2026 Preseason College Football Bottom 10: UMass Leads ESPN’s List as Jayden Daniels Lands at No. 5

2026 Preseason College Football Bottom 10: UMass Leads ESPN’s List as Jayden Daniels Lands at No. 5

ESPN has released its 2026 preseason Bottom 10, with Massachusetts at No. 1 after finishing the 2025 season with an 0-12 record.

The ranking, published Aug. 19 by Ryan McGee, highlights teams entering the new season with significant questions based largely on their recent results.

UMass No. 1 After Winless 2025 Season

Massachusetts sits at the top of the list following a 0-12 campaign in 2025. ESPN noted that the Minutemen spent the offseason dealing with a large group of transfers while preparing for the new season.

Sam Houston ranks No. 2 after going 2-10 in 2025. The Bearkats are entering their fourth season competing in the FBS and are set to return to Elliott T. Bowers Stadium following its $60 million renovation.

Georgia State is No. 3 after finishing 1-11 last season. The Panthers have won only four games over the past two seasons.

Charlotte ranks No. 4 after also finishing 1-11 in 2025. ESPN highlighted the team's quarterback situation and its struggles protecting the passer, noting that Charlotte allowed nearly 2.5 sacks per game last season.

Jayden Daniels at No. 5

One of the most unusual entries on the list is NFL quarterback Jayden Daniels at No. 5. McGee's ranking was presented in the satirical style of ESPN's Bottom 10 feature, making Daniels' inclusion different from the rankings of the college teams.

The article referenced the legal dispute involving Daniels and noted that his lawyer had previously sent a cease-and-desist letter over the ranking.

Sacramento State and Northern Illinois Face New Conference Challenges

Sacramento State is No. 6 after going 7-5 in the FCS in 2025. The Hornets are moving into the MAC, creating significant travel demands because of the geographic distance between them and several conference opponents.

Northern Illinois ranks No. 7 after a 3-9 season. The Huskies are moving to the Mountain West, while their former coach left the program in February.

Louisiana-Monroe is No. 8 after finishing 3-9 last season. The Warhawks have gone 3-15 since beginning the 2024 season 5-1.

UTEP ranks No. 9 following a 2-10 campaign. The Miners enter the season with EJ Colson as their new quarterback after he passed for 2,142 yards last season at Incarnate Word. Head coach Scotty Walden has described Colson as an "Alpha Dog."

Middle Tennessee State completes the Bottom 10 at No. 10 after a 3-9 season in 2025. The program enters Year 3 under head coach Derek Mason.

The Bigger 2026 College Football Picture

The Bottom 10 arrives as the sport's leading teams prepare for the 2026 season. The preseason AP poll has Ohio State at No. 1, followed by Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas.

Ohio State enters the season after a 12-2 record in 2025 and has been favored in 31 consecutive games, according to ESPN Research. Oregon went 13-2 last season, while Georgia finished 12-2.

The contrast between the preseason AP Top 25 and ESPN's Bottom 10 illustrates the wide range of expectations entering the new college football season. While teams such as Ohio State, Oregon and Georgia begin the year with championship expectations, programs near the bottom are attempting to reverse difficult recent results.

For UMass, Sam Houston, Georgia State, Charlotte and the other teams on the Bottom 10 list, the 2026 season provides an opportunity to change the narrative through results on the field.

2026 College Football Bottom 10 Analysis: Why UMass, Sam Houston and Others Face Pressure to Turn Things Around

The 2026 college football season is approaching with two very different groups attracting attention. At the top, Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas enter the season with expectations of competing for major postseason success. At the other end, several programs begin the year trying to escape the bottom of the national conversation.

ESPN's 2026 preseason Bottom 10 puts Massachusetts at No. 1, followed by Sam Houston, Georgia State, Charlotte, Jayden Daniels in a satirical No. 5 position, Sacramento State, Northern Illinois, Louisiana-Monroe, UTEP and Middle Tennessee State.

Although ESPN's Bottom 10 is presented with humor, the underlying statistics provide useful clues about which programs have the biggest challenges ahead.

UMass Has the Most Obvious Starting Point

Massachusetts enters the season from the most difficult position on the list after going 0-12 in 2025. A winless season creates problems that go beyond the final record. It affects confidence, player development, recruiting momentum and the pressure surrounding the coaching staff.

The most important question for UMass is not whether it can suddenly become a national contender. The immediate objective should be establishing competitiveness.

A program coming off an 0-12 season needs measurable progress. Turning close losses into wins, improving defensive consistency and creating a reliable offensive identity would represent meaningful improvement even if the Minutemen remain outside the national rankings.

The transfer portal also gives UMass an opportunity. New players can immediately change the talent level of a roster, but transfers alone cannot guarantee success. The coaching staff has to integrate those players quickly and establish a system that produces consistent performances.

For UMass, therefore, the 2026 season should be viewed as the beginning of a rebuilding process rather than a one-year rescue mission.

Sam Houston Faces a Different Kind of Challenge

Sam Houston's 2-10 record in 2025 puts the Bearkats at No. 2 on the Bottom 10 list. However, their situation contains an important difference from UMass.

Sam Houston is entering its fourth season competing in the FBS. That means the program has had several years to adjust to the higher level of competition.

The pressure therefore increases.

