In arguably, what is the toughest conference in college football, the Big Ten, life is about to get even harder for OBD. In a future article I will make the case that there are five teams that will be responsible for this, but first, let’s look at the 12 teams that did not make my list. I would love your ...

The Big-10 is Getting Tougher for Oregon….or NOT?

Oh Don....great article, but I do have two areas of disagreement.

First...your beloved Hawkeyes are not in the top five of teams that will make life harder for the Ducks? My friend...they already have made life harder, as we were fortunate to escape that incredibly tough environment this last fall. Any team that goes to Iowa City is in for a big-battle. With a new QB...I see more of that from Iowa.

Second...quietly...Bret Bielema has built a strong team at Illinois. They have gradually become better, and this year won NINE games, including a sweet win over the SEC in their bowl game against Tennessee. I see a very tough trip to Champaign this fall, and thus the Illini are certainly going to make life harder for the Ducks and all Big-10 opponents...IMHO.

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My Duck-Buddies....this article by Don Marsh is well thought out, and fun to discuss. It is a great example of an opinion article that gets us all pondering, and something our writers at FishDuck.com enjoy to contribute to the forum. Do YOU have something to say? Write it in an email or on a Word Document and email it to me charles@fishduck.com and I'll take it from there. We'll have an editor polish it, and I will add pictures.

I could use guest articles in the off-season, and I am very grateful to people who contribute as they do so often. Thanks to Jon Joseph, Mike Whitty, Mike West, and of course--Don Marsh. Add your name to that list!

Mr. FishDuck

Don, thank you for a great B1G look at football in one of CFB's top two conferences. Three in a row for the B1G is nice, but in today's wired world, I'm wary of recency bias.

The Power 4 conferences in 2025 all had six teams that did not win more than five games. I line these teams up in hypothetical games, and I think the SEC is the deepest conference top to bottom.

The ACC and B12 have sub-basements, and I think it would be closer than most football fans, and the media think, but that the SEC's basement would be better than the B1G's.

With the SEC playing nine conference games this season, we will have an apples-to-apples comparison.

Indiana among the Givens and rightfully so? I still have difficulty acknowledging that football is excellent in Bloomington and suspect in Lincoln. Vice versa when it comes to basketball. (Credit to The Athletic for coming up with the comparison.)

For as long as Brett Bielma is coaching Illinois, the Fighting Illini will be a tough out. If we have learned anything over the last three seasons, it's that the middle of the B1G is not inferior to the middle of the SEC.

Illinois, as Don so noted, has led the way with wins over 9-3 South Carolina and this past season's win over a close to season long ranked Tennessee team in Nashville.

The 8-4 Hawkeyes bowl win over 10-2 Vanderbilt in Tampa this season, put a stamp on the B1G middle not being second fiddle to the SEC, and also gave support to the B1G's 24-team playoff plan.

Purdue. Unlike Right Coast teams, Maryland and Rutgers, Boilermakers fans show up and sell out the stadium, whether inebriated or not. This is the school that produced Bob Griese, Drew Brees, and Rod Woodson.

I think Purdue hired the right guy in Barry Odom. Can another school located in Indiana become a power in football? I doubt it, but I think Purdue doubles its win total in 2026, from two to four, and is .500 or better beginning in 2027.

Wisconsin. A year after year Rose Bowl contender with a terrific fan base and an AD who walked the walk and came with the money in 2026, after promising to invest more in the football program. The Badgers finished strong in 2025 with home upset wins over No. 23 UW and No. 21 Illinois.

Yes, it was in a torrential downpour, but Wisconsin had many players on the defense out with injuries and still battled OBD to the wire in a 21-7 loss. And the game in Madison in 2024 was as close as it can get.

The Wisconsin schedule in 2025 was the most difficult in the conference. In 2026, notwithstanding an opening game vs. Notre Dame in Green Bay, CBS Sports ranks Wisconsin's schedule as the easiest in the conference. One would think that the football gods would not take out Wisconsin's starting QB early in the season for the fourth year in a row. (Especially when the QB's name is Colton Joseph! 🤪)

This team played solid D in 2025 with many young players getting valuable minutes. I think the Badgers bounce back in 2026 with a shot at winning eight or more games.

Nebraska left the B12 because of Texas, and the way in which the conference kissed Texas's Longhorns. No school in the conference has more zealous fans, as recently evidenced by Big Red fans taking over the arena in Oklahoma City for the basketball tournament game against Vanderbilt. And also selling out the football stadium for a record attendance volleyball game.

I agree that cool is not the Ruhle in Lincoln. The football head coaching firings and hirings post-Osbourne have been baffling. I look for the Cornhuskers to again finish no better than slightly over .500. (Off the wall, I can see Dan Mullen coaching this team in 2027.)

I expect UCLA under Bob Chesney to be much improved. I don't believe UCLA will be an easy out. Oregon blew Chesney's team out in the first half of the first-round playoff game in Autzen, and JMU never stopped competing.

I'm leaving all things Iowa and the discussion of other B1G programs in your more than capable Hawkeye hands.

Thanks again, Don, and well done, Sir, well done.