Big Ten football 2026 SP+ rankings are here

Spring ball is upon all of college football now, and with that come renewed expectations, hype, and fanfare, despite the 2026 season still being nearly half a year away. But the doldrums of the offseason are disappearing, and one of the major signs of such is the revelation of various rankings -- beyond the ones that come out the day after the national championship game. The one that you can probably put the most stock in is that of the SP+, compiled by ESPN advanced stats guru Bill Connelly.

SP+ is a predictive model, one that balances returning production, recent records, recruiting, and coaching changes. In the preseason SP+ , the Big Ten is quite top-heavy, with several teams in the top 25. Here is how every Big Ten team ranks, as well as how they rank against each other.

18. Purdue Boilermakers Overall: 82 Offense: 86 Defense: 79 Special teams: 4 Purdue has improved under Barry Odom, but it may take a few more years for the Boilermakers to go from the lower-tier to the mid. 17.

Michigan State Spartans Overall: 67 Offense: 61 Defense: 69 Special teams: 105 Pat Fitzgerald takes over and should eventually give the Spartans some legitimacy. But there are questions about if he can handle college football in the modern era, given he's a bit more of an old soul in terms of his philosophy. MSU is also among the bottom as it pertains to returning production.