South Alabama

The Jaguars enter 2026 dealing with significant roster turnover through the transfer portal, losing 30 players including top receiver Jeremy Scott, who took his 12.3 PPA to TCU. Bishop Davenport returns at quarterback to anchor an offense that ranks 106th nationally at -3.0 points, but he'll be throwing to a largely rebuilt receiving corps after Scott's departure left a major hole in the passing game. The defense grades even worse at 120th nationally (-4.8 points), while special teams check in at a dismal 129th, giving South Alabama the 116th-ranked unit overall at -8.6 points per game.

JP+ projects just 1.1 wins for the Jaguars in what looks like a rebuilding campaign after a 4-8 season. The schedule offers little relief with road trips to Kentucky and Tulane among the most challenging matchups, though even the home game against Ohio presents significant obstacles. If Davenport can develop chemistry quickly with new receivers and the defense shows unexpected improvement, South Alabama might exceed those modest projections. If not, this could be a long season in Mobile as the program works to integrate 11 portal arrivals who contributed 0.0 PPA elsewhere.