Oregon And Ohio State Lead Big Ten Charge In New 2026 College Football Rankings

It's hard to believe, but somehow we're just a few months away from college football teams starting fall practices ahead of the 2026 regular season. And the end of the 2025-2026 postseason confirmed that the balance of power in the sport has conclusively shifted. 

After years of the SEC dominating the College Football Playoff, between Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide teams, Kirby Smart's Georgia, and the Joe Burrow LSU season, the SEC established itself as the clear powerhouse. NIL and the transfer portal, though, has leveled the playing field. Out of nowhere, the Indiana Hoosiers have made back-to-back runs to the playoff, culminating with a 16-0 season and a championship game win over a very good Miami Hurricanes team. 

That followed up Ohio State beating Notre Dame in the 2025 championship game, and Michigan dominating Washington in the 2024 edition. Three straight years, no SEC teams to reach the final, and three straight Big Ten title winners.

Well, the first edition of one of the sport's best ranking systems has officially been released, and it's already indicating that the Big Ten may be in the driver's seat to make it four in a row.

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Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti looks over the field Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, during the Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Oregon Ducks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (© Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

SP+ Rankings Have Ohio State, Oregon, Leading The Field

Bill Connelly's SP+ rankings, an advanced, metric-driven system based on opponent-adjusted efficiency, have been released for the 2026 season, incorporating returning talent, recruiting rankings, and coaching changes. And the Big Ten is heavily represented in the top 5, and the two in particular. 

Ohio State is first, three points clear of the Oregon Ducks in second. Notre Dame is third, followed by Georgia, and defending champion Indiana. Three of the top 5 are Big Ten teams, with just Georgia in fourth representing the SEC. 

Though in a sign of the SEC's depth, Texas is sixth, with Texas A&M ninth and LSU 10th. All told, there are five Big Ten teams in the top 14, and seven SEC teams in the top 15. The top of the Big Ten is expected to be better, but the SEC has a slight advantage in the "middle-upper" tier of the rankings. 

The only teams that break through the super conference's grip on college football? Unsurprisingly, the aforementioned Notre Dame, Texas Tech, and Miami. BYU is the lone other Big 12 representative in the top 20. 

So what's the takeaway from all this? Well, obviously it's only March, a lot can change between now and the start of the season. Recruits can underwhelm, coaching changes may not be as effective, or might be more effective, than expected, and injuries can and will take their toll. But the powerhouse teams from 2025, Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon and Georgia, are likely to once again reach the College Football Playoff. 

Pour one out for USC too, as the Trojans, even without Notre Dame on their schedule, play the top two teams, and three of the top 5. Had the Irish rivalry remained intact for 2026, they'd have had four of the top 5 teams on their schedule, and the top three in order. That's brutal. It's still a brutal schedule, with Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, along with #17 Penn State and #21 Washington. Even a great season could mean 2-3 losses. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has just two teams on their schedule in the top 27, one in the top 10. Texas Tech doesn't play a single team in the top 29. 

Strength of schedule will once again be a major topic of discussion. 

Still, with the number of teams in the Big Ten and SEC expected to be at the top of the sport, week after week in the conference play portion of the season will be must-see TV. As college football always is.