The Big Ten power rankings will be published weekly throughout the regular season using a mix of data-driven insight and unapologetic subjectivity. With 18 teams, nine conference games and wild variations in the quality of non-conference schedules, comparative analysis is an inherently flawed approach. Which is fine, because the Hotline hasn’t been wrong about anything in at least 90 minutes.
(Last week’s rankings are here.)
The Big Ten championship is one of the greatest misdirection plays in college football history, a matchup of undefeated No. 1 vs. undefeated No. 2 that is effectively meaningless for College Football Playoff positioning.
Ohio State and Indiana are locks for the 12-team field.
In fact, they are guaranteed top-four seeds (and opening-round byes) regardless of the outcome of their duel in Indianapolis on Saturday evening.
Could you blame Buckeyes coach Ryan Day for playing his starters in the first half, to stay sharp, then sitting them for the third and fourth quarters? (He won’t, but it would be the smart move.)
Granted, this is no fault of the Big Ten itself. Conference championship games are rapidly becoming irrelevant in the era of the expanded playoff and will have even less significance if the field grows to 16 teams in 2026-27.
The matchup also reflects the Big Ten season writ large, with less there than meets the eye.
The top-heavy conference was devoid of high-level drama from the first Saturday to the last. Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon dominated a race that had a modest middle and huge bottom tier.
The three heavyweights played 27 conference games, and only four were decided by fewer than 10 points: Indiana beat Iowa by five and Penn State by three; Oregon beat Penn State by six and Iowa by two. (Ohio State won every game by at least 18 points.)
How does that drama-meter compare to the Big Ten’s chief rival? Poorly.
The SEC was loaded with pulsating finishes, with the four teams on its top tier (Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas A&M) playing 17 conference games that were decided by fewer than 10 points.
The disparity is rooted in the disparate structures of the two conferences. The SEC has more meat than fat within its 16-school membership. The Big Ten has far more fat than meat in its 18-school alignment. It simply has too many lopsided matchups and boring Saturdays.
Case in point: Indiana’s four November opponents (Maryland, Penn State, Wisconsin and Purdue) finished with a combined conference record of 6-30.
The dearth of drama in the Big Ten only deepens the desire for a riveting championship game that has little material significance.
Maybe the Buckeyes and Hoosiers will produce a thriller nonetheless.
The conference is long overdue.
To the power rankings …
1. Ohio State (12-0/9-0)
Result: won at Michigan 27-9
Next up: vs. Indiana (5 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: Don’t discount the possibility that Ohio State could be better off losing on Saturday and slipping to the No. 3 seed, given the potential quarterfinal opponents for No. 1 (Alabama and Notre Dame). (Previous: 1)
2. Indiana (12-0/9-0)
Result: won at Purdue 56-3
Next up: vs. Ohio State (5 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: If there’s a motivational edge in Indianapolis, it can be found on Indiana’s sideline. The Hoosiers have never won a Big Ten championship game. (Previous: 2)
3. Oregon (11-1/8-1)
Result: won at Washington 26-14
Next up: College Football Playoff
Comment: The Ducks are oh-so-close to the perfect CFP path: As the No. 5 seed, with a home game in the opening round against the best team the Group of Five has to offer. (Previous: 3)
4. USC (9-3/7-2)
Result: beat UCLA 29-10
Next up: bowl game
Comment: Upper-middle class is, alas, still middle class. (Previous: 4)
5. Michigan (9-3/7-2)
Result: lost to Ohio State 27-9
Next up: bowl game
Comment: After two seasons without a playoff berth and a lopsided loss to Ohio State, Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore enters 2026 on a seat much hotter than it might appear. (Previous: 5)
6. Iowa (8-4/6-3)
Result: won at Nebraska 40-16
Next up: bowl game
Comment: The Hawkeyes scored 35 points or more on five occasions. We’re old enough to remember when they would go entire seasons without clearing that bar. (Previous: 7)
7. Washington (8-4/5-4)
Result: lost to Oregon 26-14
Next up: bowl game
Comment: Three games against ranked opponents, three double-digit losses and just 27 points scored. Blame coach Jedd Fisch’s play-calling if you’d like. But as we see the situation, the problems start up front: UW’s offensive line simply isn’t good enough. (Previous: 6)
8. Nebraska (7-5/4-5)
Result: lost to Iowa 40-16
Next up: bowl game
Comment: About time for the Cornhuskers to give Matt Rhule another contract extension. After all, a slew of American schools have vacancies. (Previous: 8)
9. Illinois (8-4/5-4)
Result: beat Northwestern 20-13
Next up: bowl game
Comment: We expected more from the Illini this season considering how they finished 2024 and who they brought back. That whiff is on us, not them. (Previous: 11)
10. Northwestern (6-6/4-5)
Result: lost at Illinois 20-13
Next up: bowl game
Comment: Four losses in the final five games makes 6-6 feel like 5-7. (Previous: 9)
11. Minnesota (7-5/5-4)
Result: beat Wisconsin 17-7
Next up: bowl game
Comment: The Gophers lost to Cal. Their counterparts in the SEC, Missouri and Tennessee — that’s based on record and position in the standings — spent much of the season ranked. (Previous: 10)
12. Penn State (6-6/3-6)
Result: won at Rutgers 40-36
Next up: bowl game
Comment: Three consecutive wins to end the season makes 6-6 feel like 8-4. (Previous: 13)
13. UCLA (3-9/3-6)
Result: lost at USC 29-10
Next up: season complete
Comment: By the time you read this, the Bruins might have a coach in place. Bob Chesney (James Madison) feels a tad too obvious. We suspect a mystery candidate. (Previous: 12)
14. Wisconsin (4-8/2-7)
Result: lost at Minnesota 17-7
Next up: season complete
Comment: Considering the Badgers were 4-3 against teams not named Ohio State, Indiana, Alabama, Michigan and Oregon, their overall record looks vastly worse than it is. Also, the Big Ten did them no favors with the schedule. (Previous: 14)
15. Rutgers (5-7/2-7)
Result: lost to Penn State 40-36
Next up: season complete
Comment: The bottom tier of the Big Ten is larger than it should be … and expanding. Feels like reversing that trend should be the priority at HQ. (Previous: 15)
16. Maryland (4-8/1-8)
Result: lost at Michigan State 38-28
Next up: season complete
Comment: If eight consecutive losses to close the season isn’t bad enough, the final five defeats were all by double digits. Yikes. (Previous: 16)
17. Michigan State (4-8/1-8)
Result: beat Maryland 38-28
Next up: season complete
Comment: The Hotline from Nov. 23, 2023: “We envision (Jonathan) Smith getting swallowed up by the Big Ten and lost in the machinery of the massive league, unable to carve an identity that works for the Spartans the way his methods worked for OSU.” (Previous: 17)
18. Purdue (2-10/0-9)
Result: lost to Indiana 56-3
Next up: season complete
Comment: The Boilermakers will climb out of the Big Ten cellar eventually. Just give them four years, maybe five. (Previous: 18)
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