On paper, the Big Ten looks like it has more teams capable of winning it all than the SEC. Three of the top five teams with the highest College Football Futures odds are from the B1G, with just one coming from the SEC.
No program has it tougher than the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2026, since three of those top five teams, the Texas Longhorns, Indiana Hoosiers, and Oregon Ducks, are on the schedule this fall. CBS Sports' Brad Crawford made the case that Texas and Oklahoma Sooners have it tougher, though.
On the Longhorns, Crawford mentioned schedule "depth" while also mentioning the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Florida Gators. While the latter may be a threat again with Jon Sumrall making the jump from the Tulane Green Wave after a CFP run, Mississippi State is laughable to be mentioned here.
On the Sooners, Florida was again mentioned, as were the Missouri Tigers. Sure, these are teams that make up a stronger middle class for the SEC than the Big Ten, but even the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas A&M Aggies are a step down in competition from an Oregon or an Indiana.
It's a Big Ten new world order in the 2026 version of College Football. Crawford clearly hasn't adjusted accordingly just yet.
Ohio State playing toughest schedule yet under Ryan Day
Crawford did get one thing very right about Ohio State's 2026 slate: it's the toughest Ryan Day has faced since taking over as the full-time head coach in 2019.
"The good news? The Buckeyes are at their pinnacle under Ryan Day, an elite coach who already has a national title to his credit and is churning out first-rounders with impressive prevalence. The bad? The 2026 slate is the toughest he's seen at Ohio State. It includes a trip to potential preseason No. 1 Texas, along with destination games at Iowa, Indiana, and USC. Toss in November home bouts with Oregon and Michigan for variety, and that's potentially a half-dozen matchups with nationally-ranked competition," Crawford wrote.
Perhaps it's because it's the Buckeyes that their unforgiving gauntlet of a schedule isn't being seen as the hardest. Maybe it's because Ohio State is their big non-conference matchup that puts Texas' schedule over the top in these rankings.
There's a chance the Big Ten finally regresses and the SEC takes its position back atop the sport this year. Who knows who actually has the toughest schedule?
It just feels like the Buckeyes do now, but maybe it's best to think that others have it worse.
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