3 must-watch Big Ten teams highlight potentially chaotic 2026 college football season originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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With the continuous countdown to college football rolling along in droves, there are a select few college football programs that the national media continues to highlight as must-see entering this fall.
A few of them are by way of the Big Ten, including the Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans, and defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers.
As CBS Sports’ Cody Nagel indicates, all three have the same common denominator: each has a legitimate shot of winning a national title, even with constant shuffling amongst all three.
Nagel appears confident that the Ducks’ firepower could carry them to a national title berth.
“Momentum for another title push started early when Dante Moore passed on a potential top-five selection in the 2026 NFL Draft to return to Eugene for another year,” Nagel wrote. “Thirteen additional starters are back as well, including eight from a defense that ranked sixth nationally in yards per play allowed (4.4) and 12th in points allowed per game (17.9).”
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Regarding the Hoosiers’ defense of their national title, Nagel writes that it’s time to stop doubting coach Curt Cignetti, even if they aren’t perceived as a traditional blue-blood.
“At some point, you have to stop doubting Curt Cignetti and what he’s built in such a short time in Bloomington,” Nagel wrote.
The Hoosiers will attempt to maintain their winning streak this fall, as they’ve won 16 straight and won their first Big Ten title since 1967 last December when they stunned Ohio State in the conference title game last December.
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Regarding the USC Trojans, though, it begins and ends with whether coach Lincoln Riley can secure the key wins needed to strengthen their playoff chances.
“Still, much of the buzz around USC ultimately circles back to Lincoln Riley, where the noise is more about whether he can finally steer the program into the College Football Playoff for the first time,” Nagel wrote.
We’ll see how the Big Ten shakes out amongst the national media’s proclamations. But it appears the league will remain a key fixture this fall.
Only time will tell.
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