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Big Ten

The Coast-to-Coast Era

Can the Big Ten send a second straight national champion, or does the SEC reclaim the bracket in 2026?

Big Ten carries real selection-room weight with 7 teams inside the top 25 and Ohio State driving a legitimate national ceiling.

#2overall

#2in FBS

+10.1RR50

+15.4upper strength

18teams

7top-25 teams

Big Ten, at a glance.

Top 10 by power rating — last season final records.

Team Power Record RR50

Ohio State

0-0 +22.2

Indiana

0-0 +19.9

Oregon

0-0 +19.7

Penn State

0-0 +15.7

Iowa

0-0 +14.9

USC

0-0 +13.0

Washington

0-0 +12.6

Michigan

0-0 +12.3

Minnesota

0-0 +9.7

Illinois

0-0 +9.4

Power snapshot Projected 2026 standing

The Coast-to-Coast Era

Indiana's 16-0 run in 2025 ended an eleven-year conference championship drought and gave the Big Ten its first national title since 2002. The coast-to-coast expansion delivered both the talent depth and the schedule credibility to put Indiana on a pedestal nobody predicted. Now the question is whether that ceiling is repeatable.

7 top-25 teams.

The depth argument for this conference rests on how many credible opponents are clustered behind the leader. A wide talent spread separates the haves from the have-nots.

The question heading into 2026.

Can the Big Ten send a second straight national champion, or does the SEC reclaim the bracket in 2026?

Tools Matchup Simulator Compare Teams Playoff Forecast Style map Head to head Power map

The National Champions

Indiana Enters 2026 With a Target on Its Back

Indiana went 16-0 in 2025 — regular season, conference title, and national championship. They return as the highest-rated program in the conference and the CFP's defending champion. Every schedule-maker circled their name. The question is whether Indiana can meet a higher standard of opponent preparation in Year 2.

Why it matters →

The Frontrunner

Oregon Is Built for a Deep CFP Run

Oregon holds the conference's second-highest power rating entering 2026 and carries the clearest path to a first-round bye among non-Indiana programs. Dan Lanning's program is the Big Ten's argument that West Coast expansion raised the conference ceiling — and the most likely challenger to Indiana's title defense.

Why it matters →

The Storied Program

Ohio State's Title Window Is Still Open

Ohio State has reached the CFP in three of the last four seasons and still hasn't won it all since 2014. Ryan Day's roster is talented enough to compete — the question is whether they can close the gap against elite competition when it matters most.

Why it matters →

Active arcs our read

Hot8wk ago

Tennessee lands David Gabriel Georges, believed to be first $2M-a-year RB recrui

How will Ohio State recover from losing a top running back prospect to Tennessee?

Ohio State

Hot6wk ago

Nebraska unveils new uniforms with hidden roots nod

How will fans react to the design elements in the new uniforms?

Nebraska

Active8wk ago

NFL denies supplemental draft for Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby

Will Brendan Sorsby ever be cleared to play for Texas Tech?

Oregon

Active7wk ago

Promising update surfaces on Ohio State football player trying to take a startin

Can Ohio State successfully rebuild its roster after heavy NFL Draft losses?

Ohio State

Active5wk ago

Ohio State Adds Top-75 Overall Prospect to Offensive Line As Caden Moss Commits

Can Ohio State rebuild its roster quickly after heavy NFL Draft losses?

Ohio StateOregon

All arcs →

Fan pulse Last 30 days · 8,029 mentions

15% positive 52% neutral 33% negative

Ohio State

1,592

↓ negative

Michigan

1,200

↓ negative

Indiana

962

↓ negative

Penn State

598

↓ negative

Nebraska

535

↓ negative

Oregon

478

↑ positive

Fan confidence — FBS percentile

Where each Big Ten program stands nationally in fan sentiment (100th = most positive in FBS, 0 = least). Conference median: 38th percentile.

