2025-26 College Football Playoff: What’s next for each eliminated playoff team?

And then there were eight.

The 2025-26 College Football Playoff is here, and Saturday evening has given us our fourth eliminated team of the playoff in the James Madison Dukes. So what happens now?

We’ll tackle big questions, recruiting outlooks, portal and offseason priorities and even offer predictions for next season for every eliminated squad.

Jump to:
James Madison | Tulane
Texas A&M | Oklahoma

2025 record: 12-2

Biggest question moving forward: Can JMU make it three-for-three on coaching hires? Curt Cignetti reached the top of the mountain in the FCS and led JMU to a stellar start at the FBS level. When he left for Indiana, Bob Chesney arrived and delivered equally impressive results, getting the Dukes into the College Football Playoff. Now, Chesney is off to UCLA, and James Madison turns to Billy Napier, a coach with a history of success in the Sun Belt but who is coming off a disastrous turn at Florida. JMU’s goal has always been to measure itself against its peers rather than the upper echelon of college football, but 2025 offered a taste of the good life, and it’s now on Napier to continue to build toward that again in 2026 and beyond. The job of winning consistently at the Group of Five level has never been harder, and JMU’s aspirations have never been higher. — David Hale

Recruiting outlook: The Dukes emerged as one of the Sun Belt’s premier programs under Cignetti and Chesney, and there’s no reason to think they’ll fall off moving forward with Napier in charge. James Madison’s latest class is led by three-star cornerback Kamden Jennings, an undersized but explosive defensive back from Alpharetta, Georgia. He’s joined in the program’s secondary class by cornerback Kyle Bynes and safety D’Kwan Thomas, while defensive tackle Cory Simon arrives as a high-upside prospect. Within a deep wide receiver class, three-star Ben Whitver marks an intriguing addition with Power 4 measurables at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds. — Eli Lederman

Biggest portal priority: When Cignetti left to take over at Indiana after the 2023 season, he and his coaches took 13 players with them to Bloomington, many of whom became program leaders and All-Big Ten performers. How many Dukes will choose to move across the country to UCLA with Chesney? Alonza Barnett III, Wayne Knight, Sahir West and the rest of their top returning players have big decisions to make now, and Napier will do what he can to hold this roster together before shifting his focus to reloading in the portal. The combination of graduating seniors and potential portal defections in January likely means JMU’s starting lineup will feature lots of new faces to open the 2026 season, but Chesney’s tenure proved this program can quickly recover from a coaching transition and get right back to Sun Belt contender status. — Max Olson

Under-the-radar offseason priority: James Madison has played 40 games in three years at the FBS level, so there’s a certain level of expectation that the dominance will continue. Expectations can be dangerous, however. On its third coach in five years, maintaining high standards can be tough. With so much success, bigger schools are waiting to pick off the best talent, as is life in the Group of Five these days. But even on top of all that, so much continuous winning can breed a level of apathy when the locker room is also changing rapidly — with new players arriving and expecting the same results without fully appreciating what went into achieving that historic success. Just in the Sun Belt, App State, Coastal Carolina and Napier’s former team, Louisiana, have all had their stretches at the top, but tumbled back to earth. Reenergizing JMU after reaching what feels like a new mountaintop in 2025 will be a critical job for Napier in Year 1 on the job. — Hale

2026 prediction: JMU’s 2026 schedule looks inviting. The Dukes get a Liberty team that has been down as of late, a UConn team in the first year with a new coach and a Virginia Tech team that will just be getting its sea legs under James Franklin. Run the table out of conference, and this year showed the door is wide open for a playoff berth. The Sun Belt isn’t likely to struggle in 2026 quite as much as it did in 2025, but JMU still seems to be the clear front-runner. To aim for a second straight playoff bid is reasonable, even if realistic expectations should focus on winning the Sun Belt again and hoping the other dominoes fall into place from there. — Hale

2025 record: 11-3

Biggest question moving forward: Tulane has handled challenging coaching transitions before, going from longtime boss Willie Fritz to Jon Sumrall without any significant backslide. But Sumrall leaves a significant void as he leaves to become the head coach at Florida, and though promoting Will Hall as his successor creates some immediate stability, Hall will have to reprove himself as a program leader after a very rough end to his tenure at Southern Miss. The expectations have changed at Tulane, which is 33-13 since the start of the 2022 season. The program is set up not to revert to its pre-Fritz struggles. But the American Conference will remain a challenge, especially with significant investments at programs such as South Florida and Memphis. Similar to a lot of Group of 5 CFP teams, Tulane will lose a lot, both to graduation and the portal, and Hall and his staff will need to identify a new quarterback, replenish the offensive line and replace key defenders such as Santana Hopper and Sam Howard. — Adam Rittenberg

