Bold Predictions for Every Big Ten Team: 2026 College Football Analysis

April 1, 2026

Brant calls out a bold prediction for each of the 18 Big Ten teams for the 2026 college football season. See his thoughts on Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, and more.

College football is so close but so far. Spring practices are happening across the nation, but we as fans still have a grueling summer to get through before we finally make it to the best time of the year.

In the meantime, why not discuss bold predictions? The Big Ten has produced the past three national champions, coming from three different universities. Will there be a fourth in a row crowned in 2026?

Let’s dig into one bold prediction for each of the 18 Big Ten teams.

Illinois Has a Losing Record in Big Ten Play

This is not an absurdly bold prediction, as Bret Bielema has finished under .500 in Big Ten play in two of his five seasons at the helm in Champaign.

But as of late, the Fighting Illini have been a rising program and have found themselves ranked in the top 25. Bielema has put together back-to-back winning Big Ten seasons and is looking to continue to build up the program that he inherited in a poor place in 2021.

Heading into 2026, longtime quarterback Luke Altmyer is no longer on the roster after heading to the NFL. He is replaced under center by East Carolina transfer Katin Houser, an experienced quarterback who has actually had some Big Ten starting experience at Michigan State.

The perceived drop-off in quarterback play is not the sole reason that I am declaring this a backward step in performance. In mega conferences, some teams end up getting less favorable schedules than others.

Illinois didn’t necessarily get the short end of the stick, but I do think some of the teams on its schedule will be better than people think this year. Its Big Ten schedule is as follows:

A losing record would mean winning at most four of those games. The five losses? I’d like to pencil in Ohio State and Oregon. That means three more between Maryland, Nebraska, UCLA, Iowa, and Northwestern. I absolutely think a 2-3 record in those five games is a possibility despite how well-coached the Illini have been in recent years.

Indiana Returns to the Semifinals

I know what you’re thinking. Is the national champion making another run in the College Football Playoff a bold prediction? Well, look at all that it is losing.

The teams that Curt Cignetti constructed over the past two seasons, largely made up of James Madison transfers, are mostly gone. Not to mention Heisman winner and future first overall pick Fernando Mendoza. This season’s Hoosiers will be a completely different team from the one that cruised to a national title last year.

With that being said, they do retain some key talent and added some huge pieces in the transfer portal to plug gaps in the roster. Tackle Carter Smith’s decision to return to school was huge. Receiver Charlie Becker, who exploded down the playoff stretch, should be primed to take a big step forward. TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover will have another elite weapon in Michigan State transfer receiver Nick Marsh.

Let's not forget that Cignetti, for all intents and purposes, is the best coach in college football right now.

Indiana WR Nick Marsh wore gold cleats to IU's first spring camp session. Curt Cignetti was not pleased to see that.

"He learned what getting your ass ripped is all about. I don't know if that happened to him very often at Michigan State." #iufb pic.twitter.com/UHRMM0i2bf

— Jared Kelly (@Jared_Kelly7) March 26, 2026

Defensively, the returns of DT Tyrique Tucker, linebacker Rolijah Hardy, and cornerback Jamari Sharpe give the Hoosiers a star on every level of defense. 

The schedule features back-to-back games against Ohio State and Michigan, as well as a late-season matchup on the road against Washington. It isn’t a cakewalk, but I don’t see this team missing the field, and I do not see it being an easy out down the homestretch.

Iowa Starts Big Ten Play 0-3

On paper, this doesn’t seem like the boldest prediction ever. Iowa opens up Big Ten play with a road game against Michigan, then hosts Ohio State, then travels out west to play Washington, all in three weeks. 

But this is the Iowa Hawkeyes. Kirk Ferentz hasn’t started a Big Ten season 0-3 in conference since 2000. Iowa consistently wins football games. I’m here to tell you to ease those expectations early on in 2026.

The Hawkeyes are expected to start Jeremy Hecklinski at quarterback, and he will enter the season as the most inexperienced starter in the conference. Hecklinski has only thrown two passes in his career.

Iowa may not be favored in any of those three games, but the dedicated fan base will certainly not expect it to go 0-3. It will have plenty of time to regroup and reset expectations after that three-game stretch, but I do not expect it to win any of its first three games in the conference.

Maryland Fires Mike Locksley Midseason

Mike Locksley is firmly on the hot seat after going 2-16 in Big Ten games over the past two years, but he was able to retain his job largely due to identifying and signing star quarterback Malik Washington in 2025. 

