Eighteen teams across four time zones, kickoffs running from noon Eastern to eleven at night, and four programs opening the season with a head coach they did not have a year ago. Here is the whole Big Ten season, week by week.
Times are Eastern. Conference games are in bold. Blank times are still in a flex window.
Four new coaches
Michigan hired Kyle Whittingham from Utah after firing Sherrone Moore in December. Michigan State brought in Pat Fitzgerald, back in the Big Ten after eighteen seasons at Northwestern. Penn State hired Matt Campbell from Iowa State to replace James Franklin, let go midway through last season. UCLA hired Bob Chesney from James Madison.
Four of eighteen programs, including two of the league’s biggest brands, start over on the sideline at once.
The preseason media poll picked Ohio State first, Oregon second, Indiana third.
Week 0 — August 29
| Matchup | Time | TV |
| San Jose State at USC | 3:00 | NBC |
Week 1 — September 3 to 6
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV |
| UMass at Rutgers | Thu Sep 3 | 6:00 | BTN |
| Eastern Illinois at Minnesota | Thu Sep 3 | 8:00 | Peacock |
| UAB at Illinois | Thu Sep 3 | 9:00 | BTN |
| Indiana State at Purdue | Fri Sep 4 | 7:00 | BTN |
| Toledo at Michigan State | Fri Sep 4 | 8:00 | FS1 |
| Fresno State at USC | Fri Sep 4 | 9:00 | FOX |
| North Texas at Indiana | Sat Sep 5 | 12:00 | FOX |
| Ohio at Nebraska | Sat Sep 5 | 12:00 | FS1 |
| Ball State at Ohio State | Sat Sep 5 | 12:30 | BTN |
| Boise State at Oregon | Sat Sep 5 | 3:30 | CBS |
| Marshall at Penn State | Sat Sep 5 | 3:30 | FS1 |
| Northern Illinois at Iowa | Sat Sep 5 | 4:15 | BTN |
| Western Michigan at Michigan | Sat Sep 5 | 7:30 | NBC |
| South Dakota State at Northwestern | Sat Sep 5 | 8:00 | BTN |
| Hampton at Maryland | Sat Sep 5 | 8:00 | BTN |
| UCLA at California | Sat Sep 5 | 10:30 | ESPN |
| Washington State at Washington | Sun Sep 6 | 4:00 | NBC |
| Wisconsin vs Notre Dame (Green Bay) | Sun Sep 6 | 7:30 | NBC |
USC plays twice before most of the league plays once. The Apple Cup and the Cal-UCLA rivalry both survive realignment as non-conference games, and Wisconsin meets Notre Dame at Lambeau Field for the Shamrock Series.
Week 2 — September 11 and 12
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV |
| Rutgers at Boston College | Fri Sep 11 | 7:30 | ESPN2 |
| Oklahoma at Michigan | Sat Sep 12 | 12:00 | FOX |
| Wake Forest at Purdue | Sat Sep 12 | 12:00 | FS1 |
| Oregon at Oklahoma State | Sat Sep 12 | 12:00 | ESPN |
| Penn State at Temple | Sat Sep 12 | 12:00 | ESPN2 |
| Howard at Indiana | Sat Sep 12 | 12:00 | BTN |
| Mississippi State at Minnesota | Sat Sep 12 | 3:30 | CBS |
| Duke at Illinois | Sat Sep 12 | 3:30 | FS1 |
| Utah State at Washington | Sat Sep 12 | 3:30 | BTN |
| Eastern Michigan at Michigan State | Sat Sep 12 | 3:30 | BTN |
| Maryland at UConn | Sat Sep 12 | 3:30 | CBSSN |
| Bowling Green at Nebraska | Sat Sep 12 | 7:00 | FS1 |
| San Diego State at UCLA | Sat Sep 12 | 7:15 | BTN |
| Western Illinois at Wisconsin | Sat Sep 12 | 7:15 | BTN |
| Ohio State at Texas | Sat Sep 12 | 7:30 | ABC |
| Iowa State at Iowa | Sat Sep 12 | 7:30 | NBC |
| Louisiana at USC | Sat Sep 12 | 11:00 | BTN |
Bye: Northwestern
The biggest non-conference Saturday anywhere. Ohio State goes to Austin, Oklahoma comes to Ann Arbor, Oregon goes to Stillwater, and Iowa hosts Iowa State for the Cy-Hawk Trophy.
