8 superlatives for the Big Ten’s 2026 football season
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The start of the 2026 college football season is fast approaching. Once again, it looks to be a banner year for the Big Ten, with at least three teams appearing capable of competing for a national championship, and maybe three more that can compete for a College Football Playoff spot. The conference has proved itself to be the best in the nation over the last three years, but there is also some really good football being played every week during the regular season.
To give you a preview of what’s to come for the Big Ten this season, let’s run through a couple superlatives for what we’re most likely to see on both the national and conference levels.
Most Impactful Coaching Hire – Kyle Whittingham (Michigan)
There are a handful of new coaches in the Big Ten this season, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Kyle Whittingham will be the most impactful this year with his new school. He is a seasoned vet in college football, having led Utah the last 21 seasons and perennially keeping it competitive despite not being as well-resourced as other Pac-12 and Big 12 schools.
Michigan went 9-3 last season despite having a distracted (to put it mildly) coach leading the program. Not to mention, the Wolverines were among the youngest teams in the conference with new starters at almost every position. Many of those starters are back, and while the schedule is tougher, I think it’s safe to say the brand of football Michigan plays will be vastly better than what we saw in 2025, even if the record isn’t better.
Honorable mentions: Bob Chesney (UCLA), Pat Fitzgerald (Michigan State)
Most Impactful Transfer – Nick Marsh (Indiana)
Indiana has made a living through the transfer portal under Curt Cignetti, and it’s no exception this year with the Hoosiers adding a handful of players to help their national title defense. The most impactful of these actually isn’t going that far, with wide receiver Nick Marsh coming down to Bloomington after playing the last two seasons at Michigan State.
If you’ve followed the Big Ten closely, you’re likely familiar with Marsh. He’s been the lone bright spot for Michigan State the last two seasons, compiling 59 receptions for 662 yards and six touchdowns last year alone. He has been out of the spotlight since the Spartans have been pretty bad offensively, but now he gets the chance to catch passes from Josh Hoover (another transfer) for what should be one of the nation’s best offenses.
Honorable mentions: Koi Perich (Oregon), Josh Hoover (Indiana), Colton Joseph (Wisconsin)
Most Likely Heisman Winner – Dante Moore (Oregon)
Dante Moore was something of an afterthought after a rough start to his college career at UCLA, but the Detroit native blossomed in his first season as a starter at Oregon in 2025. Last season, he completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Heading into 2026, things are setting up for Moore to be even better and perhaps be Oregon’s first Heisman winner since Marcus Mariota. He should be more prepared to thrive in his second year as the starter while also having the benefit of having getting of his top pass-catchers back in Jeremiah McClellan, Dakorien Moore and Jamari Johnson. Evan Stewart is also back after missing last season with an injury, giving Moore yet another weapon to throw to.
Honorable mentions: Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Jayden Maiava (USC)
Biggest Impact Freshman – Savion Hiter (Michigan)
There aren’t many true freshmen that have the chance to impact their team right away, so Michigan running back Savion Hiter seems like a natural bet to be the conference’s most impactful first-year player this year.
Hiter is going to play a big role right away behind junior starting running back Jordan Marshall. Hiter has a 6-foot, 210-pound frame that should help him quickly acclimate to the physicality of the college game, as well as pass-catching ability and plenty of burst. All that should make him a big threat right away this season.
Honorable mentions: Luke Wafle (USC), Mark Bowman (USC), Chris Henry Jr. (Ohio State)
Most Likely to Exceed Expectations – UCLA
It hasn’t been the best welcome to the Big Ten for UCLA the last two seasons. Aside from an upset over Penn State last year, the Bruins have been one of the conference’s laughing stocks, but they did take a step toward relevance this offseason by hiring Bob Chesney as the program’s next head coach.
Chesney took over at James Madison after Cignetti left and, despite a gutted roster, led the Dukes to the CFP with one of the country’s most efficient offenses in 2025. Not only that, but Chesney brought many of his players with him to UCLA, including star running back Wayne Knight. UCLA does have tough games against Oregon, USC and Michigan, but it’s a pretty navigable slate otherwise in 2026.
Honorable mentions: Maryland, Iowa, Washington
Most Likely to Fall Short of Expectations – USC
There were two teams I debated for this spot, and I’ll talk about both, but I’d like to preface it by saying I think USC is going to be really good this year. For as much as people like to rag on Lincoln Riley each year, he’s done a good job building up the program and has the arrow pointed up for 2026 thanks to the return of Maiava and what looks (on paper) to be the best defense he’s had yet in Los Angeles.
It seems to be playoff or bust for the Trojans this season, but the schedule is among the best in the conference with games against Oregon, Washington, Indiana and Ohio State. Even if USC takes a step forward, there are likely at least two losses in there, which I think will ultimately leave USC falling short of expectations even if the team is still great.
Penn State was my other candidate for this spot, which is on the opposite end of the spectrum with a pretty light schedule. Matt Campbell’s team has plenty of optimism this season with an influx of transfers, mostly from Iowa State. However, a light conference schedule is still probably harder than what the group would have been facing in the Big 12 last year, a season in which the Cyclones went 8-4.
Honorable mentions: Penn State, Ohio State
Biggest Non-Conference Game – Ohio State @ Texas (Week 2)
There are a few games that could go in this spot, but I am going to go with the only game on the non-conference slate that could be a national title preview. Ohio State and Texas squared off in Week 1 last season in Columbus, with the Buckeyes winning, 14-7. The second half of this home-and-home is in Austin this year, with both teams looking to stake their claim as the No. 1 team in the country. Both teams also have rather tough schedules, giving the winner a big data point on their resume should it come down to the wire during CFP selection time.
Honorable mentions: Oklahoma @ Michigan (Week 2), Notre Dame @ Wisconsin (Week 1 at Lambeau Field), Mississippi State @ Minnesota (Week 2)
Biggest In-Conference Game – Ohio State @ Indiana (Week 7)
I don’t mean to pick on Ohio State twice in a row, but that’s the nature of the Buckeyes having the schedule they have this year. On paper, I think Oregon is the best team in the Big Ten entering the season, with a pretty navigable schedule. Because of that, the tilt between Ohio State and Indiana should be a good test to see who’s the second-best team in the conference.
Beyond Ohio State’s trip to Indiana, several games in the conference are important this season as it relates to the CFP race. Michigan and USC both sit on the edge of the discussion this year, and their matchups with teams like Ohio State and Oregon will be important. The same could be said for Washington and USC’s matchup, or Penn State and Michigan’s matchup.
Honorable mentions: Oregon @ USC (Week 4), Washington @ USC (Week 5), USC @ Penn State (Week 6), Penn State @ Michigan (Week 7), Indiana @ Michigan (Week 8), Ohio State @ USC (Week 9), Oregon @ Ohio State (Week 10), Michigan @ Oregon (Week 11), USC @ Indiana (Week 11), Indiana @ Washington (Week 12), Michigan @ Ohio State (Week 13), Washington @ Oregon (Week 13)
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