As we’ve seen in the Big Ten the last two seasons, the injection of West Coast powers like Oregon and USC has provided fans with more marquee matchups sprinkled throughout the season. The same looks true on paper entering 2026, as the conference’s college football schedule offers no shortage of big games.
With more big games, it means more losses on the resume and tougher schedules for teams that had previously run the conference. It also offers the potential for chaos during all three months of the season
that could have an impact on the conferences race for the College Football Playoff. Today, let’s look through the Big Ten slate and see which 10 games might have the biggest impact on the CFP race.
Ohio State at Texas – Sept. 12
Of all the non-conference matchups in the Big Ten this year, Ohio State’s trip to Texas is no doubt the biggest. This is merely the second game in what should be a tough schedule for the Buckeyes, so picking up a non-conference victory could go a long way in building their resume for the playoff. The stakes are equally large for Texas, which has this tough non-conference matchup ahead of an already-difficult schedule in the SEC.
Oregon at USC – Sept. 26
A Pac-12 throwback is our next up, as both Oregon and USC look like they could be playoff contenders. Oregon doesn’t have a tough conference schedule, but USC will be tested with this game as well as matchups with Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana. With that tough of a schedule, it’s likely the Trojans could have a few losses by the end of the year, so building up the resume within the first month of the season could go a long way in building a buffer for getting into the CFP for the first time in program history.
USC at Penn State – Oct. 10
On a similar note to what we just mentioned, USC will travel to Happy Valley just two weeks after playing Oregon. While Penn State has a new head coach in Matt Campbell, the program is still primed to compete right away, making this much more of a re-tool than a rebuild. Both Penn State and USC could enter this game undefeated if the Trojans get by Oregon, so this will be a solid midseason litmus test for both teams.
Ohio State at Indiana – Oct. 17
Ohio State and Indiana have been the top dogs in the conference the last two seasons, so it’s fitting we’ll get a midseason matchup between them in 2026. As previously mentioned, Ohio State has a tough schedule this season, and the trip to Indiana is right up there with Texas as its toughest test. Furthermore, Indiana will not have faced any strong opponents at this point in the year, so this will be its first major title defense. Both teams will likely still be in the Big Ten race by the end of the year regardless of the game’s outcome, but a win here is still an important datapoint in terms of making both the CFP and Big Ten Championship.
Penn State at Michigan – Oct. 17
A matchup that had been must-watch television for a short time should once again be must-watch. On paper, both appear to be borderline CFP contenders entering, so this matchup could go a long way in one team holding a leg up over the other getting into the later portion of the schedule. However, it should be noted the schedule for Penn State is significantly lighter than it is for Michigan in 2026, so a win for Michigan would mean more than it would for Penn State.
Ohio State at USC – Oct. 31
Continuing the theme of teams with difficult schedules, Ohio State and USC both will be tested heavily with this Halloween matchup being a big one for each side. This will also be the first time these two blue bloods will have played in this new era of the Big Ten. By this point in the season, Ohio State will have already played both Texas and Indiana, while USC will have played Penn State and Oregon. It seems pretty unlikely both teams will be undefeated at this point, so this could end up being a de facto elimination game if they’ve already lost two games. For the other, it should be a good starting point for a late-season surge.
Oregon at Ohio State – Nov. 7
Yet another big game for the Buckeyes comes the first week of November. Ohio State and Oregon have played each other three times the last five seasons, and this should be just another great matchup in their series. As we’ve seen so far, Ohio State’s schedule is one of the toughest in the Big Ten, while Oregon won’t be tested nearly as much. With a lighter schedule, the Ducks might need this win to prop their resume, while Ohio State could be in survival mode if it has already lost a game or two.
Michigan at Oregon – Nov. 14
November will be challenging for the Wolverines, with with two matchups against two of the conference’s best. The first will be their trip to Oregon (Michigan’s first since 2003), which will be a nice late-season road test. The matchup with Michigan is the third of three big games on Oregon’s schedule, so the Ducks should ben plenty battle tested at this point in the year. It’s likely Michigan will have at least one loss at this point, so it would do well to avoid another with Ohio State still to come.
USC at Indiana – Nov. 14
As you might expect, Indiana and USC haven’t crossed paths much in their histories, with the last matchup coming all the way back in 1968. This time, the Trojans will travel to take on the defending national and conference champions to try and round out their resume for the CFP committee. By this point, Indiana will have played both Michigan an Ohio State and could be looking to avoid CFP elimination if it hasn’t been able to take care of business so far. But if the Hoosiers keep rolling like they have been, this game shouldn’t impact their outlook too much.
Michigan at Ohio State – Nov. 28
It’s been a CFP elimination game three times in the last five years, and could figure to be one once again in 2026 when The Game takes place in Columbus. Michigan and Ohio State enter the season with two of the hardest schedules in the conference, so it’s likely that both enter the weekend with a loss or two. The winner could be headed to the CFP and the other would be headed home, much like we saw in 2021, 2023 and 2025.
