With Indiana hoisting the College Football Playoff trophy last season, the Big Ten Conference further cemented its dominance in college football, claiming a third consecutive national championship.
Can the league make it four consecutive crowns this season?
That question won’t be answered until January, but the Big Ten received an encouraging vote of confidence on Tuesday, Aug. 4, as three of its teams landed in the top 10 of the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, led by Ohio State at No. 1 overall.
Oregon, which returns Dante Moore at quarterback, came in at No. 2 in the Coaches Poll, while Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers, who will look to TCU transfer Josh Hoover as Fernando Mendoza’s successor, came in at No. 6 in the poll.
A pair of first-year Big Ten coaches, Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham and Penn State’s Matt Campbell, enter their first seasons in the conference in the top 20. Whittingham’s Wolverines head into Week 1 as the No. 16-ranked team in the land, while Campbell’s Nittany Lions will do so as the No. 17-ranked team in the country.
USA TODAY Sports unveiled the preseason US LBM Coaches Top 25 live on YouTube with instant analysis from our team of college football experts Blake Toppmeyer, Matt Hayes, John Brice and Paul Myerberg.
Here’s a look at how the Big Ten stacked up with other Power Four Conferences in the first US LBM Coaches Poll of the 2026 season:
College Football Preseason US LBM Coaches Poll
First-place votes in parentheses. Big Ten teams bolded.
Others receiving votes: Louisville 153; Florida 147; TCU 63; Illinois 62; Arizona 50; South Carolina 50; Virginia 40; Vanderbilt 37; Auburn 29; Georgia Tech 26; Boise State 24; Oklahoma State 22; UNLV 17; Florida State 13; North Carolina State 13; Nebraska 12; Virginia Tech 12; Memphis 9; Arizona State 8; Duke 6; James Madison 6; New Mexico (9-4) 4; Pitt 4; Navy 3; Western Michigan 3; San Diego State 2; Cal 1; Hawaii 1; Jacksonville State 1; Kansas State 1.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: College football rankings: Big Ten teams in preseason US LBM Coaches Poll top 25
Reporting by John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK / Detroit Free Press
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By John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