Bullish-5

Bullish–

Leaning-10

Leaning-3

Leaning-13

Leaning-17

Leaning-8

Leaning-21

Mixed-8

Mixed-13

Mixed-3

Mixed-31

Souring-37

Souring-26

Souring-26

Souring-13

Souring-9

Souring-17

Rivalry face-offs

The Game

Ohio State vs Michigan

The coaching premium

Recruiting class rank vs. SP+ performance — where coaches add or subtract value

Above line = coaching premium

Below line = underperforming

Gap = recruiting rank minus SP+ rank

Positive gap means the coaching staff won more than the recruiting class predicted. Data: Big Ten teams, 18 programs.

Coaching premium ↑

Penn St.

+53

Wisconsin

+31

Indiana

+25

Nebraska

+25

Iowa

+11

Underperforming ↓

Purdue

-64

Mich. St.

-60

Rutgers

-44

Maryland

-44

Illinois

-20

Standings

2026 final — sorted by power rating. Stature tag = interim Zeitgeist calibration (medium confidence).

#	Team	Record	RR50	Resume
1	Ohio State Blue Blood#2	0-0	+22.2	+99.7
2	Indiana Power Program II#21	0-0	+19.9	+99.0
3	Oregon Power Program I#6	0-0	+19.7	+98.3
4	Penn State Power Program I#11	0-0	+15.7	+96.2
5	Iowa Power Program III#24	0-0	+14.9	+95.2
6	USC Power Program I#13	0-0	+13.0	+94.1
7	Washington Power Program I#15	0-0	+12.6	+93.1
8	Michigan Blue Blood#5	0-0	+12.3	+91.3
9	Minnesota National Program I#40	0-0	+9.7	+85.8
10	Illinois National Program II#47	0-0	+9.4	+85.5
11	Wisconsin Power Program III#29	0-0	+9.2	+84.4
12	Northwestern National Program III#65	0-0	+9.2	+84.1
13	UCLA National Program I#38	0-0	+8.4	+82.7
14	Nebraska National Program II#42	0-0	+7.3	+78.5
15	Rutgers Regional Program I#86	0-0	+5.7	+72.7
16	Maryland National Program III#72	0-0	+4.1	+70.2
17	Michigan State National Program II#55	0-0	+2.1	+63.3
18	Purdue Regional Program III#95	0-0	+1.2	+57.4

Projected Standings · Big Ten · 2026

Win Projection

Odds of winning at least N conference games from current power ratings — full slate played out, not locked to results. AVG = expected wins; W–L = most-likely record.

#	Team	W–L	PWR	AVG	≥9	≥8	≥7	≥6	≥5	≥4	≥3	≥2	≥1
Favorites
1	Ohio State	7–2	+11.2	6.4	4	21	50	77	93	98	✓	✓	✓
2	Indiana	7–2	+9.0	6.4	4	20	48	76	92	98	✓	✓	✓
3	Oregon	6–3	+8.8	6.3	3	18	45	73	91	98	✓	✓	✓
4	Penn State	6–3	+4.8	6.0	2	13	36	64	85	96	99	✓	✓
Challengers
5	Iowa	5–4	+4.0	5.3	1	6	21	47	73	90	98	✓	✓
6	Washington	5–4	+1.7	4.7		2	10	28	55	79	93	99	✓
7	USC	4–5	+2.1	4.4		1	7	23	48	74	91	98	✓
8	Michigan	4–5	+1.4	4.4		1	7	22	47	73	91	98	✓
9	Minnesota	4–5	-1.3	4.1		1	5	16	38	65	87	97	✓
The Field
10	Wisconsin	5–4	-1.7	4.6		2	10	28	54	78	93	99	✓
11	Illinois	4–5	-1.5	4.5		1	8	24	50	76	92	98	✓
12	UCLA	4–5	-2.5	4.4		1	7	23	49	75	92	98	✓
13	Northwestern	3–6	-1.8	3.6			2	8	25	51	77	94	99
14	Nebraska	3–6	-3.6	3.5			2	7	23	48	75	93	99
Rebuilding
15	Rutgers	4–5	-5.2	3.6			2	10	27	53	78	94	99
16	Maryland	3–6	-6.8	3.4			1	7	21	46	73	92	99
17	Michigan State	3–6	-8.8	2.9			1	3	13	32	60	85	97
18	Purdue	2–7	-9.7	2.5				1	7	22	48	77	95

How they play

Six advanced-stat dimensions per team, ranked against all 134 FBS programs, 2025 season. Every column reads higher-is-better. Click a column to sort.

