The Big Ten is the greatest conference in College Football. That hasn’t always been the case, but times are meant to change and standards are meant to be broken. Now with three straight national titles, the Big Ten is shaping up to have another banner season in 2026/2027. Several teams have eyes on the College Football Playoff and College Football National Championship, and are set to play one of the toughest and most entertaining slate of games in recent Big Ten history. There will be many of these types of games, but which will be the best? Let’s dive into what we believe will be the top 10 Big Ten games of the upcoming season.
10. USC @ Penn State
Date: October 10, 2026
Location: University Park, Pennsylvania
Reasoning: The Matt Campbell era has begun at Penn State, and this game will be the first massive one of his tenure as head coach. This could easily be a white-out game as well where the notorious Penn State crowd is deafening. There is hope now in Happy Valley, and winning this game could accelerate those hopes immensely.
9. Ohio State @ Iowa
Date: October 3, 2026
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Reasoning: Iowa as a team is tough to predict this year, but what’s not tough to predict is how difficult it is to play in Kinnick Stadium time and time again. The Hoosiers saw it last year in one of their closest games of the season, and the Buckeyes will likely see it in this game as well. Ohio State should be able to win, but Iowa playing in Kinnick is always a recipe for a spicy upset.
8. Indiana @ Michigan
Date: October 24, 2026
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Reasoning: Indiana hasn’t beaten the Wolverines in Ann Arbor since 1967. As we all know, things are much different now than they once were. It’s time to break this streak in what could end up being one of the Hoosiers’ biggest games of the year.
7. Ohio State @ USC
Date: October 31, 2026
Location: Los Angeles, California
Reasoning: In this Halloween special, will the Buckeyes get scared flying west against a strong USC team, or will they pull an Indiana and win on the road on the West Coast? Ohio State and USC have met often over the years (even before conference realignment), but not often are those games at USC’s home stadium. This will bring a fun angle to this game and will represent one of the toughest matchups either team faces all season.
6. Michigan @ Oregon
Date: November 14, 2026
Location: Eugene, Oregon
Reasoning: As we covered above in #7, it is always interesting when the Midwest teams have to travel to the West Coast. Last year, Michigan flew to Los Angeles to take on USC and lost by a score of 31-13. Now with a retooled team and another year under Bryce Underwood’s belt, will they be able to take a step forward and conquer the Ducks in Eugene?
5. Oregon @ USC
Date: September 26, 2026
Location: Los Angeles, California
Reasoning: This is the earliest matchup on the list, bringing increased intrigue as both teams are still learning their true identity, managing early-season injuries, and still looking to spark their season into the College Football Playoff. In this West Coast matchup, we also get a massive quarterback battle between Dante Moore and Jayden Maiava. You are not going to want to miss this one, that’s for sure.
4. Oregon @ Ohio State
Date: November 7, 2026
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Reasoning: My reasoning here for #4 is very similar to my reasoning for #3 (semi-spoiler). Both teams are projected to be elite, the Ducks bring a Heisman candidate in Dante Moore to Columbus, and both teams are iconic brands in all of college football. This should be an immensely entertaining game – one that will go a long way in deciding playoff seedings as well.
3. USC @ Indiana
Date: November 14, 2026
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Reasoning: USC and Indiana have played each other a total of four times in program history. USC has won all four games. They’ve been to Bloomington once already in the 80’s, but this matchup in 2026 represents one of the most iconic brands in college football coming to Bloomington when both teams are elite at the same time. They bring star QB Jayden Maiava as well, who is a Heisman candidate. I’m predicting that this is one of the most entertaining games in all of college football – not just the Big Ten.
2. Michigan @ Ohio State
Date: November 28, 2026
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Reasoning: Michigan has won 4 out of the last 5 games in this historic rivalry, but Ohio State got the better of them last year in a definitive 27-9 victory in Ann Arbor. Michigan will be looking to flip the script and win in Columbus now as Bryce Underwood looks for his first win over Ohio State. There are usually some extracurricular activities associated with this rivalry as well, so we’ll see if those come alive in November as well.
1. Ohio State @ Indiana
Date: October 17, 2026
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Reasoning: This could very well be the most hyped, most important, and biggest regular season home game in Indiana’s program history. Both teams should have very strong records at this point in the season and this will very likely be a top-10 matchup. Ohio State will be looking for revenge, but the Hoosiers will have (in all likelihood) the loudest crowd Memorial Stadium has ever seen.