NCAAF · 20 minutes ago

Phil Steele Predicts Big Ten Order of Finish Ahead of 2026 College Football Season

Bo Marchionte

Host · Writer

18) Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue Boilermakers Team Profile
- Head Coach: Barry Odom (2nd Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Josh Henson
- Defensive Coordinator: Kevin Kane
- 2025 Record: 2-10 (0-9)
- 2025 Finish: 18th in the Big Ten
- Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
- Stadium: Ross–Ade Stadium
Barry Odom understands the assignment: Purdue needs to establish winning football before worrying about anything larger. Quarterback Ryan Browne enters the season after making noticeable developmental strides, while linebacker Charles Correa becomes an important voice on defense. There are pieces, but Steele sees more questions here than anywhere else in the Big Ten. Eighteenth isn't a death sentence; it's a measurement of where Purdue starts. Odom’s job is making sure the Boilermakers don't finish there.
T1) Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State Buckeyes Team Profile
- AP Top 25 Ranking: 1
- Head Coach: Ryan Day (8th Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Arthur Smith
- Defensive Coordinator: Matt Patricia
- 2025 Record: 12-2 (9-0)
- 2025 Finish: Lost in College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
- Conference: Big Ten
- Location: Columbus, Ohio
- Stadium: Ohio Stadium
- AP Top 25 Ranking: No. 1
The standard remains ridiculous in Columbus. Julian Sayin returns after completing 77 percent of his passes, while Jeremiah Smith gives Ohio State college football’s premier matchup problem on the perimeter. The Buckeyes must replace significant defensive talent, but Ryan Day has recruited well enough that rebuilding usually means introducing the next collection of NFL prospects. Steele putting Ohio State atop the conference is hardly adventurous. The roster says national championship contender; anything less will be treated accordingly.
T1) Oregon Ducks
Oregon Ducks Team Profile
- Head Coach: Dan Lanning (5th Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Drew Mehringer
- Defensive Coordinator: Chris Hampton
- 2025 Record: 13–2 (8-1)
- 2025 Finish: Lost in College Football Playoff Semifinals
- Conference: Big Ten
- Location: Eugene, Oregon
- Stadium: Autzen Stadium
- AP Top 25 Ranking: No. 2
Dante Moore’s return gives Oregon something almost every contender covets: an established quarterback with unfinished business. Moore threw 30 touchdowns last season, and Dan Lanning brings back considerable talent around him, including a deep defensive front. Oregon has moved well beyond proving it belongs in the Big Ten. Steele’s three-way tie at the top reflects how small the gap has become between the Ducks, Ohio State and Indiana. This roster is built to play deep into January.
T1) Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana Hoosiers Team Profile
- Head Coach: Curt Cignetti (3rd Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Mike Shanahan
- Defensive Coordinator: Bryant Haines
- 2025 Record: 16-0
- 2025 Finish: College Football Playoff National Champions
- Conference: Big Ten
- Location: Bloomington, Indiana
- Stadium: Memorial Stadium
- AP Top 25 Ranking: No. 6
Indiana’s transformation is complete when going 16-0 and winning the national championship doesn’t guarantee sole possession of Steele’s top spot the following summer. Curt Cignetti now turns the offense over to TCU transfer Josh Hoover after Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza became the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. A veteran defense helps soften the transition. The Hoosiers aren't sneaking up on anybody anymore. They’ve become one of the teams everyone else is chasing.
4) USC Trojans
USC Trojans Team Profile
- Head Coach: Lincoln Riley (4th Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Luke Huard
- Defensive Coordinator: Gary Patterson
- 2025 Record: 9-4 (7-2)
- 2025 Finish: 4th in the Big Ten
- Conference: Big Ten
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Stadium: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- AP Top 25 Ranking: No. 14
Maybe this is finally the USC team Lincoln Riley has been trying to construct since arriving in Los Angeles. Jayden Maiava returns at quarterback, the Trojans signed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class and Riley believes the program finally has genuine organizational alignment. The most interesting piece is defense, where Gary Patterson has been brought in to help reshape the unit. Steele isn’t quite putting USC with the Big Ten’s three monsters, but fourth says he believes the Trojans are getting awfully close.
5) Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State Nittany Lions Team Profile
- Head Coach: Matt Campbell (1st Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Taylor Mouser
- Defensive Coordinator: D'Anton Lynn
- 2025 Record: 7-6 (3-6)
- 2025 Finish: 12th in the Big Ten
- Conference: Big Ten
- Location: University Park, Pennsylvania
- Stadium: Beaver Stadium
- AP Top 25 Ranking: No. 18
Few Big Ten teams underwent a more fascinating reset. Matt Campbell takes over in State College and brought proven quarterback Rocco Becht with him, giving Penn State immediate stability at the game’s most important position. The roster has been heavily reshaped through the transfer portal, making the ceiling intriguing but the chemistry somewhat difficult to forecast. Steele still sees enough to place Penn State fifth. The talent is there. Campbell’s challenge is turning a collection of new pieces into a team quickly enough to contend.
5) Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines Team Profile
- Head Coach: Kyle Whittingham (1st Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Jason Beck
- Defensive Coordinator: Jay Hill
- 2025 Record: 9-4 (7-2)
- 2025 Finish: 5th in the Big Ten
- Conference: Big Ten
- Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Stadium: Michigan Stadium
- AP Top 25 Ranking: No. 16
The Kyle Whittingham era begins with one enormous building block already in place: Bryce Underwood. The sophomore quarterback owns the arm talent and athletic ability to make Michigan dangerous immediately, while Whittingham brings 21 years of head-coaching experience to Ann Arbor. The problem is the road ahead. Oklahoma, Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State all appear on the schedule. Steele’s fifth-place projection feels less like criticism of Michigan and more like recognition of how unforgiving the upper half of this conference has become.
T7) Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies Team Profile
- Head Coach: Jedd Fisch (3rd Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: N/A
- Defensive Coordinator: Ryan Walters
- 2025 Record: 9-4 (5-4)
- 2025 Finish: 7th in the Big Ten
- Conference: Big Ten
- Location: Seattle, Washington
- Stadium: Husky Stadium
- AP Top 25 Ranking: No. 17
T7) Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa Hawkeyes Team Profile
- Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz (27th Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Tim Lester
- Defensive Coordinator: Phil Parker
- 2025 Record: 9-4 (6-3)
- 2025 Finish: 6th in the Big Ten
- Location: Iowa City, Iowa
- Stadium: Kinnick Stadium
- AP Top 25 Ranking: No. 22
Same Kirk Ferentz, different question. Can Iowa finally pair its usual physical, disciplined football with an offense capable of carrying its share? The Hawkeyes believe they can, but the defense has an unusual concern after losing seven of its top eight defensive linemen. That makes Steele’s seventh-place projection interesting. Iowa’s floor rarely collapses because of how it plays, but climbing higher will require offensive growth while one of the program’s traditional strengths gets rebuilt.
T9) Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini Team Profile
- Head Coach: Bret Bielema (6th Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Barry Lunney Jr.
- Defensive Coordinator: Bobby Hauck
- 2025 Record: 9-4 (5-4)
- 2025 Finish: 8th in the Big Ten
- Conference: Big Ten
- Location: Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
- Stadium: Gies Memorial Stadium
Bret Bielema has turned Illinois into something far more valuable than a one-year surprise: stable. Now comes another roster transition, with transfer quarterback Katin Houser taking control of the offense and a new 3-3-5 defensive structure arriving in Champaign. Steele placing Illinois ninth speaks to the congestion in the middle of this league rather than a program heading backward. Bielema has established a physical identity. The question is whether enough new pieces hit to push the Illini back into the upper third.