ScoringConvertsBig playsDefensePacePass rate

Team	Scoring	Converts	Big plays	Defense	Pace	Pass rate	Identity
Ohio State	+0.32	52.8%	+1.15	+0.02	62.8	46.4%	Efficient offense
Indiana	+0.35	51.5%	+1.24	-0.01	66.0	38.5%	Efficient offense
Oregon	+0.31	48.0%	+1.35	-0.03	65.8	44.3%	Efficient offense
Penn State	+0.24	46.7%	+1.21	-0.09	62.6	41.6%	Efficient offense
Iowa	+0.15	44.1%	+1.11	-0.04	60.8	36.2%	No explosive plays
USC	+0.35	49.2%	+1.37	-0.15	64.8	49.8%	Efficient offense
Washington	+0.29	48.8%	+1.25	-0.06	63.9	44.5%	Efficient offense
Michigan	+0.18	44.3%	+1.18	-0.11	64.4	40.6%	No explosive plays
Minnesota	+0.10	40.3%	+1.14	-0.14	59.5	51.5%	No explosive plays
Illinois	+0.20	47.2%	+1.18	-0.18	63.8	44.9%	Efficient offense
Wisconsin	+0.02	36.0%	+1.22	-0.17	57.8	39.2%	Can't sustain drives
Northwestern	+0.14	42.7%	+1.17	-0.17	63.6	45.7%	No explosive plays
UCLA	+0.11	40.8%	+1.16	-0.26	61.3	49.0%	Defense is the problem
Nebraska	+0.17	46.6%	+1.10	-0.19	63.3	45.9%	No explosive plays
Rutgers	+0.20	45.8%	+1.20	-0.30	70.2	44.8%	Defense is the problem
Maryland	+0.10	38.4%	+1.32	-0.11	66.2	61.8%	Balanced
Michigan State	+0.13	42.0%	+1.19	-0.19	63.8	49.4%	Balanced
Purdue	+0.10	41.9%	+1.23	-0.28	65.0	51.8%	Defense is the problem

Identity is the single dimension where a team is most above or below the FBS average (pace, defense, big plays, or converting drives) — "Balanced" means nothing stands out either way. CFBD 2025 advanced stats, excludes garbage time.

Top players

Big Ten's highest CFB Index Scores, 2025 season.

#	Player	Team	National
1	John NestorCB	Minnesota	#2 of 364
2	Jeremiah SmithWR	Ohio State	#1 of 485
3	Teitum TuiotiLB	Oregon	#4 of 583
4	Rolijah HardyLB	Indiana	#6 of 583
5	Anthony SmithEDGE	Minnesota	#9 of 420
6	Isaiah JonesLB	Indiana	#12 of 583
7	Jayden MaiavaQB	USC	#4 of 146
8	Tyrique TuckerEDGE	Indiana	#17 of 420
9	Julian SayinQB	Ohio State	#5 of 146
10	Antwan RaymondRB	Rutgers	#9 of 326

Where Big Ten stands nationally

Conference strength by RR50 (round-robin adjusted power).

1 SEC SEC

+11.4

2 B10 Big Ten

+10.1

3 IND FBS Independents

+9.4

4 B12 Big 12

+8.3

5 ACC ACC

+8.2

6 P12 Pac-12

+5.3

7 AAC American Athletic

+5.3

8 MW Mountain West

+4.0

9 SB Sun Belt

+3.7

10 CUSA Conference USA

+3.6

Big Ten title odds

Best available American odds · sportsbook consensus.

#	Team	Odds
1	Ohio State	+175
2	Indiana	+240
3	Oregon	+260
4	USC	+1200
5	Michigan	+1000
6	Penn State	+1800
7	Washington	+2500
8	Iowa	+4000
9	Illinois	+10000
10	Nebraska	+10000