For three straight years the Big Ten's best have proven to be the top dogs in college football. But after taking a look at the talent on all rosters heading into 2026, one analyst believes that the Texas Longhorns can finally reach the top of the mountain.
In a new feature for CBS Sports, college football analyst Brad Crawford ranked the "10 Most Complete Rosters in College Football." Coming out on top are the Longhorns, with the wide receiver position listed as their best group.
"If there's a team that appears capable of checking every box on the national championship checklist in 2026, it's Texas. The buzz around the Longhorns isn't just about star power, it's about completeness -- the rare blend of elite talent, depth and physical maturity across all three phases despite losing six starters in April's NFL Draft," Crawford wrote.
Rounding out the rest of the list are Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon, Notre Dame, Miami, USC, LSU, Indiana and Alabama - in that order.
Texas on Top?
Among the players Crawford is touting as some of the best are Cam Coleman, Raleek Brown, Hollywood Smothers, Ryan Wingo, Emmett Mosley V, Colin Simmons and - of course - quarterback Arch Manning.
But college football fans don't believe that pure talent is everything when it comes to who winds up winning a national title.
"Championships are won on the defensive and offensive lines. I like where we sit this year," one Oregon said dismissively.
"Cignetti 5-2 vs teams on this list," another fan pointed out.
"So Oregon-Indiana in the title game," a third wrote.
© Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
Last year Indiana shocked the world by seemingly coming out of nowhere to go 16-0 and win the national title for the first time in program history. But after dealing with a ton of roster turnover, the Hoosiers aren't exactly favorites to go back-to-back (though their odds are still higher than most).
It's entirely possible that a brand new team comes out of the woodwork to give us that surprise dominant season. But it wouldn't be that surprising if one of the traditional powers simply went on a tear.
That's why games are played on the field, not on paper.
