Polls, Camp Openers, and a QB Controversy

The 2026 preseason coaches poll gave the sport its first official hierarchy of the season on Tuesday, with Ohio State sitting at the top and the SEC and Big Ten combining to occupy most of the landscape beneath them. It is a snapshot, nothing more, but it sets the table for every camp battle and early-season game that follows.

Fall camp opened in earnest across the country Tuesday and Wednesday, and with it came the first dispatches from coaches managing expectations and sorting through roster questions. Tennessee's quarterback competition remained unresolved by design, Penn State took the field for the first time under Matt Campbell, and Florida State got a closed scrimmage in the books — the kind of low-stakes reps that mean everything to players trying to lock down roles before September.

The day also produced a wrinkle that had nothing to do with whistles or depth charts. Dillon Raiola's public assessment of Oregon's talent relative to Nebraska's drew immediate attention and put his former program on the defensive before a single preseason snap had been taken. It was a reminder that in August, words carry weight.