Big Ten, SEC lead NCAA 1-138 after spring

Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Georgia and Indiana round out of the top five of USA TODAY Sports’ post-spring NCAA Re-Rank 1-138.

The Buckeyes get the nod atop the Big Ten and Bowl Subdivision thanks to a ridiculous collection of offensive skill talent led by quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Indiana isn’t far behind after adding TCU transfer Josh Hoover as the replacement for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

Teams projected to take a big step forward after an average-or-worse 2025 season include No. 16 LSU, No. 21 Penn State, No. 29 Florida State, No. 38 Florida and No. 41 Virginia Tech.

As of now, the weakest teams in the Power Four are projected to be No. 106 Stanford, No. 107 Colorado, No. 111 Boston College and No. 112 Purdue.

And yes, that’s now 138 teams in the Bowl Subdivision. This season brings the arrival of former Championship Subdivision programs Sacramento State and North Dakota State to the MAC and Mountain West, respectively.

Sacramento opens at No. 135 after going 7-5 last season. The only teams behind the Hornets are No. 136 Middle Tennessee State, No. 137 Charlotte and No. 138 UMass.

But after dominating the FCS for the past generation, the Bison debut at No. 72 in the re-rank. While not as talented or experienced as last year’s squad, NDSU has the makings of an immediate bowl team and could easily finish at or near the top of the conference.