Every summer since 2007 I have created an intricate set of college football predictions for each upcoming season. This year is no exception, as I will be using my blog over the next few hours to publish my 20th annual college football preview guide which will contain 20 entries in all. The records below reflect each team’s predicted regular season overall record followed by their conference record. These records include conference title games but exclude bowl games, which will be previewed later on in a separate column on this blog. The teams marked in bold font are the ones predicted to gain bowl eligibility this season and the one marked in italics is my predicted conference champion.. Without further ado, here are my predictions for the Big Ten in 2026, which is looking for a national championship four-peat in 2026.
| 1 | Ohio State (10-3, 7-2)– conference champion / CFP # 4 seed |
Last Year’s Record: 11-1 (My 2025 prediction: 12-2)
Positional Strength: Wide Receiver
Positional Weakness: Linebacker
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Oregon (November 7)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Nebraska (November 21)- the Huskers have almost knocked the Buckeyes off the last two times they played. The third time will be the charm this season in Lincoln, as Matt Rhule gets his signature win as Nebraska head coach.
Bottom Line: The Buckeyes are considered by many to be the national championship favorite entering 2026, as they return their best skill position player (Jeremiah Smith), starting quarterback (Julian Sayin), and six other offensive starters from a team that went 12-0 in last year’s regular season. With that being said, the defense was the strength of this team last year (ranked # 1 nationally vs. their 26th ranked offense), and this squad lost a ton on that side of ball from 2025. They also face a much more difficult schedule than usual, as they must travel to Texas, Iowa, Indiana, Southern Cal, and Nebraska, while playing home games against Oregon and Michigan. I am still picking the Buckeyes to win the Big Ten and earn a first round bye in the CFP, but I don’t envision a 12-0 romp through the regular season like OSU had last season.
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| 2 | Oregon (10-3, 7-2)– conference runner-up / CFP # 7 seed |
Last Year’s Record: 13-2 (My 2025 prediction: 12-1)
Positional Strength: Quarterback
Positional Weakness: Offensive Line
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Michigan (November 14)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Southern Cal (September 26)
Bottom Line: Oregon may have the best combination of returning talent and roster depth in the Big Ten, with quarterback Dante Moore back for another season after passing up the NFL Draft. The Ducks have enough offensive firepower and defensive talent to challenge anyone in the country, and their No. 2 preseason ranking reflects those expectations. The problem is they have to break- in a new coordinator on each side of the ball and their schedule: road games at USC, and Ohio State, along with home dates against Michigan, Washington and Nebraska, leave very little margin for error. Oregon should be one of the nation’s best teams once more, but given the lack of continuity in the coaching staff and this team’s propensity for losing big games, I am not calling for the Ducks to win either the Big Ten or the national title this season, like many are doing.
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| 3 | Southern Cal (10-2, 7-2)- CFP # 6 seed |
Last Year’s Record: 9-4 (My 2025 prediction: 9-3)- nailed my preseason prediction for the Trojans last year!
Positional Strength: Quarterback
Positional Weakness: Linebacker
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Oregon (September 26)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Indiana (November 14)
Bottom Line: USC appears poised to take another step forward in the Big Ten and has the talent to become a legitimate conference championship contender. The Trojans’ schedule is demanding, with Oregon, Washington, Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana all on the slate, but they get several of those marquee opponents at home. USC’s ceiling will depend heavily on whether its defense can become more consistent against the physical teams that have given the program trouble since joining the Big Ten. It is hard to believe the Trojans have never played in a College Football Playoff before, but I am calling that drought to end in 2026.
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| 4 | Michigan (9-3, 7-2) |
Last Year’s Record: 9-4 (My 2025 prediction: 8-4)- another perfect preseason prediction last year for me in the Big Ten!
Positional Strength: Running Back
Positional Weakness: Linebacker
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Indiana (October 24)- as good as the Hoosiers have been the last few years, they still haven’t won in Ann Arbor since 1967.
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Oklahoma (September 12)
Bottom Line: Michigan should once again be one of the Big Ten’s most physical teams, with Kyle Whittingham bringing a proven defensive identity to a program that has championship expectations. The Wolverines face a difficult conference schedule that includes Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State, making a three-loss season a realistic outcome despite their considerable talent. Michigan’s defense should keep the team competitive in virtually every game, but the offense will have to prove it can consistently produce against the conference’s elite. Whittingham will get the Wolverines back into the playoff at some point, but I don’t see it happening in 2026.