Giving Locksley another season when many thought he should be gone was a sign of confidence from the athletic department in College Park, but he knows he’s operating on a short leash. If the Terrapins falter early, and they’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so, he will find himself out of a job.

Maryland has a tough non-conference schedule after the season opener against Howard, with an away game at UConn and a home game against James Franklin’s Virginia Tech.

It then hosts UCLA before playing back-to-back road games against Nebraska and Ohio State. I predict that it needs to start at the very worst 2-4 for Locksley to keep his job midseason, and I am having a hard time seeing it do so.

Michigan Returns to the CFP

The Sherrone Moore era started and ended in a whirlwind, and the Wolverines move into the Kyle Whittingham era in 2026. Michigan won the national title in 2023, but has not returned to the playoffs after going 8-5 in 2024 and 9-4 in 2025.

I am predicting a quick turnaround for the program under Whittingham, who is a proven leader of men. With a year of experience under his belt, Bryce Underwood should improve. The rushing game will be lethal between Underwood and the running back duo of Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter.

Defensively, Whittingham brings over two stars from last year’s hard-nosed Utah team in edge-rusher John Henry Daley and cornerback Smith Snowden.

The schedule is the hard part. Home games against Oklahoma, Iowa, and Penn State are must-wins. To make the playoffs, the Wolverines would likely need to win one of three games against Indiana, and on the road at Oregon and Ohio State.

10-2 against that schedule would get them a spot, and 9-3 would potentially argue, but these are lofty expectations for a program that has fallen from the nation’s elite.

Michigan State Makes a Bowl for First Time Since 2021

It’s been a rough few years to be a Michigan State football fan. From the Mel Tucker fallout to the Jonathan Smith miss, the Spartans have lost their grip on relevancy. Pat Fitzgerald is just the hire that they needed to claw their way back.

During Fitzgerald’s tenure at Northwestern, everyone always wondered what he could do at a bigger program. Now, we are about to find out. Fitzgerald always did more with less at Northwestern, and now he will have the chance to do the same at Michigan State. The roster lacks true top-end talent, but that’s no stranger to Fitzgerald. 

Let’s chalk up Notre Dame, Michigan, and Oregon as losses and Toledo and Eastern Michigan as wins. The rest of the games on this schedule could really swing either way, pending how good or bad these programs shake out to be.

The Spartans have not made a bowl game since 2021, so hitting the six-win mark would be considered a success. I believe in Pat Fitzgerald beginning to turn the tide in East Lansing.

Minnesota’s Darius Taylor Records 2,000 Scrimmage Yards

Let’s get real bold here. 2,000 yards is nothing to scoff at. No running back in college football amassed 2,000 yards in 2025, while just Ashton Jeanty, Cam Skattebo, and Omarion Hampton passed the mark in 2024.

Taylor had 1,336 scrimmage yards in 2024, but missed a good chunk of 2025 with injury and only recorded 915 total yards, not even halfway to the milestone. This bold prediction requires him to stay healthy. 

49-YARD TD RUN IN THE SNOW ❄️

Darius Taylor takes it to the house for @GopherFootball ‼️ pic.twitter.com/Ktn4ydgThh

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 29, 2025

To hit 2,000 yards, Taylor would need to average 153.8 yards per game, assuming that the Gophers play 13 games and he plays in each of them. He is a dual threat and is by far the most dynamic player on the offense. P.J. Fleck likes to run his offenses through his running backs, and will lean on Taylor to carry the load if healthy.

He may fall under that 153-yard mark in games against tougher defenses like Michigan, Iowa, and Indiana, but can make up for it in early season games against Eastern Illinois and Akron. 

If Taylor can stay healthy, Golden Gopher fans should look forward to their best running back season since Mohamed Ibrahim amassed 1,715 scrimmage yards in 2022.

Nebraska Remains Mediocre, Finishes 6-6

This is the most boring prediction on the list, and quite frankly, Nebraska is the most boring team on this list. Matt Rhule has elevated the Cornhuskers back to being a perennial bowl team, but he has struggled to get them to take the next step, as fans had hoped he would. Every season, Nebraska fans get their hopes up. I’m here to say that they should focus on basketball instead.

The roster has some talented pieces across the board, but overall, we know the story here. We’ve seen it before. The Cornhuskers will show some flashes, start the season strong against Ohio, Bowling Green, North Dakota, Michigan State, and Maryland, and then reality will hit when they have to close the season with Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Rutgers, Ohio State, and another loss to Iowa. This team is too predictable to make a truly bold prediction about, like I foolishly did last season.

