Florida, Penn State among returning teams poised to improve winning numbers in 2026

College football transitions are used to requiring patience. New coaches often need multiple recruiting cycles to build a roster in their image. Now, the right coach with the right vision can completely reshape the roster in one off-season using the transfer portal.

Earlier in the month, we looked at FanDuel Sportsbook teams expected to decline significantly in 2026 based on the gap from last year’s regular season win total to the preseason projection for this upcoming campaign. Now, it’s time to look at the other side: the teams with the most potential to improve.

Of the nine teams with a preseason win total that is at least 2.5 games higher than their 2025 regular season mark, seven have a new coach. The only two exceptions? The strange thing is that the programs that already have coaches are facing each other some of the hottest seats in the country.

Most of the teams on this list finished with losing records last season, meaning the path to promotion is much wider than that of teams coming off strong campaigns.

Below are nine teams that FanDuel projects will increase their win total from last season through 2026.

Arkansas

2025 regular season wins: 2 | Total FanDuel Wins: 4.5

At first glance, the projected win total doesn’t necessarily mean Arkansas is improving. But as always, context matters. The Razorbacks enter a new era when Ryan Silverfield becomes the program’s fourth head coach in a decade. Since 1990, eight coaches have led Arkansas, and only one — Houston Nutt in 1998 — posted a winning record in year 1. So expectations are lowered.

Silverfield brings a winning record from his six years in Memphis, where the Tigers posted the fifth-best winning percentage among the Big Six during his tenure. The Razorbacks obviously want to be ready to play by the end of the year, but a knock on that door would mark real progress from a 2-10 slump.

In Wisconsin

2025 regular season wins: 4| Total FanDuel Wins: 6.5

The Badgers better find a way to turn things around, or it could mean the end of Luke Fickell in Madison. Wisconsin hasn’t shown much improvement since his arrival, posting fewer wins the past two seasons — from 7-6 in 2023 to 5-7 in 2024 to 4-8 last fall. Fickell needs to get back on track, and seven wins will only get the Badgers back to where they were in his first season.

The program should help. No Indiana. There is no Ohio State. And no Oregon. The lightest slate still features Notre Dame at Lambeau Field but skips a few of last year’s toughest tests.

South Carolina

2025 regular season wins: 4| Total FanDuel Wins: 6.5

The Gamecocks face the same situation as the team above them on this list, with Shane Beamer facing his hot seat entering Year 6. South Carolina managed just one SEC win in 2025, and a return to the middle division of the SEC should mean a couple more than that in 2026.

The offense was not where it was expected to be, finishing 104th nationally in scoring at 22.7 points per game. But quarterback LaNorris Sellers is back, and Kendal Briles — who has built elite offenses everywhere from Baylor to Arkansas to TCU — is taking over as coordinator. If that marriage clicks, the bottom of South Carolina will rise.

Kansas State

2025 regular season wins: 6 | Total FanDuel Wins: 8.5

Chris Klieman retired following the 2025 season as the second winningest coach at Kansas State behind only Bill Snyder. Collin Klein, the former Wildcats quarterback who finished third in the 2012 Heisman Trophy voting, is taking over after two years as Texas A&M’s coordinator. His track record of developing quarterbacks fuels optimism in Manhattan.

Avery Johnson, who was coached by Klein as a player at Kansas State, regressed in 2025 when his passing touchdowns dropped from 25 to 18. Meeting Klein may be the solution. The schedule also helps, avoiding BYU, Texas Tech and Utah (the three teams given the best chance to win the Big 12).

Penn State

2025 regular season wins: 6 | Total FanDuel Wins: 8.5

Matt Campbell couldn’t have asked for a better plan for his first season at Penn State. The Nittany Lions avoid Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon this fall, and the opportunity is there to reach 10 wins if all the new pieces are in place. Twenty-four transfers followed Campbell from Iowa State, where he ran one of the best sports turnaround stories of his decade in Ames. Cyclone transfers include quarterback Rocco Becht, the centerpiece of an offense that Campbell hopes will translate quickly to the Big Ten.

After last year’s abrupt end to the James Franklin era, expectations have been reset, but the pieces are in place for a big jump in the win column.

Virginia Tech

2025 regular season wins: 3 | Total FanDuel Wins: 6.5

Which team improves its win rate the most in 2026, James Franklin’s old system or the new one? Virginia Tech has more running backs for a significant jump after coming away with just three wins last season.

At ACC Media Days, Franklin announced that the Hokies won the postseasonand while that declaration may be dangerous, it is difficult to argue otherwise. From potential hires to a strong influx of talent and renewed investment throughout the program, Virginia Tech has embraced a complete reset. The Hokies are betting that those moves could finally resurrect the giants that dominated the ACC during the Frank Beamer era.

UCLA

2025 regular season wins: 3 | Total FanDuel Wins: 6.5

This doesn’t mean that Bob Chesney is about to develop the same climate that Curt Cignetti left after leaving James Madison for Indiana, but there are enough similarities to believe that UCLA can make a huge leap. Chesney has won everywhere he’s been, from Division III to the FCS and, most recently, leading James Madison to the College Football Playoff. His arrival brought renewed energy to Westwood, where belief in the program felt higher than in previous years.

If the Bruins can win on the road against California and first-year coach Tosh Lupoi in the opener, they will have a chance to start 3-0 and match last year’s win total before the end of September.

In Florida

2025 regular season wins: 4| Total FanDuel Wins: 7.5

If the Gators are able to hit their record high with eight regular season wins, it would be the first time in six years that they have reached that mark. Even if there’s juice underneath, those are high expectations for first-year coach Jon Sumrall in Gainesville. The jump from the Big Six to the SEC is significant — just ask Billy Napier how that went. But Sumrall has produced several first-year SEC letterhead coaches, averaging 9.75 regular season wins in four seasons at Troy and Tulane.

Florida again returns nine starters from last season despite losing seven players in the 2026 NFL Draft. Running back Jadan Baugh and edge rusher Jayden Woods are among the key pieces back after the Gators were able to keep them out of the transfer portal.

Oklahoma State

2025 regular season wins: 1 | Total FanDuel Wins: 6.5

The Cowboys may have the third-worst record in the FBS over the past two seasons, but the arrival of Eric Morris brings renewed hope to Stillwater.

Morris brings his high-scoring, tempo-driven offense and three North Texas players with him to Oklahoma State. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker has the tools to develop into a first-round NFL Draft pick, while running back Caleb Hawkins and receiver Wyatt Young were among the most productive players in the country last season.

The list also underwent a major change, from 134 in returning production one of the most experienced teams in the country, ranks third in career FBS snaps. That combination of proven talent and new offensive ownership gives the Cowboys a legitimate path to a big back-to-back season.