’t make the playoff, I’m going to be very surprised. … Obviously, they were in the four-team playoff. That’s the only CFP that LSU has been to — the Joe Burrow year. That’s shocking. That’s why Lane Kiffin is there. “Kiffin’s got 10-plus wins in four of his last seasons at Ole Miss. This guy can coach. … This is absolutely the no-brainer of no-brainers. This team screams playoff this year. … I think [Sam] Leavitt is a really good player. I think it’s going to be a team that is very good. I think they can be better on defense. They’re certainly gonna be better on offense. And I’m going to be surprised if LSU is not a 10-win team.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

When we look back at the 2026 World Cup decades from now, what will we remember most? There will be plenty. Spain’s triumph over defending champion Argentina. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland’s race for the Golden Boot. Scotland’s Tartan Army drinking Boston dry. Norway’s supporters introducing the world to the Viking Row. We’ll remember that this was the biggest World Cup ever — the first with 48 teams — and how, for 39 glorious days, the tournament captivated billions around the globe. We’ll remember that, even though the U.S. men’s national team fell short of the deeper run many envisioned, it reignited interest in soccer in America. The full impact of this group won’t be known for years, but in time we’ll see how it inspired the next generation of players and fans. There are countless storylines that will define this summer, and we could talk about them forever. But one that resonated most was the way smaller nations seized the moment and put on some of the most special performances. There was skepticism when FIFA expanded the field from 32 to 48 teams. Critics wondered if those teams would dilute the quality of play and whether fans would tune in for those games. Turns out, this gave the World Cup some fresh energy. New countries introduced us to their cultures, their stars and memorable moments. Sure, the biggest blowout of the tournament was when Germany crushed debutant Curaçao 7-1 in their group stage opener. But this experience was monumental for Curaçao, the tiniest nation at this World Cup. The island’s population is around 158,000 and has a total land mass of 171 square miles, which is seven times smaller than Rhode Island. They’re a soccer-loving country and thousands of fans were at this match against the four-time World Cup champs. Germany took a 1-0 lead six minutes in, but in the 21st, Curaçao midfielder Livano Comenencia made history by scoring his nation’s first-ever World Cup goal. And for the next 17 minutes, the game was tied. “We fought so hard to be here,” Comenencia said after the match. “It’s just beautiful my dream actually came true.” Then there was the game goalkeeper Eloy Room made 15 spectacular saves to lead Curaçao to a 1-1 draw against Ecuador and secure their first-ever point in the tournament. Room’s performance was legendary and goes down as the second-most saves in a single World Cup game behind Tim Howard’s 16 against Belgium in 2014. Telling the story of Curacao’s journey to the World Cup was one of my all-time favorite pieces as part of our coverage. It was fascinating to learn that the entire team except for one player was born in the Netherlands, and how each of them made a conscious decision to build something in their homeland. The work paid off, and they’ve inspired future generations to keep it going. There was also Cape Verde’s remarkable and improbable run in its first World Cup. While on the way to a USA training in Seattle, my Uber driver told me he was from Cameroon and had never even heard of Cape Verde. By now, of course, everyone has. Cape Verde tied all three of their group stage matches, including holding eventual champion Spain to a scoreless draw. Goalkeeper Vozinha became an instant folk hero, making seven heroic saves in that game. The Blue Sharks were the only team that La Roja did not beat. Later on during the round of 32 match against Argentina — because yes, Cape Verde made it to the knockout stage in their first-ever World Cup — Vozinha was magnificent again. He repeatedly denied some of the world’s greatest players, including Messi. And when Sidney Lopes Cabral scored a stunning equalizer in extra time, the cameras cut to a section of their supporters who were all losing their minds. For a few minutes, it felt like things were heading towards a penalty shootout until an own goal gave Argentina the 3-2 victory. The entire team was a joy to watch and Vozinha in particular — who, by the way, is 40 years old and saw a surge of some 20 million followers on social media — reportedly swapped jerseys with Messi afterward. Curaçao and Cape Verde made the most headlines, but other nations left their mark, too. DR Congo tied Portugal in its opener and made England nervous in the round of 32. Egypt advanced to the round of 16 by upsetting Australia on penalties before pushing Argentina to the brink in a 3-2 loss. Paraguay beat Germany in a penalty shootout in what was considered one of the biggest upsets in the knockout stage, before narrowly losing 1-0 to France in the round of 16. And so while we’ll think of Spain winning its second-ever World Cup title and maybe seeing Messi on this stage for the last time, we’ll also remember the countries who made significant strides and delivered unforgettable performances.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports