ESPN ranks every Big Ten football team based on 2026 offseason

Just 116 days until the 2026 college football season kicks off, ESPN has ranked Big Ten teams from 1-18.

To absolutely nobody’s surprise, the reigning National Champions top the list. The 2026 Big Ten season will be one of the most unpredictable in recent history, as so many teams have the potential to break out and make a run to the College Football Playoff.

Could this be the year Lincoln Riley finally leads USC to the Playoff? Could Kyle Whittingham (Michigan) and Matt Campbell (Penn State) find immediate success in year one at their respective programs? Can Indiana repeat as National Champions? Will a fourth consecutive Big Ten team win the Playoff? Only time will tell.

Without further ado, here is ESPN’s complete list.

1. Indiana Hoosiers (2025: 16-0)

Head Coach: Curt Cignetti (27-2, 17-1)

The reigning National Champions kick off the list. Indiana enjoyed a historic 2025 campaign, in which it compiled an unblemished 16-0 record and a National Title. However, living in the past won’t fuel the Hoosiers to success in 2026. The program is now led by TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover, who looks to continue the standard that the previous two Cignetti-coached teams have left in Bloomington. Curt Cignetti looks to truly make his mark as one of the game’s best coaches in modern history by winning a second consecutive National Championship, which hasn’t been done since 2003-04 (USC).

2. Oregon Ducks (2025: 13-2)

Head Coach: Dan Lanning (48-8, 32-4 at Oregon)

The 2025 season was ultimately an extremely successful one for the Oregon Ducks, which accrued a 12-2 record and advanced to the Semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Unfortunately for them, they had to play eventual National Champion Indiana twice (hence both losses). With quarterback Dante Moore (who likely would have been a top-10 NFL Draft pick) returning, Oregon is expected to once again be right in the thick of the National Championship race.

3. USC Trojans (2025: 9-4)

Head Coach: Lincoln Riley (35-18, 24-12 at USC)

Year five of the Lincoln Riley era at USC is massive for the head coach, as the Trojans are desperately seeking their first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. Riley led USC to a 9-4 record last season, but it was never quite in the hunt for the CFP. With Heisman candidate quarterback Jayden Maiava returning for the Trojans, it almost seems like 2026 will be ‘Playoff or Bust’ for USC. Riley led Oklahoma to three CFP appearance in five seasons, but has yet to lead USC to the sports’ biggest stage across four years.

4. Ohio State Buckeyes (2025: 12-2)

Head Coach: Ryan Day (82-12, 55-5 at Ohio State)

Ohio State being slated at No. 4 is quite the surprise, as it returns one of the best quarterback/wide receiver duos in the nation in quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The Buckeyes opened the 2025 season with a 12-0 record, but lost their last two games of the season (Big Ten Championship and Cotton Bowl Classic). There’s no doubt the program has been thinking of that disappointing end to the season all offseason, making them a clear favorite to win their second National Title in three seasons in 2026.

5. Penn State Nittany Lions (2025: 7-6)

Head Coach: Matt Campbell (0-0, 0-0 at Penn State)

After a historic tenure at Iowa State, in which Matt Campbell established himself as the winningest head coach in program history, he now looks to lead Penn State back to greatness. The 2025 season was an extremely weird one for Penn State, as it opened as a favorite to win the CFP, but ultimately parted ways with head coach James Franklin after just six games. Campbell brought a plethora of his Iowa State players to Happy Valley for the 2026 campaign, including star quarterback Rocco Becht.

6. Michigan Wolverines (2025: 9-4)

Head Coach: Kyle Whittingham (0-0, 0-0 at Michigan)

The 2026 season will mark a turning of the page for the Michigan football program, as it looks to wipe away the stigma of the controversy-riddled past few years. Veteran head coach Kyle Whittingham (formerly at Utah) has been tabbed to lead the Wolverines into the next era. He was certainly a strong choice to do so, as Whittingham accrued a 177-88 record across his past 21 seasons at Utah. Rising sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood looks to make the leap to superstardom this season, which could be vital in leading the Wolverines back to the College Football Playoff.

7. Iowa Hawkeyes (2025: 9-4)

Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz (209-128, 133-91 at Iowa)

The Big Ten’s all-time winningest coach, Kirk Ferentz, returns for his 28th season at Iowa in 2026. The Hawkeyes have been a model of consistency under Ferentz, as they’ve won at least eight games (excluding the COVID shortened 2020 season) in 10 consecutive seasons. However, Iowa hasn’t quite been in College Football Playoff contention since 2015. Their schedule is a bit on the lighter side this season, however, as they will avoid Big Ten foes such as Indiana, Oregon, and USC (the top-three ranked teams on this list).

8. Nebraska Cornhuskers (2025: 7-6)

Head Coach: Matt Rhule (19-19, 10-17 at Nebraska)

This upcoming season will mark the fourth of Matt Rhule‘s tenure at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have appeared in back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2015-2016 under Rhule, but that isn’t enough to appease Nebraska fans. They jumped into the top-25 following a 5-1 start to the 2025 season, before losing five of their last seven games. That will be an unacceptable finish for this program, which is seeking a return to national relevance.

9. Minnesota Golden Gophers (2025: 8-5)

Head Coach: P.J. Fleck (66-44, 39-40 at Minnesota)

Minnesota has flown under the radar as one of the most underrated programs in all of college football across the past two seasons. The Golden Gophers have enjoyed back-to-back 8-5 campaigns, both of which resulted in a bowl victory. Minnesota has appeared in seven bowl games under head coach P.J. Fleck, and have miraculously won all seven games. The next barrier to break for this program is to sneak back into the upper echelon of the Big Ten Conference, which they haven’t done since the 2019 season.

10. Illinois Fighting Illini (2025: 9-4)

Head Coach: Bret Bielema (37-26, 23-22 at Illinois)

The 2026 season is a big one for the Illinois Fighting Illini, which is seeking its third consecutive nine-plus win campaign. Dating back to its first season of play (1892), Illinois has never done that. The Illini have been on the doorstep of the College Football Playoff in recent seasons, but have yet to break through. The loss of cornerstone quarterback Luke Altmyer will be hard to overcome, but veteran transfer quarterback Katin Houser (formerly at East Carolina) looks to be up to the challenge. Illinois will avoid three of the top five teams on the list (Indiana, USC, and Penn State) in the regular season.

Teams 11-18

11. UCLA Bruins (2025: 3-9)
12. Washington Huskies (2025: 9-4)
13. Northwestern Wildcats (2025: 7-6)
14. Wisconsin Badgers (2025: 4-8)
15. Maryland Terrapins (2025: 4-8)
16. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2025: 5-7)
17. Purdue Boilermakers (2025: 2-10)
18. Michigan State Spartans (2025: 4-8)