Solo on the Bench: Joel Klatt’s Top 10, NFC North Predictions & FeOTB Awards

Sometimes the schedule writes the show for you.

Episode 285 of Far End of the Bench was technically supposed to fall right around our seven-year anniversary. Seven years since Niko and I sat down in his apartment, came up with the name Far End of the Bench, put together our first logo and started trying to figure out what exactly this thing was going to become.

Seven years and 285 episodes later, Niko is on a much-deserved vacation.

I thought about just taking the week off.

It didn’t sit right.

There is too much happening, football is getting too close, and selfishly, with Niko gone, I had an excuse to make this one of the most football-heavy episodes we have done in a while.

So welcome to Solo on the Bench.

Joel Klatt’s 2026 College Football Top 10

I’ll say this upfront: when we start getting into preseason college football rankings, I don’t put a ton of stock into the coaches poll.

College football has always had a problem separating the logo on the helmet from the team actually wearing it. Reputation matters. Brand matters. History matters. Sometimes all three matter a little too much.

When I’m getting ready for a college football season, I would rather listen to analysts whose opinions I actually trust.

Joel Klatt is one of those people.

That also doesn’t mean I have to agree with him.

Klatt’s preseason Top 10:

1. Oregon
2. Notre Dame
3. Ohio State
4. Miami
5. Indiana
6. Georgia
7. Texas
8. LSU
9. Oklahoma
10. Michigan

There is a lot to unpack there.

Michigan Begins the Kyle Whittingham Era

Michigan at No. 10 might be one of the more interesting teams in the entire ranking.

Kyle Whittingham spent decades building a culture at Utah and now gets the keys to one of the biggest programs in the country—and one of the most talented young quarterbacks we have seen in Bryce Underwood.

Michigan still has plenty to overcome, and transferring a culture from Salt Lake City to Ann Arbor is not something that happens overnight.

For Year 1, I think the question is less about whether Michigan immediately becomes a national championship team and more about whether you can start seeing Whittingham’s fingerprints on the program.

If Underwood continues developing, the ceiling gets interesting very quickly.

Oklahoma Still Has the Same Problem

I know Oklahoma fans aren’t going to love this, but I continue to feel the same way about the Sooners:

They treat offense like it is a disease.

The defense under Brent Venables has been good enough to keep Oklahoma in major games. That isn’t really my concern.

The concern is whether the Sooners can consistently score enough points to take advantage of it.

John Mateer gives them toughness, leadership and athleticism, but in a 12-team playoff format, I don’t know how many elite teams you can survive when the quarterback and running game are being asked to win games primarily through physicality.

Oklahoma can absolutely be a playoff team.

I’m just not ready to call them a championship team.

LSU Might Be the Biggest Wild Card

Klatt having LSU at No. 8 is one of the rankings I actually understand.

The Tigers finished last season 7-6, so putting them this high requires some projection.

But look at what they have.

A loaded transfer portal class.

Sam Leavitt at quarterback.

The resources of LSU football.

And now Lane Kiffin calling the shots.

Say whatever you want about Lane—and there is usually plenty to say—but as an offensive coach and play caller, there are not many people in college football I trust more.

LSU feels like the ultimate boom-or-bust team.

They could be sitting outside the Top 15 midway through the season.

They could also be playing for an SEC Championship.

Neither result would surprise me.

Indiana Is Not the Cute Story Anymore

This is where college football gets really fun.

Indiana is No. 5.

The defending national champions are fifth in the country, and somehow we can still build a disrespect angle around the Hoosiers.

That sentence would have sounded insane a few years ago.

Curt Cignetti has changed what Indiana football means. Josh Hoover now steps into an offense with structure, continuity and expectations.

That last word matters.

Expectations.

Indiana isn’t sneaking up on anybody anymore.

Nobody is laughing.

Nobody is treating the Hoosiers like the nice little story that eventually has to end.

Now you get everybody’s best shot.

That might be the most interesting challenge Cignetti has faced yet.

Is Oregon Really the Best Team in College Football?

Klatt has Oregon No. 1.

I get it.

I really do.

The Ducks have been close. The roster is loaded. Dante Moore comes back with another year of experience after getting exposed in the playoff, and there is enough talent around him to make Oregon one of the most complete teams in America.

My hesitation is simple:

Eventually you have to finish the job.

Oregon has reached the point where “almost” is no longer the standard.

Being one of the best programs in America isn’t the question anymore.

Winning the whole thing is.

Klatt having Oregon ahead of Notre Dame and Ohio State is going to create plenty of arguments between now and kickoff, but until somebody knocks the Ducks off that spot, I understand the logic.

College football is almost here.

And thank God for that.

2026 NFC North Preview: Detroit Takes Back the Division

Then we moved to the NFL and a division that I think could produce some of the most interesting football in the league.

Last year Chicago went from worst to first and won the NFC North at 11-6.

Green Bay finished 9-7-1.

Minnesota finished 9-8.

Detroit finished 9-8.

Every team finished above .500.

That sounds incredibly competitive.

I’m still expecting things to look different in 2026.

