After the first weekend of Big Ten football in the month of October, the defending Big Ten champions are among the teams tied for first place in the conference standings. Indiana is one of six Big Ten teams starting conferenc eplay with a 2-0 record. Other soft-to-good starts on the conference schedule include Ohio State, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and UCLA. Ohio State may have been expected to be in this situation, but Minnesota, Wisconsin, and UCLA are potential surprises early on.
Going into Week 6, a handful of Big Ten teams can officially become bowl-eligible for the 2026-27 postseason, which is always the first main in-season objective for any program hoping to make postseason plans.
Big Ten football standings are as of Sunday, Oct.
4, 2026 following the results of Week 5 of the 2026 college football season.
Updated Big Ten football standings
Big Ten bowl eligibility tracker
Here is a look at the latest status on each Big Ten team's quest for bowl eligibility with a look at which teams have clinched bowl eligibility (none just yet), who is next to clinch, who is still in good shape, and which teams are fading or falling short.
- Clinched (6+ wins) - Nobody yet
- On deck (5 wins) - Indiana, Nebraska, UCLA, USC
- On the radar - Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Washington, Wisconsin
- In danger (3+ losses) - Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State, Purdue, Rutgers
- Ineligible (7+ losses) - Nobody yet
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Updated Big Ten football standings after Week 5