T9) Minnesota Gophers
Minnesota Golden Gophers Team Profile
- Head Coach: P. J. Fleck (10th Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Greg Harbaugh Jr.
- Defensive Coordinator: Danny Collins
- 2025 Record: 8-5 (5-4)
- 2025 Finish: 9th in the Big Ten
- Conference: Big Ten
- Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Stadium: Huntington Bank Stadium
P.J. Fleck enters his 10th season with enough proven talent to make Minnesota uncomfortable for teams projected above it. Quarterback Drake Lindsey returns with another year of experience, while Anthony Smith comes back after leading the Big Ten in sacks. That gives the Gophers legitimate building blocks on both sides of the football. Steele slots Minnesota into the giant middle-class traffic jam at ninth. This feels like the kind of team capable of making that prediction look silly with one or two upset Saturdays.
T9) Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers Team Profile
- Head Coach: Matt Rhule (3rd Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Dana Holgorsen
- Defensive Coordinator: Rob Aurich
- 2025 Record: 7-6 (4-5)
- 2025 Finish: 10th in the Big Ten
- Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
- Stadium: Memorial Stadium
The Matt Rhule rebuild reaches an important stage. Nebraska turns to Virginia transfer Anthony Colandrea at quarterback, while a new 4-2-5 defense brings another schematic change to Lincoln. Five-star corner Danny Odem III adds high-end young talent to that side of the ball. Steele’s ninth-place projection captures Nebraska perfectly: there is enough here to imagine a breakthrough, but not enough established evidence to assume one. At some point potential has to become wins. Year five feels like that point.
T12) Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern Wildcats Team Profile
- Head Coach: David Braun (3rd Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Chip Kelly
- Defensive Coordinator: Tim McGarigle
- 2025 Record: 7-6 (4-5)
- 2025 Finish: 11th in the Big Ten
- Location: Evanston, Illinois
- Stadium: Ryan Field
Northwestern is quietly one of the stranger teams to find sitting 12th. The Wildcats won seven games and a bowl last season, then added former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles and Chip Kelly to an offense badly needing another dimension. Defensively, Robert Fitzgerald headlines a unit that allowed fewer than 20 points per game last season. Steele remains cautious, which makes Northwestern a fascinating sleeper. If Kelly unlocks Chiles, the Wildcats suddenly possess something they haven't routinely had: offensive volatility.
T12) UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins Team Profile
- Head Coach: Bob Chesney (1st Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Dean Kennedy
- Defensive Coordinator: Colin Hitschler
- 2025 Record: 3-9 (3-6)
- 2025 Finish: 12th in the Big Ten
- Location: Pasadena, California
- Stadium: Rose Bowl
A new era begins with Bob Chesney trying to build something sustainable rather than simply patch another roster together. He inherits an intriguing quarterback in Nico Iamaleava, whose physical tools remain obvious, and a defense learning a new system. Steele’s 12th-place projection is reasonable because so much about UCLA remains theoretical. Chesney has won everywhere he has coached. Doing it in the Big Ten is another level entirely, but the Bruins at least enter 2026 with a quarterback capable of accelerating the process.
T12) Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers Team Profile
- Head Coach: Luke Fickell (3rd Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Jeff Grimes
- Defensive Coordinator: Mike Tressel
- 2025 Record: 4-8 (2-7)
- 2025 Finish: 15th in the Big Ten
- Conference: Big Ten
- Location: Madison, Wisconsin
- Stadium: Camp Randall Stadium
Wisconsin keeps searching for the identity that once made trips to Madison miserable. Luke Fickell wants the Badgers tough, nasty and disciplined again, and dual-threat quarterback Colton Joseph gives the offense a different element to build around. Linebacker Sebastian Cheeks provides an attacking presence defensively. Steele’s 12th-place projection shows just how far the program’s reputation has fallen. Wisconsin used to enter seasons discussing championships. Now the first order of business is proving it can become Wisconsin again.