Chicago Bears: Regression Is Coming

Caleb Williams took a major step last season.

Nearly 4,000 passing yards. Thirty total touchdowns. Seven fourth-quarter comebacks.

There is a lot to like about where his career is going.

My problem isn’t really Caleb.

It is everything Chicago needed around him to go right last season.

The Bears constantly found themselves in close games and constantly found ways to survive them. At some point, you have to ask how repeatable that is.

The defense concerns me. The offensive line concerns me.

I think Chicago is improving long-term while simultaneously being a strong candidate to regress in the standings this season.

Both things can be true.

Green Bay Packers: Good, But How Good?

Green Bay feels stuck in an incredibly strange place.

They are good enough to make the playoffs.

They are good enough to finish above .500.

Jordan Love is good enough to win games.

But every season I keep waiting for Green Bay to actually take control of this division.

It hasn’t happened.

Detroit has jumped them.

Minnesota has jumped them.

Chicago jumped them last year.

With questions around the pass rush entering the season, I see another Packers team that hangs around the playoff picture without convincing me it is a legitimate Super Bowl threat.

Minnesota Vikings: Kyler Murray Changes Everything—Except My Prediction

Minnesota naming Kyler Murray its starting quarterback tells me plenty about where the organization currently stands with J.J. McCarthy.

At some point, McCarthy needs an opportunity to develop somewhere.

The Vikings clearly believe Murray gives them a better chance right now.

I don’t hate the decision.

Kevin O’Connell working with Kyler Murray and Justin Jefferson is objectively interesting football.

I still think Minnesota finishes fourth.

There are simply too many questions compared with the teams above them.

Detroit Lions: My Pick to Win the NFC North

Here is where I’m planting the flag.

Detroit is still the best team in this division.

Jared Goff is my best quarterback in the NFC North.

Notice the wording.

I said best, not most talented.

There are quarterbacks in this division with higher physical ceilings. There isn’t another quarterback in this division who has gone through what Goff has gone through and proven what he has proven in big situations.

Then look around him.

Jahmyr Gibbs.

Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Jameson Williams.

Yes, Detroit has questions with a new offensive coordinator and movement along the offensive line.

I still trust the Lions’ overall foundation more than anybody else in the North.

My Final NFC North Predictions

1. Detroit Lions — 12-5
2. Green Bay Packers — 10-7
3. Chicago Bears — 9-8
4. Minnesota Vikings — 8-9

I have Detroit winning the division and Green Bay sneaking into the playoffs again.

Chicago takes a step backward in the standings.

Minnesota improves its immediate quarterback situation with Murray but still finishes fourth.

And when I look at the division as a whole?

Best quarterback: Jared Goff.

Best weapon: Jahmyr Gibbs.

Best offense: Detroit.

The NFC North still has plenty of talent.

I just think the Lions remind everybody this season that the road through the division still runs through Detroit.

FeOTB Awards: Jake McCarthy & One Absolutely Insane Bet

You cannot finish an episode of Far End of the Bench without handing out some hardware.

Player of the Week: Jake McCarthy

This week’s Player of the Week goes to Colorado Rockies left fielder Jake McCarthy.

A .519 average.

Fourteen hits.

A 1.352 OPS.

No, the Rockies aren’t suddenly winning the NL West.

No, I’m not planning the parade.

But for the first time in a while, there are pieces of this team that look competent and competitive.

McCarthy has become one of them.

For a franchise that desperately needs reasons for fans to care about what happens next, performances like this deserve some attention.

Benchwarmer of the Week: The $400,000 Texas Bettor

This might be one of my favorite Benchwarmers we have had in a while.

Somebody put $400,000 on the Texas moneyline against Texas State.

Not the spread.

Not some insane parlay.

The moneyline.

Texas was sitting around -10,000.

So if Texas wins?

Our guy makes approximately $4,000.

If Texas somehow loses?

Goodbye, $400,000.

Brother.

What are we doing?

I am not turning my nose up at four grand. Four thousand dollars is four thousand dollars.

But if you have enough disposable money to throw $400,000 on one college football game, I feel like we can find a better way to make four thousand bucks.

Having money does not mean you need to bet it.

And risking $400K for that return?

Take a seat.

You are officially the FeOTB Benchwarmer of the Week.

Seven Years on the Bench

This one was different.

Doing an episode solo always is.

But maybe it was fitting that Episode 285 happened this way.

A lot has changed since Niko and I started this show seven years ago. The podcast has changed. Our lives have changed. I have changed.

And somehow the Bench is still here.

Next week Niko comes back, and we are going to properly celebrate seven years of Far End of the Bench by looking back at everything that happened between Years 6 and 7 and continuing to figure out where this show goes next.

Football is coming.

The anniversary is here.

And after 285 episodes, there is still plenty left to talk about.

Thanks for rocking with us, Benchwarmers.

If you don’t stay down and you never quit, come on over here and sit on the Far End of the Bench.

Follow @FeOTBpod, subscribe on YouTube, and check out Far End of the Bench on the All Gloves Off Sports Media Network.