A team can reasonably need time during its transition to the FBS. But eventually, improvement has to appear in the win column. A 2-10 season suggests that Sam Houston still has considerable work to do.

Returning to a renovated Elliott T. Bowers Stadium could provide a useful advantage. Home-field familiarity matters, particularly for programs trying to establish stability. If Sam Houston can perform better at home and reduce mistakes, it could move away from the bottom of the national discussion.

Georgia State and Charlotte Need More Consistency

Georgia State finished 1-11 in 2025, while Charlotte also went 1-11. Those records explain why both programs appear near the top of the Bottom 10.

Georgia State's problem is particularly significant because the Panthers have won only four games over the past two seasons. That makes 2026 about more than simply improving by one or two victories.

The program needs to demonstrate that its overall direction is changing.

Charlotte has a similar record problem but faces an especially important issue on offense. ESPN noted that the 49ers allowed nearly 2.5 sacks per game last season.

Quarterback performance is difficult to evaluate without considering the offensive line. Even a talented quarterback can struggle if he is consistently pressured. Charlotte's ability to improve protection could therefore have a major effect on its offensive production.

The lesson for both programs is straightforward: improvement needs to be structural rather than temporary.

Sacramento State's Move to the MAC Creates a Unique Challenge

Sacramento State is an unusual inclusion because the Hornets went 7-5 in the FCS last season. Their placement at No. 6 is therefore less about having a terrible previous record and more about the uncertainty surrounding their move to the MAC.

The geographic challenge is enormous.

Sacramento State will face conference opponents located thousands of miles away, creating travel demands that most teams do not encounter regularly. Travel affects preparation, recovery and weekly routines.

However, conference realignment can also provide opportunity.

Moving into the FBS gives Sacramento State greater exposure and a chance to establish itself against new opponents. The question is whether the Hornets can translate their previous success into consistent FBS-level performance.

That makes Sacramento State one of the more interesting teams on this list.

Northern Illinois Has a New Conference and a Coaching Question

Northern Illinois enters 2026 after a 3-9 season and a move to the Mountain West. The conference change creates a significant transition.

Even more important is the coaching situation. ESPN noted that the head coach left the program in February.

When a team changes conferences and leadership at the same time, establishing continuity becomes difficult. Players must adapt to new expectations while the coaching staff works to build its own identity.

Northern Illinois therefore has two major variables to manage: performance and stability.

A strong start could quickly change perceptions, while another difficult season would raise bigger questions about the direction of the program.

Louisiana-Monroe's Recent Trend Is Concerning

Louisiana-Monroe provides perhaps the clearest example of how quickly momentum can disappear.

The Warhawks opened the 2024 season 5-1 but have since gone 3-15.

That type of decline is more concerning than simply having one bad season. It suggests that the program has struggled to maintain the foundation it established earlier.

The priority should be restoring consistency.

Winning one or two games against stronger opponents would be useful, but sustained improvement requires better performance across the entire schedule. Louisiana-Monroe needs to avoid another extended losing stretch if it wants to change its position in the national conversation.

UTEP Has a Potentially Important Quarterback Story

UTEP enters the season after a 2-10 campaign, but the arrival of quarterback EJ Colson provides a potential reason for optimism.

Colson passed for 2,142 yards at Incarnate Word last season, and UTEP coach Scotty Walden has called him an "Alpha Dog."

Quarterback changes can dramatically affect struggling teams, particularly when the new starter brings experience and production from another program.

However, Colson's numbers will ultimately need to translate to UTEP's level of competition. A quarterback cannot solve every problem by himself.

If UTEP improves its offensive efficiency and gives Colson adequate protection, the Miners could become one of the teams most capable of outperforming its Bottom 10 preseason position.

Middle Tennessee State Needs Results in Year 3

Middle Tennessee State finished 3-9 in 2025 and enters Year 3 under Derek Mason.

The third season of a coaching tenure often becomes an important evaluation point. By this stage, the coach has had time to recruit players, establish systems and influence the culture of the program.

That makes 2026 especially important for Mason and Middle Tennessee State.

The team does not necessarily need to become a conference powerhouse immediately. But a noticeable improvement in competitiveness would help demonstrate that the program is moving in the right direction.

What the Bottom 10 Really Tells Us

The most valuable takeaway from ESPN's Bottom 10 is that struggling programs do not all face the same problem.

UMass is attempting to recover from an 0-12 season. Sam Houston is still searching for stability after several years of FBS competition. Georgia State and Charlotte need significant improvement after 1-11 campaigns. Sacramento State is entering a completely different competitive environment. Northern Illinois is dealing with conference and coaching changes. Louisiana-Monroe is trying to reverse a major decline, while UTEP and Middle Tennessee State have potential opportunities to change their trajectories.

That distinction matters.

A Bottom 10 ranking is a snapshot, not a prediction of the entire season. College football can change quickly because of transfers, injuries, quarterback development, coaching adjustments and unexpected results.

For fans, the most important statistic will ultimately not be where a team starts on a preseason list. It will be how much that team improves once the games begin.

The 2026 season gives every program on ESPN's Bottom 10 an opportunity to make the ranking irrelevant. For some, escaping the list will require only modest improvement. For others, it will require a fundamental rebuilding of the program.

That is what makes the bottom of college football worth watching: the teams with the lowest expectations often have the most to gain.