The college football season is in full swing with electric rivalry games and several top-10-ranked matchups. From heated debates over SEC dominance to controversial takes on the best game day snacks, the sport has become one of the most talked-about topics on campus. Students and faculty give their own picks for the national championship game as the race for playoff spots heats up.
“The Alabama Crimson Tide will be making the national championship, and they will be the winner no matter who they go up against,” junior Cameron Edwards said. “But I think the second best team in college football right now is probably the LSU (Louisiana State University) Tigers. So I could see the Tide and the Tigers going at it in the 2026 national championship…Bama by 50.”
Students have many varied opinions on the national championship matchup at this point in the season.
“I’ve got Miami and Oregon, and I got Miami winning it all this year 38-27,” senior Charlie Jackson said.
Alabama was mentioned as a potential team to make the championship after their 24-21 statement win against Georgia.
“Alabama is going to go to the national championship alongside Ohio State,” junior Emmett Holcombe said. “I think Ohio State will go back to back this year.”
As the rankings shift the best conference is hotly debated among students.
“Obviously, the SEC (Southeastern Conference) is the best conference in college football, and it’s not even close. Nobody can compete with some good old southern football,” Edwards said.
SEC supporters continually claim that their conference is the best because of the long time success of the teams.
“The Southeastern Conference has the best football in the world. They have the best teams, most successful teams, and the most rigorous schedules. It is hard to be good in the SEC,” Holcombe said.
The argument for the best conference heats up as the top ranked teams are not in the SEC.
“I think the SEC is the deepest as far as good teams, but I think the national champion might be in the Big Ten or ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference),” Jackson said. “I don’t like the realignment because I don’t like how teams like UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) are playing teams like Maryland. I think it should be based on where the team is located.”
Conference realignment commonly debated among fans.
“I don’t think that Oregon should have to travel across the country to play a team like Penn State. How far apart the teams are in the same conference is crazy to me,” Holcombe said.
This season is the second year of a new 12 team playoff for the sport. Students give their opinions on these changes.
“I think the playoffs should go back to the four team or maybe and eight team. The twelve team is just as too many games to play to tell who the best team is because a lot can happen when you have to play four games to win the playoffs,” Jackson said.
Students support their favorite game day foods almost as much as their own teams.
“I like to dabble in some buffalo wings, chips and queso. That’s got to be the top game day food,” Edwards said. “When you got the sauce next to it, that’s just the best duo of all time, queso and salsa.”
Students enjoy snacking on a wide range of food while watching their favorite teams play.
“I mess with popcorn on game days. Also, nachos a pretty good to snack on,” Holcombe said.
Students enjoy watching college football both at home and traveling to games.
“When I go to games, I wake up early in the morning to tailgate in Athens,” Jackson said. “And other Saturdays when it’s an away game then I watch College Gameday and watch games for the rest of the day.”
Several players have been mentioned at this point in the season as potential Heisman Trophy candidates.
“Hohn Mateer at Oklahoma, Carson Beck at Miami, and Dante Moore at Oregon are my top three,” Jackson said.