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Big Ten Preview: Contender Tiers, The Big Three, Sweet Lady Schedule
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In this college football podcast episode, we open our three-part 2026 Big Ten preview by zooming out before diving into the individual team breakdowns. The conference has produced the last three national champions, enters the season with another wave of major coaching and coordinator changes, and features a surprising number of familiar quarterbacks.
We sort all 18 Big Ten teams into contender tiers and ask whether Ohio State, Oregon and defending national champion Indiana have separated from the field. Is USC talented enough to overcome its schedule and lingering defensive questions? Could Penn State, Michigan, Washington or Iowa emerge as the conference’s fourth College Football Playoff team? And how much faith should we place in new systems, new play callers and transfer quarterbacks across the league?
We also work through the crowded middle of the conference, where favorable schedules, volatile quarterbacks and major rebuilds make almost every projection feel negotiable. Plus: Sweet Lady Schedule, the Big Ten’s overarching theme of faith, Bob Chesney’s elite hairline, a renewed commitment to the Minnesota Support Zoom, and a fun announcement about the show's place in the college football media sphere.
*Key Moments In This Episode:*
00:00 - Show Open & Some News
08:03 - Big Ten Landscape & Key Offseason Changes
16:49 - Tier 1 Contenders: Ohio State, Oregon & Indiana
27:53 - USC Trojans: Schedule & Defense Debates
32:16 - Ohio State Buckeyes: Post-Draft Defense & Title Expectations
35:11 - Oregon Ducks: Play-Calling & Dante Moore’s Next Step
38:00 - Indiana Hoosiers: Title Defense & Josh Hoover
43:48 - Iowa Hawkeyes: Schedule Breakdown & High Floor
55:00 - Penn State Nittany Lions: Matt Campbell & Rocco Becht
01:01:38 - Michigan Wolverines: Kyle Whittingham & Bryce Underwood
01:05:15 - Washington Huskies: Jedd Fisch & Demond Williams Jr.
01:13:45 - Middle Tier: Minnesota, Nebraska, UCLA & Wisconsin
01:34:53 - Bottom Tier: Northwestern, Rutgers, Michigan State & Purdue
01:46:22 - Outro & Wrap-Up
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