The AP Top 25 poll came out on Monday and there were certainly teams that we viewed as both underrated and overrated heading into the 2026 college football season.
But what about the unranked teams? Typically, every single season, there is at least one unranked program that finishes high at the end of the season.
Here are four candidates for teams that start unranked but could finish in the AP Top 10.
MORE: This SEC top-10 contender will fall out of AP Top 25 by season's end
Nov 29, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats running back Joe Jackson (4) takes the handoff from quarterback Avery Johnson (2) during the fourth quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

#unranked #images

https://youtu.be/DqQuOXSAy...
Welcome back to class! Prep Period is back in session.
Ventura County Star sports reporters Joe Curley and Dominic Massimino return with the second season of their weekly all-sports podcast. In today's episode, the pair are talking football.
Joe runs down all the movement within the five local football leagues this offseason, then they break down the recently published preseason top-65 football player rankings. Second period includes a draft of unranked players for a watch list, then Pacifica High head coach Mike Moon joins the show in third period to discuss the Tritons' upcoming season. Finally, the pair discuss which local football programs might be most improved from last season.
We hope you enjoy the show! Please don't forget to leave a comment, a five-star review and subscribe to the show wherever you are listening.

#Football #second

Indiana football shocked the world and went undefeated with its first national championship in program history last season. Coach Curt Cignetti lost a long list of players to the NFL Draft, but has since reloaded the roster with impact transfer portal additions.
Across the Big Ten, Oregon and Ohio State are considered top national ***** le contenders in 2026, along with Indiana. All three schools have made impact additions via the portal.
UCLA also added an impressive portal class after hiring Bob Chesney from James Madison, which made the College Football Playoff in 2025. Michigan also added some pieces after hiring Kyle Whittingham from Utah.
From 1-11 to Playoff? 5 unranked teams who could surprise their way into 2026 CFP
Can't-miss games: Top 10 games this season include big dose of Arch Manning

#portal #Football #national #additions

Jeremiah Mark has had one of the fastest rises of anyone in the 2027 recruiting cycle out of the Southeast.
In a span of a couple of weeks, the 6-foot-5-inch, 270-pounder has gone from one FCS offer to holding four official offers from Alabama, Miami, Ole Miss, and now LSU.
The Florida Gators have yet to officially offer the unranked defensive lineman; however, his official visit date will be Sept. 26 when Ole Miss visits the Gators.
Mark's limited football experience makes his recruitment unique. When Mark comes to Gainesville, it could allow the program to evaluate his development and strengthen its relationship, as he finalizes his recruitment.
For Florida, the upcoming visit could potentially add the program to the mix of schools that have already offered him. If Mark impresses, he could quickly become a more prominent name on Florida's 2027 defensive line recruiting board.

#offer

Florida football enters the 2026 season unranked in the US LBM preseason Top 25 coaches poll.
That's news to first-year Florida Gators coach Jon Sumrall, who claims he doesn't pay attention to preseason polls.
Florida was the second-highest in the others receiving votes category, making the Gators 27th entering their season opener on Sept. 5 against Florida Atlantic.
Sumrall votes in the US LBM coaches poll and says he gets help from other staff members in selecting teams.
"I have somebody help me make sure that we know how to fill out the form the right way," Sumrall said. "But no, I look at it and talk through it with who helps me."

#preseason #poll

All eyes are on the Wisconsin Badgers' week one opponent, Notre Dame, and rightfully so, but there's a competitive conference trio they're stuck playing this season.
If the US LBM Preseason Coaches Poll revealed anything, it's that the Badgers could have a tougher schedule than they originally anticipated.
To no surprise, teams like Western Illinois, Eastern Michigan, and even a few Big Ten teams such as Michigan State, Purdue, and Minnesota, among others, were unranked.
That said, Notre Dame comes in at No. 5, and that's a huge test for Luke Fickell's squad to face right out of the gate.
When it comes to Big Ten play, the Badgers could have to play three ranked teams, including back-to-back ranked opponents from October 24-31.

