Dynasty Mode is back again as a classic in College Football 26, and veteran players are looking for a challenge. We’ve all gone through Dynasty Mode, playing top teams that are statistically likely to win the championships. But if you’re looking to do something different, why not pick a bottom-tier team and rebuild it into something glorious?
Teams like Kent State and Missouri often get ignored because, well, why would someone want a 1-star team? But if you think you’ve got what it takes, put your mettle to the test this year in CFB 26 Dynasty Mode and bring one of the worst teams to the top of the table. Today, we’ll be listing the hardest teams to rebuild in CFB 26, and why they’re so challenging. Stick around to see if any of them pique your interest.
Grading Criteria For Difficulty
Before we get into the nitty-gritty details of which teams are at the bottom of the barrel, let’s break down why they’re rated so low. We picked up several factors to judge teams by, which include:
- Current roster rating
- Previous season record
- Conference difficulty
- Pipeline strength
These were the four major factors we’ve based our rankings on since they speak volumes about how challenging it will be for the team to improve. It also helps us set a baseline for what players will be working with. However, remember there are several other factors that go into finding the perfect team.
Now that you know what basis we’ve ranked the teams on, let’s take a look at our candidates for the most challenging teams to rebuild in CFB 26. Please note that these are not ranked in order of difficulty, and each team on the list will have its pros and cons.
7 Most Challenging Teams To Rebuild in College Football 26
Kent State Golden Flashes
Starting us off are the Golden Flashes. Kent State is in one of the worst places a team could be right now. Coming off a 0-12 record from last season, they’re a team that players haven’t considered for a while now. The reason behind their abysmal performance can be attributed to their weak roster. They were placed last in both offense and defense in 2024, with 13.9 and 44.1 points per game, respectively.
But their current roster isn’t the only problem. The Golden Flashes are part of the MAC East conference with teams like Toledo, Ohio, and Northern Illinois. Mid-tier teams with competitive mindsets make quick work of the Golden Flashes almost every season. A weak pipeline for Kent State makes things worse. They have weak local recruiting and very few out-of-state commitments since they don’t have a major pipeline.
With only a handful of experienced players and a weak recruiting pipeline, morale is always low at Kent State, making them one of the hardest teams to rebuild in CFB 26.
New Mexico Lobos
Next up, we’ve got the New Mexico Lobos. The Lobos aren’t facing as many roster issues; their issues revolve more around coaching and management. The team has been testing new head coaches, but one has yet to stick. Danny Gonzales was fired first in 2023, after which Bronco Mendenhall lasted a year, and they’re now under the supervision of Jason Eck. A weak coaching staff often makes recruiting difficult.
Looking at the past season, the Lobos finished near the bottom of their conference, which brings us to another problem. The Mountain West conference includes teams like Boise State, UNLV, and Fresno State, all solid roster teams with strong pipelines. Winning against them might seem like a distant dream at first. New Mexico’s pipeline, on the other hand, is ranked as the worst pipeline in CFB 26, with a 0.013 average pipeline strength.
If you’re looking for a team with an unstable coaching situation and low incentive for high-schoolers, try picking the New Mexico Lobos and helping them climb the ranks.
Ball State Cardinals
We’ve seen teams with low-rated rosters and bad management, but the problem with the Ball State Cardinals is that they are losing players to transfers. They had a decent roster last season and didn’t place abysmally low, but now players are transferring out, weakening the roster. Their pipeline isn’t as bad as New Mexico’s, but due to other, more favourable teams sharing the same pipeline, the influx of players is slow.
The conference is also an issue as they are in MAC East, the same conference as Kent State. Competition is high, and it is difficult to climb the leaderboard against teams like Miami and Ohio. Ball State needs a lot of recruiting momentum to solidify its offensive and defensive lines and get the ball rolling. The Cardinals are in a better position than some of the other teams, but still an overall challenging team to rebuild.
Kennesaw State Owls
The Kennesaw State Owls are a struggling team that’s trying to pull off a miracle in the Sun Belt conference. They recently transitioned from FCS to FBS, but they lack the talent to perform. Going up against teams like Georgia Southern and Appalachian State has made it difficult for the Owls to climb the ranks, leading to fewer incentives for new players to join.
Kennesaw State enjoys the highly ranked Georgia-based pipeline, but because it is shared by other top-tier schools, the flow of new players is minimal. This makes them rely heavily on a few star players who are keeping the team afloat, but one transfer or bad injury could turn over their entire season. The Owls are also working on building their reputation and branding right now, so they’re in a tough spot.
Akron Zips
Another team from the MAC East, we’ve got the Akron Zips. The Zips aren’t stuck as low as Kent State, but with stiff competition at the top, they’re pushed towards the lower end of the leaderboard. The roster is filled with hopeful freshmen, but with the experience seriously lacking, the team is struggling to make things work. Last season, they finished 5th out of 6 teams, beating out Kent State to avoid the last spot.
Akron’s pipeline mostly consists of local Ohio talent that isn’t eligible for top-tier Ohio teams. While there’s a steady flow of new players into the team, they lack synergy and coordination, overshadowed by a lack of experience as well. On top of that, the team isn’t in the best financial spot either to recruit big names or get the word out through branding. All the instability makes it hard to rebuild this team in CFB 26.
Missouri State Bears
The Missouri State Bears are the only team on our list from the FCS. Still, they finished fourth-last in their conference last season due to strong teams like the undefeated South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Now, what are the drawbacks to playing with the Missouri State Bears? First off, since they’re in the FCS, they rarely come across any NFL-level talent. Most FBS-level talent also passes them by.
The conference itself isn’t easy, with 12 teams and a clear distinction between rankings. South Dakota State and South Dakota dominate the rankings, the latter only dropping one game to its state counterpart. As we mentioned before, the pipeline is pretty weak. They’re passed up for bigger teams, leaving behind inexperienced high school talent.
With the Bears already in a rough spot, it’s difficult to see them climbing out anytime soon. If you want to give it a shot with a strict budget and limited facilities available, this could be an interesting program to try and rebuild.
UL Monroe Warhawks
Our final team on the list is the UL Monroe Warhawks from the Sun Belt conference. Similar to Kent State, this team went 2-10 last season, losing all their games in the conference. While they were once a respectable team, bad transfers and an unstable management have weakened the team over time, pushing them to the bottom of the table. The Sun Belt West conference is regularly dominated by Troy, which only dropped one game last season, followed by Texas State and South Alabama.
The Warhawks’ roster is ever-shifting, which has made it difficult for players to build synergy. The pipeline they use is the Louisiana pipeline for recruitment, but they often lose talent to bigger teams like LSU. This makes even FBS-level players avoid them, leading to a lack of new talent. Even on the coaching side, ULMW is a team not many coaches want to opt for, making it even harder.
Staying in the bottom tier of the Sun Belt West conference, the UL Monroe Warhawks are an incredibly hard team to rebuild. If you want a challenge, this is where you’ll get it.
