2026 CBS Sports Midseason All-America team: Big Ten edges out SEC, ACC for most selections at halfway point

Conference balance shifted through the season’s first half, as several SEC preseason favorites gave way to new national standouts

Somehow, the college football season is already halfway over, and that means it's time to recognize the top performers in the nation with our Midseason All-America team. Our team of college football experts cast their ballots to honor the players who have starred through Week 7. The first thing that jumps off the page is the agreement level among our voters. There were just three unanimous selections in our Preseason All-America team. That number has jumped to six on the midseason team. Two players — Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Texas EDGE Colin Simmons — were unanimous picks on both teams. The full list of unanimous Midseason All-America selections is as follows: It's also noteworthy that Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney and Oregon State wideout Jesse Legree were on everyone's ballot.

They just split votes at receiver and all-purpose player. So, while neither player was technically unanimous at one position, they do deserve to be mentioned in connection with the unanimous selections. The conference breakdown was much closer than in our preseason selections, in which the SEC led with 15 first-team selections. At the midseason, the SEC has fallen into a tie for second-most selections behind the Big Ten. Here is the full rundown of our Midseason All-Americans, followed by a conference breakdown and key takeaways. Despite its