Ohio State hasn’t lost more than two games in a single season since 2011.
That streak faces its biggest test in 2026. The Buckeyes will play seven ranked opponents from Sporting News’ Post-Spring Top 25 – more than half their schedule.
Meanwhile, Penn State gets a break with just three ranked opponents under first-year coach Matt Campbell. This highlights one of the scheduling challenges in an 18-team Big Ten.
Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon have all made the College Football Playoff in each of the last two seasons. Which school has the easiest path this year?
We analyzed every Big Ten schedule using a strength-of-schedule formula based on three key factors.
Ranked opponents: Teams get points for each opponent in Sporting News’ Post-Spring Top 25, using AP Poll-style scoring (25 points for No. 1, one point for No. 25). Ohio State’s Sept. 12 game at No. 4 Texas? That’s 22 points.
Home or road games: Road games against ranked opponents add four points. Home games subtract four points. Neutral sites are worth zero.
Total rankings: We added those numbers together and ranked all 18 Big Ten teams from hardest to easiest schedules.
Big Ten’s Toughest Schedules in 2026
Ohio State has the most difficult schedule of any Big Ten or SEC school.
Road trips to Texas and Indiana would be challenging enough. Those two teams went 28-1 at home over the last two seasons combined.
The Buckeyes also travel to Iowa – where they haven’t played since a 55-24 loss at Kinnick Stadium in 2017 – and USC. November home games against Oregon and Michigan complete the gauntlet.
Michigan welcomes new coach Kyle Whittingham with a schedule featuring four top-10 teams.
The Wolverines face six ranked opponents total. The good news? Four of those games come at home against Oklahoma, Iowa, Penn State and Indiana.
November road trips to Oregon and Ohio State won’t be easy. Michigan hasn’t won three straight games at Ohio Stadium since 1986-90.
Northwestern coach David Braun might not be sending thank-you notes to Big Ten schedule makers.
The Wildcats play at Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State this season. That’s brutal for Northwestern, which is 5-10 on the road under Braun.
Penn State, Iowa and Illinois all visit the new Ryan Field. Whether that gives the Wildcats an advantage remains to be seen.
Big Ten’s Easiest Schedules in 2026
Penn State avoids Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon completely.
That’s a huge break for the Nittany Lions, who host USC and travel to Michigan and Washington. Penn State has lost four of its last five games at the Big House.
Illinois had the Big Ten’s easiest schedule last season, which led to an inflated preseason ranking.
Coach Bret Bielema has still led the Illini to 19 wins over the last two seasons. Oregon and Iowa visit Champaign, while Illinois travels to Ohio State.
The Buckeyes have won the last 10 meetings in that series.
Maryland faces five ranked teams, including an opener against James Franklin-led Virginia Tech that should draw Big Ten fans’ attention.
Road games at Ohio State and USC highlight the schedule. The Terps should improve after back-to-back four-win seasons.
Big Ten 2026 Schedule Rankings
Here are the complete Big Ten schedule rankings for 2026, from hardest to easiest:
| RANK | SCHOOL | TOTAL | RANKED OPPONENTS |
| 1 | Ohio State | 103 | at No. 4 Texas, vs. No. 22 Illinois, at No. 19 Iowa, at No. 1 Indiana, at No. 10 USC, vs. No. 6 Oregon, vs. No. 13 Michigan |
| 2 | Michigan | 94 | vs. No. 9 Oklahoma, vs. No. 19 Iowa, No. 17 Penn State, vs. No. 1 Indiana, at No. 6 Oregon, at No. 2 Ohio State |
| 3 | Northwestern | 89 | at No. 1 Indiana, vs. No. 17 Penn State, at No. 6 Oregon, vs. No. 19 Iowa, at No. 2 Ohio State, vs. No. 22 Illinois |
| 4 | Nebraska | 82 | vs. No. 1 Indiana, at No. 6 Oregon, vs. No. 24 Washington, at No. 22 Illinois, vs. No. 2 Ohio State, at No. 19 Iowa |
| 5(t) | Purdue | 76 | vs. No. 5 Notre Dame, at No. 22 Illinois, vs. No. 24 Washington, at No. 17 Penn State, at No. 19 Iowa, at No. 1 Indiana |
| 5(t) | USC | 76 | vs. No. 6 Oregon, vs. No. 24 Washington, at No. 17 Penn State, vs. No. 2 Ohio State. at No. 1 Indiana |
| 7 | Washington | 73 | at No. 10 USC, vs. No. 19 Iowa, vs. No. 17 Penn State, vs. No. 1 Indiana, at No. 6 Oregon |
| 8 | Oregon | 63 | at No. 10 USC, at No. 22 Illinois, at No. 2 Ohio State, vs. No. 13 Michigan, vs. No. 24 Washington |
| 9 | Minnesota | 60 | at No. 24 Washington, vs. No. 13 Michigan, vs. No. 19 Iowa, at No. 1 Indiana, at No. 17 Penn State |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 57 | vs. No. 5 Notre Dame, at No. 17 Penn State, vs. No. 10 USC, at No. 19 Iowa |
| 11 | Michigan State | 56 | at No. 5 Notre Dame, vs. No. 22 Illinois, at No. 13 Michigan, vs. No. 24 Washington, vs. No. 6 Oregon |
| 12(t) | Rutgers | 55 | vs. No. 10 USC, vs. No. 1 Indiana, vs. No. 13 Michigan, at No. 17 Penn State |
| 12(t) | Indiana | 55 | vs. No. 2 Ohio State, at No. 13 Michigan, vs. No. 10 USC, at No. 24 Washington |
| 14 | UCLA | 53 | at No. 6 Oregon, vs. No. 22 Illinois, at No. 13 Michigan, vs. No. 10 USC |
| 15 | Iowa | 51 | at No. 13 Michigan, vs. No. 2 Ohio State, at No. 24 Washington, at No. 22 Illinois |
| 16 | Maryland | 50 | vs. No. 25 Virginia Tech, at No. 2 Ohio State, vs. No. 22 Illinois, at No. 10 USC, vs. No. 17 Penn State |
| 17 | Illinois | 47 | at No. 2 Ohio State, vs. No. 6 Oregon, vs. No. 19 Iowa |
| 18 | Penn State | 35 | vs. No. 10 USC, at No. 13 Michigan, at No. 24 Washington |
Five More Big Ten Schedule Takeaways
Indiana gets an easier path this season. The Hoosiers are 15-0 at home under Curt Cignetti, and both Ohio State and USC visit Memorial Stadium.
Road trips to Michigan and Washington won’t be simple. Indiana hasn’t won at Michigan Stadium since Oct. 21, 1967. Cignetti was six years old then.
Notre Dame won’t play USC this season but faces three Big Ten opponents: Wisconsin, Michigan State and Purdue. That adds another tough game for three schools that missed bowl games last season.
The opener between Wisconsin and Notre Dame at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Sept. 6, should be special.
USC travels to the Eastern Time Zone twice – against Penn State and Indiana. The Penn State game is a strong candidate for a “Whiteout.”
The Trojans are 2-5 when traveling two or more time zones over the last two years, including 0-3 in EST games.
Nebraska has lost 30 straight games against ranked opponents. The Huskers face six ranked teams this season, including home games against Indiana and Ohio State plus a road trip to Oregon.
Iowa hosts just one ranked opponent in Ohio State. The Hawkeyes could work into College Football Playoff contention if they handle road games at Michigan, Illinois and Washington.
Iowa is 5-5 on the road over the last two seasons under Kirk Ferentz.
ORDER NOW: The Sporting News 2026 College Football Preview magazine