Week 3 — September 18 and 19
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV |
| Portland State at Oregon | Fri Sep 18 | 10:30 | BTN |
| Kent State at Ohio State | Sat Sep 19 | 12:00 | FOX |
| Akron at Minnesota | Sat Sep 19 | 12:00 | BTN |
| Buffalo at Penn State | Sat Sep 19 | 12:00 | BTN |
| Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin | Sat Sep 19 | 12:30 | Peacock |
| Southern Illinois at Illinois | Sat Sep 19 | 2:00 | Peacock |
| USC at Rutgers | Sat Sep 19 | 3:30 | CBS |
| UTEP at Michigan | Sat Sep 19 | 3:30 | BTN |
| Northern Iowa at Iowa | Sat Sep 19 | 4:00 | FS1 |
| Western Kentucky at Indiana | Sat Sep 19 | 4:00 | Peacock |
| North Dakota at Nebraska | Sat Sep 19 | 7:15 | BTN |
| Eastern Washington at Washington | Sat Sep 19 | 7:15 | BTN |
| Michigan State at Notre Dame | Sat Sep 19 | 7:30 | NBC |
| Colorado at Northwestern | Sat Sep 19 | 7:30 | FOX/FS1 |
| Virginia Tech at Maryland | Sat Sep 19 | 7:30 | FOX/FS1 |
| Purdue at UCLA | Sat Sep 19 | 11:00 | BTN |
Two conference games open the league season and both are coast to coast: USC to New Jersey, Purdue to Pasadena. Michigan State plays Notre Dame for the Megaphone Trophy.
Week 4 — September 25 and 26
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV |
| Howard at Rutgers | Fri Sep 25 | 7:00 | BTN |
| Northwestern at Indiana | Fri Sep 25 | 8:00 | FOX |
| Notre Dame at Purdue | Sat Sep 26 | ||
| Illinois at Ohio State | Sat Sep 26 | ||
| Iowa at Michigan | Sat Sep 26 | ||
| Wisconsin at Penn State | Sat Sep 26 | ||
| Nebraska at Michigan State | Sat Sep 26 | ||
| UCLA at Maryland | Sat Sep 26 | ||
| Minnesota at Washington | Sat Sep 26 | ||
| Oregon at USC | Sat Sep 26 |
Conference play opens properly. Illinois at Ohio State is the Illibuck, Notre Dame at Purdue is the Shillelagh Trophy, and Oregon at USC is the pick of the weekend.
Week 5 — October 2 and 3
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV |
| Penn State at Northwestern | Fri Oct 2 | 8:00 | FOX |
| Indiana at Rutgers | Sat Oct 3 | 8:00 | |
| Ohio State at Iowa | Sat Oct 3 | ||
| Michigan at Minnesota | Sat Oct 3 | ||
| Purdue at Illinois | Sat Oct 3 | ||
| Maryland at Nebraska | Sat Oct 3 | ||
| Michigan State at Wisconsin | Sat Oct 3 | ||
| Washington at USC | Sat Oct 3 |
Byes: Oregon, UCLA
Eight conference games, no filler. Michigan goes to Minneapolis for the Little Brown Jug; Purdue at Illinois is the Purdue Cannon.
Week 6 — October 9 and 10
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV |
| Iowa at Washington | Fri Oct 9 | 9:00 | FOX/FS1 |
| Indiana at Nebraska | Sat Oct 10 | ||
| Maryland at Ohio State | Sat Oct 10 | ||
| Illinois at Michigan State | Sat Oct 10 | ||
| Minnesota at Purdue | Sat Oct 10 | ||
| Ball State at Northwestern | Sat Oct 10 | ||
| USC at Penn State | Sat Oct 10 | ||
| UCLA at Oregon | Sat Oct 10 |
Byes: Michigan, Rutgers, Wisconsin
USC at Penn State is the marquee game, and Ball State at Northwestern is the last non-conference date on the Big Ten calendar.
Week 7 — October 16 and 17
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV |
| Washington at Purdue | Fri Oct 16 | 8:00 | FOX |
| Ohio State at Indiana | Sat Oct 17 | ||
| Penn State at Michigan | Sat Oct 17 | ||
| Northwestern at Michigan State | Sat Oct 17 | ||
| Rutgers at Maryland | Sat Oct 17 | ||
| Nebraska at Oregon | Sat Oct 17 | ||
| Wisconsin at UCLA | Sat Oct 17 |
Byes: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, USC
Penn State at Michigan and Ohio State at Indiana on the same afternoon, the first pitting Matt Campbell against Kyle Whittingham in both men’s debut season.
