The Big Ten became the final Power Four conference to unveil its schedule for the 2026 college football season when it released on Tuesday the full slate for its 18 members. One game in particular stands above the rest with reigning conference and national champion Indiana set to host Ohio State on Oct. 17 in one of the highest-profile games of the entire campaign.
The Hoosiers’ road back to Big Ten supremacy features a handful of other tough tests, and if the Buckeyes are to get over the hump and win the conference, they will have to overcome challenges like home games against Oregon and Michigan and road battles at Iowa, USC and Nebraska.
Outside of conference play, a number of high-profile matchups that will define the race to the College Football Playoff. Week 2 alone features a pair of marquee non-conference showdowns: Ohio State’s return trip to Texas and Michigan’s home showdown against Oklahoma.
One uncertainty that remains after the schedule release is where UCLA will play its home games. The Bruins are planning a move from the Rose Bowl to SoFi Stadium starting this season, but an ongoing lawsuit and lack of a finalized agreement raises questions about whether the move will occur by the start of the 2026 campaign.
USC is also a unique case after it failed to renew its rivalry series with Notre Dame. The Trojans have just 11 games scheduled and will look to fill one of their two bye weeks with a replacement non-conference matchup.
This season marks the third year of the Big Ten’s Flex Protect XVIII model, which runs through 2028 and serves as the foundation for the complicated matrix that is an 18-team conference schedule. Teams have known their 2026 opponents since 2024 when the league announced matchups for the following five years, but the dates and order of those games were not solidified until Tuesday. The Flex Protect XVIII format ensures teams will play each other at least twice (once home and once away) and no more than three times from 2024-28. The league’s 12 protected rivalries are exceptions to that rule.
While conference championship odds have yet to be released, the national championship odds at FanDuel outline the potential pecking order at the top of the Big Ten. Ohio State boasts the brightest national title outlook at +650, while Indiana is +700 to repeat as champion and Oregon is +950 to hoist the trophy for the first time in school history. USC (+3500), Michigan (+4000) and Penn State (+6000) could also factor into the CFP hunt.
Below are team-by-team schedules for the 2026 Big Ten football season.
2026 Big Ten football schedule
Illinois
Sept. 5 — UAB
Sept. 12 — Duke
Sept. 19 — SIU
Sept. 26 — at Ohio State
Oct. 3 — Purdue
Oct. 10 — at Michigan State
Oct. 17 — BYE
Oct. 24 — Oregon
Oct. 31 — at Maryland
Nov. 7 — Nebraska
Nov. 14 — at UCLA
Nov. 21 — Iowa
Nov. 28 — Northwestern
Indiana
Sept. 5 — North Texas
Sept. 12 — Howard
Sept. 19 — Western Kentucky
Sept. 26 — Northwestern
Oct. 3 — at Rutgers
Oct. 10 — at Nebraska
Oct. 17 — Ohio State
Oct. 24 — at Michigan
Oct. 31 — Minnesota
Nov. 7 — BYE
Nov. 14 — USC
Nov. 21 — at Washington
Nov. 28 — Purdue
Iowa
Sept. 5 — Northern Illinois
Sept. 12 — Iowa State
Sept. 19 — Northern Iowa
Sept. 26 — at Michigan
Oct. 3 — Ohio State
Oct. 10 — at Washington
Oct. 17 — BYE
Oct. 24 — at Minnesota
Oct. 31 — Wisconsin
Nov. 7 — at Northwestern
Nov. 14 — Purdue
Nov. 21 — at Illinois
Nov. 27 (Friday) — Nebraska
Maryland
Sept. 5 — Howard
Sept. 12 — at UConn
Sept. 19 — Virginia Tech
Sept. 26 — UCLA
Oct. 3 — at Nebraska
Oct. 10 — at Ohio State
Oct. 17 — Rutgers
Oct. 24 — BYE
Oct. 31 — Illinois
Nov. 7 — at Purdue
Nov. 14 — Wisconsin
Nov. 21 — at USC
Nov. 28 — Penn State
Michigan
Sept. 5 — Western Michigan
Sept. 12 — Oklahoma
Sept. 19 — UTEP
Sept. 26 — Iowa
Oct. 3 — at Minnesota
Oct. 10 — BYE
Oct. 17 — Penn State
Oct. 24 — Indiana
