SEC Preview 2026: The 16-Team Breakdown

The Sunday Hurry-Up makes its triumphant return. Rodger Sherman is again in the hot seat with Richard Johnson to break down a Week 1 that was anything but boring. We go through as many games as are fit to print (or podcast about).* Michigan 13, Western Michigan 12* Oregon 34, Boise State 27* Ohio State 56, Ball State 3* Indiana 52, North Texas 16* USC 39, Fresno 0* Penn State 45, Marshall 0* Iowa 40, Northern Illinois 0* Illinois 42, UAB 23* Michigan State 30, Toledo 20* Nebraska 49, Ohio 21* Northwestern 34, South Dakota State 18* UMass 37, Rutgers 21* LSU 51, Clemson 10* Auburn 17, Baylor 16* Oklahoma 51, UTEP 0* South Carolina 57, Kent State 0* Alabama 48, ECU 10* Florida 66, FAU 21* Vanderbilt 28, Austin Peay 9* Georgia 63 vs Tennessee State 3* Texas Tech 33, Abilene Christian 10* Houston 33, Oregon State 20* Cincinnati 34, Boston College 15* West Virginia 31, Coastal Carolina 24* Miami 45, Stanford 6* UCLA 45, Cal 24* Duke 17, Tulane 3* Colorado 14, Georgia Tech 13* Pitt 59 vs Miami (OH) 14* Wake Forest 38, Akron 16* The Citadel 43, Charlotte 41 (3OT)* Memphis 42, Arkansas State 24* USF 19, FIU 9* Temple 38, Rhode Island 14* Tulsa 24, Oklahoma State 10* UNLV 21, Hawaii 6* Nevada 49, Western Kentucky 14* New Mexico 38, Central Michigan 7* North Dakota State 38, Fordham 0* Tarleton State 20, Bowling Green 13* Buffalo 21, UAlbany 17* San Jose State 27, Eastern Michigan 21* Sacramento State 52, Mississippi Valley State 0* James Madison 20, Liberty 13* Louisiana Tech 80, Northwestern State 6* Troy 24, Sam Houston 21* Colorado State 35, Wyoming 13* Idaho State 29, Utah State 17Yeah, we went big for Week 1.Producer: Anthony VitoTHANKS TO OUR PARTNERS* 10% off a set of Nokian Tyres with code SPLITZONEDUO at: https://www.tires-easy.com/brands/nokian-tires* Shop for college sports apparel at Homefield This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Guest host Rodger Sherman joins Richard for the first weekend preview of the season, running through dozens of games. They touch on about 38 games, including these: - 5:02: UMass vs. Rutgers is technically football- 6:48: Colorado vs. Georgia Tech: What do we want the Buffs to be, exactly?- 12:49: Fresno State vs. USC will have at least someone in attendance- 23:43: Liberty vs. James Madison is not a gentle handshake for Billy Napier- 36:00: Baylor vs. Auburn: Sneaky game of the weekend?- 50:53: Clemson vs. LSU: There will be celebs, but will there be a game of any consequence?- 1:02:56: UCLA vs. Cal: Hell yeah, brother- 1:06:47: Louisville vs. Ole Miss: The actual game of the weekend- 1:09:18: Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame: [Insert “play it on campus” discourse]- 1:13:15: SMU vs. Florida State: Don’t lose big, NolesProducer: Anthony Vito.The Sunday Hurry-Up will arrive on Sunday as usual, despite several big games being played after that time. See you then.THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS* 10% off a set of Nokian Tyres with code SPLITZONEDUO at: https://www.tires-easy.com/brands/nokian-tires* Shop for college sports apparel at Homefield This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

New series! It’s the Split Zone Duo TEAM OF THE WEEK, a weekly episode in which guest host Rodger Sherman joins Alex and/or Richard to talk in detail about one college football team doing something interesting. That team can be good or bad or anything in between, as long it has a compelling story. This week, we spin off North Dakota State’s first game in FBS, a blowout win over Jacksonville State, and talk about the long arc of the Bison.Producer: Anthony Vito This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comRichard is joined by Justis Mosqueda, an Acme Packing Co. writer and Oregon fan, for a quick preview of the national championship-contending Ducks and a deep dive into how college football’s rule changes will affect the special teams plays you might typically tune out. Maybe Kirk Ferentz had a point? Maybe don’t grab that beverage or use the bathroom on fourth down this season. Also, because Richard can’t shut up about it, what does it really mean that the Rams’ use of 13 personnel might be infiltrating the rest of the NFL?In this episode:- 0:56: Oregon’s new coordinators, offensive line, and brutal defense- 7:04: NFL cutdown day and the return-to-college eligibility mess. (Note: This episode was recorded last week, and this is a developing story.)- 11:17: How college football’s new fair-catch kick will work- 14:18: Why a new punting rule has Kirk Ferentz pissed- 30:24: How four-strong formations break match coverages- 36:22: What the Rams’ 13 personnel package does to a defenseProducer: Anthony Vito