Week 8 — October 24
| Matchup |
| Indiana at Michigan |
| Rutgers at Northwestern |
| Oregon at Illinois |
| USC at Wisconsin |
| Iowa at Minnesota |
| Michigan State at UCLA |
Byes: Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Washington
Iowa at Minnesota is Floyd of Rosedale. Six games, six byes, the lightest week of the season.
Week 9 — October 31
| Matchup |
| Wisconsin at Iowa |
| Minnesota at Indiana |
| Michigan at Rutgers |
| Illinois at Maryland |
| Washington at Nebraska |
| Purdue at Penn State |
| Northwestern at Oregon |
| Ohio State at USC |
| Nevada at UCLA |
Bye: Michigan State
Ohio State flies to Los Angeles on Halloween. Wisconsin at Iowa is the Heartland Trophy.
Week 10 — November 6 and 7
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV |
| Nebraska at Illinois | Fri Nov 6 | 8:00 | FOX |
| Oregon at Ohio State | Sat Nov 7 | ||
| Michigan State at Michigan | Sat Nov 7 | ||
| Iowa at Northwestern | Sat Nov 7 | ||
| UCLA at Minnesota | Sat Nov 7 | ||
| Penn State at Washington | Sat Nov 7 | ||
| Rutgers at Wisconsin | Sat Nov 7 | ||
| Maryland at Purdue | Sat Nov 7 |
Byes: Indiana, USC
Oregon at Ohio State is the regular season’s biggest game on paper, first against second in the preseason poll. Michigan State at Michigan is the Paul Bunyan Trophy, and Pat Fitzgerald’s first trip to Ann Arbor as a Spartan.
Week 11 — November 13 and 14
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV |
| Illinois at UCLA | Fri Nov 13 | 9:00 | FOX |
| USC at Indiana | Sat Nov 14 | ||
| Michigan at Oregon | Sat Nov 14 | ||
| Northwestern at Ohio State | Sat Nov 14 | ||
| Purdue at Iowa | Sat Nov 14 | ||
| Minnesota at Penn State | Sat Nov 14 | ||
| Washington at Michigan State | Sat Nov 14 | ||
| Nebraska at Rutgers | Sat Nov 14 | ||
| Wisconsin at Maryland | Sat Nov 14 |
Nine conference games, no byes, no exceptions. Michigan at Oregon is the one to circle.
Week 12 — November 20 and 21
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV |
| Oregon at Michigan State | Fri Nov 20 | 8:00 | FOX |
| Ohio State at Nebraska | Sat Nov 21 | ||
| UCLA at Michigan | Sat Nov 21 | ||
| Maryland at USC | Sat Nov 21 | ||
| Iowa at Illinois | Sat Nov 21 | ||
| Northwestern at Minnesota | Sat Nov 21 | ||
| Rutgers at Penn State | Sat Nov 21 | ||
| Wisconsin at Purdue | Sat Nov 21 | ||
| Indiana at Washington | Sat Nov 21 |
Week 13 — November 27 and 28
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV |
| Nebraska at Iowa | Fri Nov 27 | 12:00 | CBS |
| Minnesota at Wisconsin | Fri Nov 27 | 7:30 | NBC |
| Michigan at Ohio State | Sat Nov 28 | 12:00 | FOX |
| Purdue at Indiana | Sat Nov 28 | ||
| Illinois at Northwestern | Sat Nov 28 | ||
| Penn State at Maryland | Sat Nov 28 | ||
| Michigan State at Rutgers | Sat Nov 28 | ||
| Washington at Oregon | Sat Nov 28 | ||
| USC at UCLA | Sat Nov 28 |
Rivalry weekend, and the Big Ten now owns more trophy games than any conference in the sport. The Heroes Game and Paul Bunyan’s Axe on Friday. On Saturday, The Game at noon in Columbus, plus the Old Oaken Bucket, the Land of Lincoln Trophy, Maryland against Penn State, Oregon against Washington, and the Victory Bell at the Rose Bowl.
Big Ten Championship — December 5
Saturday, December 5, 8:00 PM Eastern on FOX, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Top two teams in the standings, no divisions.
Dig deeper
- Make your picks — week by week, +20 points each
- See the whole league — the Big Ten hub has every school and every sport
- Compare two teams — the School Rivalry tool stacks any two side by side
- Read the other side — the full 2026 SEC schedule, for the conference the Big Ten keeps meeting in September
- Watch the movement — the Transfer Tracker