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| 5 | Washington (9-3, 6-3) |
Last Year’s Record: 9-4 (My 2025 prediction: 6-6)
Positional Strength: Quarterback
Positional Weakness: Running Back
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Indiana (November 21)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Nebraska (October 31)- Memorial Stadium in Lincoln may become a house of horrors for the Huskies on Halloween
Bottom Line: The unprecedented work by Curt Cignetti at Indiana has causes many to overlook what an incredible job Jedd Fisch has done at both Arizona and Washington. He took the Wildcats from the duldrums of FBS into a ten win football team in just three seasons, and he has completely rebuilt Washington after the entire roster turned over following Kalen Deboer’s departure. I think the Huskies are on the cusp a College Football Playoff berth, but I am calling for them to fall just short of that feat in 2026, as they don’t have as much overall depth or experience as the Big Ten’s other top teams.
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| 5 | Indiana (9-3, 6-3) |
Last Year’s Record: 16-0 (My 2025 prediction: 7-5)
Positional Strength: Linebacker
Positional Weakness: Running Back
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Southern Cal (November 14)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Washington (November 21)- seems like a bad spot for the Hoosiers who will be coming off a big win over the Trojans the week prior and then will be facing their arch rival the following weekend.
Bottom Line: I admittedly called for Indiana to take a big step back last year after their surprise run to the College Football Playoff, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead, Cignetti and Mendoz led the Hoosiers through one of the greatest college football seasons of all-time which culminated in a 16-0 national championship last season. The Hoosiers once again have reloaded heavily through the transfer portal, and while I am still calling for them to be really good, I have some major concerns about new quarterback Josh Hoover’s propensity for turnovers as well as this team’s ability replace their best player from last year in basically every positional group (replacing top QB- Mendoza, top RBs- Hemby and Black, top WRs- Cooper and Sarratt, top OL- Coogan, top LB- Fisher, top DB- Ponds). There has to be some drop off for this program at some point, which is why the Hoosiers are one of the three Big Ten teams on list of national disappointment picks this season.
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| 5 | Penn State (9-3, 6-3) |
Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (My 2025 prediction: 10-2)
Positional Strength: Linebacker
Positional Weakness: Offensive Line
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Wisconsin (September 26)- it is really sad to classify a home victory over a team that finished 4-8 last year as the biggest win of the season for a nine win Big Ten team, but that is just how easy the Nittany Lion schedule is this fall.
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Southern Cal (October 10)
Bottom Line: How well can the best players from an 8-4 Big 12 team play in the Big Ten? That is the question this year’s Nittany Lions will be answering, as Matt Campbell has arrived in Happy Valley with 24 of his players from last year’s Iowa State squad. The Penn State schedule is remarkably easy this season, but I am predicting enough there will be growing pains, with a new coaching staff and entirely new roster, to keep this team out of the College Football Playoff.
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| 5 | Iowa (9-3, 6-3) |
Last Year’s Record: 9-4 (My 2025 prediction: 9-3)
Positional Strength: Offensive Line
Positional Weakness: Quarterback
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Ohio State (October 3)- the home team has won the last three in this series and I am predicting the Hawkeyes to shock the world by making it four straight!
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Northwestern (November 7)
Bottom Line: The Hawkeyes have won exactly 8 or 9 games in six of the past ten seasons under Kirk Ferentz, so it seems like smart money to once again peg this team to finish in that same range, as Iowa will once again be Iowa this season. The Hawkeyes will once again have a roster built around defense, physical offensive line play and a commitment to running the football. They return several experienced contributors on defense, while the offensive line has the size and experience necessary to keep the team’s trademark rushing attack effective. Iowa’s ability to play complementary football should again make it extremely difficult for opponents to separate from the Hawkeyes, particularly when the defense is forcing turnovers and creating short fields. The biggest question remains whether the offense can produce enough explosive plays to beat the conference’s elite teams, but the overall roster is good enough for another nine-win season.
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| 5 | Wisconsin (8-4, 6-3) |
Last Year’s Record: 4-8 (My 2025 prediction: 6-6)
Positional Strength: Linebacker
Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at UCLA (October 17)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Iowa (October 31)
Bottom Line: Luke Fickell’s tenure in Madison has been surprisingly bad given how how this hire was perceived back in 2022. However, Wisconsin appears positioned for a significant improvement after several seasons of uneven results, with a roster that better fits the Badgers’ traditional identity. They also enter 2026 with a ton of momentum after winning their last two home games in 2025, including an upset of a top 25 Washington squad. The offensive line should be a strength, while Wisconsin has enough experienced running-game talent to again make physical football a central part of its offense. The defense also has several returning contributors capable of giving the Badgers a reliable foundation, and the overall roster has considerably more depth than it did during some of the program’s recent struggles. Luke Fickell needs a breakthrough season, and while Wisconsin may not be ready to challenge for the conference championship, an 8-4 record would represent meaningful progress.
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| 10 | Nebraska (8-4, 5-4) |
Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (My 2025 prediction: 9-3)
Positional Strength: Offensive Line
Positional Weakness: Running Back
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Ohio State (November 21)- the Huskers have played the Buckeyes well in their past two meetings. They will finish the job this time in Lincoln, as Matt Rhule gets his signature win as Nebraska head coach.
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Michigan State (September 26)- the Spartans seem to have the Huskers in East Lansing, as they have won their last three meetings there.
Bottom Line: Matt Rhule has improved the Husker’s conference record and/or overall record in each of this first three seasons in Lincoln, and I am calling him to do the same in 2026 with an experienced offensive line, an elite secondary (3rd best passing defense in the country lst year), and a talented dual thread quarterback in UNLV’ transfer Anthony Colandrea.
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| 10 | UCLA (7-5, 5-4) |
Last Year’s Record: 3-9 (My 2025 prediction: 4-8)
Positional Strength: Quarterback
Positional Weakness: Linebacker
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Illinois (November 14)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. San Diego State (September 12)- this is a dangerous early season game that the Bruins may overlook
Bottom Line: No first year coach inherited a better personnel situation than UCA’s Bob Chesney who was able to retain Nico Iamaleava and several of the other top Bruins from last year’s squad, while also bringing in ten of his top players from James Madison, who played in the 2025 College Football Playoff. UCLA still has a ways to go before they are competing in the upper echelon of the Big Ten, but a bowl game is a very realistic goal for this experienced Bruins squad that avoids Ohio State, Indiana, Washington, and Penn State in its regular season schedule.
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| 12 | Northwestern (7-5, 4-5) |
Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (My 2025 prediction: 5-7)
Positional Strength: Defensive Backfield
Positional Weakness: Offensive Line
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Iowa (November 7)- the Wildcats have upset the Hawkeyes four different times over the past decade
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Michigan State (October 17)- there have been six outright upsets in the past eight meetings in this series
Bottom Line: Most experts, including myself, expected the Wildcats to fall on hard times following the abrupt and controversial firing of Pat Fitzgerald just prior to the 2023 college football season. However, his replacement David Braun has done an incredible job building on Fitzgerald’s success by leading this squad to a bowl game in two of the last three seasons. I am once again calling for Northwestern to go bowling in 2026, as they bring back their top two rushers and pass catchers from last season’s 7-5 squad as well as three of their top four tacklers. They also get a huge upgrade on their coaching staff as the legendary Chip Kelly has taken over as the new offensive coordinator in Evanston. Expect another solid season from Braun’s Wildcats.
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| 13 | Michigan State (5-7, 3-6) |
Last Year’s Record: 4-8 (My 2025 prediction: 6-6)
Positional Strength: Linebacker
Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Nebraska (September 26)- the home team has won six straight in this series
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at UCLA (October 24)
Bottom Line: Pat Fitzgerald finally gets another chance as a Big Ten head coach following his controversial departure from Northwestern on the heels of a player abuse scandal. Fitzgerald will immediately implement an aura of toughness around the Spartan that was lacking under the previous regimens of Mel Tucker and Jonathan Smith. I think that will help them win a few games that they aren’t expected to in 2026, but this squad just doesn’t have the talent right now to put together a winning season in East Lansing.
