ONEFA 2026 kicks off as 14 Grandes powers launch championship chase

The defending champion Auténticos Tigres UANL will try to retain their crown, the Borregos Monterrey want the title back, and a deep group of contenders is looking to break up the two Monterrey programs’ grip on the top of Mexican college football.

The 2026 ONEFA 14 Grandes Conference season could be one of the most competitive in recent years. For the first time since the reunification of Mexico’s major college football league, the Auténticos Tigres enter the season as defending national champions after knocking off the Borregos Monterrey 33-30 in the 2025 championship game and ending the Tec’s three-year title run.

The Borregos Monterrey had rolled through the regular season unbeaten and looked ready to claim another championship. But the Tigres won the game that mattered most.

The victory did more than deliver the national title. It changed the balance between two programs after the Borregos had controlled the matchup for several years.

The season kicks off Thursday, September 3, with a 10-week regular-season schedule. Each program will play nine games. Although the 14 teams are split into two seven-team groups, they will compete in one overall standings table, with the top eight advancing to the quarterfinals. The championship game is scheduled for November 27 or 28.

The biggest addition is the Leones Anáhuac Cancún, champions of the Conferencia Nacional, who replace the Pumas Acatlán in the top division.

Two favorites lead the way

The Auténticos Tigres and the Borregos Monterrey once again enter the season a step ahead of the field.

The Tigres have already shown they can beat the Tec in Monterrey and handle the pressure of a tight championship game. More importantly, the defending champions finally cleared the hurdle that had repeatedly stopped them against the Borregos when the stakes were highest.

Now comes a different challenge.

The Tigres have to handle being the team everyone is chasing while replacing several key members of last year’s championship squad. The arrival of quarterback Mirko Martos, a transfer from Texas A&M University-Commerce, gives the offense an intriguing new piece. His experience should help ease the transition and give the Tigres another option offensively.

As long as the Auténticos Tigres can lean on their running game, the powerful “Tonelada de Oro” offensive line and their physical defense, they have every reason to believe they can repeat.

The Borregos Monterrey, meanwhile, may have lost the championship game, but the Tec remains the deepest program in Mexico’s Liga Mayor. The Borregos went a perfect 9-0 during the 2025 regular season, scored 312 points and finished with a plus-168 point differential.

The Borregos Monterrey open the season on the road against the Borregos CCM before facing the Borregos Puebla, the Pumas CU, the Auténticos Tigres, the Aztecas UDLAP and the Águilas Blancas.

The game everyone will be watching comes October 2, when the Borregos Monterrey head to Estadio Gaspar Mass for a championship rematch with the Tigres. Beyond the bragging rights, that matchup could have a major say in home-field advantage for the playoffs.

Contenders line up behind the leaders

Behind the two Monterrey heavyweights sits another dangerous group featuring the Borregos Puebla, the Borregos CCM, the Borregos Guadalajara and the Aztecas UDLAP.

The Borregos Puebla finished 7-2 in 2025 and reached the semifinals. In terms of roster depth, size and recruiting, the Borregos may be the team best equipped to challenge the two favorites.

The offense has enough talent to give anybody problems, but the Borregos Puebla still have to show they can finish the job against the two northern powers.

Losing Fernando Mayén to the Borregos Monterrey hurts. Mayén was the Borregos Puebla’s most important offensive weapon, and his move makes an already deep Monterrey roster even stronger while leaving the Borregos Puebla searching for a new centerpiece on offense.

The Borregos CCM also went 7-2 and reached the semifinals but struggled when matched against more physical opponents. The CCM fell 39-16 to the Tigres during the regular season before losing the semifinal rematch 29-9.

The Mexico City campus gets an immediate measuring stick when it hosts the Borregos Monterrey to open the season. If the Borregos CCM want to move from playoff team to championship contender, winning games like that at home will be critical.

The Borregos Guadalajara finished 5-4 and made the playoffs. They did not have the same offensive firepower as the conference’s leading contenders, but the Borregos stayed competitive and finished the season with a solid defense. Another finish somewhere between fifth and seventh appears realistic.

The Aztecas UDLAP could be the team most capable of shaking up the established order.

The Aztecas also went 5-4 and came within a point of knocking out the Borregos CCM in the quarterfinals before falling 35-34. Now quarterback Iker Ayala arrives from the Linces UVM after establishing himself as one of the conference’s top passers.

If Ayala settles in quickly and the offense finds more consistency, the Aztecas have enough talent to reach the semifinals.

The Aztecas also get the Pumas CU, the Borregos Puebla and other important opponents at Templo del Dolor. In a season where the margins could be razor thin, those home games could make a huge difference.

Pumas need to finish games

The Pumas CU finished a disappointing 3-6 in 2025, but a minus-five point differential tells a different story. The Pumas weren’t far from the playoff picture and let several close games slip away, including a 45-41 loss to the Borregos CCM and a 29-28 defeat against the Zorros CETYS.

The problem is no longer proving the Pumas can hang around for three quarters. They have to finish games.

The schedule won’t make that easy. The Pumas face the Borregos Puebla, the Borregos Monterrey, the Burros Blancos, the Águilas Blancas and the Aztecas UDLAP. Cut down the turnovers and execute better when games tighten up late, and the Pumas can get back to the postseason. Keep letting close games get away, and another finish around ninth or 10th becomes a real possibility.

Quarterback Lenny Garza gives the Pumas reason for optimism. He enters his fourth year running the offense after ranking among the conference’s top quarterbacks last season. If the offensive line gives him enough time, Garza has the experience to make the Pumas a difficult team to handle.

The Mexico City matchups will be especially important. The Pumas host the Burros Blancos on September 12 and the Águilas Blancas on October 17 at Estadio Olímpico Universitario. Both games could have a direct impact on the fight for the final playoff spots.

Playoff race could get crowded

The Linces UVM, the Águilas Blancas IPN, the Borregos CEM, the Pumas UNAM, the Leones Anáhuac Norte and the Burros Blancos IPN appear headed for a fight over the final two or three playoff berths.

The Linces finished 4-5 last season, flashed a dangerous offense and handed the Borregos CCM a loss. But the offseason brought two major departures.

Ayala’s move to the Aztecas UDLAP leaves a major question at quarterback, while Panamanian standout Joshua Scott, widely regarded as the league’s best receiver, is also gone. Fellow Panamanian receiver Juan Alemán will be counted on to help fill that hole.

If the Linces can quickly find their next offensive leader, get production from Alemán and tighten things up defensively, they can stay in the postseason hunt.

The Águilas Blancas IPN reached the playoffs despite finishing 3-6. Their defense kept them alive in several tight games, but the offense needs to give that unit more help. Asking the defense to keep scores down every week is a tough way to survive against the conference’s best offenses.

The Borregos CEM may have been one of last season’s more deceptive 3-6 teams. Their defense will feature an experienced international group led by Argentine defensive back Fermín Campos, who enters his fifth season with the program.

 

Campos will be joined by Pelayo Martínez of Gijón, Spain, who developed at the NFL Academy, and Panamanian player Mateo Scott. That international group gives the Borregos CEM experience on a defense that could determine whether the program gets back into the playoffs.

The Burros Blancos IPN have a much clearer problem to solve after giving up 306 points last season. Their offense did enough to keep them in games, but the defense surrendered far too much against the conference’s strongest teams. Unless that changes, staying in the playoff race will be difficult.

The Leones Anáhuac Norte belong in the same group. The challenge is finding more consistency and keeping pace with programs carrying deeper rosters.

Zorros and Cancún start from behind

The Zorros CETYS come off a 2-7 season in which they surrendered 365 points, although the Zorros did pull off a surprising win over the Pumas CU.

The first job is stabilizing the defense and preventing games from getting away before halftime. The Zorros have already shown they can trouble more established programs. Now they have to do it consistently.

The Leones Anáhuac Cancún are the season’s biggest unknown.

The Conferencia Nacional champions will play four home games at Coliseo Maya and make their home debut against the Borregos CEM.

The Leones Anáhuac Cancún clearly had enough talent to earn promotion, but facing 14 Grandes competition every week is another level. The Leones will see bigger players, more speed and much deeper rosters.

One of their most notable additions is American running back Ernest Cesar, who arrives from Texas Wesleyan and should add experience and explosiveness to the offense.

The first goal for the Leones is simple: adjust to the higher level, gain experience and stay in the top division. Anything beyond that would make them one of the season’s biggest surprises.

Monterrey gets the slight edge

The Borregos Monterrey and the Auténticos Tigres enter the season as the favorites to occupy the top two spots, with the Borregos Puebla, the Borregos CCM, the Aztecas UDLAP and the Borregos Guadalajara forming the next tier.

For now, the Pumas CU and the Linces UVM look like the best bets for the final two playoff berths, although the Borregos CEM and the Águilas Blancas are close enough to change that picture quickly.

Another championship showdown between the Tigres and the Borregos Monterrey looks like the most likely outcome.

The Tigres have already proved they can win when everything is on the line, but the Tec still owns a level of roster depth few programs can match. Add the sting of last year’s championship loss, and the Borregos Monterrey enter 2026 as the slight favorite to take the crown back.

There are still unknowns. Final rosters, departures and decisions at key positions — particularly quarterback — could alter the picture.

In a season that looks this balanced, one transfer, one injury or one play in the closing minutes could turn the entire ONEFA 14 Grandes Conference race upside down.