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comIt's a part-subscriber, part-free episode. Host emeritus Steven Godfrey joins Alex and Richard for this annual special. Having previewed every FBS conference and spent months thinking about the season, we make a bunch of big predictions about college football in 2026:- 0:00: A post-production note about Brent Venables’ new Oklahoma extension, i.e. we recorded this episode last week - 2:30: Conference champion picks for every FBS league- 38:02: Which consensus Playoff favorite misses the field?- 46:30: Full CFP fields and national championship picks- 50:18: Heisman finalists and individual awards- 54:39: Favorite games, Oklahoma chaos, and the Lane Bowl- 1:05:13: First firing, coaches moving up, and the best job to open- 1:09:29: Poll risers, poll fallers, and whether Congress will (or should) do something along the lines of the Protect College Sports ActProducer: Anthony Vito

This week, Split Zone Duo celebrates a major milestone: welcoming Six Zone Duo. This episode explains what we’re doing. Find it here: * Subscribe to the YouTube channel * Apple Podcasts (Listen and leave a review!) * Spotify (Listen and leave a star rating) * Any other podcasting app, pretty much * Follow on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, Twitter, and Threads. Here’s more from Richard:How did we get here? The quick backstory. Alex and I had wondered for a while what a second show might look like—ideally, one that would be part of our broader universe without being hosted by us. We considered all kinds of ideas: the NFL, non-sports topics, and something centered on women’s sports. But women’s sports aren’t a monolith. Would it be a generalist show? Would it cover softball, soccer, or basketball?As we brainstormed, we kept coming back to volleyball. We began looking more closely at a sport whose viewership was exploding, and it was easy to understand why. One night last December, I couldn’t sleep and turned on highlights from the NCAA tournament. The matches were fast-paced, and the athleticism of the women on the court was remarkable.We also started learning about the emerging professional leagues, LOVB and MLV. Pretty much everyone we spoke with in the sports business world and college athletics agreed that volleyball has all the ingredients for a boom. But one point kept coming up: Beyond the matches themselves, the sport isn’t covered in very many places. And there’s no good reason for that.So we decided to find someone who could build a show and help fill the void. But who?Friends of Split Zone Duo recommended Erin Sorensen, whom subscribers may remember from her appearance on the feed for a Nebraska Dead Letters episode. In February, I called our mutual friend Amie Just to get Erin’s contact information. When I explained what we were considering, Amie said, “Well, I’d be interested in that too.”That is the origin story of the show we are proud to debut this weekAmie, a true ball knower, came up with the name. “Six Zone Duo” refers to the six positions on the volleyball court. It connects naturally to Split Zone Duo while giving the new show a visual identity all its own. We could not be more excited to support Amie and Erin as they begin this journey.They’ll be on-site for some of the biggest matches in the professional and college games, and they’ll cover the sport nationally through a new, free weekly show. Expect analysis, interviews, and coverage that makes you a smarter volleyball fan.Volleyball deserves to be covered in depth. We trust Amie and Erin to do exactly that from Nebraska, the epicenter of the college game.As they get started, I have a few people to thank.Thank you to Erin and Amie for throwing themselves wholeheartedly into this project and already bringing so much passion, commentary, chemistry, and knowledge to it.Thank you to Alex for his continued partnership, for navigating the better part of eight months unlike anything we’ve experienced together