The Big Ten has run college football for the past three seasons, delivering a national championship each season and surging as the best conference in the country. While the SEC might argue against that, championships are the ultimate goal, and the Big Ten is in a position to bring another trophy home again in 2026.
Preseason rankings are circulating as fall camp begins and the countdown to the first weekend of games draws more attention. The US LBM Coaches Poll has already revealed its favorite teams heading into the season, and we at Ducks Wire unveiled our Big Ten power rankings and record predictions before fall camp.
CBS Sports is getting in on the action with its annual ranking of all 138 FBS teams heading into the season. It's a much bigger
endeavor than just ranking the top 25, and it provides clarity on where the conference as a whole stands heading into the season.
Here's where all of the Big Ten teams rank in CBS Sports' preseason 1-138 rankings.
No. 82 — Purdue Boilermakers
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: Not ranked
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 18
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 1-11 (0-9 Big Ten)
No. 66 — Michigan State Spartans
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: Not ranked
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 15
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 6-6 (4-5 Big Ten)
For more Michigan State news and analysis, check out Spartans Wire!
No. 62 — Rutgers Scarlet Knights
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: Not ranked
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 17
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 2-10 (0-9 Big Ten)
No. 60 — Wisconsin Badgers
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: Not ranked
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 13
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 7-5 (5-4 Big Ten)
For more Wisconsin news and analysis, check out Badgers Wire!
No. 52 — Maryland Terrapins
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: Not ranked
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 14
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 5-7 (3-6 Big Ten)
No. 48 — Northwestern Wildcats
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: Not ranked
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 16
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 3-9 (1-8 Big Ten)
No. 42 — UCLA Bruins
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: Not ranked
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 12
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 7-4 (5-4 Big Ten)
For more UCLA news and analysis, check out UCLA Wire!
No. 40 — Minnesota Golden Gophers
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: Not ranked
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 10
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 6-6 (3-6 Big Ten)
No. 33 — Nebraska Cornhuskers
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: Not ranked (12 votes)
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 11
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 5-7 (2-7 Big Ten)
For more Nebraska news and analysis, check out Cornhuskers Wire!
No. 29 — Illinois Fighting Illini
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: Not ranked (62 votes)
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 9
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 7-5 (4-5 Big Ten)
No. 21 — Iowa Hawkeyes
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: No. 22
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 8
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 9-3 (6-3 Big Ten)
For more Iowa news and analysis, check out Hawkeyes Wire!
No. 19 — Washington Huskies
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: No. 19
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 7
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 9-3 (6-2 Big Ten)
For more Washington news and analysis, check out Huskies Wire!
No. 18 — Penn State Nittany Lions
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: No. 17
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 6
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 10-2 (7-2 Big Ten)
For more Penn State news and analysis, check outNittany Lions Wire!
No. 15 — Michigan Wolverines
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: No. 16
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 5
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 7-5 (5-4 Big Ten)
For more Michigan news and analysis, check outWolverines Wire!
No. 14 — USC Trojans
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: No. 14
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 4
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 8-4 (5-4 Big Ten)
For more USC news and analysis, check outTrojans Wire!
No. 6 — Indiana Hoosiers
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: No. 6 (14 first-place votes)
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 3
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 11-1 (8-1 Big Ten)
No. 2 — Oregon Ducks
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: No. 2
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 2 (six first-place votes)
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 11-1 (8-1 Big Ten)
For more Oregon news and analysis, check outDucks Wire!
No. 1 — Ohio State Buckeyes
US LBM Coaches Poll Ranking: No. 1 (38 first-place votes)
Ducks Wire Big Ten Power Ranking: No. 1
Ducks Wire Record Projection: 12-0 (9-0 Big Ten)
For more Ohio State news and analysis, check outBuckeyes Wire!
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Where every Big Ten team ranks in CBS Sports’ preseason 1-138 rankings
