They say money can't buy wins and championships, but that was before name, image and likeness took hold in college football. It would have been crazy to think that players would be making as much money as they do for being on an amateur college football roster a decade ago, but now you have to spend money to recruit, land, and retain players on a roster. The bigger the budget and the more dollars dedicated to personnel on the team, the better the chance at fielding one talented enough to do special things.
As you would expect, the biggest name brand progams and the ones winning a lot tend to spend more, but what does that look like in the Big Ten? You would expect bluebloods like Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, and USC to be near the top, and that's
certainly the case, but which teams are spending the most?
We decided to rank the teams in the Big Ten based on estimated NIL valuation, with our source being the website "The NIL Standard." It's important to note that exact figures aren't widely known, but The NIL Standard uses various factors like what has been reported, social media influence, position value, skill, and more to come up with individual figures that are then summed up per team.
Here's a look at the estimated NIL valuations of every Big Ten program for the upcoming season and a look at where they also rank nationally.
No. 18 - Northwestern Wildcats
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $18.1 million
Record last season | 7-6 (4-5)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | NR/NR
No. 17 - Purdue Boilermakers
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $18.6 million
Record last season | 2-10 (0-9)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | NR/NR
No. 16 - Iowa Hawkeyes
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $18.8 million
Record last season | 9-4 (6-3)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | 22/22
No. 15 - Illinois Fighting Illini
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $19.3 million
Record last season | 9-4 (5-4)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | NR/NR
No. 14 - Minnesota Golden Gophers
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $20.4 million
Record last season | 8-5 (5-4)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | NR/NR
No. 13 - Maryland Terrapins
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $20.6 million
Record last season | 4-8 (1-8)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | NR/NR
No. 12 - Rutgers Scarlet Knights
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $21.4 million
Record last season | 5-7 (2-7)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | NR/NR
No. 10 (tie) - Wisconsin Badgers
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $21.8 million
Record last season | 4-8 (2-7)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | NR/NR
No. 10 (tie) - Michigan State Spartans
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $21.8 million
Record last season | 4-8 (1-8)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | NR/NR
No. 9 - Nebraska Cornhuskers
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $23.7 million
Record last season | 7-6 (4-5)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | NR/NR
No. 8 - Washington Huskies
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $23.8 million
Record last season | 9-4 (5-4)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | 19/17
No. 7 - UCLA Bruins
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $24.0 million
Record last season | 3-9 (3-6)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | NR/NR
No. 6 - Penn State Nittany Lions (No. 21 nationally)
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $26.6 million
Record last season | 7-6 (3-6)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | 17/18
No. 5 - Michigan Wolverines (No. 13 nationally)
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $31.3 million
Record last season | 9-4 (7-2)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | 16/16
No. 4 - Indiana Hoosiers (No. 10 nationally)
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $33.1 million
Record last season | 16-0 (9-0)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | 6/6
No. 3 - USC Trojans (No. 6 nationally)
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $35.2 million
Record last season | 9-4 (7-2)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | 14/14
No. 2 - Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 4 nationally)
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $39.3 million
Record last season | 12-2 (9-0)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | 1/1
No. 1 - Oregon Ducks (No. 2 nationally)
2026 NIL estimated roster valuation | $43.4 million
Record last season | 13-2 (8-1)
2026 Preseason Poll Ranks (US LBM Coaches/AP) | 2/2
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Every Big Ten football team ranked by estimated NIL roster valuation