Recruiting outlook: The Green Wave’s 2026 class faded late, with five decommitments after Nov. 18 amid coach Jon Sumrall’s departure for Florida, headlined by the exit of four-star wide receiver Trez Davis. Still, Tulane is set to add some intriguing talent in 2026. In three-star signee A.J. Westfield, the program has its highest-ranked defensive tackle since the Green Wave landed defensive tackle Alfred Thomas and Jeffery Johnson in the 2018 class. Offensive tackle Aiden Martin and guards Tylan George and Andre Amos Jr. will provide reinforcement on the other side of the line of scrimmage. And in the skill positions, first-year coach Will Hall will have three exciting newcomers to work with — wide receivers Keyshaun Coleman and Gary Hadley Jr. and tight end Colby Simpson. — Eli Lederman

Biggest portal priority: Like any Group of 5 program going through a head coaching transition, Tulane will likely have a lot of work to do when the transfer portal opens Jan. 2. We’ll see how much roster attrition newly promoted coach Will Hall and his staff endure now that the season is over and players have Power 4 opportunities to consider. The Green Wave lost a dozen transfers to P4 programs last offseason, and all-conference defensive lineman Hopper has already announced he plans to enter the portal next month. Players who have a chance to go to Florida will have a tough time turning down those lucrative offers. There are also a bunch of freshmen on this roster who played big roles in 2025, including Jamauri McClure, Javin Gordon, Reese Baker, E’zaiah Shine and Zycarl Lewis Jr. If the new staff retains some players over these next few weeks, that’d be a good place to start. — Max Olson

Under-the-radar offseason priority: The defensive line will be an area to watch, with Hopper already heading out and others possibly to follow, but Tulane also must fortify its depth on the offensive line. First-team all-conference guard Shadre Hurst would be a massive retention, but if he moves on, along with seniors Derrick Graham, Jack Hollifield and Jordan Hall, Tulane will have to devote a lot of energy toward building around its lone returning starter, right tackle Reese Baker. Hall and Hollifield were valuable additions in last year’s portal, and Tulane should be an attractive destination for transfers with the offensive system likely not changing too much under Will Hall. — Rittenberg

2026 prediction: The Hall hire will be closely scrutinized, as Tulane prioritized continuity over candidates with more appealing credentials. Hall knows the place well after two stints as a Green Wave assistant, and he had success as a head coach earlier in his career at West Alabama and West Georgia, before the struggles at Southern Miss (14-30). Tulane’s 2026 schedule features nonleague road trips to Duke (former Tulane QB Darian Mensah is back to lead the Blue Devils) and Kansas State, as well as conference games at Army and South Florida. Given the turnover with the coaching staff and roster, Tulane is probably a seven- or eight-win team. — Rittenberg

2025 record: 11-2

Biggest question moving forward: Mike Elko loses both coordinators, with OC Collin Klein heading to his alma mater to be the head coach at Kansas State and DC Jay Bateman joining new Kentucky coach Will Stein to run the defense. Elko has opted for continuity in both roles, promoting co-OC and wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins to take over playcalling duties and elevating Lyle Hemphill, Elko’s associate head coach for defense, to DC. Hemphill has worked with Elko since his days at Hofstra in 2006, and also served as his defensive coordinator at Duke, rejoining his staff earlier this year. Wiggins, however, is more of an unknown since this will be his first role as the coordinator. But his impact on A&M’s offense over the past two years is evident in the receivers he has identified and developed, from the additions of Mario Craver and KC Concepcion to the development of Ashton Bethel-Roman. — Dave Wilson

Recruiting outlook: The Aggies stocked up on elite defenders for another cycle on their way to landing the nation’s No. 6 class. The headliner is five-star athlete Brandon Arrington (No. 18 overall), a star sprinter from San Diego who is expected to play cornerback and could contribute on special teams from the jump. Arrington will be joined by another pair of top 100 cornerbacks in Victor Singleton (No. 56) and Camren Hamiel (No. 85) in a Texas A&M class filled with nine ESPN 300 defenders. The Aggies beat in-state rivals to an intriguing running back prospect over the summer in four-star rusher K.J. Edwards (No. 50). And Mike Elko is already rolling in the 2027 cycle, too, entering the offseason already holding onto pledges from seven members of the ESPN Junior 300, led by No. 3 dual-threat quarterback Jayce Johnson and a trio of top 70 defensive backs between JayQuan Snell, Kamarui Dorsey and Raylaun Henry. — Lederman

Biggest portal priority: Texas A&M has done an excellent job of evaluating talent in portal recruiting under Elko and finding players who fit. Last year, the glaring need was wide receiver, and the duo of Concepcion and Craver far exceeded expectations. This time around, the focus probably starts up front. Expect the Aggies to be in the mix for the top offensive tackles available as they try to find an SEC-caliber big man to take over for four-year starter Trey Zuhn III and two-year starter Dametrious Crownover. They’ll likely look into blue-chip defensive linemen as well to keep building on what this D-line achieved in 2025, and a linebacker could be needed as well if Taurean York goes pro. Craver has already re-signed to return in 2026, but there will be many more difference-makers available at wide receiver when the portal opens on Jan. 2. — Olson

