With the college football season just around the corner, it’s time to theorize which team will be the one to win a national championship.
And what better way to figure out who could actually do it than in the virtual world?
With EA Sports College Football 26 out, the video game allows gamers the chance to play the upcoming season in dynasty mode. With realistic rosters and coaches, the teams with high ceilings in real life have the same expectations in the video game, therefore the best odds to win a title. But with so many contenders and the unpredictable college football season yet to start, it’s tough to figure out who could really win it all.
To determine it, USA TODAY Sports simulated the 2025-26 college football season in the video game 100 times to see who would frequently win the national championship. There were some outliers, but plenty of teams won multiple titles in the season, giving a sense of who could really be hoisting the College Football Playoff trophy in January.
Most national championships in College Football 26 simulation
Penn State won the most national championships in the 100 simulations with 20 titles. The Nittany Lions also made the College Football Playoff 88 times, the most of any team.
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Which teams won a national championship in College Football 26 simulation
A total of 20 teams won a national championship game in the simulation. Except for Notre Dame, all of the champions came from a Power Four conference − seven SEC, four Big Ten, four Big 12 and four ACC.
Teams listed in alphabetical order
- Alabama
- Baylor
- Clemson
- Duke
- Florida
- Georgia
- Iowa State
- Kansas State
- LSU
- Miami
- Michigan
- Notre Dame
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Penn State
- Pittsburgh
- Southern California
- Texas
- Texas A&M
- Texas Tech
College Football 26 simulation national championship breakdown
- Penn State: 20 national championships
- Oregon: 15 national championships
- Georgia: 12 national championships
- Clemson: 10 national championships
- Miami: Eight national championships
- Texas Tech: Six national championships
- Michigan: Six national championships
- Duke: Five national championships
- Texas: Four national championships
- Oklahoma: Three national championships
- Southern California: Two national championships
- Florida: One national championship
- Texas A&M: One national championship
- Alabama: One national championship
- Notre Dame: One national championship
- Iowa State: One national championship
- Baylor: One national championship
- LSU: One national championship
- Kansas State: One national championship
- Pittsburgh: One national championship