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| 14 | Maryland (4-8, 2-7) |
Last Year’s Record: 4-8 (My 2025 prediction: 3-9)
Positional Strength: Linebacker
Positional Weakness: Running Back
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Illinois (October 31)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Rutgers (October 17)
Bottom Line: The Mike Locksley tenure has gone significantly better than I expected at Maryland, as he as largely considered one of the worst head coaches in the country after his disastrous 2-26 stint at New Mexico in which he literally punched one of his assistant coaches in the face. Nevertheless, Locksley’s days in College Park appear to be numbered, as the Terps seem destined for a third straight losing season in 2026. Maryland has some intriguing individual pieces but lacks the overall roster depth necessary to compete with the Big Ten’s upper half. There is also an old notion in college football that bringing back a lot of experience from a really bad unit, isn’t necessarily a good thing, and that is what the Terps are facing in 2026, as they return eight starters from the 97th ranked defense in college football last season.
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| 15 | Illinois (5-7, 2-7) |
Last Year’s Record: 9-4 (My 2025 prediction: 11-2)
Positional Strength: Quarterback
Positional Weakness: Linebacker
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Michigan State (October 10)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Maryland (October 31)
Bottom Line: The Illini are my second major Big Ten disappointment pick this season, many experts are pegging this squad to do big things in 2026 after putting together consecutive 9+ win seasons that both culminated in bowl wins against SEC teams. Nevertheless, coach Bret Bielema’s teams have always found success in the trenches, and this year’s Illini squad loses its top players on both lines of scrimmage. They will also have a new quarterback for the first time in three seasons following the graduation of Luke Altmyer. Put it all together, and I think will end up being a major rebuilding year in Champaign.
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| 16 | Rutgers (3-9, 1-8) |
Last Year’s Record: 5-7 (My 2025 prediction: 6-6)
Positional Strength: Running Back
Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Maryland (October 17)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Michigan State (November 28)
Bottom Line: Greg Schiano built this program from scratch during his first tenure in Piscataway in the early 2000’s but, over the past seven seasons during his second tenure at Rutgers, he has learned just how hard it is to win in today’s Big Ten. Schiano’s squad will against be tough as nails as always, but they have major question marks at quarterback with BC transfer Dylan Longernan taking over and on defense where this squad ranked 125th nationally in 2025. They also encounter a brutal Big Ten slate this season in which most of their winnable conference games are on the road (at Maryland, Northwestern, and Wisconsin).
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| 16 | Purdue (2-10, 1-8) |
Last Year’s Record: 2-10 (My 2025 prediction: 2-10)- not only did I get their overall record right, but I actually correctly picked the result of every single Boilermaker game last year!
Positional Strength: Linebacker
Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Minnesota (October 10)- the Boilermakers seem likely to get their first Big Ten win since 2023 this season
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Maryland (November 7)
Bottom Line: Jeff Brohm’s success at Purdue can’t be overstated given how bad this program has been since he left West Lafayette following the 2022 season. Brohm had the Boilermakers in the Big Ten title game in December of ’22, and since then the team has only won a total of 3 conference games including zero in the past two seasons. This year, I think we’ll finally seem some signs of life out of this squad, as Barry Odom has a talented returning quarterback in Ryan Browne that should complement an improved rushing attack and defense thanks to several key portal additions. The Boilermakers second game of the season against my Wake Forest Demon Deacons will be a really good litmus test for this program, but even if they fall short in that one, I still think Purdue is good enough to win at least one conference game in 2026, which will be a big deal for this program.
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| 18 | Minnesota (2-10, 0-9) |
Last Year’s Record: 8-5 (My 2025 prediction: 7-5)- another Big Ten team that I accurately projected in the preseason.
Positional Strength: Defensive Line
Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield
Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Akron (September 19)
Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Purdue (October 10)
Bottom Line: This is one of my boldest picks in my entire 2026 preseason preview guide, as the Golden Gophers are my # 1 ranked disappointment team in the country this season. The fact of the matter is that this program has immensely overachieved over the past half decade evidenced by the incredible stat that Minnesota has gone seven straight years without a negative turnover differential, the longest active streak among Power 4 programs. You might expect such a streak to exist at a school that dominates its conference every year (ex: Georgia, Boise State, Ohio State, Miami-FL, etc) or one that runs the ball successfully (ex: Army, Navy, or Air Force), but the Golden Gophers certainly aren’t an elite Big Ten talent and they actually had the 126th ranked rush offense last year. Minnesota also had a 4-0 record in one score games in 2026. Quite simply, P.J. Fleck’s squad is past due for a “tough luck season” in which they experience a negative turnover differential and a bad record in close games, which is why I am calling for this team to take a major step back in 2026.
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