Power Rankings
Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
10. Minnesota Golden Gophers
It will be Year Ten on the sidelines for P.J. Fleck at Minnesota this fall, now the second-longest tenure in the league. Fleck has built a consistent winner in the Twin Cities, winning at least eight games or more in six of his last seven full seasons at the helm, with a perfect bowl record to his credit. Entering 2026, the question is whether the Gophers can make the jump from merely being solid to becoming a legitimate contender in the conference.
To improve on last year's eight wins, Minnesota will need more from an offense that averaged just 23 points per game last fall - 99th nationally. The personnel will be very familiar, as the Gophers return Drake Lindsey at quarterback, most of their top skill position pieces, and three starters on the O-Line.
Lindsey was impressive in his first season as starter, considering he was a redshirt freshman playing in perhaps the toughest conference in the sport. He threw for 2,382 yards and 18 touchdowns on the year, and did not throw an interception in Minnesota's final five games. The Gophers are excited about what he can do for an encore this fall, especially with what they bring back around him.
The receiver corps was underwhelming a season ago, but returns its top two pass-catchers in Jalen Smith and Javon Tracy, and this was clearly a position of focus for the staff in the portal. Smith was the preseason darling heading into last season and displayed big-play potential - the Gophers are hopeful he can be a true No. 1 in 2026. Cincinnati transfer Noah Jennings looks likely to factor in heavily, while Perry Thompson arrives from Auburn with loads of potential but limited production at this point in his career.
It was certainly strange to see the Gophers, a team that has always pounded the rock under Fleck, struggle to run the ball so much last year. They averaged just 103.2 YPG, which ranked them 126th nationally. The return of Darius Taylor bodes well, but he needs to stay healthy after several injury-plagued seasons. Minnesota needs others to emerge to take the pressure off Taylor - Marshall transfer A.J. Turner missed most of last season with injury but should be back and ready to go in 2026. Elon transfer T.J. Thomas is also expected to see a healthy amount of action.
The ground game will benefit from this offensive line, which has three legitimate All-Big Ten talents in tackle Nathan Roy, guard Greg Johnson, and center Ashton Beers. Right guard and right tackle are both spots where position battles will unfold in fall camp, although adding Tennessee transfer Bennett Warren should help in a major way.
Defensive coordinator Danny Collins had the unenviable task of following up Corey Hetherman after he took off for Miami, and there were certainly growing pains in Year One. The numbers were okay, but the Gophers had some uncharacteristic ugly showings, namely allowing 41 to Iowa and 38 to Northwestern.
Despite the struggles, Fleck decided to roll with Collins for 2026, and there is reason to believe in a resurgence on this side of the ball. For one, this may be the best front seven we've seen here at Minnesota since Fleck took over. Anthony Smith likely would have been a Day One or Two NFL Draft pick, but instead opted to stay put after notching 12.5 sacks last season. He'll be joined by returnees Karter Menz and Jaxon Howard, while Cal transfer T.J. Bush Jr. further bolsters the group.
The linebacker corps will be spearheaded by Maverick Baranowski. The veteran has proven his worth on the field, with 103 tackles a year ago, but is now looking to take on more of a leadership role this year. The likely starter next to him is Matt Kingsbury, who had flashes last fall.
It is the secondary where most of the questions lie, as was the case a year ago. The departure of Koi Perich, who took a massive NIL package with Oregon, stings. However, it's no secret Perich went through a bit of a sophomore slump last year, and Minnesota has important pieces still around. Kerry Brown is perhaps the most underrated safety in the Big Ten, and will now pair with veteran Aidan Gousby. Corner is also in a good spot with John Nestor back after a breakout 2025, but it's unclear who will start opposite of him.
Bottom Line: When you consider the Gophers had a first-year QB, an offense that was statistically among the worst in the Big Ten, and a defense that took a major step backwards, going 8-5 last season should actually be seen as quite the success. This team has all the places in piece to improve on that win total, although the schedule doesn't exactly do them any favors. Mississippi State offers a tough non-conference date and the road schedule is brutal, with the Gophers traveling to Washington, Indiana, Penn State, and Wisconsin. The most likely scenario is another year right around the 8-9 win mark, with the potential for an upset or two if Lindsey takes the jump some think he's capable of after such a solid debut in 2025.
11. Wisconsin Badgers
After an incredible run at Cincinnati, it has been genuinely shocking to witness Luke Fickell struggle so throughly in Madison. With a 17-21 record entering his fourth season at the helm, few coaches in college football sit as firmly on the hot seat as he does.
Fickell certainly responded this offseason, moving like a coach on his last stand. The Badgers spent big in the portal to upgrade this roster, beginning with new QB Colton Joseph, who comes over from Old Dominion. Joseph put up monster numbers with the Monarchs, and his dual threat ability should provide this Badger offense with a different look than they've had previously. For Wisconsin to be successful, they need Joseph to limit the turnovers, which was a problem at times at ODU, and stay healthy. Few programs in college football have suffered as rotten injury luck at this position as Wisconsin.
The Badgers need more from this receiver group, too. Chris Brooks Jr. and Eugene Hilton are the top holdovers from 2025, but the staff hit the portal hard. Shamar Rigsby is a name to watch from Oklahoma State, and the Badgers are hopeful they can finally be the ones to unlock Malachi Coleman. He came with high billing from the high school ranks, but simply was not able to see the field at either Nebraska or Minnesota.
It will be Iowa State transfer Abu Sama III as the feature back with Darrion Dupree and TCU transfer Nate Palmer likely to feature. For this ground attack to reach the heights of vintage Wisconsin offenses, the O-Line also has to be better. There are a couple of returning starters, but this is another unit relying heavily on transfers.