before, and for trusting that we could make this happen even when the vision wasn’t yet clear.Thank you to our presenting partners at Homefield for believing in us years ago, sticking with us throughout, and enthusiastically supporting this new project.Thank you to Hector, Tyson, Anthony, Warren, Austin, and the many others throughout the Split Zone Duo ecosystem who helped us get Six Zone Duo off the ground. Your creativity and counsel made this possible.And thank you to volleyball fans everywhere. We know you’re out there, and we know you care. This is for you.Does this change anything for Split Zone Duo? We get to have fun as executive producers working with Erin and Amie. But otherwise, nope! We have big plans for this college football season and will share them [checks watch] next week, which is Week 1. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Our last conference preview of 2026 is one of our beefiest episodes ever: Richard and Alex preview the 18-team Big Ten, going in the following order:- 2:12: Purdue- 7:04: Maryland- 14:40: Michigan State- 20:53: Wisconsin- 25:55: Rutgers- 31:23: Penn State- 38:56: UCLA- 45:46: Northwestern- 50:24: Nebraska- 57:53: Minnesota- 1:01:25: Illinois- 1:05:59: Washington- 1:11:26: Iowa- 1:18:44: Michigan- 1:24:06: USC- 1:32:42: Oregon- 1:35:18: Ohio State- 1:42:31: Preseason honors- 1:47:29: IndianaZach Osterman and Mike Niziolek’s new book is Unthinkable to Undstoppable: How Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers Stunned College Football. It comes out September 22, and you can learn more and preorder here.Producer: Anthony VitoCATCH UP ON CONFERENCE PREVIEWSThat wraps conference preview season here. See also:* SEC* Mountain West* MAC* Sun Belt* Conference USA* American* Big 12* Independents and Pac-12* ACCTHANKS TO OUR PARTNERS* Ask your tire dealer about Nokian Tyres* Shop for college sports apparel at Homefield This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Richard and Alex go into detail on all 16 teams in the SEC, as we wind toward the end of conference previews. In order:- 6:00: Ole Miss- 10:35: Georgia- 21:13: Texas A&M- 27:18: Alabama- 35:01: Texas- 41:00: Oklahoma- 50:24: Vanderbilt- 53:26: Missouri- 1:00:47: Tennessee- 1:06:05: LSU- 1:17:19: Kentucky- 1:21:26: Florida- 1:27:29: Auburn- 1:34:04: Mississippi State- 1:36:48: South Carolina- 1:40:30: Arkansas- 1:45:38: Preseason honorsProducer: Anthony VitoCATCH UP ON CONFERENCE PREVIEWSYou can catch up on all of our season preview dives by scrolling down on your podcast app of choice. You can also find our published previews here:* Big Ten* SEC* Mountain West* MAC* Sun Belt* Conference USA* American* Big 12* Independents and Pac-12* ACCTHANKS TO OUR PARTNERS* Ask your tire dealer about Nokian Tyres* Shop for college sports apparel at Homefield This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Hello! This episode is free for everyone, but to get our full catalog of shows this season and beyond, we’d love it if you became a paid subscriber. Paid subscribers (there are thousands of them!) get about twice as many episodes from us during the season, as well as Q&A and chat opportunities and other perks as they come to our minds. Thanks so much. The Mountain West looks very new in 2026. The guts of the league left for the Pac-12, and then the MWC brought in reinforcements. North Dakota State brings FCS’ greatest dynasty up a level. NIU is here from the MAC, and UTEP comes aboard from Conference USA. Richard and Alex have a rose, bud, and thorn for all 10 teams:- 4:35: New Mexico- 8:17: UNLV- 14:29: Hawaii- 19:48: Air Force- 23:35: Nevada- 26:56: Wyoming- 32:04: San José State- 37:19: Northern Illinois- 44:29: UTEP- 46:57: North Dakota State- 51:53: Preseason honorsProducer: Anthony Vito This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Richard, Alex, and Steven Godfrey discuss the state of FCS football ahead of a year of transformation. Then, it's time to make picks in our annual "FCS Upset Draft," which you can join at www.splitzoneduo.com. Which FBS teams will lose to FCS opponents? We'll talk about it here.Thank you to our subscribers and partnersBecome a paid subscriber today to get a lot more SZD, and check out www.nokiantyres.com/szd and www.homefieldapparel.comProducer: Anthony Vito This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe