AP Top 25- Big Ten Breakdown

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The Big Ten enters the 2026 college football season with no shortage of expectations.

The conference owns the top two spots in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 for the first time in 65 years, while eight Big Ten programs cracked the preseason rankings. With the defending national champion also residing in the conference, the Big Ten once again looks like the center of the college football world.

Here is where every Big Ten team ranked in the preseason AP Top 25:

– No. 1 — Ohio State

– No. 2 — Oregon

– No. 6 — Indiana

– No. 14 — USC

– No. 16 — Michigan

– No. 17 — Washington

– No. 18 — Penn State

– No. 22 — Iowa

The rankings immediately set the stage for a fascinating season, but several of these teams will have the opportunity to prove themselves almost immediately.

Ohio State, Oregon Make Big Ten History

Ohio State entering at No. 1 is hardly a surprise. The Buckeyes received 40 of the 69 first-place votes and return quarterback Julian Sayin and star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, giving them one of the nation’s most dangerous offenses.

What is historic is Oregon sitting directly behind them.

The Ducks earned their highest preseason ranking in program history at No. 2, giving the Big Ten its first preseason 1-2 finish since 1961 and only the second such occurrence in AP poll history.

That immediately creates the possibility of a massive conference showdown later in the season.

But neither team has the luxury of coasting into November.

Oregon opens the season against Boise State on Sept. 5 before traveling to Oklahoma State the following week. Ohio State, meanwhile, opens against Ball State before heading to Austin for a Sept. 12 matchup with No. 5 Texas.

Indiana Begins Its Title Defense at No. 6

The defending national champion Hoosiers enter the season at No. 6 after completing the first 16-0 season of the modern era and winning the College Football Playoff last January.

There is one obvious question surrounding Indiana: quarterback.

Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Fernando Mendoza is gone, with TCU transfer Josh Hoover taking over after boasting solid college production and a big arm with the Horned Frogs. That transition likely explains why the defending champion did not enter the season in the top five.

Indiana does not face a major test in Week 1, hosting North Texas, but the Hoosiers will have an early conference matchup against Northwestern on Sept. 25 before traveling to Rutgers on Oct. 3.

USC, Michigan and Washington Form the Next Tier

Three more Big Ten teams landed between Nos. 14 and 17.

USC is No. 14, followed by Michigan at No. 16 and Washington at No. 17.

USC could be one of the most important teams to watch because its schedule gets serious very quickly.

The Trojans open Week 0 against San José State before facing Fresno State and Louisiana. Then comes a brutal stretch: a cross-country trip to Rutgers on Sept. 19, a home matchup with No. 2 Oregon on Sept. 26 and a trip to face No. 17 Washington on Oct. 3.

Michigan, meanwhile, has a massive early opportunity against No. 10 Oklahoma on Sept. 12. The Wolverines then face Iowa and Penn State later in the season, giving new head coach Kyle Whittingham plenty of chances to establish Michigan as a legitimate playoff contender.

Washington’s biggest early test comes when it travels to USC on Oct. 3, but the Huskies also face Minnesota on Sept. 26 and Iowa on Oct. 9.

Penn State Returns to the Rankings

Penn State begins the Matt Campbell era at No. 18.

After finishing 2025 outside the Top 25, the Nittany Lions are back in the preseason poll and have a chance to make a major jump.

The nonconference schedule is manageable, with Marshall, Temple and Buffalo preceding Big Ten play.

Then things get significantly more difficult.

Penn State opens conference play against Wisconsin on Sept. 26, hosts USC on Oct. 10 and travels to Michigan on Oct. 17. Later in the season, the Nittany Lions travel to Washington and host Rutgers.

Iowa Rounds Out the Ranked Big Ten Teams

Iowa is the final Big Ten team in the preseason Top 25 at No. 22.

The Hawkeyes have one of the more intriguing nonconference games in the conference, hosting Iowa State on Sept. 12 in the Cy-Hawk rivalry.

That game comes just one week after Iowa opens against Northern Illinois.

Iowa then immediately enters the meat of its schedule, traveling to Michigan on Sept. 26 and hosting Ohio State on Oct. 3 before traveling to Washington on Oct. 9.

A fast start could make Iowa a legitimate threat to climb into the Top 20.

The Biggest Early-Season Games For Big Ten Teams

The Big Ten does not have to wait until October for some of its biggest games.

Boise State at Oregon — Sept. 5

This might be the most intriguing Week 1 game in the conference.

Oregon is No. 2 nationally and has legitimate national championship expectations. Boise State is not ranked in the preseason AP Top 25, but the Broncos are a dangerous opening opponent even years after their CFP run.

A convincing Oregon win would immediately reinforce the Ducks’ No. 2 ranking. A close game would create questions.

Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame — Sept. 6

Wisconsin travels to Green Bay for a Sunday night matchup with No. 4 Notre Dame.

It is not a ranked-versus-ranked matchup entering the season, but it gives the Badgers an enormous opportunity against one of the country’s top teams. While Notre Dame narrowly missed the College Football Playoff, Luke Fickell’s team will look to erase last season’s 4-8 disappointment right out the gate at Lambeau Field.

Oklahoma at Michigan — Sept. 12

This is one of the most important early games for Michigan, who fell to the Sooners in Norman last year.

The Wolverines are ranked No. 16, while Oklahoma enters at No. 10. A Michigan victory would immediately give Whittingham’s team a major résumé win and potentially launch the Wolverines into the top 10.

Ohio State at Texas — Sept. 12

This is the headliner of the entire nonconference slate. Big Ten vs. SEC. Elite vs. elite. Buckeyes vs. Longhorns.

No. 1 Ohio State travels to No. 5 Texas in what could be the biggest game of the first month of the season.

The Buckeyes defeated Texas last season in Columbus, and now the Longhorns get another opportunity at home. With both teams carrying CFP expectations, this game could have enormous consequences for the national championship race.

USC at Rutgers — Sept. 19

For Rutgers, this is the game that immediately jumps off the schedule.

The Scarlet Knights open with UMass on Sept. 3, travel to Boston College on Sept. 11 and then welcome No. 14 USC to SHI Stadium on Sept. 19 for its conference opener. The game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on CBS, and will be the first interconference Big Ten matchup this season as well.

Rutgers is not ranked, but this is exactly the type of game that can change the perception of a program.

The Scarlet Knights return All-Americans KJ Duff, Antwan Raymond and Kwabena Asamoah, and they will have a national television audience watching them against one of the country’s ranked teams.

A Rutgers win would be one of the biggest early upsets in the country.

USC at Oregon — Sept. 26

The following week, USC travels to face No. 2 Oregon.

The Trojans will look to break their losing streak against Dan Lanning and the Ducks and get over their hump, while Oregon looks to establish its place among the Big Ten heavyweights after making a run to the CFP semifinals before being blasted by the eventual champions Indiana.

One week after Rutgers gets its litmus test, the Trojans get their own for the 2026 season.

The Big Ten Runs College Football

The preseason AP rankings reinforce something that has become increasingly difficult to ignore: the Big Ten is the best conference in college football, arguably top to bottom, and especially on its higher end.

Ohio State and Oregon begin the year at No. 1 and No. 2. Indiana is the defending national champion. USC, Michigan, Washington, Penn State and Iowa give the conference six more ranked teams.

And that does not even account for teams outside the Top 25 that could make noise.

The most important thing, however, is that the rankings are only a starting point.

By the end of September, Ohio State’s No. 1 ranking could look completely different after Texas. Oregon will have already faced Boise State. Michigan will have played Oklahoma. USC will have gone through Oregon. And Rutgers could have already played two teams ranked in the preseason Top 25 by early October.

The Big Ten has eight ranked teams entering the season. It may have as many or more as the college football season continues to roll on.

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