Under-the-radar offseason priority: The Aggies were just 15 of 24 on field goal attempts this season, including getting a 22-yarder blocked by Jared Zirkel, who began the year as a kickoff specialist, against Miami, in a game where every point mattered. Randy Bond, the Aggies’ starting kicker, was 12-of-19 this season. The Aggies signed kicker Asher Murray out of Shreveport, Louisiana, who was 18-of-22, with a career long of 56 yards in his high school career. Elko said during his signing day news conference that Murray has a chance to be a weapon for the Aggies. — Wilson

2026 prediction: Quarterback Marcel Reed returns, but after a season in which he showcased his development, he also struggled down the stretch against South Carolina (until he played brilliantly in the second half), Texas and Miami. He’ll need to find another gear if the Aggies hope to repeat their historic 2025 season. Another 11-1 regular season looks difficult with a regular season that ends with a five-game slate that includes trips to Alabama, South Carolina and Oklahoma and home games against Tennessee and Texas. A 9-3 season looks to be challenging but also a success in the SEC’s new nine-game lineup. — Wilson

2025 record: 10-3

Biggest question moving forward: Oklahoma made important investments in its offense after the 2024 season, adding quarterback John Mateer and coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State, wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III from Arkansas and other reinforcements. The Sooners now need to see the unit take a sustained step forward, or advancing in the CFP will become increasingly difficult. The offense was extremely limited during OU’s stretch run, even in wins against Alabama, Missouri and LSU. If not for superb defense and special teams, OU would have missed the CFP for a fifth consecutive season. Arbuckle will get another chance to truly upgrade the unit, and if Mateer returns rather than entering the NFL draft, the Sooners will have some beneficial continuity. OU’s offense has been hit hard by injuries in recent years, and getting Mateer healthy along with the running back room gives the unit a chance for a true breakthrough in 2026. The Sooners need to get their run game out of the 100s and ideally into the top 35 next season. — Rittenberg

Recruiting outlook: The Sooners enter the offseason prepared to add ESPN’s 16th-ranked recruiting class in 2026. The gem of coach Brent Venables’ latest class is five-star defensive end Jake Kreul (No. 25 overall), a technically-advanced edge rusher from Florida and Oklahoma’s fifth five-star signee over the past four cycles. The Sooners secured a pair of intriguing offensive additions just before the early signing period between No. 5 running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. (No. 71) and four-star wide receiver Jayden Petit (No. 178). Bowe Bentley, ESPN’s No. 2 dual-threat passer, was a priority target for Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, and he should be viewed as a potential quarterback for the Sooners when he joins the program in January. — Lederman

Biggest portal priority: Assuming Mateer bypasses the NFL draft and returns in 2026, it’ll be interesting to see how general manager Jim Nagy and the Sooners attack this upcoming January portal cycle to surround their QB1 with more premium help on offense. Expect the Sooners to go out and get proven starters at tight end and wide receiver to complement their returning playmakers and help Arbuckle’s offense take the next step in his second year. Linebackers could potentially emerge as a major need for Venables’ defense if Kip Lewis and Kobie McKinzie enter the draft and if Owen Heinecke can’t get an NCAA waiver for an extra year. Sammy Omosigho will need to step up if starters depart at that spot, but he will certainly need more help. — Olson

Under-the-radar offseason priority: Oklahoma should bring back a chunk of its depth chart on offense for 2026, but the Sooners — just like any contending team — could always use more experience on the line. The team will lose second-team All-SEC guard Febechi Nwaiwu and veteran right tackle Derek Simmons, and it needs to invest around returning players such as Michael Fasusi, who started all but three games at left tackle as a freshman. The Sooners also need playmakers for Mateer, as wide receiver Deion Burks and tight end Jaren Kanak move on and Sategna, a fourth-year junior, is a candidate to leave for the NFL draft. — Rittenberg

2026 prediction: Oklahoma was far from dominant — the Sooners won four SEC games by seven points or fewer — but showed it could hold up in a challenging SEC schedule and earn a CFP spot, albeit short-lived. The personnel picture should continue to improve in Norman, and Oklahoma should bring back enough to be in the CFP mix again. There are some significant questions about an offense that stalled out too often, though, and will be challenged early next season with Georgia (road), Texas (neutral) and Michigan (road) all within the first five games. The middle portion of the schedule softens a bit before Oklahoma closes with two CFP teams, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, in Norman and a trip to Missouri. Another 10-win season is possible, but I’ll say 9-3 for Oklahoma and very much on the CFP bubble. — Rittenberg