The 2026 college football season is being compared to the chaotic 2007 season using a seven-category analytical checklist.
The checklist awards 10 of 10 points for top-two volatility. In the past four weeks, No. 1 or No. 2 teams lost five times — all as favorites of at least 6.5 points. Georgia fell to Auburn as a 19.5-point favorite. That parallels 2007’s nine-week stretch when 11 top-two teams lost.
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It scores 4 of 10 for mind-blowing upsets. UMass beat Rutgers as a 29.5-point underdog in Week 1; Oklahoma State topped Oregon as a 24.5-point underdog in Week 2. No similarly large-margin upset has occurred since.
For unlikely teams rising to prominence, it earns 4 of 10. Three programs unranked in the preseason — Florida (Week 5), UCLA (Week 8), and Kentucky (Week 9) — reached the AP top 10. UCLA remains unbeaten. Kentucky is a top-10 team in November for the first time in 49 years.
Quarterback injuries receive 4 of 5 points. Preseason No. 2 Oregon is 2-2 since Dante Moore suffered a concussion against USC. Preseason No. 1 Ohio State lost starter Julian Sayin late in a win over Indiana and lost Luke Fahey’s first start against USC. Multiple Big Ten quarterbacks have missed time.
Cult hero development scores 3 of 5. Indiana wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, Oregon State wide receiver Jesse Legree, and Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney are cited as emerging underdog stories. The analysis notes November is typically when such figures define themselves — citing last year’s Heisman favorite Fernando Mendoza, who rose after a Nov. 8 comeback against Penn State.
Coaching eccentricity earns 4 of 5. Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti is described as the most “Milesian” figure of the 2020s — citing his sideline demeanor, eccentric interviews, and clock mismanagement in a narrow win over Minnesota that culminated in a 60-yard overtime-winning field goal by Paddy McAteer.
The analysis does not assign a final score for the “unique but disappointing ending” criterion, noting the season is ongoing. Eleven teams have appeared in the AP top five this season, including Utah and UCLA this week. Three teams dropped out immediately after their first appearance.
The piece concludes that while 2026 has delivered messy football and echoes many hallmarks of 2007, it has not yet matched the depth or breadth of that season’s upheaval.
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