Northwestern Scores Most Points Per Game Since 2005

Northwestern football is not known for explosive offense. It hit rock bottom in 2022 when it scored just 13.8 points per game, but David Braun’s squad got that number back up to 23.4 points per game in 2025.

The Wildcats did score an electric 32.3 points per game way back in 2005. I’m not saying they’re going to hit that level offensively, but it would not be shocking to see Northwestern light up the scoreboard this season. Its highest scoring output in the past 10 years came in 2017 (29.2 points per game), and I think it has the potential to surpass that this season.

Braun is entering Year 4 as the head coach of Northwestern, and he has certainly surpassed expectations thus far. He has been lacking offensive production, but that changes this year with former Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly calling the shots.

Kelly is known for his quick-paced offense, which will be a big change-up from what we’ve seen out of Northwestern in recent years. Add in Michigan State transfer quarterback Aidan Chiles with stud receiver Griffin Wilde returning to the fold, and this offense has more talent than we are used to seeing. The Wildcats are an under-the-radar team that could do some damage this upcoming season.

Ohio State Loses Three Regular-Season Games 

Before the Buckeye mon swarms this article with negative comments, let me clear the air. I am one of you. I graduated from Ohio State and have been a lifelong, die-hard fan. I am also a proud member of the “lunatic fringe.”

On ⁦@SportsCenter⁩ last night, ⁦@KirkHerbstreit⁩ takes a stand. Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/OFCbboT4QH

— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) December 22, 2024

Most Buckeye fans know that this year’s regular-season schedule is the hardest we’ve seen this team face in ages. Most Buckeye fans also cannot fathom the possibility of going 9-3 or worse. It just doesn’t happen. Ohio State has not lost more than two games in an entire season, not just the regular season, since 2011, infamously known as the Luke Fickell year.

But we must face reality. While the Buckeyes get a lot of offensive production back, they are losing essentially the entire defense that has dominated over the past two seasons and made the team so elite.

Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese, and Caleb Downs are all virtual locks to be drafted in the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft. You can’t just replace that level of talent. The guys stepping in are either inexperienced players who have waited their turn or transfers who aren’t anywhere close to this level of player.

With road games against Texas, Iowa, Indiana, and USC and home games against Oregon and Michigan, there are six extremely losable games on the schedule. This will be an incredibly fun season for Buckeye fans after a lack of challenges in the regular season last year, but it could turn incredibly frustrating real quick.

Oregon’s Dante Moore Falls from First Round

Let’s get juicy. Dante Moore could have come out into the NFL this season and would very likely have been an early first-round pick, and the second quarterback off the board behind Fernando Mendoza. Instead, he opted to return to Oregon to gain another season of collegiate experience.

We’ve seen this backfire numerous times in just the past few seasons. Carson Beck, Drew Allar, and Garrett Nussmeier all had chances to be first-round picks, yet they all saw their draft stock fall upon returning to school. 

While the team around Moore is loaded and Dan Lanning should have his Ducks in position to compete for a national title, there are questions about Moore’s game that could be answered and negatively impact his draft stock in another season in college.

Pair in the fact that the 2027 NFL Draft class is loaded with quarterback talent, and there is a real chance that Moore does not hear his name called on Day 1 next April.

Penn State Does Not Bounce Back

After last season’s disastrous start to the season that saw James Franklin fired after a 12-year tenure, Nittany Lions fans are excited for a new era of football under Matt Campbell. With no Ohio State, Oregon, or Indiana on the schedule this season, the time is now to capitalize and restore the program to its former glory.

With a schedule like this, the expectation from fans is getting back to the CFP in Year 1. In today’s era, a program can be built overnight. After all, Campbell uprooted everything he had built at Iowa State and brought it along with him to State College.

Expectations need to be tempered. Penn State does not have the talent on the roster in Year 1 of the Campbell era that it is used to having over the duration of the Franklin era.

Games against Northwestern and Minnesota are not gimmes like they once were. Sure, Penn State absolutely should finish with a better record than it did a season ago, but 10-2 or better is not happening in Year 1 under Campbell despite the easy schedule.

Purdue Wins Zero Big Ten Games Again

Purdue has not won a Big Ten game since 2023. It is 0-18 in the past two seasons, and 3-24 over the past three in Big Ten play. Jeff Brohm buried everything he built when he left for Louisville, and the Boilermakers are right back where he found them when he took over in 2017.

