Big Ten AP Poll Tracker

2026 Preseason · Football · 18 Teams

ConferenceSeasonPoll

Preseason AP results for all 18 Big Ten teams, published 2026-08-17.

8Teams in the AP Top 25

10Teams Receiving VotesIncludes the Top 25

7,523

33.5%

Big Ten AP Rankings

Preseason · 2026-08-17. All 18 season members, including teams with no votes.

Big Ten Teams in the Preseason AP Poll
Team	AP Rank
Ohio State	#1	1672	69 / 69	1.77	1.18
Oregon	#2	1597	69 / 69	2.86	1.72
Indiana	#6	1440	69 / 69	5.13	1.93
USC	#14	839	69 / 69	13.84	2.94
Michigan	#16	718	69 / 69	15.59	2.37
Washington	#17	501	62 / 69	17.92	2.34
Penn State	#18	482	65 / 69	18.58	2.37
Iowa	#22	260	62 / 69	21.81	2.15
Illinois	NR	9	3 / 69	23.00	2.16
Minnesota	NR	5	2 / 69	23.50	1.50
Maryland	NR	0	0 / 69	—	—
Michigan State	NR	0	0 / 69	—	—
Nebraska	NR	0	0 / 69	—	—
Northwestern	NR	0	0 / 69	—	—
Purdue	NR	0	0 / 69	—	—
Rutgers	NR	0	0 / 69	—	—
UCLA	NR	0	0 / 69	—	—
Wisconsin	NR	0	0 / 69	—	—

Weekly Conference Tracking

AP representation across the 2026 polls available in our archive.

Poll	Top 25 Teams	Receiving Votes	AP Points	Point Share	Ballots
Preseason2026-08-17	8	10	7,523	33.5%	69 / 69
Week 12026-09-08	7	11	6,960	31.0%	69 / 69
Week 22026-09-13	7	9	5,787	26.2%	68 / 68
Week 32026-09-20	7	10	6,115	27.3%	69 / 69
Week 42026-09-27	6	12	5,380	23.6%	70 / 70
Week 52026-10-04	6	10	5,008	22.0%	70 / 70
Week 62026-10-11	6	9	5,401	23.7%	70 / 70
Week 72026-10-18	6	7	5,850	25.7%	70 / 70
Week 82026-10-25	5	8	5,175	22.7%	70 / 70
Week 92026-11-01	5	8	5,050	22.2%	70 / 70

Membership is matched to the 2026 football season. Point totals reflect conference size and team rankings; they do not establish voter favoritism.

The Bigger Picture · Football

Big Ten Conference Through the Seasons

Conference champions and final AP Top 25 finishes, 1989–2025.

Historical Season

Each finish belongs to the conference the team represented that season. Only teams in the final Top 25 are listed; this history does not include individual voter ballots.

2025 · After postseason

Top 25 Teams: 6
Top 10 Teams: 3
Best AP Finish: #1

Final AP Top 25 Finishers

#1IndianaConference Title
#4Oregon
#5Ohio State
#17Iowa
#20USC
#21Michigan

College Poll Archive · Final 2025 AP poll and conference membership ↗

Compare All 37 Seasons · 1989–2025

Choose a season above to see its full list of ranked teams. Tied AP ranks and shared conference titles are preserved.

