The Big Ten has been chirping for three straight years, flexing those national championship muscles, but after what we saw in Week 5, it is getting seriously tough to see how they keep that streak alive. This league, which prides itself on being top-tier, looks shakier than ever, with teams like Michigan, Penn State, and Illinois all sitting at a dismal 0-2. And get this: Purdue, yeah, *Purdue*, just ended a 1,043-day drought for a Big Ten win, beating Illinois 24-17. That is not a typo, that is over a thousand days since they won a Big Ten game. If that does not tell you something about the state of the conference, nothing will.
The Top-Heavy Trouble Brewing Out East
Sure, Ohio State is still a beast, proving it with an easy 31-14 win over No. 14 Iowa. The No. 5 Buckeyes are absolutely one of the country’s best, no doubt there. And No. 6 Indiana? They are still really, really good, even if they do not look quite as unstoppable as last season. But beyond those two, who in the Big Ten honestly looks like a national title contender right now? The obvious third choice is No. 15 Oregon, but the Ducks already have a loss to their name. Even worse, they have a huge question mark at quarterback after Dante Moore’s concussion. Head injuries are no joke, and they can be super finicky. Moore’s health has to be the top priority, even if it means he misses an extended time. Even if he is back at 100 percent sooner rather than later, Oregon is operating with basically no margin for error. They can only afford one more loss, specifically that one at Ohio State on November 7, to comfortably make the playoff. Beyond those three, No. 23 UCLA is a nice story under new coach Bob Chesney, who took James Madison to the College Football Playoff just a year ago. UCLA only has two ranked teams left on their schedule this season. That last sentence, however, should scream how weak the rest of the conference really is.
The Bottom Is Falling Out, Fast
The Big Ten has been top-heavy for a while, but it feels like it is actually tipping over this year. What happened to Michigan and Penn State? Both are 0-2, after getting dropped by Minnesota and Northwestern, respectively, in Week 5. Illinois, a team that racked up 19 wins over the past two seasons, is also sitting at 0-2 after losing to Purdue on Saturday. Purdue! The Boilermakers’ win over Illinois was their first over an FBS team in over a year. Think about that. You cannot just brush those kinds of losses under the rug. Yeah, teams like Minnesota, Nebraska, or Wisconsin *could* surprise everyone, and we are not ruling it out. But honestly, if you were to combine the top 15 teams from the Big Ten and the SEC right now, you would be hard pressed to find more than five Big Ten teams in that group. That is a massive problem.
So, will this lack of depth be an issue when the postseason rolls around? It has not been in the last three years because the top teams were just that dominant. But 2026 feels different. The conference depth is shallower than ever. We picked Oregon as our title contender before the season, and we are not ready to abandon that choice just yet, especially if Moore comes back strong. But it is impossible not to see how the SEC’s title odds are just climbing because they have way more teams who could actually make a deep run. The Big Ten needs to figure something out, and fast, or those bragging rights are going to disappear before you can even say “touchdown.”
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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