If you look at last year’s magazine on page 28, I listed the All-Conference points returning. I just went thru each of last year’s teams and updated the numbers. There were a couple of players that missed the season with injury or transferred out after the magazine went to the press. I have been doing the chart since 2009 and now have 15 years of research. I did not include 2021 as that year most of the players were back after the Covid year and it would have skewed the numbers.
The results have been consistent including a result that goes against the grain but has done so consistently including last year. This metric looks at the All-Conference players returning and lost. I use the following point system: 10 points to 1st Tm All-Conf Player, 7 points to 2nd and 4 points for 3rd. If a player is an All-American, he gets awarded an additional 5. If you look in the blue column, you’ll see the positive number for more players back than lost. In ‘20 the 8 teams with the most negative points (lost the most all-conf players) all 8 had a weaker record. In 2023 seven of the bottom 8 had a weaker record with Louisiana having the same record. In 2024 the bottom 7 all had a weaker record with teams like Florida St, Michigan, Air Force, Washington and Troy all taking big drops in their records. Last year there were of the bottom 9 teams in All Conf Points only one improved their record in Miami Florida which went from 10-3 to 13-3. Colorado was in the bottom nine and went from 9-4 to 3-9 and Marshall went from Sun Belt Champs to a losing record. There were 69 teams the last two years that were -36 or more and of the 69; 45 had a weaker record, 9 had the same record and only 15 teams managed to improve.
I have been doing this chart since 2009, so it has 16 years of research. There have been 128 teams that have accumulated -48 points or more and only 19 of them managed to improve their record (just 14.8%). When a team has between -26 and -47 points, they have only improved their record 104 out of 409 times (basically 1 out of 4 chance). The surprising part is at the other end of the spectrum. Teams that return the most points (over 33 pts) have only improved their record 35 out of 82 times which is surprising. In ‘24 the teams were 3-1-1 in improving their record going against that trend and more to what you would think. Last year the there were two teams in this category. Clemson had their record drop but Indiana was at the top of the chart and went from 11-2 to 16-0 and National Champs!!! This year Notre Dame is at the top of the charts so can they do the same? Other than that, the chart does what is expected. Teams that are between 0 and +32 have improved or had the same record 66.8% of the time. The best performing category is +19 to +32 points as only 39 out of the 163 teams had a weaker record the next year (1 out of 4). Teams in the +14 to +18 category have improved or had the same record 72.3% of the time and teams in the 0-13 range are at 61.8%.
I have thought of some different reasons for the teams that are 33 and higher to have about a 50/50 chance of having a better record but this is not an anomaly as it has remained true thru the years. With the last two years results I will still treat it as a positive.
I have included the chart with the numbers below but make sure you check out my blogs each day on the All-Conference players returning and of course page 28 of the magazine when it comes out in June to get all the updated numbers. For teams in the negative category the % refers to the number of times a team improved their record. For the teams in the positive category, it is including the number of times a team has improved or had the same record.
Here is the current chart for the All conference points returning numbers.
Now this chart will be different in the magazine for a couple of reasons.
The first is injuries or departures. As an example last spring CB Jermond McCoy a 2nd team All American and first team SEC player for Tennessee tore his achilles in the spring and did not play a single down. That took Tennessee from -23 to -53 points on the chart.
The second is the Indiana factor. The last couple of years I started adding in any All-Conference transfers that were from the P4 leagues. When I talk to the coaches it has almost been universal in the fact the coaches feel they have more success with transfers that are transferring up in class like from the Group of five to P4. Couple that with Indiana’s success bringing in a bunch of James Madison transfers and those players were just as productive despite the step up. This year I am adding in all G6 transfers with one slight change. If a First team All-Conference transfers in from a G6 league to a P4 league I count it as 2nd team points. If a second or third team All-conference player transfers in I am counting it as third team points. Make sure you get a magazine this year to see the final numbers on the All Confernce Points returning chart.
Five Great Options to get the 2026 College Football Preview Magazine!