15) Maryland Terrapins
Maryland Terrapins Team Profile
- Head Coach: Mike Locksley (8th Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Clint Trickett
- Defensive Coordinator: Ted Monachino
- 2025 Record: 4-8 (1-8)
- 2025 Finish: 17th in the Big Ten
- Location: College Park, Maryland
- Stadium: SECU Stadium
There is more intrigue here than a 15th-place projection suggests. Maryland returns 71 percent of its production, including sophomore quarterback Malik Washington after a freshman season that produced 2,963 passing yards and 17 touchdowns. Then there is Zion Elee, the five-star edge defender and highest-rated recruit in program history. Mike Locksley has young talent worth developing. Steele’s ranking reflects the problem: having promising pieces and surviving a Big Ten schedule are two entirely different things.
16) Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers Scarlet Knights Team Profile
- Head Coach: Greg Schiano (17th Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Kirk Ciarrocca
- Defensive Coordinator: Travis Johansen
- 2025 Record: 5-7 (2-7)
- 2025 Finish: 14th in the Big Ten
- Location: Piscataway, NJ
- Stadium: SHI Stadium
Greg Schiano didn't complicate the diagnosis this offseason: Rutgers has to play better defense. That’s striking for a program built around Schiano’s defensive identity. The Scarlet Knights also enter camp with uncertainty at quarterback, creating major questions on both sides of the ball. Running back Antwan Raymond provides something to build around, but Steele sees Rutgers fighting near the bottom of the league. For the Scarlet Knights to beat 16th, they’ll need to rediscover the physical personality that normally gives them a chance.
17) Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State Spartans Team Profile
- Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald (1st Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Nick Sheridan
- Defensive Coordinator: Joe Rossi
- 2025 Record: 4-8 (1-8)
- 2025 Finish: 16th in the Big Ten
- Location: East Lansing, Michigan
- Stadium: Spartan Stadium
Pat Fitzgerald returning to the Big Ten is one of the conference’s more unusual 2026 storylines. He inherits a Michigan State program needing stability and brings an identity rooted in toughness and development. Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic offers a young piece to build around, while linebacker Jordan Hall provides established leadership defensively. Steele putting the Spartans 17th illustrates the size of the job. This season may be less about chasing the conference hierarchy and more about rebuilding the foundation required to eventually join it.
18) Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue Boilermakers Team Profile
- Head Coach: Barry Odom (2nd Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Josh Henson
- Defensive Coordinator: Kevin Kane
- 2025 Record: 2-10 (0-9)
- 2025 Finish: 18th in the Big Ten
- Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
- Stadium: Ross–Ade Stadium
Barry Odom understands the assignment: Purdue needs to establish winning football before worrying about anything larger. Quarterback Ryan Browne enters the season after making noticeable developmental strides, while linebacker Charles Correa becomes an important voice on defense. There are pieces, but Steele sees more questions here than anywhere else in the Big Ten. Eighteenth isn't a death sentence; it's a measurement of where Purdue starts. Odom’s job is making sure the Boilermakers don't finish there.
T1) Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State Buckeyes Team Profile
- AP Top 25 Ranking: 1
- Head Coach: Ryan Day (8th Season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Arthur Smith
- Defensive Coordinator: Matt Patricia
- 2025 Record: 12-2 (9-0)
- 2025 Finish: Lost in College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
- Conference: Big Ten
- Location: Columbus, Ohio
- Stadium: Ohio Stadium
- AP Top 25 Ranking: No. 1
The standard remains ridiculous in Columbus. Julian Sayin returns after completing 77 percent of his passes, while Jeremiah Smith gives Ohio State college football’s premier matchup problem on the perimeter. The Buckeyes must replace significant defensive talent, but Ryan Day has recruited well enough that rebuilding usually means introducing the next collection of NFL prospects. Steele putting Ohio State atop the conference is hardly adventurous. The roster says national championship contender; anything less will be treated accordingly.