#dame #michigan #comes #play

For the ninth straight season, the Louisville football team is unranked in the preseason coaches poll.
The Cards were the top vote-getter outside of the top 25, receiving just five fewer points than No. 25 Missouri. U of L is also three spots behind No. 23 Clemson, despite being picked to finish ahead of the Tigers in the preseason ACC media poll.
U of L has two scheduled games against teams in the preseason top 25, including a season-opener against No. 10 Ole Miss in Nashville.
Here's the first coaches poll of the 2026 season:
The preseason AP poll will be released on Monday, Aug. 17.

#poll #missouri

Forget who might be this year's Indiana. Who will be this year's 2025 Penn State?
Remember the Nittany Lions, perched third in this same US LBM Coaches Poll to open the last college football season? They merely had eight players selected in the most recent NFL Draft and another seven who signed undrafted free-agent deals.
They also fired their coach by the second weekend of October three games into what became a six-game losing streak.
College football Top 25 rankings: Ohio State leads US LBM Coaches Poll
Not far behind Penn State — in preseason rankings and in-season disappointment — was Clemson, which debuted at No. 6 and closed unranked, same 7-6 mark as the Nittany Lions and loser against Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl.

#state #coaches #poll #Football

Penn State football owns a Top 20 ranking, after all, to start its hopeful recovery season under new head coach Matt Campbell.
The Nittany Lions are No. 17 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, the first of the upcoming 2026 season, which was released on Tuesday, Aug 4.
It's quite the contrast to last August when former coach James Franklin's highly-publicized team started No. 3 − the program's highest preseason standing in the poll in 28 years. Of course, Franklin was fired in the middle of a stunning six-game losing streak that turned Penn State into college football's most disappointing team.
The Lions finished the season unranked, despite a late turnaround under interim leader Terry Smith. Campbell and his new staff now open their first preseason camp on Wednesday, Aug. 5, and will make their debut in a bigger-than-ever Beaver Stadium a month later against Marshall.
This new Top 25 is expectedly led by three Big Teams in No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon and No. 6 and defending national champion Indiana − none of which the Lions play during the regular season. Other Big Ten teams in the poll: USC (14th), Michigan (16th), Washington (19th) and Iowa (22nd).

#state #lions #penn

The Wisconsin Badgers recently received an expert prediction to land class of 2028 offensive lineman Brock Barrows.
Barrows stands 6-foor-2, 277 pounds, and is an unranked recruit, according to 247Sports.
Back on July 21, Badger247's Nick Osen logged an expert prediction that the Missouri native will commit to Wisconsin.
"I think it really solidified them as my top school even more than they already were. I just loved being able to get coached by Coach Mateos, Coach Rabach, and just everybody," Barrows told Osen (subscription required).
The Badgers made a big splash by securing a huge commitment from 2028 linebacker Cale Britt out of Florida. Britt marked the team's first class of 2028 commitment back on July 15.

#osen

Those hoping hoping to see the Sox splash the cash on some hard-to-sign candidates on day 2 of the MLB Draft were immediately disappointed, as the Red Sox spent their fifth round pick on Lucas Davenport, a pitcher out of Baylor University who was unranked by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline heading into the draft.
Davenport is a beastly 6-6, 230 lbs. and his pick launched a mini-run on those big college pitchers Craig Breslow likes so much: sixth rounder Brett Lanman, a 6-5, 23o lbs. lefty out of Abilene Christian, eighth rounder Josh Volmerding, a 6-4, 210 lbs. lefty out of California Polytech, thirteenth rounder Mason Lei, a 6-4, 215 lbs. righty out of the University of Illinois-Chicago, and fifteenth rounder Chase Frey, a 6-6 225 lbs. lefty out of Grand Canyon University.
The highlights of Day 2 are the two higher-ranked high schoolers the Sox nabbed back-to-back in the ninth and tenth rounds. Ninth rounder Martin Shelar, an outfielder, comes out of the baseball powerhouse that is the Marist School in Georgia. He has massive power potential, is committed to Mississippi State, and was ranked as the 65th-best prospect overall by FanGraphs, 125th by Baseball America, and 175th by MLB Pipeline.
Tenth rounder Kaleb LaFavor out of Bishop Heelan Catholic High School in Sioux City, Iowa is a towering 6-7 righty with a ton of extension who can already hit 95 MPH on the gun. He was ranked the 171st-best prospect by ESPN evaluator Kiley McDaniel, 465th by Baseball America, and is committed to the University of Iowa. Craig Breslow's got bonus pool money burning a hole in his pocket, and it's going to go to these guys in hopes of enticing them away from college (speaking as someone who spent a fair bit of time partying in Iowa City as a 22-year-old, good luck in LeFavor's case).
Here's the full slate of day 2 picks:

Several young up-and-comers may eventually challenge him for the ***** le, but for now the best lineman on the Atlanta Falcons remains right guard Chris Lindstrom.
The rare guard who actually gets the kind of recognition he deserves, Lindstrom has been performing at a high level for Atlanta since he entered the league as a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The latest accolade for Lindstrom comes courtesy of ESPN, where he's been voted one of the league's 10-best interior offensive linemen by an anonymous poll of NFL executives. Lindstrom came in at No. 6 on their list after going unranked in 2025.
"The rep on Lindstrom used to be 'great in the run game, average in the passing game.' He has overcome that billing. And some around the league believe he can handle more than what's required of him in Atlanta. "Athleticism and explosiveness -- his size makes him somewhat of a specific scheme fit, but there really isn't anyone who does a lot of the things that he can do," an NFL coordinator said. 'They never ask him to pull, but he would open some eyes if he did.'"
Lindstrom is the beating heart of a Falcons front line that is one of the team's greatest roster strengths. So far he's made four Pro Bowl teams and has made two appearances on the NFL Top 100 list. At 29 years old, Lindstrom has already appeared in 105 career games at this level.

The Georgia Bulldogs have ended the season ranked in the AP Poll in 21 of the 26 seasons since 2000. The Bulldogs have twice won the national championship (2021 and 2022) and ended the season No. 1 twice in the AP Poll since 2000.
Entering the 2026 season, Georgia has finished in the top-10 of the AP Poll in nine consecutive seasons under head coach Kirby Smart, who took over in 2016. The Bulldogs have only once finished the year unranked during the Smart era.
Before Kirby Smart, Mark Richt served as Georgia's head coach from 2001 to 2015. Richt helped Georgia finish the year ranked in his first eight seasons at the helm. However, Georgia finished the year unranked in four of his final seven seasons, which led to Georgia parting ways with Richt despite him never missing a bowl game.
Prior to Richt, Jim Donnan was Georgia's coach from 1996-2000. He coached UGA the last time the Bulldogs missed a bowl game in 1996.
2000: No. 20 (Record: 8-4, Bowl Game: Oahu Classic)

The Florida State Seminoles are still building their linebacker board in the 2028 recruiting cycle, but it has already taken a hit.
They extended a scholarship offer to Ryquan Butler in June after he impressed at their Seminole Showcase Camp. At the time, he was an uncommitted prospect, but that has changed with him committing to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Tuesday.
Butler is from Notasulga, Alabama, and is currently unranked, but that will likely be changing. In addition to FSU and Alabama, the Tennessee Volunteers, Ole Miss Rebels, and Auburn Tigers have also offered the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder.
While it will likely be tough to pull him away from the in-state program, the Seminoles have plenty of time to try and pull off the flip, something they have had success doing under Mike Norvell. Butler is the only one of the 15 linebackers that FSU has offered in the 2028 recruiting cycle to commit, giving Ernie Sims plenty of time to make a move with their remaining targets.
Butler had a breakout sophomore season at Loachapoka High School, helping them go 8-4 and playing all over the field. On defense, he recorded 54 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, one interception, and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He also caught seven passes for 126 yards and four touchdowns and returned a punt for a touchdown.

Browns' Denzel Ward receives strong praise from NFL amid top-10 ESPN CB rankings originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cleveland Browns might not have a realistic chance at a playoff run this season, but that doesn't mean they don't have some high-quality individuals littered throughout the roster.
One of the more notable players still on the roster following the stunning Myles Garrett trade is cornerback Denzel Ward. He's still a Brown, at least for now, but as a 29-year-old veteran who's not played a full season, his trade value might not be high.
That is, if it weren't for the strong praise he received from around the NFL. Ward placed inside the top-10 of Jeremy Fowler of ESPN's cornerback rankings based on a poll of executives, scouts, and coaches around the NFL.
"7. Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns. Highest ranking: 2. | Lowest ranking: Unranked," Fowler writes. "Ward falls to No. 7 but easily could have been No. 4."

