The top-two teams in the country are Oregon and Ohio State and the Buckeyes’ only loss came in October to the Ducks when quarterback Will Howard was a second too late to slide so his team could attempt a game-winning field goal. Four of the top five teams in the AP Top 25 are from the Big Ten as Penn State sits fourth, its only loss coming after Ohio State had a goal-line stand in the closing minutes a couple weeks ago that could have sent the game to overtime. Indiana - the darling of this college football season - remains undefeated and ranked fifth ahead of its clash with the Buckeyes next weekend.
It has been a glorious season for the Big Ten especially coming off Michigan ’s national championship run last year. MORE GORNEY: Latest buzz on 2025 QB dominoes CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Top 100 TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker It has also been an incredible challenge considering the age of expansion for the teams - whether the old-guard Big Ten programs or the Pac-12 additions - when having to travel across the country to play games, sometimes at very odd hours. The breakdown is pretty compelling and plays out basically like this: The teams who have to travel outside their traditional conference footprint have a very difficult time - and often lose - with only some exceptions.
USC is a disap.