20256 Top 25 teamsIndianaConference champion
20245 Top 25 teamsOregonConference champion
20234 Top 25 teamsMichiganConference champion
20223 Top 25 teamsMichiganConference champion
20214 Top 25 teamsMichiganConference champion
20204 Top 25 teamsOhio StateConference champion
20196 Top 25 teamsOhio StateConference champion
20185 Top 25 teamsOhio StateConference champion
20175 Top 25 teamsOhio StateConference champion
20164 Top 25 teamsPenn StateConference champion
20156 Top 25 teamsMichigan StateConference champion
20143 Top 25 teamsOhio StateConference champion
20133 Top 25 teamsMichigan StateConference champion
20124 Top 25 teamsWisconsinConference champion
20114 Top 25 teamsWisconsinConference champion
20103 Top 25 teamsWisconsin · Michigan StateShared conference title
20094 Top 25 teamsOhio StateConference champion
20084 Top 25 teamsOhio State · Penn StateShared conference title
20074 Top 25 teamsOhio StateConference champion
20064 Top 25 teamsOhio StateConference champion
20053 Top 25 teamsOhio State · Penn StateShared conference title
20044 Top 25 teamsMichigan · IowaShared conference title
20035 Top 25 teamsMichiganConference champion
20024 Top 25 teamsOhio State · IowaShared conference title
20012 Top 25 teamsIllinoisConference champion
20003 Top 25 teamsMichigan · Northwestern · PurdueShared conference title
19997 Top 25 teamsWisconsinConference champion
19985 Top 25 teamsMichigan · Ohio State · WisconsinShared conference title
19974 Top 25 teamsMichiganConference champion
19965 Top 25 teamsOhio State · NorthwesternShared conference title
19955 Top 25 teamsNorthwesternConference champion
19943 Top 25 teamsPenn StateConference champion
19934 Top 25 teamsOhio State · WisconsinShared conference title
19922 Top 25 teamsMichiganConference champion
19912 Top 25 teamsMichiganConference champion
19904 Top 25 teamsMichigan · Illinois · Iowa · Michigan StateShared conference title
19894 Top 25 teamsMichiganConference champion

Biggest Placement Outliers

Preseason · Largest individual rank differences for Big Ten teams.

Voter	Team	Vote
Brett McMurphy	USC	#25	#14	-11
Eric Hansen	USC	#22	#14	-8
Javon Edmonds	Oregon	#10	#2	-8
Mike Griffith	Washington	#24	#17	-7
Brett McMurphy	Washington	#10	#17	+7
Javon Edmonds	Iowa	#15	#22	+7
Javon Edmonds	Michigan	#23	#16	-7
Andy Yamashita	Penn State	#25	#18	-7

Added and Omitted Teams

Preseason · Inclusion differences for Big Ten teams.

Voter	Team	Vote
Creg Stephenson	Penn State	NR	#18	Omitted by Voter
Jon Wilner	Iowa	NR	#22	Omitted by Voter
Kirk Kenney	Washington	NR	#17	Omitted by Voter
Adam Lichtenstein	Penn State	NR	#18	Omitted by Voter
Dylan Sinn	Washington	NR	#17	Omitted by Voter
Koki Riley	Iowa	NR	#22	Omitted by Voter
Koki Riley	Minnesota	#25	NR	Voter Only
Ian Kress	Illinois	#25	NR	Voter Only
Randy Johnson	Penn State	NR	#18	Omitted by Voter
Kevin Carter	Washington	NR	#17	Omitted by Voter
Ralph Russo	Iowa	NR	#22	Omitted by Voter
Ralph Russo	Minnesota	#22	NR	Voter Only
Rece Davis	Illinois	#24	NR	Voter Only
Rece Davis	Washington	NR	#17	Omitted by Voter
Javon Edmonds	Illinois	#20	NR	Voter Only
Pat Welter	Iowa	NR	#22	Omitted by Voter
David Jablonski	Iowa	NR	#22	Omitted by Voter
David Jablonski	Washington	NR	#17	Omitted by Voter
Murray Evans	Washington	NR	#17	Omitted by Voter
Bob Ballou	Iowa	NR	#22	Omitted by Voter
Kirk Bohls	Washington	NR	#17	Omitted by Voter
Eric Johnson	Penn State	NR	#18	Omitted by Voter
Greg Luca	Iowa	NR	#22	Omitted by Voter

Voter Comparisons

Placement compares only teams ranked by both the voter and the AP. Positive means higher than the AP rank; negative means lower. Additions and omissions are counted separately. Bars share a −3 to +3 scale; values are rank positions.

