It won't be long before college football teams hit the field in earnest as training camps begin in just a few weeks. Rosters are pretty much set, but even the best teams still have areas of uncertainty, from transitions to new coaches and coordinators to unproven players and thin position groups.
With the first set of games six weeks away, we look at a lingering question for each team in our preseason Top 25 that will have to be addressed before the season or could help determine the course of the 2026 campaign. 1.
Ohio State Buckeyes 2025 record: 12-2, 9-0 Big Ten Can Ohio State's offensive line get back to punishing the opposition? After an undefeated regular season last year, the Buckeyes got beaten up front in postseason losses to Indiana and Miami.
Veteran starters Austin Siereveld , Luke Montgomery and Carson Hinzman played key roles during Ohio State's 2024 national championship run, when the Buckeyes dominated the line of scrimmage in convincing victories over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame. Siereveld, Montgomery and Hinzman anchor a line that needs to be much better, especially with Ohio State facing one of the toughest schedules in the country.
-- Jake Trotter 2. Oregon Ducks 2025 record: 13-2, 8-1 Big Ten Can the Ducks put it all together when it matters most?
The Ducks are the envy of almost all of college football, so any concerns here are champagne problems. This is a roster that can -- and should -- compete for a national title.
If the Ducks win the whole thing, it won't be a surprise. The question has become: Can the Ducks put it all together when it matters most?
They beat Ohio State in the regular season in 2024, then got run out of the Rose Bowl by the Buckeyes in the playoff. They were competitive against Indiana during the regular season last year, only to no-show again in the playoff rematch against the Hoosiers.
This is a team that hasn't quite figured out how to peak in the playoff, and that's the important next step. -- Kyle Bonagura 3.
Georgia Bulldogs 2025 record: 12-2, 8-1 SEC Will the receiving corps be up to the task? Let's be honest: Georgia's receiving talent hasn't been elite since Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey departed after the 2023 season.
Yes, Zachariah Branch became a real weapon last year, but he did the bulk of his damage after the catch, and that often limited Georgia's downfield attack. Even after last season's mediocre results, however, there are potentially more questions this season with Colbie Young, Dillon Bell, Noah Thomas and tight end Oscar Delp gone.
The Bulldogs added a solid transfer in Isiah Canion from Georgia Tech, but beyond that, the biggest solutions are likely to come from unproven players, including Talyn Taylor and CJ Wiley , along with a host of true freshmen from a strong signing class. -- David Hale 4.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2025 record: 10-2 Is CJ Carr ready to shoulder the load? It was impossible to watch Carr's development last season and not be excited for what's ahead.
He often looked like a superstar, and his final season stat line -- 24 touchdowns, six picks, more than 2,700 yards passing -- means he'll enter this year as one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. But let's throw a small dash of cold water on the hype.
Carr is losing two elite players out of his backfield, as both Jeremiah Love and Jadarian Price were selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft. Now the pressure is on Carr to carry the offense.
And though the Irish don't face a particularly daunting schedule -- they won't play a team that won more than five games until Oct. 17 -- there's also this: Carr's stat line vs.
FPI top-40 opponents last year? Four games, 48.9 QBR, 63% completions, 6.3 yards per dropback, six TD passes and five interceptions.
-- Hale 5. Texas Longhorns 2025 record: 10-3, 6-2 SEC Will Texas' offensive line be improved?
Last year, Texas' rushing offense averaged the fewest yards (137.8) of Steve Sarkisian's career as a head coach, which put a lot on Arch Manning 's shoulders. Once Texas shifted Connor Robertson to center and moved a few pieces around, the line and Manning both improved.
Fortunately for the Longhorns, Trevor Goosby , one of the best tackles in the country, returns, as does Robertson. Texas brought in Wake Forest right tackle Melvin Siani , who did not allow a sack last year, which allowed them to move veteran Brandon Baker inside to right guard, then added Western Kentucky All-American Laurence Seymore at left guard, t