For all their struggles last season, this was still a Top 25 defense, and I'm incredibly high on this Badger defense entering 2026. There's a lot of contributors back from last year's group, and the staff filled holes strategically in the portal.
The defensive line is perhaps the top question on this side of the ball, but they'll be helped by a potentially elite linebacker corps. Cooper Catalano and Mason Posa impressed last fall and could both take major leaps during their sophomore campaigns. Posa led the team in tackles and showed real pass rushing chops, with four sacks, and he only started five games. With both of those unleashed, this Badger defense should have a feel reminiscent of the groups that once patrolled the middle for Bret Bielema and Paul Chryst.
Matthew Jung will lead the secondary, but this unit is heavily reliant on transfers. Four new cornerbacks arrived via the portal, and Missouri transfer Marvin Burks Jr. is line to start alongside Jung at the safety spot.
Bottom Line: As bad as these last three years have been for Fickell, there's reason to believe the Badgers could be in store for a turnaround. The quarterback situation quite literally could not be any worse than it has the last two seasons, and Joseph appears like a genuine upgrade. There's real depth behind him this year, too, in a way there simply wasn't the last couple of years. The Badgers also upgraded the roster top-to-bottom with transfers, spending like a program ready to get back to their winning ways. Perhaps most importantly, the schedule is quite favorable, after Wisconsin played some of the hardest schedules in the conference over the first three Fickell years. The season opener with Notre Dame at Lambeau Field will be tough, but the Badgers miss Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana inside the league. At the very least, a return to the postseason seems to be in the cards, which may be just enough to get Fickell a fifth season in Madison.
12. Nebraska Cornhuskers
A 6-2 start had Nebraska fans thinking big last fall, but four losses in their final five games led to an unfulfilling 7-6 finish. Among those four losses was a 27-point thumping from a Penn State team that had effectively quit on their season, a 24-point defeat to rival Iowa, and a loss in the bowl game to Utah by three touchdowns. Those results have Matt Rhule under a bit of job pressure as he looks towards 2026. Rhule has gotten the Cornhuskers back to respectability, but is there another gear he can reach with the program?
Any hopes of greater heights this season will rest heavily on the shoulders of new quarterback Anthony Colandrea. Now with his third school, Colandrea is hoping he can find the consistency that has eluded him throughout his collegiate career. The senior has many amazing moments, but limiting turnovers and taking more calculated risks are what Nebraska is hoping for from him this fall.
Colandrea will benefit playing in a Dana Holgorsen offense, one that is going to look to stretch the field vertically and take their shots in a way we didn't see often with Dylan Raiola in 2025. The receiver group is talented, led by the duo of Nyziah Hunter and Jacory Barney Jr., but it's still looking for a true alpha. Both Hunter and the staff are hopeful is performance in the Maryland win a year ago was a sign of things to come - he burned the Terrapins for 5-125 and two touchdowns.
The departure of Emmett Johnson at running back is significant. After a pair of productive seasons, Johnson had his true breakthrough season in 2025, going for 1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns before being taken in the fifth round by the Kansas City Chiefs. The 'Huskers are likely to turn to a committee approach in the hopes of replicating some of his production. Mekhi Nelson and converted wide out Isaiah Mozee are likely to see the bulk of action right away, but highly touted newcomer Jamal Rule could end up being the best of the trio when it's all said and done.
The Nebraska offensive line has a few pieces back, fortunately at two of the best important positions in left tackle Elijah Pritchett and center Justin Evans. However, this is going to be yet another O-Line that relies heavily on transfers, and how quickly they can gel could be a huge factor in the offense's eventual success.
Much like Nebraska as a whole, the defense was tremendous throughout the season's first half, but slipped in a major way down the stretch. Giving up 37 points or more in all three of their final losses was a genuine shock, and Rhule acted quickly when firing coordinator John Butler. In his place will be Rob Aurich, who brings with him a 4-2-5 defensive scheme from San Diego State.
Aurich has some interesting pieces to work with on this defense, and it starts up front. The duo of defensive ends Cam Lenhardt and Williams Nwaneri is supremely talented, but needs to be better in 2026. Nwaneri in particular was one of the country's top recruits when he signed with Missouri coming out of high school, and at 6'7", he looks like an NFL pro. Yet, just 2.5 sacks last fall indicates there is plenty of work to be done.
Junior linebacker Vincent Shavers Jr. will play a key role in shoring up a rush defense that was leaky throughout much of last season, and this was an area of focus in the portal. Dexter Foster comes over from Oregon State, while Owen Chambliss reunites with Aurich after starring at San Diego State for him a year ago.
The pass defense may be short on big name star power but it was an elite group in 2025, finishing third in the nation in pass defense. Three starters are back this fall, so we can expect Aurich to play around and perhaps be more creative with the looks he will deploy up front given he knows he has this group behind them.
Bottom Line: The long-awaited Year Three breakthrough for Matt Rhule never quite materialized last fall, and I'm not sure it will arrive in Year Four, either. There are still reasons for optimism in Lincoln, as Colandrea feels like a much better fit for this offense than Raiola, and the defense has some very nice pieces. But the lack of Johnson offensively is concerning, and there simply is not the NFL talent on this roster Nebraska fans were hoping for from Rhule at this point in his tenure. In fact, 2026 feels like it could just be a repeat of last year, as the schedule sets up in a similar way. A hot start is likely, perhaps even a 5-0 record, before Nebraska hits an October and November that includes Indiana, Oregon on the road, Washington, Ohio State, and Iowa on the road. Rhule will have ample opportunities to get the big win that has eluded him so far in his Cornhusker tenure, but it's hard to imagine this team improving much on last year's 7-6 mark.
13. UCLA Bruins
