Thank you, Steven A, for posting this article under BIG, Info, Predictions, Etc.

Although the article appears on Ducks Wire, the B1G predictions are courtesy of Mother Ship USA Today, a site that generally underrates Big Ten teams. But USA Today predicting five Big Ten teams to finish with five or fewer wins would be an improvement over last season's six teams that were not bowl eligible.

https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2026/07/11/oregon-football-big-ten-record-predictions-win-loss-2026/90858145007/

FWIW, here are my thoughts on these predictions. I hope other Forum Friends will chime in.

1. Ohio State - 12-0/9-0 - UNDER - 11-1 or 10-2. With its 2026 schedule, at Texas, Indiana, USC, Nebraska, and Iowa, and home vs. Oregon and Michigan, and with the losses on defense to the NFL, I do not think OSU will go undefeated.

This is a far more difficult regular season schedule than Ohio State played in 2025.

In the 2025 postseason, Indiana and Miami showed that the way to defeat Ohio State is to put QB Julian Sayin under pressure. There are several opponents on the schedule, including OBD, that have the talent on defense to duplicate the Hoosiers and Hurricanes game plans.

I do see Ohio State finishing no worse than 10-2 and returning to the CFB playoffs.

2. Oregon - 11-1/8-1 - UNDER - 10-2 - Predicting Oregon to lose at Ohio State is not out of line considering Oregon is 2-10 against the Buckeyes. The schedule does favor Oregon in that Northwestern will be the opponent with the game in Autzen the week prior, while Ohio State plays at USC.

After a Week 5 bye, Oregon plays eight B1G opponents without a break, and has to travel to the Eastern time zone twice in November. I think this means a second loss for Oregon, but at 10-2 the Ducks return to the playoffs.

2. Indiana - 11-1/8-1 - EVEN -The Hoosiers' schedule is more difficult this season than in Curt Cignetti's first two seasons, but is still easier than the Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, and USC schedules.

Both Ohio State and USC visit Bloomington, with the Hoosiers' most difficult games on the road at Michigan and UW. In two seasons under Curt Cignetti, Indiana has not lost in Bloomington. (And also in Atlanta 🤬.)

I think Indiana returns to the conference championship game and the playoffs. So long as Oregon is a top 8 playoff seed, I'd as soon see OBD miss the champ game and have a 1st round game in Autzen.

In the two seasons of the 12-team playoff, teams with a first-round bye are 1-7, including Georgia and Kirby Smart going 0-2 in the Sugar Bowl. Only Cignetti has cracked the long 1st-round bye code.

The B1G question for Indiana: Will TCU transfer Josh Hoover come close to duplicating Heisman Trophy winner Mendoza's play at QB?

4. Penn State - 10-2/ 6-2 - EVEN - Matt Campbell is welcomed to the Big Ten with a dream schedule. No Ohio State, Oregon, or Indiana on the schedule, with USC visiting Happy Valley.

Road games at Michigan and Washington will be challenging.

With a joke of an out-of-conference schedule and a strength-of-schedule in the 50s, will a 10-2 record qualify PSU for the playoffs?

5. Washington - 9-3/6-3 - OVER - UW is a tough out in Seattle. UW plays on the road at Purdue, Nebraska, and Michigan State and plays Penn State and Indiana at home.

I do not believe UW will defeat OBD in Autzen. The key game in the season is the game at USC. Washington has a terrific scheduling break playing SC in Week 5, the week after OBD plays SC in LA.

Will USC be fired up for the game against UW after a victory over Oregon, or down in the dumps after losing to the Ducks, as I expect will be the case?

Even with a victory over Oregon, can SC's defense carry it to back-to-back wins against two of the Big Ten's most talented QBs?

Win the game vs. SC and split with Indiana and Penn State in Seattle, don't choke away a road game it should win, and UW is a playoff dark horse.

But that's a lot of Ifs. WOOF!

6. Iowa - 9-3/6-3 - UNDER - Iowa will again be one of the best 4-loss teams in CFB. QB is a huge question mark.

7. USC - 8-4 - OVER - With Fresno State replacing Notre Dame on the schedule, I think SC has a good chance to go 9-3 with home losses to Oregon and Ohio State and a road loss at Indiana.

I think the home game against Washington will decide whether the Trojans finish with three or four losses.

I'm hoping for 9-3 so Riley carries on as SC's HC.

I don't see Gary Patterson producing a better D than D'Anton Lynn, now the DC at Penn State.

Maiava is a solid QB, but his two top receivers, including the Biletnikoff winner Makai Lemon, are off to the NFL, as is solid TE Lake McRee.

Many talented freshmen in South Central, but they are freshmen.

8. Michigan - 7-5/5-4 - OVER, with a home win against Oklahoma and a chance to finish 10-2 and qualify for the playoffs.

However, the schedule is one of the top 10 most difficult in the country, and how much will QB Bryce Underwood improve with better coaching?

9. Illinois - 7-5/4-5 - OVER - At least 8-4. Stop underrating Bielema and the Illini.

10. UCLA - 7-5/5-4 - OVER - At least 8-4 and with one of the easier conference schedules, a chance to go 9-3. A Week 6 game against the Bruins coming off a Week 5 bye is a possible trap game for OBD.

Bob Chesney's JMU team did not stop scoring in Autzen in the 2025 1st-round playoff game.

11. Wisconsin - 6-6/5-4 - OVER - With Joseph at QB, the Badgers win at least seven games. 😁

12. Minnesota - 6-6/3-6 - OVER - 7-5.

13. Michigan State - 6-6/4-5 - UNDER - 5-7 or 4-8. It will take some time for Fitz to turn Sparty around. OBD best beware of a Friday night game in East Lansing on November 20th, with an 8 PM Eastern kickoff, coming between home games against Michigan and Washington. OUCH!

14. Maryland - 5-7/3-6 - UNDER, and so long, Coach Locksley.

15. Nebraska - 5-7/2-7 - OVER - QB Anthony Colandrea, who was the 2025 Mountain West Player of the Year at UNLV, is on paper at least a decent replacement for Dylan Raiola.

I think Nebraska finishes no worse than 6-6, after going 3-0 out-of-conference and again qualifies for a bowl game. Will this be good enough to save Matt Ruhle's job? Ruhle is 2-24 vs ranked opponents in his career, 0-8 at Nebraska.

16. Northwestern - 5-7/2-7 - OVER - 6-6 and bowl eligible.

17. Rutgers 2-10/0-9 - OVER with at least three wins but not bowl eligible.

18. Purdue - 1-11/0-9 - OVER with three or four wins. It figures that the team at the bottom of the B1G plays 11 P4 opponents, including Notre Dame and Wake Forest out-of-conference.

Thanks again, Steven, and Beat Boise!

A CBS take on Florida and Michigan - There's no doubt that Michigan hired a coach with more bona fides than Florida - IMO, Florida is getting too much preseason love because of the conference in which it plays ball

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-wild-card-florida-michigan-2026/

Thanks Jon.

I'm hoping an 8 - 4 sc saves Riley's job/butt

I also think we might Buffalo (CU) the Trojans and hopefully start a Penn St. slide, of course, then there goes Riley.

Agreed Ohio St will not go undefeated, and Cig & Co. should come back towards (no to) earth without a Heisman QB.

Can you imagine if Indiana doesn't make the playoffs?

Chesney as the new UCLA HC is a great hire and his good recruiting may damage sc more than OBD's. I'll take the over on whether announcers miss his first name more times than they have wins.

I would love to see Penn St as the fourth BIG playoff team ahead of ewe dub and sc.

1. OBD goes undefeated and this will be THE year.

2. SUC sucks yet again and the freshman class portals away.

3. OBD plays the Fighting Cigs in the BIG championship again, winning this time.

4. BIG playoff teams:

   Seed 1 OBD

   Seed 3 Indy

   Seed 6 UM

   Seed 10 tOSU

18 minutes ago, The Kamikaze Kid said:

1. OBD goes undefeated and this will be THE year.

yes sir, brother!