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ESPN staffJan 27, 2026, 07:00 PM ET
The Big Ten announced its 2026 college football schedule for each of its 18 members Wednesday.
One big change to next season’s schedule is that each Big Ten team — except for USC, which will have two — will only have one bye week, compared to the past couple of seasons where teams received two. We’ll also see new head coaches at Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and UCLA in 2026. New Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald will be hosting his former team, Northwestern, in Week 7 in a must-see matchup.
While Oregon was able to escape Indiana in its regular-season schedule last year, the Ducks will travel to Columbus in a massive conference game against the Buckeyes this year. And the Hoosiers, the 2025-26 national champions who are coming off a historic 2025 season, will host Ohio State in a Big Ten title game rematch in Week 7.
Here are the team-by-team schedules for 2026:
Illinois Fighting Illini
Sept. 5: vs. UAB
Sept. 12: vs. Duke
Sept. 19: vs. SIU
Sept. 26: at Ohio State
Oct. 3: vs. Purdue
Oct. 10: at Michigan State
Oct. 24: vs. Oregon
Oct. 31: at Maryland
Nov. 7: vs. Nebraska
Nov. 14: at UCLA
Nov. 21: vs. Iowa
Nov. 28: vs. Northwestern
Indiana Hoosiers
Sept. 5: vs. North Texas
Sept. 12: vs. Howard
Sept. 19: vs. Western Kentucky
Sept. 26: vs. Northwestern
Oct. 3: at Rutgers
Oct. 10: at Nebraska
Oct. 17: vs. Ohio State
Oct. 24: at Michigan
Oct. 31: vs. Minnesota
Nov. 14: vs. USC
Nov. 21: at Washington
Nov. 28: vs. Purdue
Iowa Hawkeyes
Sept. 5: vs. Northern Illinois
Sept. 12: vs. Iowa State
Sept. 29: vs. Northern Iowa
Sept. 26: at Michigan
Oct. 3: vs. Ohio State
Oct. 10: at Washington
Oct. 24: at Minnesota
Oct. 31: vs. Wisconsin
Nov. 7: at Northwestern
Nov. 14: vs. Purdue
Nov. 21: at Illinois
Nov. 27: vs. Nebraska
Maryland Terrapins
Sept. 5: vs. Howard
Sept. 12: at UConn
Sept. 19: vs. Virginia Tech
Sept. 26: vs. UCLA
Oct. 3: at Nebraska
Oct. 10: at Ohio State
Oct. 17: vs. Rutgers
Oct. 31: vs. Illinois
Nov. 7: at Purdue
Nov. 14: vs. Wisconsin
Nov. 21: at USC
Nov. 28: vs. Penn State
Michigan Wolverines
Sept. 5: vs. Western Michigan
Sept. 12: vs. Oklahoma
Sept. 19: vs. UTEP
Sept. 26: vs. Iowa
Oct. 3: at Minnesota
Oct. 17: vs. Penn State
Oct. 24: vs. Indiana
Oct. 31: at Rutgers
Nov. 7: vs. Michigan State
Nov. 14: at Oregon
Nov. 21: vs. UCLA
Nov. 28: at Ohio State
Michigan State Spartans
Sept. 5: vs. Toledo
Sept. 12: vs. Eastern Michigan
Sept. 19: at Notre Dame
Sept. 26: vs. Nebraska
Oct. 3: at Wisconsin
Oct. 10: vs. Illinois
Oct. 17: vs. Northwestern
Oct. 24: at UCLA
Nov. 7: at Michigan
Nov. 14: vs. Washington
Nov. 21: vs. Oregon
Nov. 28: at Rutgers
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Sept. 3: vs. Eastern Illinois
Sept. 12: vs. Mississippi State
Sept. 19: vs. Akron
Sept. 26: at Washington
Oct. 3: vs. Michigan
Oct. 10: at Purdue
Oct. 24: vs. Iowa
Oct. 31: at Indiana
Nov. 7: vs. UCLA
Nov. 14: at Penn State
Nov. 21: vs. Northwestern
Nov. 28: at Wisconsin
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Sept. 5: vs. Ohio
