5 Must-Watch Big Ten Games That Could Define the 2026 College Football Season

The fellas at the Crain & Cone podcast mapped out the top Big Ten games, which include the last three national champions, two Heisman-caliber quarterbacks, and a first-year Michigan head coach all colliding before Thanksgiving weekend.

Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and the Huskies might not be getting enough attention in a crowded Big Ten ahead of the 2026 college football season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Big Ten enters 2026 holding college football's active championship monopoly, with Michigan, Ohio State and a 16-0 Indiana team claiming the last three national titles. That success has created a scheduling problem no other league faces.

The conference now stacks so many legitimate contenders on top of each other that its own slate functions as an elimination bracket months before the College Football Playoff committee meets.

On a recent episode of the Crain & Cone podcast, analysts David Cone, Jake Crain and Blaine Crain ranked the best Big Ten games most likely to sort the contenders from the casualties.

5. Oregon at USC (Sept. 26)

The earliest game on the list might carry the heaviest quarterback billing. Moore faces Jayden Maiava, who led the country in QBR while throwing for 3,711 yards, and both passed on the NFL to return. USC must replace departed receivers Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane, while Lincoln Riley is still searching for his first College Football Playoff berth in Los Angeles.

Southern California’s Jayden Maiava and the Trojans are looking to avenge last year's 42-27 loss to Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"I really think USC and Oregon are both putting football teams on the field that could win this conference this year," Cone said. "This is one of those ones where we get to find out kind of early in September."

4. Washington at Oregon (Nov. 28)

Demond Williams Jr. briefly entered the transfer portal in January before recommitting to Washington, and his return keeps the Huskies in the conference race after he threw for 3,065 yards with 25 touchdowns against eight interceptions while adding 611 rushing yards in 2025. The question is whether any of that travels.

"Washington is so good at home, one of the best teams at home in the country, but when they go on the road, it's not that good," Crain said. "This will be one of those things where can Washington get it done on the road, actually?"

3. Michigan at Ohio State (Nov. 28)

The Game gets its first Kyle Whittingham chapter this fall after Michigan hired the 66-year-old in December following 21 seasons and a 177-88 record at Utah.

Ohio State ended a four-year skid in the rivalry with November's 27-9 win in Ann Arbor, and Whittingham inherits sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood with a mandate to restore the physicality that defined the series earlier this decade.

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood is the key to the Wolverines' success in 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I'm just hoping this ends up being a top five game in the conference, because if it is, it means we're kind of in that variety of 2021 through 2023 that we saw," Cone said.

"I do think it's the best rivalry in the sport."

2. Oregon at Ohio State (Nov. 7)

The Buckeyes managed just 24 combined points in their season-ending losses to Indiana and Miami, a stall that cost them a repeat title and prompted the hiring of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to unlock Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith, two of the top offensive stars in college football.

Oregon counters with Dante Moore, who passed on being a projected top-five pick in the NFL draft to chase a national title that has eluded Dan Lanning.

Oregon cornerbacks Brandon Finney Jr., left, and Na'eem Offord celebrate during the Ducks spring game | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Ducks also have one of the most experienced defenses in the country with senior defensive linemen Matayo Uiagalelei, Bear Alexander, A'Mauri Washington and Teitum Tuioti. Plus two more senior linebackers (Devon Jackson and Jerry Mixon) and two of the best defensive backs in Koi Perich and Brandon Finney Jr.

"It always just seems like something crazy happens in this game," Crain said, "and with these two rosters, this is going to be one of the most elite matchups that you're going to get when it comes to any Big Ten schedule."

1. Ohio State at Indiana (Oct. 17)

The rematch of December's 13-10 Big Ten championship game arrives in Bloomington with both rosters remodeled. The Hoosiers replaced Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza with TCU transfer Josh Hoover, the active FBS leader in career passing yards, headlining a portal haul graded as the biggest winner of the entire portal cycle. Indiana may be even better on defense this year with an experienced depth chart with juniors and seniors at every starting spot.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti shake hands after the 2025 Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ohio State returns most of its offense but lost three defensive starters selected within the first 11 picks of April's NFL draft. The defense is headlined by EDGE Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and safeties Terry Moore and Jaylen McClain.

"These are your last two national champions playing each other," Cone said. "This is a game that everyone has to pencil in, when you used to pencil it in for other reasons, because it was an automatic W."