The Indiana Hoosiers completed a remarkable 16-0 season by winning a National Championship, beating Ohio State in the conference championship game, dominating Alabama in the Rose Bowl, then blowing out Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal.That completed a Big Ten trifecta, with the Michigan Wolverines winning a championship in 2024, then the Buckeyes following it up by beating Notre Dame to win the title in 2025.While the SEC might have better depth overall, it's no question that the top of the Big Ten is as good or better than anyone.SEC, BIG TEN ARE DOMINATING COLLEGE FOOTBALL THANKS TO MASSIVE ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER CONFERENCESIndiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Jan.
19, 2026.(Mark J.
Rebilas/Imagn Images)And a new program might be ready to take their turn at the top of the Big Ten: those same Oregon Ducks.One of the most predictive measures of a team's strength from year to year is how much production they return from the previous season.It makes sense; the more key players that stay with the team, the better it is for continuity and development.The Big Ten, oddly enough, has several teams that return much of their production on both sides of the ball.
ESPN's Bill Connelly ran the numbers, finding that teams like Maryland, Nebraska, Minnesota and UCLA all ranked in the top 10 nationally in returning value.Though given how these teams played in 2025, that's less important.
Number 12, though? The Oregon Ducks.And that carryover production is coming from a team that lost just two games all season, both to Indiana.They handled a very good USC team, 42-27, overcame miserable conditions to outlast the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road, beat the rival Washington Huskies, and most impressively, shut out an elite Texas Tech team 23-0 in the College Football Playoff.
And they bring back the players responsible for ...