One key game that could define each top 25 football team's season

May 9, 2026

By Austin Nivison, CBS Sports: The 2026 college football season will be here before you know it, and it’s never too early to start circling dates on the calendar. With all Power Four conferences now playing nine-game league schedules, there are plenty of Saturdays worth circling, but some might wind up being more important than they appear right now.

Today, we’ll be highlighting one key game for each top 25 team. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the most important game or a rivalry matchup, but it will be a game that could make or break a season. In some cases, it is a rivalry clash, especially if one side hasn’t fared very well in that rivalry of late. Just ask Oklahoma fans how Brent Venables has done against Texas.

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One key game that could define each top 25 team's season: Alabama, Ohio State face tricky road tests

These games could have an outsized impact on the 2026 college football season

CBS Sports

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