Big 10 Conference 2026 Preview Part 1
Updated: Aug 4
by Zak Drapeau
Sportz Nation - 7/30/2026
Indiana
Odds to Win B1G: +310
Transfer Grade: A+
Recruiting Grade: B-
2026 Schedule: A-
Indiana has made a habit of molding their roster around the Transfer Portal and 2026 will be no different with 17 incoming players including their starting Quarterback, Josh Hoover from TCU.
The Hoosiers' miracle 2025 Championship season was one you could only dream of as a Hoosiers fan. When looking toward 2026 however, the Hoosiers will be hard-pressed to repeat their success with the amount of talent they lost to the draft including 8 players drafted and 6 players signed after the draft.
As long as Curt Cignetti is in charge the team will have a chance. His ability to bring in the best transfers for the team will keep them toward the top of the conference while Cignetti's 'trenches-first' scheme will make them compete in every game. And speaking of the trenches, Indiana's brightest spot for next season is their O-line which brings back almost everyone and even their top-transfer Guard Joe Brunner.
While Cignetti is one of the best in the game, it is unbelievably hard to repeat in College Football and with Indiana losing so many crucial players, they'll make the playoffs but lose in the first round after a few hiccups along the way.
2026 Prediction: 10-3 (7-2)
Lose CFP Round 1
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Ohio State
Odds to Win B1G: +175
Transfer Grade: A
Recruiting Grade: A
2026 Schedule: D+
Ohio State's 2025 roster was truly one of the best I'd ever seen and it showed with the most players drafted in the country at 11, following another nation-best 14 in 2025. The Buckeyes thankfully secured the 4th best Transfer class according to ESPN with 17 commits ahead of the 2026 season.
Among there commits are three of the best defensive players in the portal this Winter including Terry Moore, James Smith and Qua Russaw among other top defensive talents like Dominick Kelly, Earl Little Jr. and Christian Alliegro.
Ohio State was able to get an elite defensive transfer class because of the elite underclassman offense they brought back. Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith are possibly the best QB and WR in the nation this season and their O-line and running game may only look alright now but are going to be better.
The Buckeyes lost a significant amount heading into 2026 but luckily can fall back on the best passing duo in the country. Can two or three men take you all the way to the Natty in this climate? Probably not, but they should at least be in the Final 8 teams and probably on the losing side of the B1G Championship.
Prediction: 11-3 (8-1)
B1G Runner-Ups
Lose CFP Quarter Finals
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Oregon
Odds to Win B1G: +260
Transfer Grade: B+
Recruiting Grade: A+
2026 Schedule:
My pick to win the new "best conference" in the NCAA is going to be the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks have the consensus best defense before the season starts and are returning their elite Quarterback Dante Moore to boot. They also have two of the best receiving options in the country in Sophomore WR Dakorien Moore and the #1 TE in the country Jemari Johnson.
Dan Lanning's Ducks were outstanding last season and lost minimal talent to the draft and portal in the offseason. The 13-2 Ducks undoubtedly got better on both sides of the ball this offseason and while the B1G is no easy road, they should at least be one of the final teams when the dust settles.
Their pass rush and secondary talents will give them the best passing defense in the country in my opinion and their offensive players returning may give them the best passing offense as well. They have to go to Ohio State and USC this season in what should be bloodbaths and home games versus Michigan and Washington in the final 3 weeks will definitely be trap games but this squad may have what it takes to keep a 0 in their record until the playoffs and then anything can happen.
Prediction: 15-1 (9-0)
B1G Champions
Lose CFP Semi-Finals
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Michigan
Odds to Win B1G: +1,500
Transfer Grade: A-
Recruiting Grade: A
2026 Schedule:
The Kyle Whittingham era of Wolverine football has started and with him has come his top talents from Utah as well like WR JJ Buchanan and CB Smith Snowden. Along with Whittingham will come a tough and physical offense centered around the O-line and run game which were already going to be strong points on their squad along with the best Sophomore QB in the country Bryce Underwood.
The Wolverines were 9-4 last year and on paper should have a much more veteran and better roster along with their coaching but their schedule is downright brutal. Home games against Oklahoma, Iowa, Penn State and Indiana as well as going to Oregon and Ohio State in November gives the Wolverines and very slim chance at finishing the season with enough wins to make the Playoffs.
Their run game should be as good as ever and Whittingham will beef up this defense but we're only in the first year of his plan. Michigan should show a lot of great signs as they gear up for 2027 and Underwood's final year at the program which should be significantly better and likely a contender for next year's b1G Championship.
Prediction: 9-4 (5-4)
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USC
Odds to Win B1G: +1,400
Transfer Grade: C-
Recruiting Grade: A+
2026 Schedule:
USC became the first non-SEC school to sign the #1 recruiting class in the nation since 2020 this year including 2 5-stars and 19 4-stars. While there future is certainly in good hands, their 2026 ambition is still unclear and completely dependent on the QB guru Lincoln Riley and Jayden Maiava's hugely-anticipated 2nd season in the school.
Maiava was in Heisman talks midway through the season when his schools' schedule hit their toughest stretch. Maiava is fully expected to have an even greater 2026 and be in the mix for the nation's best player even without his top targets that left in the 2026 NFL Draft.
USC's defense is much more of a question and likely the reason SoCal won't make the playoffs this season. While their recruiting class and new DC Gary Patterson should make for a great basis, they're seemingly just shy of being real competitors although their schedule is one of the easiest in the conference and could give them a break or two.
Prediction: 10-3 (7-2)
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Penn State
Odds to Win B1G: +2,000
Transfer Grade: A
Recruiting Grade: F
2026 Schedule: A
With the 2nd biggest Head Coaching hire of the off season, Matt Campbell will be stepping into one of the most scrutinized seasons of any new Head Coach. His Pro-Style, tight formation offense and Nickel heavy defense should work instantly for the Nittany Lions while his culture-building should take shape in time.
Along with Campbell comes one of the biggest roster shake ups in CFB through the transfer portal. After James Franklin's exit and Penn State's abysmal 2025, the Nittany Lions lost 46 players to transfer and the draft. Their aggression in the portal would help with 40+ incoming players including several from Campbell's old school Iowa State which includes the Lions starting QB this year, veteran Rocco Becht.
Normally I'd say give the new Head Coach time but in Penn State's case, they're lucky enough to have the FPI ranked BY FAR the easiest schedule in the B1G conference and 7th easiest among Power 4 schools. The combination of an easy schedule, great new head coach, terrible recruiting class and completely unpredictable roster makes Penn State just that; unpredictable. But I'll give it a shot.
Prediction: 8-5 (6-3)
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Washington
Odds to Win B1G: +2,500
Transfer Grade: B
Recruiting Grade: B+
2026 Schedule:
Washington is one of the oddest schools in the entire conference because Jedd Fisch has shown that he's a very good coach but did not do enough for his roster to put them in a place to do damage. They're transfers along the O-line and defense will give them great depth throughout their season but won't be elite at any point.
Quarterback Demond Williams will be in his 2nd year as starter and should be a stable force for the Huskies' offense along with slot receiver Dezmen Roebuck. The Huskies defense will be led by Jacob Manu who transferred and missed 2025 due to a Torn ACL and should come back as one of the top Linebackers in the conference.
Washington's schedule is also middle of the pack with road games at USC and Oregon and their final 3 home games including Iowa, Penn State and Oregon. Without a strong identity other than throwing slants I can't see Washington winning more than 2 of those games and in fact I think their only win is at home vs Penn State. Jedd Fisch could be a great coach but he needs a better team around him to compete in the B1G.
Prediction: 9-4 (5-4)
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Iowa
Odds to Win B1G: +6,000
Transfer Grade: C+
Recruiting Grade: B-
2026 Schedule: A-
True to their basis the Iowa Hawkeyes will return in 2026 with foundations at Offensive Line and Secondary. Kirk Ferentz' teams have been strong and well coached for his 28 seasons at the job but this year will be a more unique look at the team after an offseason of departures including Quarterback, Wide receivers and Defensive Linemen will leave Iowa without any returning stars.
A decent recruiting class and favorable schedule will certainly help with creating new stars as the Hawkeyes look to have a quick rebuild. RB Kamari Moulton will return for his Senior season as the main focus of the offense and should produce strong games inside the tackles in a common "Iowa way". Their secondary may have lost DeJean and Castro in the past two years but a pair of Safety transfers in Tyler Brown and Anthony Hawkins should keep the Iowa-Safety valve chugging without a break.
This team has always been built around coaching and fundamental run game and this year should be no different. I like that they're returning almost every player in their run game and did well to accentuate their positives in the transfer portal. They may be lacking certain fire power in the pass game which could really hurt them in close games down the stretch but as far as teams in the B1G with obvious ceilings, Iowa should still be one of the best and probably hit the Over in their 7.5 O/U Wins.
Prediction: 9-4
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Illinois
Odds to Win B1G: +10,000
Transfer Grade: B-
Recruiting Grade: B
2026 Schedule: A
Illinois lost a huge chunk of its key players from 2025 and will be bringing in Bobby Hauck as a new Defensive Coordinator as well which means they should be one of the freshest look teams as far as the top teams in the B1G. Their recruiting class was one of the best in school history at just pretty good but they did manage to bring in some band-aids in the Transfer Portal which will allow them to carry on from last year at a certain rate.
Bringing in 3 O-lineman and their Quarterback after all left last season is never ideal but Katlin Houser and Jake Renfro are a very good combo to land at QB-C respectively and should bridge the gap left by Altmyer. Bobby Hauck should bring a fast and secondary-driven defense to Illinois that may take a while to get going but should get the most out of the team's pass defense.
This team's turnover from last year may be too much to overcome no matter how good their transfer portal was. I really like Hauck's addition but if they lose a few games in the first half of the season waiting for his unit to gel this could be a lost season. I think they look strong at the end though and give themselves something to look forward to in 2027.
Prediction 7-5
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Minnesota
Odds to Win B1G: +30,000
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Nebraska
Odds to Win B1G: +12,000
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Northwestern
Odds to Win B1G: +50,000
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UCLA
Odds to Win B1G: +16,000
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Rutgers
Odds to Win B1G: +60,000
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Wisconsin
Odds to Win B1G: +15,000
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Maryland
Odds to Win B1G: +50,000
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Michigan State
Odds to Win B1G: +50,000
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Purdue
Odds to Win B1G: +100,000
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Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage of the College Football 2026 Pre Season.
-Z.D.
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