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ESPN Ranks Big Ten Football Programs During Spring Practice
Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana top the conference in early power rankings
Apr. 13, 2026 at 1:36pm
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The Big Ten conference's top football programs are set to clash in a season filled with high expectations and unpredictable outcomes.Penn State Erie TodayESPN has released its initial rankings of Big Ten football programs based on the SP+ ratings from Bill Connelly and spring practice intel. Ohio State, Oregon, and defending national champion Indiana top the list, with the Buckeyes leading the way. The rankings provide an early look at the conference landscape heading into the 2026 season.
Why it matters
The Big Ten is one of the premier college football conferences, and these early rankings from ESPN give fans and analysts a sense of which teams are expected to be the frontrunners in the conference this upcoming season. The rankings also highlight key storylines, such as Ohio State's quest to reload on defense, Oregon's bid to build on its playoff run, and Indiana's attempt to defend its national title with a new-look squad.
The details
Ohio State tops the list, led by the return of quarterback Julian Sayin, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and running back Bo Jackson. The Buckeyes will need to replace several key defensive contributors, but have added some high-profile transfer portal additions. Oregon, fresh off a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance, checks in at No. 2, with quarterback Dante Moore leading the way. Defending national champion Indiana is ranked third, with quarterback Josh Hoover and a strong defensive core returning. USC, Michigan, and Penn State round out the top six in the conference.
- The rankings were released on April 13, 2026.
The players
Julian Sayin
The returning starting quarterback for Ohio State.
Jeremiah Smith
A top wide receiver who is back for Ohio State.
Bo Jackson
The starting running back for Ohio State.
Dante Moore
The returning starting quarterback for Oregon.
Josh Hoover
The new starting quarterback for defending national champion Indiana, transferring in from TCU.
What they’re saying
“As a reminder, SP+ is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking. Along those same lines, these projections aren't intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the season. These are simply early offseason power rankings based on the information we have been able to gather.”
— Bill Connelly, ESPN Analyst
What’s next
The rankings will continue to evolve as teams go through spring practice and the offseason, with updated projections likely to be released by ESPN closer to the start of the 2026 season.
The takeaway
The early ESPN rankings for the Big Ten suggest the conference will once again be one of the most competitive in college football, with traditional powers like Ohio State and new contenders like Oregon and Indiana all expected to be in the mix for conference and national titles in 2026.
