We Caught These Teams Playing Imaginary Football Redhanded

Welcome to the Defector College Football Watch Guide, where Israel Daramola and Ray Ratto will tell you which of the weekend’s college football games are worth giving a crap about. Israel: College football is back! Sort of! Week 0 exists in a strange reality all its own. It is not preseason, as its games are real and important, and yet, the vast majority of teams will not be playing during it. Week 0 is therefore an imaginary weekend of real football, but if any sport values the power of imagination it is this one. Imaginary championships. Imaginary rivalries. Imaginary rules, ethics, and college classes. Even imaginary conferences, like the PAC-12. It's a sport filled with creative silliness. Speaking of imaginary things, the 2026 season hasn't even officially started and it's already filled with drama. Louisiana has ruled that guys who recently left school and got cut from NFL rosters can re-enlist in college. The big conferences are already colluding to nip this potentially imaginary new rule in the bud, so it's no surprise that Lane Kiffin has sprinted in to take advantage before it disappears. It wouldn't be this sport if things weren't an absolute mess.

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