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...
Bret Bielema Just Reopened A Wisconsin Respect Debate Fans Know Well
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For Wisconsin fans, the more familiar part of the message was the reminder that Bielema still sees the Badgers as a program that did plenty of winning without always getting the same credit as the leagues biggest brands. He pointed back to his time in Madison and the way Wisconsins success was often measured against the louder names in the Big Ten, a familiar gripe for a fan base that has spent years wondering how much respect the program really gets. [Read more 🡒]
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After limited opportunities and modest production in the NBA, Davis had already spent time with the Wisconsin Herd in the G League, where he showed more of the scoring and activity that made him such an appealing prospect. Now he is taking the next step in trying to reset his career, and the move says plenty about how far the arc has shifted from the expectations that once surrounded him in Wisconsin. [Read more 🡒]
Badgers Fans Wont Love What National Buzz Says About John Blackwell
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For Wisconsin, the frustrating part is not just that Blackwell left, but that the projection speaks to how much upside he still carries. Duke is being discussed as a team with a loaded backcourt and plenty of offensive options, while Badgers fans are left to wonder what Blackwell might have meant in Madison if he had stayed put. [Read more 🡒]