The Latest Big Ten Football Power Rankings: Can Penn State Climb Into the Top Tier?

The Big Ten has six tiers of teams, with the top and bottom pretty well set.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht throws a pass during the Blue-White Spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The Matt Campbell era of Penn State football is in full swing. The Nittany Lions have an intriguing season ahead with a transformed roster and a rather favorable schedule to help with the transition. 

However, Penn State will face its challenges. The Big Ten team remains a gauntlet of a conference, with the last three national champions and eight teams that won at least nine games last season.

How do the Nittany Lions stack up against the conference? We’ve tiered the Big Ten’s 18 teams into power rankings, starting with the best of the best.  

Tier 1: Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon 

Indiana Hoosiers football coach Curt Cignetti walks the red carpet prior to the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The trio sits at another level. To put things in perspective, Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State ranked 1-2-3, respectively, in The Athletic’s post-spring top 25.

Indiana, the reigning national champion, lost several key contributors, notably Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, cornerback D’Angelo Ponds and receivers Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr.

But the Hoosiers added plenty of talent through the transfer portal, finishing eighth nationally per the 247Sports Composite ratings with headliners Josh Hoover (the sixth-ranked quarterback in the portal) and Nick Marsh (the fifth-rated receiver). 

The Buckeyes and Ducks retained their starting quarterbacks. Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, who finished fourth in last year’s Heisman voting, returns after a dynamic 3,610-yard, 32-touchdown campaign. Ohio State also brought back Jeremiah Smith, arguably the best player in college football. 

The Buckeyes also lost the most talent to the NFL draft, with four players (Carnell Tate, Arvelle Reese, Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs) going in the top 11. But if any team can replenish talent, it’s Ohio State.

Oregon’s Dante Moore might be the best quarterback in college football, and to fortify the position, the team added Dylan Raiola from Nebraska. But the Ducks’ biggest offseason acquisition was Minnesota safety Koi Perich, arguably the best defensive player in the portal.  Oregon’s big question is how it will fare after losing coordinators Will Stein and Tosh Lupoi to head-coaching gigs.

Tier 2: Penn State, Michigan, Washington, USC

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell looks on from behind the line of scrimmage during the Blue-White Spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

These four teams are interchangeable, but all of them could battle for College Football Playoff berths in December.  

Penn State might be the best-positioned team of the four, largely because it doesn’t play any of the teams in Tier 1. However, the most talented team probably is USC, which ranked 12th in The Athletic’s post-spring top 25 rankings, the highest of the four teams in this tier.  

USC returns fourth-year quarterback Jayden Maiava, the Big Ten passing leader in 2025, and head coach Lincoln Riley brought in the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class. Luckily for the Nittany Lions, they’ll host the Trojans in what likely will be the White Out game in October.  

Penn State is the biggest unknown of the group, bringing in 55 new players and losing 47 to the transfer portal. The Nittany Lions also lost eight NFL Draft picks, including two of the program’s most accomplished running backs (Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton) and their best edge rusher (Dani Dennis-Sutton).

Michigan is in a similar situation as Penn State with a new head coach in Kyle Whittingham. However, the Wolverines didn’t have a complete roster exodus. Most notably, they retained quarterback Bryce Underwood, who’s poised to take a second-year leap. 

Washington also had a messy offseason that centered around starting quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who attempted to enter the transfer portal despite re-signing with the program. Williams returned, but the Huskies did lose their leading rusher and receiver (Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston) to the draft. Washington’s still loaded with young talent, notably sophomore back Dezmen Roebuck, who totaled 560 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman in 2025.

Tier 3: Iowa, Illinois

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema calls time out against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Nissan Stadium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Iowa or Illinois could sneak into a playoff spot, so Penn State is fortunate it doesn’t have to play either team this season.  

The Hawkeyes, always known for their defense, finished eighth last year in points allowed and haven’t been outside of the top 20 since 2014. With that unit under head coach Kirk Ferentz, Iowa will be a threat every season. 

Illinois has won at least nine games in each of the past two seasons and made bowl games in three of the past four. Even with quarterback Luke Altmyer moving on to the NFL, the Fighting Illini are closer in talent to the Hawkeyes than the teams in Tier 4. Don’t forget, Illinois ranked as high as ninth in the 2025 AP Top 25 and finished 16th in 2024. 

Tier 4: Nebraska, Minnesota, Northwestern, UCLA

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule reacts to a play during the third quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Memorial Stadium. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska and Minnesota both lost prominent players to Oregon, a gut punch that landed them here among a group of teams that likely won’t rise above bowl eligibility.

Though Nebraska lost Raiola and leading rusher Emmett Johnson, it still has a formidable squad that projects to win eight games. The Cornhuskers brought in transfer quarterback Anthony Colandria, who put up a strong 4,108-yard, 33-touchdown season as a two-way threat at UNLV, to lead the way. 

While losing arguably its best defender in Perich, Minnesota retained Big Ten sack leader Anthony Smith and looks to improve upon its winless road record in 2025. Minnesota also brought back starting quarterback Drake Lindsey, who threw for 2,382 passing yards and 22 touchdowns in his freshman year. 

Northwestern and UCLA both beat Penn State last year, but only the Wildcats could turn that into a bowl bid. In the offseason, Northwestern coach David Braun hired Chip Kelly to boost his offense.

UCLA turned to former James Madison coach Bob Chesney to turn the program around. Chesney retained quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who had a huge game against the Nittany Lions but needs to be a more consistent passer. 

Tier 5: Maryland, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Michigan State

Michigan State Spartans football coach Pat Fitzgerald addresses the team after the Spring Showcase at Spartan Stadium. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Maryland has struggled mightily against Big Ten competition, with a 2-16 record in conference games the past two years. The Terps return plenty of starting talent, but Mike Locksley needs to make tangible progress.  

Wisconsin was a bleak 4-8 last season and has just nine wins over the past two years under head coach Luke Fickell. The Badgers paired that with the second-worst 2026 recruiting class in the Big Ten. It’s hard to envision things getting much better in Madison in 2026.

Rutgers might have the most fun player of this tier in receiver KJ Duff, who finished third in the conference in receiving yards (1,084) last season. While they lost starting quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis to the NFL, and their 117th-ranked scoring defense hasn’t really improved, the Scarlet Knights still could be an intriguing team to watch. 

Michigan State brought in former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald to try to turn around its program. It will be a climb, as the Spartans went 4-8 last year and brought in the Big Ten’s 14th-ranked portal class, even with 29 transfers.   

Tier 6: Purdue

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom reacts during the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ross-Ade Stadium. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Purdue finished 2-10 last season, which was an improvement from its 1-11 record in 2024. The Boilermakers also are riding an 18-game Big Ten losing streak that dates to 2023. Purdue is set up to be one of the worst teams in the FBS.

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