2026 Magazine is the LARGEST ever! –I am pleased to say that the magazine is a labor of love, and I will continue to put out the magazine for years and years to come. I spend over six months working 80+ hours a week to produce a magazine of this detail. My staff spends the entire 6+ months working on the magazine as well. The cost of printing the magazine over the last 10-15 years has doubled plus getting it on trucks and to the stores is a large expense. The cost to mail the magazine also rises yearly. Labor costs have probably risen the fastest. I have held the line at $19.99 per magazine for the last 6 years not wanting to break that threshold but with the additions of North Dakota St and Sacramento St the magazine is the largest it has ever been. Back in 1995 the magazine was black and white on newsprint and had 192 pages. This year it is now 368 full color pages with two full pages on all 138 FBS teams. We will be bumping up the price this year. The new cost is $24.95 but the good news is you can still get it at all Barnes and Nobles for that price. Naturally if you buy online, we must charge you for shipping.
Option #1 – Buy the magazine for just $24.95 July 4th at Barnes and Noble! As I have chronicled many times Barnes and Noble stepped up in 2020 and basically saved the magazine buying them directly from me even with the possibility that football would not be played. I am forever grateful and there is nothing better than strolling into your favorite Barnes and Noble and picking up your 368-page book (can you really call it a magazine anymore?). I love going into Barnes and Nobles and can never leave with just one item. They have so many great books and stuff and I love the fact that there are so many Barnes and Nobles out there. You can also go into Books-A-Million as well as they are in some states that B&N is not. Those two locations are my Exclusive Book Stores and if you are in Las Vegas, you can get them at the Gamblers Book Store on July 4th.
Option #2 – Buy the digital magazine for $19.99. The price of the digital magazine will not increase this year as there have been no additional costs to producing the digital version. The best thing about the digital magazine is that it is updated all the way thru the month of September. If a coach gets fired (that has happened the last couple of years) we update it. If a player is injured and out for the year we CIRCLE him in the magazine. If a player is added late (very rare) we put him in. Any changes to the team from the start of June thru the month of September is updated in the digital version. When you go to the store you will not see a picture there, you need to click on Digital Editions and order it there. It will not be activated until the middle of June and once again the price for the digital will not be going up and it will remain $19.99 the entire year. ORDER HERE
Option #3 – Buy the Hard copy of the magazine for $24.99 PLUS SHIPPING. You get to choose the method of shipping, so the total cost depends on where you live and which of the Five types of shipping you choose. It will cost you in the ballpark of $10 for shipping and tax. When you buy the Hard copy, you GET the DIGITAL version of the magazine ($19.99) for FREE and it is updated thru September. Your access begins in the middle of June. You also get your choice of covers (National, SEC, Midwest, Southwest, West or East Coast) as these mail out about 10 days after the magazine goes to print. ORDER HERE
Option #4 – Order the VIP Bundle – The price of the VIP bundle is $44.95. With the VIP bundle you get the National Cover of the magazine but unlike the regular magazine orders we mail these as they roll off the press which last year was just 6 days after we sent the magazine to the press. You will be the first person in the country to have a copy in your hands, and the magazine will not be in Barnes and Noble until July 4th and the regular magazine orders do not get mailed out til the next week. You also get EXCLUSIVE ACCESS to the digital version of the magazine which is usually two days after we send it to the press and before the magazine is even printed! You get one week of EXLUSIVE ACCESS. You also receive FOUR Free issues of my Inside the Pressbox Newsletter ($20 per issue – $80 value) which gives you my Forecast and my computers forecast on EVERY FBS game each week. You also receive access to Phil Steele Plus ($25 per month) for the months of June, July, August and September! The VIP Bundle also includes SHIPPING so it is basically just $10 more than ordering the magazine by itself! ORDER HERE
Option #5 – Order the Super VIP Bundle – The price of the SUPER VIP bundle is $74.95. With the Super VIP Bundle you receive TWO magazines INCLUDING SHIPPING, mailed out as they roll off the press, EXCLUSIVE ACCESS to the digital version one week before anyone else, Four Issues of Inside the Pressbox ($80 value) the same bonuses that the VIP’s get. You also receive…
FCS Digital Magazine ($25) FREE – Two full pages on Every FCS team laid out the same way the pages are for the FBS magazine. There are 128 FCS teams so over 250 pages!
NFL Digital Magazine ($15) FREE – Four full pages on Every NFL team and a Fantasy Football section!
Phil Steele Plus ($25 month) ENTIRE SEASON FREE – This is a tremendous addition and is currently on the Super VIP Bundle but we may eventually take it off in the upcoming months. If you purchase the full year access it is $99 but you get it included in the Super VIP Bundle right now for just $74.95. Purchase the Super VIP Bundle now and get the entire year of Phil Steele Plus FREE!! ORDER SUPER VIP HEREx