Rams trade pickup Trent McDuffie ranked as top-5 CB in NFL in ESPN poll originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Rams made two massive moves this offseason, trading multiple first-round picks and a whole lot more in exchange for two players.
While Myles Garrett has completely stolen the spotlight, the Rams' addition of Trent McDuffie was a very important one. It resolved a huge cornerback issue for the Rams and helped kick off their all-in offseason.
But, cornerbacks are a little tricky to gauge how good they are sometimes. So, how good is McDuffie, actually? Well, an ESPN poll from Jeremy Fowler revealed NFL scouts, executives, and coaches ranked McDuffie as a top-5 CB in the league.
"5. Trent McDuffie, Los Angeles Rams. Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: Unranked," Fowler shares from the ESPN poll. "McDuffie is a top-five cornerback for the second consecutive year."

Shara Magomedov has become a big international star for the UFC, but he’ll never fight in the United States because he’s blind in one eye.
That’s a bit of a problem for “Bullet,” because current middleweight champion Sean Strickland has repeatedly said he has no interest in fighting anywhere other than America. According to “Tarzan,” fighting twice in Australia, twice in Brazil, and twice in Canada during his UFC career was enough business travel for him. If someone wants to fight him or compete for the 185 pound strap while he holds it, it’ll have to be in America.
“He’s like a domestic champion. Just a home boy who acts like a big hero in his gym,” Magomedov told Red Corner MMA. “For example, if they invited him to Azerbaijan he wouldn’t come, because he’s scared. He won’t leave America. And if we had to fight, he would say, ‘Come to America,’ because he knows I can’t go there now. So he’s just a domestic champion.”
“If he ever comes to Abu Dhabi, he will ask for five security guards. Bust most likely he won’t even go there. Like many other’s he’d be like, ‘I’m an American, so I will only fight here.'”
“Bullet” is 6-1 in the UFC but still not in the official top 15 rankings. Neither was his UFC Baku opponent, Michel Pereira, so there’s a good chance Magomedov will remain unranked, and thus further away from a ***** le fight for more reasons than Strickland’s refusal to travel.

When does Luke Littler play at the 2026 U.S. Darts Masters? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2026 U.S. Darts Masters has arrived, and Luke Littler headlines an eight-player PDC field that will clash with eight North American players in New York City.
Littler has won several ***** les across the Pro Tour, at majors and in unranked events, but the U.S. Darts Masters is one he hasn't won yet.
He'll be looking to finally get the ***** le, so let's take a look at when he'll take the stage to compete this week.
Luke Littler kicks off his 2026 U.S. Darts Masters campaign Thursday night, as he plays David Cameron in the fifth match of the session, which will take place at around 9:15 p.m. EST.

Indiana football quickly developed one of the better offensive line units in college football under position coach Bob Bostad, who's entering his fourth season with the program in 2026. On top of that, the Hoosiers may have identified a gem in this next recruiting class.
Caleb Pugh, an inside offensive lineman in the class of 2027, announced his commitment to Indiana on Sunday via social media. What makes it interesting is that the Hoosiers are the only program from the power four to extend a scholarship offer to Pugh, whose other offers include Butler, Florida A&M and a slew of Ivy League programs including Yale and Penn.
Pugh attends Grand Rapids Christian High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He's unrated and unranked by both 247Sports and Rivals.
Cignetti and the rest of the Indiana football staff have built as strong of a reputation as any for their talent evaluation. Could Pugh be the next success story for the Hoosiers?

