The 5 biggest storylines to watch for during 2026 Big Ten Media Days

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Big Ten Media Days for the 2026 football season are set to commence in Chicago from Tuesday, July 28, to Thursday, July 30. Tuesday will include Illinois, Iowa, Penn State, Rutgers, USC and Wisconsin; Wednesday will feature Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue and UCLA; Thursday will have representatives from Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern and Washington.

With the reigning national champion in the conference and high expectations for many others heading into the new season, Media Days will be the first chance to have potential answers to the questions heading into 2026.

Here are five storylines to watch for at Big Ten Media Days and heading into the season:

How are Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State doing under first-year head coaches?

Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State are in very different positions heading into the 2026 season. Michigan is coming off a tumultuous 2025 season, Michigan State has had one winning season in the last six, and Penn State has had a winning season in 20 out of the last 21 seasons with zero no national titles. The one thing they all have in common — a first-year head coach looking to establish a new culture.

Each of Kyle Whittingham, Pat Fitzgerald and Matt Campbell will have a chance to update the public at Big Ten Media Days for fans and haters alike to judge and criticize how they think the adjustment is going so far. And how each of those coaches act around the players their programs bring will be as much an indication.

What is Indiana’s approach to proving 2025 wasn’t a fluke?

Following one of the most surprising seasons in college football, Indiana now faces the challenge of meeting heightened expectations rather than trying to exceed them. The Hoosiers are no longer the underdog that caught everyone by surprise.

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti will have his hands full of questions about whether or not he can maintain the success of last season without that element of surprise, and how he’s planning to approach this season differently but try and find the same success. There’s plenty of departing talent, so maintaining the culture is the first place to start. Whether or not he feels confident early on in his guys could be a foreshadowing for the season ahead.

Will Ohio State reload enough to get back to the title game?

Year after year, Ohio State reloads with top talent through the high school ranks and the transfer portal. The Buckeyes got 11 players drafted this spring, but were able to keep quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, among others. 

Every season for Ohio State feels like beating Michigan and winning it all or bust, so we’ll see if Ohio State can do all that in 2026 despite another year of roster turnover. Big Ten Media Days will give leaders like Sayin, Smith and safety Jaylen McClain the opportunity to showcase just how cohesive this group will be.

Is this the year Oregon finally gets over the hump?

Oregon has gone 13-1 and 13-2 in its first two seasons in the Big Ten. The Ducks won the Big Ten Championship in 2024 and eventually lost in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Last season, Oregon made it to the CFP semifinals before losing to Indiana. The Ducks are consistently mentioned among the best teams in the sport, yet they’ve never won a national championship. Could this year finally be the year they break through? 

At Big Ten Media Days, there will be many questions for Dan Lanning and company about quarterback competition between Dante Moore and Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola, defensive consistency and finishing games against elite opponents. A strong answer for each of those questions could mean a confident group heading into the season.

Can another Big Ten team shock the world like Indiana?

What Indiana did last year has never been done in the history of college football, but underdogs exceed expectations each and every year throughout college football. So while it isn’t likely we’ll have a repeat situation from last year with the Hoosiers, we could very well see a team could out of nowhere and surprise people.

Using Big Ten Media Days to gauge confidence — albeit no one will probably have as much as Curt “Google me” Cignetti — could be an indication for which potential breakout candidates to watch for. It could range anywhere from Iowa and USC to Illinois and Nebraska.

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