If you’re tired of the Big Ten rulling the roost in college football, this will not be the year for you.
The conference features a trio of players in the national championship race—defending champ Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon. Michigan, USC and Washington could all make noise, and write off Iowa at your own risk.
The Buckeyes’ games against the Hoosiers (Oct. 17) and Ducks (Nov. 7) will shape the contours of the CFP in its third year under a 12-team format. Here’s a look at one number that will define every Big Ten team’s chances in 2026—from the big three on down.
Illinois: .778
That’s the career winning percentage at Montana of former Grizzlies coach Bobby Hauck, who the Fighting Illini hired as their defensive coordinator almost immediately after his Feb. 4 retirement. Illinois has hung its hat on defense in the 2020s—each of last two coordinators have proceeded to more high-profile jobs—and that can’t change if the Fighting Illini mean to move up in the world.
Indiana: 20
That’s the number of yards per catch Hoosiers wide receiver Charlie Becker averaged in 2025, leading the Big Ten and helping Indiana win its first national championship. A run at a repeat will require success from both Becker and transfer wide receiver Nick Marsh as the Hoosiers attempt to break in quarterback Josh Hoover.
Iowa: 4
That’s the number of Hawkeyes offensive linemen the Big Ten’s coaches named to the all-conference team to close ’25—three of whom have departed for the NFL. The lone holdover from that quartet is offensive lineman Trevor Lauck, who’ll have to deal with Michigan and Ohio State’s defensive fronts in back-to-back weeks to start Big Ten play.
Maryland: 1
That’s the number of weeks the Terrapins have spent in the AP Top 25 in coach Mike Locksley’s tenure—just Sept. 14, 2019 (they lost 20–17 to Temple and bowed out). This is a prove-it year for Locksley with talented quarterback Malik Washington; a Virginia Tech-UCLA-Nebraska stretch on its schedule will make or break Maryland.
Michigan: 11 1/2
That’s the number of sacks by Wolverines defensive end John Henry Daley for Utah last year, second in the Big 12 and seventh in the country. Daley, the best offseason pickup in the conference, will be key to rebuilding a front that ranked in the middle of the Big Ten pack in sacks last year—assuming he’s healthy after an Achilles injury.
Michigan State: 73
That’s the number of touchdowns Spartans tight end Carson Gulker scored in a fascinating career at two-time defending Division II national champion Ferris State. Gulker, the most interesting offseason pickup in the conference and a potential Swiss army knife for new offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, found the end zone 50 times rushing, 16 times passing and seven times receiving for the Bulldogs.
Minnesota: 8
That’s the number of touchdowns Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey threw without an interception to close the season after a three-pick outing against Iowa (one against Oregon, four in defeat against Northwestern, one against rival Wisconsin, and two in the Rate Bowl against New Mexico). He has a solid skill-position core around him, giving Minnesota a glimmer of hope for (if everything breaks right) its first 10-win season since 2019.
Nebraska: 61
That’s the number of teams that separated the Cornhuskers last year from San Diego State in the FBS scoring defense rankings—Nebraska was 67th and the Aztecs were sixth. The Cornhuskers responded by poaching defensive coordinator Rob Aurich from San Diego State—a needed breath of fresh air for a team that gave up 37, 40 and 44 points to end ’25.
Northwestern: 862,000,000
That’s the amount of money, in US dollars, that the Wildcats shelled out to raze Ryan Field—long the Big Ten’s shaggy dog—and replace it with a state-of-the-art facility of the same name that they’ll inaugurate on Oct. 3. Northwestern rolled the dice on well-traveled offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to end its decade-long offensive slump, but whether he has the talent to work his past magic is an open question.
Ohio State: 94
That’s the number of games two of the Buckeyes’ coordinators—specifically offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia—have led as NFL head coaches. Smith, the Falcons’ old boss, arrives after two years as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator: ex-Lions head coach Patricia returns looking to cement his status as one of the sport’s most inspired coordinator hires of the 2020s.
More: One Number That Sums Up Every SEC Team in 2026
Oregon: 13
That’s how many times the Ducks have finished in the AP Top 10 without ever winning the national championship; all but one of those seasons (1948) have taken place in the 21st century. If there ever were a time to render that statistic obsolete, it’s now, as coach Dan Lanning and quarterback Dante Moore have the most talented roster in college football to work with.
Penn State: 24
That’s the number of players new Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell brought with him from Iowa State, where he coached for a highly productive decade. The most prominent and most important of those players is quarterback Rocco Becht, who owns 64 career touchdowns against 27 interceptions and will almost certainly cross the 10,000-yard career threshold this season.
Purdue: 59.5
That’s the average margin of defeat the Boilermakers have suffered against rival Indiana over the past two seasons—a strong (negative) indicator of Purdue’s football fortunes after it won five of six Old Oaken Buckets from 2017 to ’23. The Boilermakers have little hope for success in ’26, and at minimum need more from quarterback Ryan Browne (nine touchdowns, 10 interceptions a year ago) to begin cutting into that daunting average.
Rutgers: 1,084
That’s the number of receiving yards Scarlet Knights wide receiver KJ Duff piled up last season—just the seventh 1,000-yard season in the program’s long history. Not only does Rutgers have an “it” wide receiver, it has an “it” running back in Antwan Raymond as well. Can the Scarlet Knights marry a more complete roster, especially on defense, to a skill-position group with all-conference potential?
UCLA: 1,770
That’s the number of scrimmage yards Bruins running back Wayne Knight racked up at James Madison in ’25, first in the Sun Belt and fourth in FBS. Knight is the crown jewel of a group of transfers that followed coach Bob Chesney from the Dukes to UCLA, and they have a chance to hit the ground running at in-state foe California on Sept. 5.
USC: 3
That’s the number of five-star recruits the Trojans gobbled up in the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class per 247Sports: offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe, edge rusher Luke Wafle and defensive lineman Jaimeon Winfield. Coach Lincoln Riley appears to be turning a more permanent corner in Los Angeles, and USC’s performance this year should reflect that.
Washington: 2
That’s the number of days Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. was in the transfer portal, Grampa Simpson-like, before returning to a Washington team he’d previously signed a contract to quarterback in ’26. Williams has presumably had all summer to rebuild trust with his coaches and teammates, but the Huskies’ fans may be a tougher sell ... unless Washington starts strong against a very navigable September schedule.
Wisconsin: 23
That’s the number of touchdowns and interceptions thrown by Badgers quarterbacks over the past two seasons, with Braedyn Locke, Danny O’Neil, Hunter Simmons, Carter Smith and Tyler Van Dyke combining to help Wisconsin cobble together nine wins since 2024. Old Dominion expat Colton Joseph is the new sheriff in town, and the ’25 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year may have coach Luke Fickell’s fate in his hands.
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