Oct. 31 — at Rutgers
Nov. 7 — Michigan State
Nov. 14 — at Oregon
Nov. 21 — UCLA
Nov. 28 — at Ohio State
Michigan State
Sept. 5 — Toledo
Sept. 12 — Eastern Michigan
Sept. 19 — at Notre Dame
Sept. 26 — Nebraska
Oct. 3 — at Wisconsin
Oct. 10 — Illinois
Oct. 17 — Northwestern
Oct. 24 — at UCLA
Oct. 31 — BYE
Nov. 7 — at Michigan
Nov. 14 — Washington
Nov. 21 — Oregon
Nov. 28 — at Rutgers
Minnesota
Sept. 3 (Thursday) — Eastern Illinois
Sept. 12 — Mississippi State
Sept. 19 — Akron
Sept. 26 — at Washington
Oct. 3 — Michigan
Oct. 10 — at Purdue
Oct. 17 — BYE
Oct. 24 — Iowa
Oct. 31 — at Indiana
Nov. 7 — UCLA
Nov. 14 — at Penn State
Nov. 21 — Northwestern
Nov. 28 — at Wisconsin
Nebraska
Sept. 5 — Ohio
Sept. 12 — Bowling Green
Sept. 19 — North Dakota
Sept. 26 — at Michigan State
Oct. 3 — Maryland
Oct. 10 — Indiana
Oct. 17 — at Oregon
Oct. 24 — BYE
Oct. 31 — Washington
Nov. 7 — at Illinois
Nov. 14 — at Rutgers
Nov. 21 — Ohio State
Nov. 27 (Friday) — at Iowa
Northwestern
Sept. 5 — South Dakota State
Sept. 12 — BYE
Sept. 19 — Colorado
Sept. 26 — at Indiana
Oct. 3 — Penn State
Oct. 10 — Ball State
Oct. 17 — at Michigan State
Oct. 24 — Rutgers
Oct. 31 — at Oregon
Nov. 7 — Iowa
Nov. 14 — at Ohio State
Nov. 21 — at Minnesota
Nov. 28 — Illinois
Ohio State
Sept. 5 — Ball State
Sept. 12 — at Texas
Sept. 19 — Kent State
Sept. 26 — Illinois
Oct. 3 — at Iowa
Oct. 10 — Maryland
Oct. 17 — at Indiana
Oct. 24 — BYE
Oct. 31 — at USC
Nov. 7 — Oregon
Nov. 14 — Northwestern
Nov. 21 — at Nebraska
Nov. 28 — Michigan
Oregon
Sept. 5 — Boise State
Sept. 12 — at Oklahoma State
Sept. 19 — Portland State
Sept. 26 — at USC
Oct. 3 — BYE
Oct. 10 — UCLA
Oct. 17 — Nebraska
Oct. 24 — at Illinois
Oct. 31 — Northwestern
Nov. 7 — at Ohio State
Nov. 14 — Michigan
Nov. 21 — at Michigan State
Nov. 28 — Washington
Penn State
Sept. 5 — Marshall
Sept. 12 — at Temple
Sept. 19 — Buffalo
Sept. 26 — Wisconsin
Oct. 3 — at Northwestern
Oct. 10 — USC
Oct. 17 — at Michigan
Oct. 24 — BYE
Oct. 31 — Purdue
Nov. 7 — at Washington
Nov. 14 – Minnesota
Nov. 21 — Rutgers
Nov. 28 — at Maryland
Purdue
Sept. 5 — Indiana State
Sept. 12 — Wake Forest
Sept. 19 — at UCLA
Sept. 26 — Notre Dame
Oct. 3 — at Illinois
Oct. 10 — Minnesota
Oct. 17 — Washington
Oct. 24 — BYE
Oct. 31 — at Penn State
Nov. 7 — Maryland
Nov. 14 — at Iowa
Nov. 21 — Wisconsin
Nov. 28 — at Indiana
Rutgers
Sept. 3 (Thursday) — UMass
Sept. 11 (Friday) — at Boston College
Sept. 19 — USC
Sept. 26 — Howard
Oct. 3 — Indiana
Oct. 10 — BYE
Oct. 17 — at Maryland
Oct. 24 — at Northwestern
Oct. 31 — Michigan
Nov. 7 — at Wisconsin
Nov. 14 — Nebraska
Nov. 21 — at Penn State
Nov. 28 — Michigan State
UCLA
Sept. 5 — at California
Sept. 12 — San Diego State
Sept. 19 — Purdue
Sept. 26 — at Maryland
Oct. 3 — BYE
Oct. 10 — at Oregon
Oct. 17 — Wisconsin
Oct. 24 — Michigan State
Oct. 31 — Nevada
Nov. 7 — at Minnesota
Nov. 14 — Illinois
Nov. 21 — at Michigan
Nov. 28 — USC
USC
Sept. 5 — Fresno State
Sept. 12 — Louisiana
Sept. 19 — at Rutgers
Sept. 26 — Oregon
Oct. 3 — Washington
Oct. 10 — at Penn State
Oct. 17 — BYE
Oct. 24 — at Wisconsin
Oct. 31 — Ohio State
Nov. 7 — BYE
Nov. 14 — at Indiana
Nov. 21 — Maryland
Nov. 28 — at UCLA
Washington
Sept. 5 — Washington State
Sept. 12 — Utah State
Sept. 19 — Eastern Washington
Sept. 26 — Minnesota
Oct. 3 — at USC
Oct. 10 — Iowa
Oct. 17 — at Purdue
Oct. 24 — BYE
Oct. 31 — at Nebraska
Nov. 7 — Penn State
Nov. 14 — Michigan State
Nov. 21 — Indiana
Nov. 28 — at Oregon
Wisconsin
Sept. 6 (Sunday) — Notre Dame (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
Sept. 12 — Western Illinois
Sept. 19 — Eastern Michigan
Sept. 26 — at Penn State
Oct. 3 — Michigan State
Oct. 10 — BYE
Oct. 17 — at UCLA
Oct. 24 — USC
Oct. 31 — at Iowa
Nov. 7 — Rutgers
Nov. 14 — at Maryland
Nov. 21 — at Purdue
Nov. 28 — Minnesota
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