Sept. 12: vs. Bowling Green
Sept. 19: vs. North Dakota
Sept. 26: at Michigan State
Oct. 3: vs. Maryland
Oct. 10: vs. Indiana
Oct. 17: at Oregon
Oct. 31: vs. Washington
Nov. 7: at Illinois
Nov. 14: at Rutgers
Nov. 21: vs. Ohio State
Nov. 27: at Iowa
Northwestern Wildcats
Sept. 5: vs. South Dakota State
Sept. 19: vs. Colorado
Sept. 26: at Indiana
Oct. 3: vs. Penn State
Oct. 10: vs. Ball State
Oct. 17: at Michigan State
Oct. 24: vs. Rutgers
Oct. 31: at Oregon
Nov. 7: vs. Iowa
Nov. 14: at Ohio State
Nov. 21: at Minnesota
Nov. 28: vs. Illinois
Ohio State Buckeyes
Sept. 5: vs. Ball State
Sept. 12: at Texas
Sept. 19: vs. Kent State
Sept. 26: vs. Illinois
Oct. 3: at Iowa
Oct. 10: vs. Maryland
Oct. 17: at Indiana
Oct. 31: at USC
Nov. 7: vs. Oregon
Nov. 14: vs. Northwestern
Nov. 21: at Nebraska
Nov. 28: vs. Michigan
Oregon Ducks
Sept. 5: vs. Boise State
Sept. 12: at Oklahoma State
Sept. 19: vs. Portland State
Sept. 26: at USC
Oct. 10: vs. UCLA
Oct. 17: vs. Nebraska
Oct. 24: at Illinois
Oct. 31: vs. Northwestern
Nov. 7: at Ohio State
Nov. 14: vs. Michigan
Nov. 21: at Michigan State
Nov. 28: vs. Washington
Penn State Nittany Lions
Sept. 5: vs. Marshall
Sept. 12: at Temple
Sept. 19: vs. Buffalo
Sept. 26: vs. Wisconsin
Oct. 3: at Northwestern
Oct. 10: vs. USC
Oct. 17: at Michigan
Oct. 31: vs. Purdue
Nov. 7: at Washington
Nov. 14: vs. Minnesota
Nov. 21: vs. Rutgers
Purdue Boilermakers
Sept. 5: vs. Indiana State
Sept. 12: vs. Wake Forest
Sept. 19: at UCLA
Sept. 26: vs. Notre Dame
Oct. 3: at Illinois
Oct. 10: vs. Minnesota
Oct. 17: vs. Washington
Oct. 31: at Penn State
Nov. 7: vs. Maryland
Nov. 14: at Iowa
Nov. 21: vs. Wisconsin
Nov. 28: at Indiana
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Sept. 3: vs. UMass
Sept. 11: at Boston College
Sept. 19: vs. USC
Sept. 26: vs. Howard
Oct. 3: vs. Indiana
Oct. 17: at Maryland
Oct. 24: at Northwestern
Oct. 31: vs. Michigan
Nov. 7: at Wisconsin
Nov. 14: vs. Nebraska
Nov. 21: at Penn State
Nov. 28: vs. Michigan State
UCLA Bruins
Sept. 5: at Cal
Sept. 12: vs. San Diego State
Sept. 19: vs. Purdue
Sept. 26: at Maryland
Oct. 10: at Oregon
Oct. 17: vs. Wisconsin
Oct. 24: vs. Michigan State
Oct. 31: vs. Nevada
Nov. 7: at Minnesota
Nov. 14: vs. Illinois
Nov. 21: at Michigan
Nov. 28: vs. USC
USC Trojans
Sept. 5: vs. Fresno State
Sept. 12: vs. Louisiana
Sept. 19: at Rutgers
Sept. 26: vs. Oregon
Oct. 3: vs. Washington
Oct. 10: at Penn State
Oct. 24: at Wisconsin
Oct. 31: vs. Ohio State
Nov. 14: at Indiana
Nov. 21: vs. Maryland
Nov. 28: at UCLA
Washington Huskies
Sept. 5: vs. Washington State
Sept. 12: vs. Utah State
Sept. 19: vs. Eastern Washington
Sept. 26: vs. Minnesota
Oct. 3: at USC
Oct. 10: vs. Iowa
Oct. 17: at Purdue
Oct. 31: at Nebraska
Nov. 7: vs. Penn State
Nov. 14: at Michigan State
Nov. 21: vs. Indiana
Nov. 28: at Oregon
Wisconsin Badgers
Sept. 6: vs. Notre Dame*
Sept. 12: vs. Western Illinois
Sept. 19: vs. Eastern Michigan
Sept. 26: at Penn State
Oct. 3: vs. Michigan State
Oct. 17: at UCLA
Oct. 24: vs. USC
Oct. 31: at Iowa
Nov. 7: vs. Rutgers
Nov. 14: at Maryland
Nov. 21: at Purdue
Nov. 28: vs. Minnesota
*Played at a neutral site
