The Big Ten has been the center of college football lately, with Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana claiming the last three national championships. That kind of run naturally puts the spotlight on the league’s heavyweights again this fall. But the conference also has a second tier of teams that are positioned to bounce back in a big way after disappointing seasons.
Penn State, Wisconsin, UCLA and USC all fit that bill. None of them are guaranteed to crash the national-title conversation, but each has a realistic path to a much better season than the one that came before.
Penn State is the clearest candidate for a jump. The Nittany Lions opened 2025 ranked in the top five and were supposed to be in the national-title mix, but the season ended at 7-6 and led to James Franklin losing his job.
Penn State then turned to Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, who brought a full reset with him. That included a wave of Cyclones transfers, headlined by quarterback Rocco Becht.
The schedule helps, too. ESPN lists Penn State with the 62nd-ranked strength of schedule, which is the easiest in the Big Ten.
The Nittany Lions avoid Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana entirely. Their only real tests are a home game against USC and a road trip to Michigan.
Outside of that, the rest of the slate looks manageable enough that Penn State is a strong bet to reach nine wins or more.
Wisconsin also has a path back to respectability, though the pressure is heavier in Madison. Luke Fickell is very much on the hot seat after back-to-back losing seasons, and 2026 feels like a win-or-go-home year. The Badgers did upgrade the roster, bringing in quarterback Colton Joseph from Old Dominion, and that gives Fickell a real chance to steady things.
The schedule is favorable, too. Wisconsin has the 40th-ranked strength of schedule, the second-easiest in the Big Ten.
The Badgers miss Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana and Michigan. Notre Dame opens the year as a likely loss, and Penn State and USC are the other major hurdles, but the rest of the slate gives Wisconsin room to build momentum.
That setup gives Fickell a real shot to buy himself another season.
UCLA is in a different place, but the outlook is brighter than last year’s 3-9 finish suggests. The Bruins have a new head coach in Bob Chesney, who just led James Madison to the College Football Playoff in 2025. That kind of leap probably isn’t in the cards right away at UCLA, but the program should look sharper under his direction.
Nico Iamaleava is still the quarterback, and that matters. A former five-star from Tennessee, he gives the Bruins a level of talent that can carry a turnaround if the rest of the team comes along.
The schedule is workable, too. UCLA could start 4-0, though the opener at Cal won’t be easy, before facing Oregon.
In Chesney’s first season, the Bruins avoid both Ohio State and Indiana, and a six- or seven-win year with bowl eligibility in play is a realistic target.
USC rounds out the list, and the Trojans may have the highest expectations of the group. Lincoln Riley’s seat is getting warmer, and USC still hasn’t reached the College Football Playoff under his watch. With quarterback Jayden Maiava back, the Trojans are expected to live up to the billing this season.
The schedule is not soft, but it does offer a route. USC gets Oregon and Ohio State at home, while also heading to Indiana, Penn State and Wisconsin.
If the Trojans are going to prove they belong in the playoff race, they need to split those two home heavyweight matchups and take care of business in the road games they’re expected to win. That path is there.
In Other News...
USC Suddenly Has Serious Buzz In The Big Ten RB Debate
The Big Tens running back conversation has plenty of familiar names, but USC has quietly worked its way into the middle of it. A ranking of the conferences top backs for the upcoming season puts Antwan Raymond, Bo Jackson, Jordan Marshall, King Miller and Darius Taylor at the top, with Waymond Jordan earning an honorable mention after a season that showed enough to keep him in the discussion. For a league that still leans on physical play and backfield depth, USCs presence in that mix says a lot about how far the Trojans ground game has come.
King Miller is part of the reason the Trojans are getting noticed at all, and the bigger question now is how much more dangerous that backfield can become. The article points to Jordans return as a reason for real buzz, noting that he profiles as a top-five level talent and could be in line for a heavy share of the carries, even if the workload is split. If that plays out, USC may end up with one of the more intriguing running back situations in the Big Ten, with enough talent to make the room feel crowded in a good way. [Read more 🡒]
USC Defender Is Giving Lincoln Riley A Reason To Believe Up Front
Jide Abasiri arrived at 2026 Big Ten Media Days with the kind of offseason buzz that tends to follow a player who has put real work into changing his body and his outlook. The USC defensive lineman talked about the grind behind that transformation, but just as important was the way he framed it: less about chasing immediate snaps, more about becoming the kind of front-line piece the Trojans can count on when the season starts.
Abasiri said he has tried to keep his focus on personal development and confidence, a shift that fits with the broader message Lincoln Riley has been pushing about dedication within the program. He also opened up about the Nigerian roots that have shaped his path to football, adding another layer to a player who seems to understand that his next step is about more than just earning a role. [Read more 🡒]