Not only did Purdue lose every Big Ten game in Year 1 under Barry Odom, but it quite frankly wasn’t even very close to winning one. The Boilermakers will turn back to redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Browne again as they search for their first Big Ten win since 2023.

They aren’t going to find it. This Boilermakers team is still very bad, and they don’t even get a game against another Big Ten bottom-feeder. The closest thing they get is a home game against Wisconsin, which should be better positioned this season than it has been the past few from a roster standpoint. I predict that they drop all nine Big Ten games for the third season in a row.

Rutgers' KJ Duff Lands in Second Round of NFL Draft

While Greg Schiano has Rutgers positioned in a much better spot than it was when it first joined the Big Ten, it is still Rutgers. This team can’t hang with the big boys, but it does have some talent on the roster, starting with junior receiver KJ Duff. 

Standing 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, Duff took over as the Scarlet Knights’ alpha receiver last season when he grabbed 60 catches for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s a prototypical X receiver, and his size and catch abilities undoubtedly have NFL scouts oozing over his potential.

I’m predicting another big season from Duff that vaults him all the way up draft boards into the second round of what is set to be a loaded wide receiver draft class. That’s high praise when you’ve got talents such as Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Williams, and Cam Coleman competing for draft capital.

Lincoln Riley Coaches His Final Season at USC 

Lincoln Riley is entering his fifth season at the helm of USC’s football program. Thus far, the results have been mediocre. Riley has a combined 35-18 record and has not reached double-digit wins so far as a member of the Big Ten.

USC fans are yearning for more. The glory days under Pete Carroll are so long ago that they seem foreign, but Trojans fans are still chasing that high. Riley is not hitting the mark. I suspect anything less than nine wins could have USC showing him the door.

The Trojans play Oregon, Washington, Penn State, Ohio State, and Indiana this year. That’s five of the perceived top teams in the conference. It’s truly now or never for Riley to get over the hump, and I don’t see it happening. 

Jedd Fisch Coaches His Final Season at Washington

Unlike Riley in the segment above, I believe that Jedd Fisch will be leaving Washington after this season, chasing a better job. Fisch’s name was floated out there with the Michigan job this offseason.

He’s not tied to the West Coast, as he grew up in New Jersey and went to Florida for college. Fisch has been working on the West Coast for a good part of the past nine years, but that doesn’t mean he's going to stay put.

The schedule isn’t super easy by any means, but winning a big game or two between playing at USC, vs. Iowa, vs. Penn State, vs. Indiana, and at Oregon would put Fisch’s program on the radar nationally.

He’s done a great job keeping the program afloat after the departure of Kalen DeBoer, and retaining Demond Williams Jr. will go a long way in keeping the Huskies on the map in 2026. 

Where may he land if he does well this season and hops aboard the coaching carousel? I did just mention that USC may be looking for a new coach…

UCLA Returns to Bowl Game After Two-Year Hiatus

It hasn’t been a great run recently for the UCLA Bruins, but we all know what happened the last time a head coach was hired from James Madison in the Big Ten. Bob Chesney has surrounded incumbent quarterback Nico Iamaleava with an abundance of transfers as he attempts to turn the tide in L.A.

The Bruins need to win six games to get back into the bowl scene. Fortunately for them, their first Big Ten game is scheduled to be against Purdue. They also have the luxury of hosting Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Illinois. Travelling all the way out west is not easy, and the Bruins got a nice draw of winnable games at home this season.

The experience of Iamaleava, a former playoff quarterback, should help Chesney as he attempts to steer the Bruins program back in the right direction.

Colton Joseph Saves Luke Fickell’s Job at Wisconsin

Much to every college football fan’s dismay, Wisconsin did not get rid of Luke Fickell despite an awful 4-8 season where it was essentially unwatchable.

That marks two straight seasons without a bowl game as Fickell enters Year 4. In his defense, he has been extremely screwed over at the quarterback position. Every transfer he’s brought in to start has suffered a freak injury, leaving the Badgers with a lack of experience and talent under center.

Pending that he stays healthy, Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph has the potential to make fans rethink what they think about Coach Fickell. This guy is coming off a season in which he threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s a true dual threat and easily is the most talented quarterback that the Badgers have rolled out in a long time. 

New #Badgers QB Colton Joseph getting his first QB reps in the state of Wisconsin at this Bucks game 🚀🏈#OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/1myhG4APdA

— ESPN Madison (@ESPNMadison) February 22, 2026

Even if he performs at just a fraction of how he did at the G5 level, Joseph has what it takes to keep Fickell in town in Madison.

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