There's a clear hierarchy in the Big Ten. Cleveland.com's 2026 Big Ten preseason poll certainly revealed as much, with only three teams getting votes to win the conference championship come December.
Those three teams are hardly a surprise: the Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, and defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers. All three have been popular picks this preseason, particularly in that order.
Ultimately, relying on the most enduring brands continues to be the game plan for preseason poll voters.
Ohio State unsurprisingly has the most confidence
It's easy to pick apart what afflicts Ohio State. Still, on a division-wide scale, Ryan Day has built the sturdiest long-term stability through years of consistently being at the top and actually breaking through in the 2024/2025 CFP. Hence, being ranked No. 1 in this poll.
Matt Patricia returns to what would be a rebuilding anywhere else, but it looks like only a slight potential downgrade on the defensive side in Columbus. Caleb Downs, Arvell Reese, and Sonny Styles can't be truly replaced so quickly with transfers, but the team could see improvements up front. Three-tech tackle Eddrick Houston is a popular preseason breakout pick, which could facilitate Kenyatta Jackson Jr. having a potential career year en route to the NFL himself.
Arthur Smith comes to the lead play-calling spot straight from the NFL on the other side of the ball. He'll have the most efficient QB in Buckeyes history, Julian Sayin, under center. He'll also have Jeremiah Smith, the game's consensus No. 1 WR, an elite IOL, and a deep RB room featuring the best RB in the Big Ten, Bo Jackson, and the most exciting freshman in college football playing multiple positions in Legend Bey. Arthur Smith could take this offense to the next level. Clearly, he's expected to in order to make up for any defensive slippage.
Life is good in Central Ohio. Sometimes, it's easy to lose sight of that.
Oregon and Indiana present different challenges as OSU's main B1G foes
Oregon is a popular prediction because of QB Dante Moore's return. Moore could've easily been a first-round NFL draft pick, but Dan Lanning got his guy back, even with a new offensive coordinator after Will Stein's hiring as the Kentucky Wildcats' head coach. Lanning's culture is expected to make up for the loss of Tosh Lupoi as DC and keep the defense up to snuff as well.
Indiana, meanwhile, is expected to produce yet another transfer stud under center with TCU Horned Frogs transfer Josh Hoover. Curt Cignetti and Mike Shanahan's offensive system is trusted to have this machine cranking year in and year out. Defensively, Bryant Haines is trusted to do the same. There are still some doubts as to whether they are legitimate in a long-term sense, since the Hoosiers got the fewest votes of the three teams. Still, there's clear separation from the rest of the league.
The Big Ten badly lacks depth
Going down the list, you have TTUN already inspiring questions at No. 5. Under that, there aren't any true contenders. Even right above the Wolverines, the USC Trojans are hardly a team anyone expects to win big games. Lincoln Riley hasn't done that since arriving in LA.
The Big Ten doesn't have the depth that the SEC does. It might not even have the depth that the ACC does. That's okay, since the B1G has a big three at the top that can't be touched by any of the other Power 4 conferences.
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