Indiana has had success in recruiting the defensive secondary after that unit made plays throughout the Hoosiers' run through the College Football Playoff. The program added onto that success on Saturday.
Ramir Harris-Dupree, a cornerback out of North Carolina, announced his commitment to Indiana on Saturday afternoon. He chose the Hoosiers over offers from Missouri, Rutgers and Louisville, per Rivals national recruiting and transfer portal reporter Hayes Fawcett.
He's the 14th prospect in the class of 2027 to announce his pledge to Indiana and the second cornerback currently committed alongside Chris Bradley (Ohio). The program has had to look elsewhere for the position after losing a commitment from Monsanna Torbert Jr.
Harris-Dupree attends Grimsley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. He's rated as a 3-star prospect by 247Sports, ranking in as the 98th highest-rated cornerback in the class and the 33rd highest-rated prospect in North Carolina. He is currently unrated and unranked in Rivals.

Will Wade refused to be left out of the recruiting parade taking place in Baton Rouge right now. Early this morning, Wade and his staff secured a commitment from 2026 prospect Jordan Bender.
Bender is a 6’8″ southpaw forward from Kentucky. While he is currently unranked by the major recruiting services, he comes from basketball bloodlines as the son of former Louisville forward Brandon Bender. He played his high school basketball for Marsee Speights at North Christian School in Florida.
Given the current uncertainty surrounding the roster and several players seeking eligibility, adding a young, up-and-coming prospect for the upcoming season makes a lot of sense. Wade continues to add length and versatility to the roster with a player capable of defending positions one through four.
Bender is a high-upside prospect who will still require some development, but he has the potential to become a key contributor down the road. If he can meet the physical demands of the SEC, he could see playing time early by showcasing his defensive versatility and rebounding ability.
Football is on a roll, baseball is dominating, and now Wade and the basketball program want in on the action as well.

This morning we look back at the time Georgia broke Auburn’s cheatin’ little hearts. Again.
The 1994 season will not go down as one of the highlights in the pantheon of Georgia Bulldog football. In many ways it was the epitome of the pre-Mark Richt era at Georgia. The Bulldogs began the season by beating South Carolina and getting waxed by Tennessee. Ray Goff’s Dawgs beat Ole Miss, but then lost a one point game on the road at #11 Alabama.
And that, as they say, is when the ship hit the sand. After beating Clemson the Red and Black found a way to lose at home by two touchdowns to Vanderbilt. Then they went down to Gainesville and. in their only post-WWII appearance in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, took an absolute shellacking at the hands of the Florida Gators, 52-14.
And so it was a battered, bruised, and rightfully unranked Bulldog team that limped into Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 12, 1994 to take on Terry Bowden’s undefeated and #3 ranked Auburn Tigers.
True to expectation the Tigers jumped out to a 23-9 lead and appeared set to cruise to victory before heading into a top five Iron Bowl showdown with Alabama. Then the strangest thing happened: the Athenians decided to wake up and play ball. Cornerback (and future tailback) Robert Edwards picked off Plainsmen QB Patrick Nix to stall the Tiger offense. Then this happened:

As Iowa football heads into the summer months, the Hawkeyes extended an offer to 2028 EDGE prospect LeRoi Kamtio, a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder out of Gardner Edgerton in Gardner, Kan.
Per his X account, Kamtio registered 53 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and one pressure during his sophomore season in 2025.
"Words cannot express my emotions right now!! After a great camp with (Iowa) and a convo with (Coach Kelvin Bell), I have received my first D1 offer to the University of Iowa! Huge thanks to the staff at Iowa for running a great camp and everyone who has supported me!" Kamtio wrote in his social media announcement of the offer.
Though Kamtio is currently an unranked prospect, his offer from the Hawkeyes will undoubtedly gather other programs' attention and recruiting experts' eyeballs as well.
Here's a look at Kamtio's sophomore season highlights:

No love.
Top Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight contender Brendan Allen makes his first appearance of the year when he takes on unranked knockout artist Edmen Shahbazyan in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 118 this weekend (Sat., June 6, 2026) inside the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Allen being matched up with Shahbazyan came completely out of left field.
After all, “All In” is coming off a huge win over Reinier de Ridder, making the former two-division ONE champion quit on the stool, which pushed Allen to No. 5 in the Middleweight rankings. Shahbazyan, meanwhile, spent last year rebuilding himself and is currently unranked.
So, the optics of the matchmaking weren’t great.