NBC Sports Rolls Out Weekly College Football Top 25 as Big Ten Stumbles Open the 2026 Season

NBC Sports, a property of Comcast, has launched its weekly college football Top 25 rankings for the 2026 season, with analyst Vaughn Dalzell publishing an updated poll every Sunday throughout the year. The Week 2 edition arrives after an opening stretch defined by chaos — and by a rough start for the Big Ten.

Week 1 Upsets Set the Stage

The opening weekends produced one of the most surprising results in recent memory: UMass knocked off Rutgers, a result the analyst described as among the biggest upsets in modern college football. Michigan survived Western Michigan only via a Hail Mary as time expired, and Oregon needed to hold off a close challenge at home from Boise State. Those narrow escapes left the Big Ten facing questions heading into a Week 2 slate that offers the conference a chance to reset the narrative.

Ohio State–Texas Tops the Card

The headline matchup is a top-five collision: No. 1 Ohio State travels to fifth-ranked Texas on Saturday at 7:30 PM ET. The Buckeyes enter at 1-0 after dismantling Ball State 56-3, with three different players throwing touchdown passes — five in all — and three separate rushers reaching the end zone, including scores in the final two minutes. Ohio State won last year’s meeting in Columbus 14-7. The analyst’s projection: Ohio State 21, Texas 20, with receiver Jeremiah Smith ending a two-game touchdown drought. A Texas loss would drop the Longhorns to 0-6 against Ohio State and Georgia since 2024.

No. 2 Georgia opened with an even more lopsided result, rolling past Tennessee State 63-3 while piling up 660 yards of offense. The Bulldogs’ defense held the Tigers to 10 rushing yards on 32 carries and just 99 passing yards. Western Kentucky visits Saturday at 12:45 PM ET after falling to Nevada by 35 points.

At No. 3, Indiana’s debut under new quarterback Josh Hoover could hardly have gone better: five consecutive scoring drives to open the game and scores on six of the first seven possessions in a 52-16 win over North Texas. The Hoosiers host Howard on Saturday at 12 PM ET.

Media Stakes in College Football Coverage

The weekly rankings franchise underscores the continued investment major media companies are making in college football content. NBC’s coverage portfolio, housed under Comcast’s Media segment, competes in a crowded marketplace where analyst-driven rankings, predictions, and social engagement formats are increasingly central to audience retention across linear and streaming platforms. Comcast shares closed recently at $26.49, down 0.64% from the prior close of $26.66, with a market capitalization of roughly $94.4 billion.

What to watch

• Ohio State at Texas on Saturday at 7:30 PM ET — the season’s first marquee top-five result.
• Updated NBC Top 25 rankings published each Sunday throughout the season.
• Whether the Big Ten bounces back from Week 1 scares after Michigan, Oregon, and the conference’s rocky open.
• Georgia and Indiana’s performances in favorable Week 2 home matchups.

Source: original release