美联社精选了2026赛季大学美式足球的6场必看比赛，这些对阵将对12队制季后赛参赛队伍的确定产生重要影响[1]。赛季早期，俄亥俄州立大学将在9月12日迎战德克萨斯大学[1]，随后LSU和密西西比大学将在9月19日交手，标志着主教练Lane Kiffin回归牛津[1]。
10月份的全国顶级对决包括乔治亚大学vs阿拉巴马大学（10月10日在塔斯卡卢萨进行）和俄亥俄州立大学vs印第安纳大学（10月17日）[1]。其中印第安纳大学以2025赛季16-0的完美战绩进入新赛季[1]，该队2026年最后四个对手将是俄亥俄州立大学、阿拉巴马大学、俄勒冈大学和迈阿密[1]。
赛季后期的关键比赛还包括迈阿密vs圣母大学（11月7日）以及杨百翰大学vs犹他大学（11月7日）[1]。犹他大学的这场对阵是新任主教练Morgan Scalley执教的首个赛季中的圣战[1]。
The 2026 college football season will feature several pivotal contests that could determine which teams earn spots in the 12-team playoff format.[1] Among the early-season heavyweight clashes, Ohio State will face Texas on September 12, while LSU travels to Ole Miss on September 19 with Lane Kiffin returning to Oxford.[1] Georgia will travel to Alabama on October 10 in Tuscaloosa, followed by Ohio State hosting Indiana on October 17—a particularly significant matchup given that Indiana finished the 2025 season undefeated at 16-0.[1]
Later in November, Miami and Notre Dame will square off on November 7, while Brigham Young University takes on Utah on the same date in Morgan Scalley's first rivalry game as Utah's head coach.[1] For Indiana, the path to a successful 2026 campaign will prove especially challenging, as the team's final four opponents include Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, and Miami.[1]