College football is full of surprises; already a few weeks in, and crazy things are already happening. There have been multiple teams that have not lived up to expectations, and some that are shocking the college football world.
There is still a lot of college football remaining, so things could definitely change throughout the season. But here are three college football teams that could surprise everyone.
Surprising College Football Teams
3. Houston Cougars
Unlike other teams that we will be talking about in this article, the Houston Cougars finished with a good record last season, going 10-3 and missing the playoffs. Houston was 6-3 in conference play. Houston started off the 2026 season going 2-0, beating Oregon State 33-20, then beating Southern Jaguars in a blowout win 77-6.
Then they had to meet the Texas Tech Red Raiders at their house. Houston was leading the game at the end of the first quarter 10-0, but it went downhill from there. Texas Tech came back and beat them 28-26. Everyone thought Houston would fall out of the ranking by taking a loss to Texas Tech, but they still got ranked No. 25 in the country. Entering week 4, Houston was facing Georgia Southern and beat them in a 42-28 victory.
One of the reasons why Houston has had a decent season so far is that quarterback Conner Weigman came off a great season in 2025, having a career-best campaign. Weigman has proved that he is their best quarterback they have had in the last couple of years. Houston sits in 9th place in the Big 12th. Houston faces UCF at home this Saturday. The secondary has questions, but that Houston offense looks deadly.
2. Mississippi State
Mississippi State finished 5-8 last season and went 1-7 in conference play. No one would have guessed Mississippi State would start off the 2026 season with a bang, defeating UL Monroe 62-13, blowing out Minnesota 38-13, beating South Carolina 41-34, and again beating the then-ranked No. 19 in the country, the Missouri Tigers, 31-24.
Mississippi enters week 5 undefeated at 4-0, and 2-0 in conference play. Mississippi takes on No. 7 in the country Alabama Crimson Tide at home. Alabama is favored to beat Mississippi by three points. Mississippi State will definitely put up a fight. They has a very tough schedule ahead of them, taking on some highly ranked opponents, and they have to take on the No. 1 team in the Texas Longhorns.
As we enter week five, MSU is ranked number 16 in the country. The Bulldogs are led by a Heisman Trophy candidate Kamario Taylor, probably the best quarterback in college football. He has thrown for 14 passing touchdowns, two interceptions, and 1,192 passing yards. If Mississippi plays like they are playing right now, they can definitely be a National Championship contender.
1. Florida
After firing head coach Bill Napier last season after they went 4-8. Florida was in need of a rebuild. Jon Sumrall took the job, and now we enter week 5, and Florida is undefeated at 4-0 and ranked No. 8 in the nation. Sumrall has done an excellent job so far. The statement for Florida came this week when they took down then-No. 4 Ole Miss in a blowout win, 52-28. Florida rushed for over 300 yards against Ole Miss and had six touchdowns, scoring 52 points, tying the most for Florida against a top-five opponent.
The biggest thing this season is that Florida has scored more than 44 points in every game so far. Sumrall is the first coach to do that in the first four games of the season in the SEC.
Florida’s schedule does not get much easier; they have to take on Georgia, Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The player that Florida relies on the most is Jadan Baugh, who has rushed for 600 yards and 11 touchdowns.
With how they’ve looked, the Gators look dangerous.
Main Image: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
