Which games will define the 2026 college football season for the nation’s top contenders? CBS Sports and Brandon Marcello’s post-spring Top 25 rankings spotlight the biggest “make or break” matchups — and they are not always the obvious ones. From dangerous trap games to brutal schedule spots, we break down the games that could shape the College Football Playoff race for Texas, Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, Miami, Texas A&M, LSU, Oklahoma, USC, Ole Miss, Alabama and more. Texas faces a tricky road trip to Missouri. Ohio State gets USC on Halloween night in the middle of a brutal stretch. Oregon hosts Michigan after a road trip to Ohio State. Georgia welcomes Oklahoma and Brent Venables’ defense. Alabama travels to Tennessee in the middle of a loaded SEC gauntlet. Are these the games that will separate national championship contenders from pretenders? Also discussed: 🏈 Texas Longhorns at Missouri 🏈 Ohio State Buckeyes at USC 🏈 Oregon Ducks vs Michigan Wolverines 🏈 Georgia Bulldogs vs Oklahoma Sooners 🏈 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Miami Hurricanes 🏈 Indiana Hoosiers at Nebraska 🏈 Texas A&M Aggies at LSU 🏈 LSU Tigers at Ole Miss 🏈 Oklahoma vs Texas in the Red River Rivalry 🏈 USC Trojans vs Oregon 🏈 Ole Miss vs Auburn 🏈 Alabama Crimson Tide at Tennessee Subscribe for more college football rankings, SEC football talk, College Football Playoff debates, schedule breakdowns and high-stakes CFB predictions. #CollegeFootball #CFB #CollegeFootballPlayoff #TexasFootball #OhioStateFootball #AlabamaFootball #GeorgiaFootball #OregonFootball #NotreDameFootball #SECFootball #BigTenFootball #LSUFootball #OklahomaFootball #USCFootball #OleMissFootball SUBSCRIBE: @NextRoundLive - / @nextroundlive FOLLOW TNR ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7zlofzLZht7dYxjNcBNpWN FOLLOW TNR ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-round/id1797862560 WEBSITE: https://nextroundlive.com/ MOBILE APP: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-next-round/id1580807480 SHOP THE NEXT ROUND STORE: https://nextround.store/ Like TNR on Facebook: / nextroundlive Follow TNR on Twitter: / nextroundlive Follow TNR on Instagram: / nextroundlive Follow everyone from the show on Twitter: Jim Dunaway: / jimdunaway Ryan Brown: / ryanbrownlive Lance Taylor: / thelancetaylor Scott Forester: / scottforestertv Tyler Johns: /TylerJohnsTNR Sponsor the show: sales@nextroundlive.com