69 of 69 Voters · 1 Poll · Small Sample. One week describes this ballot only. How to Read These Scores →

Voter Conference Comparisons. Placement is in rank positions; additions and omissions are teams per ballot.
Voter
BJ Rains	+1.88	0	0	2.38	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Stephen Means	+1.50	0	0	2.50	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
David Briggs	+0.75	0	0	2.25	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
David Paschall	+0.75	0	0	1.50	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Dylan Sinn	+0.71	0	1	1.57	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Brian Howell	+0.50	0	0	1.25	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Bob Asmussen	+0.50	0	0	2.00	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Chelsie Brown	+0.38	0	0	1.88	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Ian Kress	+0.38	1	0	1.38	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
David Jablonski	+0.33	0	2	1.33	1 Ballot1 Scored · 6 Team Votes
Koki Riley	+0.29	1	1	2.57	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Ralph Russo	+0.29	1	1	2.57	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Zach Klein	+0.25	0	0	1.25	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Matthew McGavic	+0.25	0	0	0.50	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Garland Gillen	+0.25	0	0	1.75	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Michael Katz	+0.25	0	0	0.75	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Scott Hamilton	+0.25	0	0	0.50	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Alex Taylor	+0.25	0	0	1.75	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Creg Stephenson	+0.14	0	1	1.00	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Bob Ballou	+0.14	0	1	2.71	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Eric Johnson	+0.14	0	1	0.71	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Louie Vaccher	+0.13	0	0	1.38	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Madison Hricik	+0.13	0	0	0.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Lee K. Howard	+0.13	0	0	0.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Nicole Auerbach	+0.13	0	0	1.88	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
John Johnson	+0.13	0	0	0.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Julian Mininsohn	+0.13	0	0	0.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Ty Hildenbrandt	+0.13	0	0	1.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Jon Wilner	0.00	0	1	2.57	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Matt Murschel	0.00	0	0	1.75	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Kevin Carter	0.00	0	1	3.14	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Lia Assimakopoulos	0.00	0	0	0.50	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Ryan Zuke	0.00	0	0	0.50	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Joe Arruda	-0.13	0	0	0.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Chris Murray	-0.13	0	0	2.88	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Brenna Greene	-0.13	0	0	0.38	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Andy Kendeigh	-0.13	0	0	1.13	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Greg Luca	-0.14	0	1	1.57	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Nick Jacobs	-0.25	0	0	1.00	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Brian Fonseca	-0.25	0	0	2.25	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Kate Rogerson	-0.25	0	0	1.25	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Andy Yamashita	-0.25	0	0	2.50	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Randy Johnson	-0.29	0	1	1.14	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Pat Welter	-0.29	0	1	2.29	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Cameron Cox	-0.38	0	0	0.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Haley Sawyer	-0.38	0	0	0.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Dave Preston	-0.38	0	0	1.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Sean Reider	-0.38	0	0	1.38	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Spencer Ripchik	-0.38	0	0	0.38	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Mike Jacques	-0.38	0	0	1.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Tom Murphy	-0.50	0	0	0.75	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Mike Hill	-0.50	0	0	1.75	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Rece Davis	-0.57	1	1	2.29	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Murray Evans	-0.57	0	1	2.86	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Brett McMurphy	-0.63	0	0	3.13	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Keara Bruno	-0.63	0	0	0.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Kirk Kenney	-0.71	0	1	0.71	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Adam Lichtenstein	-0.71	0	1	1.29	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Jerry Humphrey	-0.75	0	0	0.75	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Jamal St. Cyr	-0.75	0	0	1.00	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Trevor Hass	-0.75	0	0	1.00	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Josh Furlong	-0.88	0	0	1.38	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Pete Yanity	-1.00	0	0	1.25	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Henry Greenstein	-1.25	0	0	1.75	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Mike Griffith	-1.38	0	0	2.88	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Kirk Bohls	-1.57	0	1	2.14	1 Ballot1 Scored · 7 Team Votes
Eric Hansen	-1.63	0	0	2.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Javon Edmonds	-2.00	1	0	4.75	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes
Chris Carter	-2.13	0	0	2.63	1 Ballot1 Scored · 8 Team Votes

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