Is another team ready to take over the top of the Big Ten from Indiana and Ohio State?

After years of unchecked dominance from the SEC, the Big Ten Conference cemented its place as the premier place in college football for the 2025-2026 season.

The Indiana Hoosiers completed an incredible 16-0 season by winning the National Championship, defeating Ohio State in the conference championship game, dominating Alabama in the Rose Bowl, and beating Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

That completed the Big Ten trifecta, with the Michigan Wolverines winning the championship in 2024, and the Buckeyes following it up by beating Notre Dame to win the title in 2025. While the SEC may have better overall depth, there is no doubt that the top of the Big Ten is as good or better than anyone.

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And a new program may be ready to take their turn at the top of the Big Ten: those same Oregon Ducks.

One of the most predictable measures of a team’s strength from year to year is how much production returns from the previous season. It makes sense; The more key players stay with the team, the better it continues to improve.

The Big Ten, surprisingly, has several teams returning their production on both sides of the ball. ESPN’s Bill Connelly ran the numbers, and found that teams like Maryland, Nebraska, Minnesota and UCLA all ranked in the top 10 nationally in punt return rate. Although given how these teams play in 2025, that doesn’t matter much. Number 12, though? Oregon ducks.

And that carryover production is coming from a team that lost just two games all season, both to Indiana. They handled a very good USC team, 42-27, overcame adverse conditions to get past the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road, beat the rival Washington Huskies, and most impressively, shut out an elite Texas Tech team 23-0 in the College Football Playoff. And they return players responsible for 66% of their total production, including star linebacker Dante Moore.

Oregon Ducks linebacker Dante Moore (5) warms up before the 2025 Orange Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Photos by Sam Navarro / Photos)

Just behind them at 65%? USC is coming off an important season under Lincoln Riley.

Here’s where Oregon has an advantage, though. They returned that percentage to a team that was much better than USC. It’s no surprise, then, that with Connelly’s SP+ projections, Oregon is projected to be the No. 2 team in the country, in efficiency on offense, defense and special teams.

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What about the other Big Ten schools, though?

USC is the biggest wildcard. They stay at No. 13 in SP+ projections, thanks to an exceptional offense and defense that is expected to be strong, if not spectacular. But their special teams projection has dropped significantly to No. 100 in the country, thanks to a series of disastrous mistakes in 2025. Special teams, however, should be an easy place to improve. So if the Trojans can make some adjustments, they can surpass the expected eight-game winning streak.

Ohio State and Indiana, the two recent champions, have a tough mountain to climb, though their rosters are far from a disaster. The Buckeyes return 60% of their product, while Indiana is at 56%, even with a lot of turnovers. That ranked at No. 31 and No. 52, respectively. Important, but not enough to push any team into the top 5 in the national provinces. And Ohio State sits at No. 1, thanks to recruiting specials and key players like Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith returning.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning attends the Oregon Pro Day on March 17, 2026, at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Oregon. (Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

But if there is an offensive drinking at the top of the conference, Oregon may be the place to look. The question then becomes, can they put it all together against a tough schedule? The Ducks play USC on the road, host Nebraska, travel to Illinois, play Ohio State on the road, host Michigan and have their home game against Washington in Autzen.

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It won’t be easy, but don’t be surprised if by the end of the season, Dan Lanning and the Ducks are back in the conversation.