Once again, the Big Ten continues to prove why they’re the standard when it comes to college football’s NCAA academic progress rate.
One of the top programs in the nation, in terms of both on-field success and academically, boasted another perfect score of 1000.
Remember, this is how the NCAA defines APR:
“The APR, or Academic Progress Rate, holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.”
As always, the APR is calculated like this:
Keep in mind, APR matters much more than some believe. Programs must retain an average APR of 930 to compete in postseason play.
Not only is a postseason ban on the line, but Minnesota’s 2023 squad learned just how important APR can be in terms of tiebreakers. If 5-7 teams are needed to finalize the schedule, the highest APR often earns the bid.
Recently, the NCAA released a new four-year composite, which goes up to the 2024-25 school year. Below is the official 18-team ranking for the Big Ten, and also a comparison as to how each team did compared to last year’s rankings.
18. Penn State
APR Score: 957
2025 APR: 947 (No. 17)
Even with a ten point increase, the Nittany Lions still fell to last place in the rankings.
17. Oregon
APR Score: 958
2025 APR: 946 (No. 18)
Simply put, Oregon and Penn State swapped places compared to last year. Overall, the Ducks are up 12 points.
16. Maryland
APR Score: 960
2025 APR: 962 (No. 16)
The Terrapins haven’t moved at all in the rankings, even though it’s a bit alarming that their score dropped from 962 to 960.
15. UCLA
APR Score: 961
2025 APR: 967 (No. 15)
Similar to Maryland, UCLA finds itself at the same spot in the rankings even though its 2026 score is below its number from a year ago.
14. Michigan State
APR Score: 967
2025 APR: 968 (No. 14)
The Spartans are more closely compared to Maryland, seeing as they maintain their spot in the rankings and only scored one point lower.
13. Purdue
APR Score: 968
2025 APR: 972 (No. 12)
Purdue is the first team to fall in the rankings since Penn State. Overall, the Boilermakers are down four points, which is the second biggest decrease to this point.
12. Illinois
APR Score: 973
2025 APR: 971 (No. 13)
The Fighting Illini were able to increase their score by a pair of points which helped them leapfrog Purdue in the rankings.
11. Washington
APR Score: 977
2025 APR: 978 (T-8)
The Huskies are part of the biggest drop-up until this point, by far. There were numerous teams cluttered up in this portion of the rankings a year ago, which explains why things look so much different now.
10. USC
APR Score: 978
2025 APR: 976 (T-10)
The Trojans don’t see a ton of movement as things are extremely tight with just a few points separating each of these middle-of-the-road teams.
9. Nebraska
APR Score: 979
2025 APR: 976 (T-10)
The Cornhuskers gained a point on USC, which allowed them to crack into the top ten of the 2026 rankings.
T-8. Indiana and Rutgers
Indiana’s APR Score: 982
Indiana’s 2025 APR: 982 (T-6)
Rutgers’ APR Score: 982
Rutgers’ 2025 APR: 978 (T-8)
The lone tie in this year’s rankings just so happens to include the reigning National Champions. Indiana’s score remained the same, which didn’t work in their favor, while Rutgers increased their score but managed to stay at the same spot.
6. Wisconsin
APR Score: 987
2025 APR: 991 (T-5)
Luke Fickell’s Badgers fall a spot in the rankings with a notable four-point decrease in their APR from a year ago.
5. Iowa
APR Score: 992
2025 APR: 982 (T-6)
Kirk Ferentz manages to top himself each and every year as the Hawkeyes 10-point increase netted them a top-five ranking.
4. Northwestern
APR Score: 993
2025 APR: 993 (No. 3)
It’s not that the Wildcats are complacent, but they failed to get their score above 993, and that somehow pushed them back a spot in the rankings.
3. Minnesota
APR Score: 995
2025 APR: 992 (No. 4)
The Golden Gophers made sure to leapfrog Northwestern as they finished 2026 five-point shy of a perfect score.
2. Michigan
APR Score: 996
2025 APR: 996 (No. 2)
The Michigan vs. Ohio State rivalry means everything, and with everything that happened this offseason, the last thing the Wolverines wanted to see was OSU top them in the rankings once again.
1. Ohio State
APR Score: 1000
2025 APR: 1000 (No. 1)
The Buckeyes have done it again. For the third year in a row, Ohio State has finished with a perfect score of 1000, something that has to be seen to be believed.
Contact/Follow@TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebook to follow ongoing coverage of WisconsinBadgers news, notes and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Ranking all 18 Big 10 football programs by 2026 academic progress rate
Reporting by Jordon Lawrenz, Badgers Wire / Badgers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
