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

After years of unchecked dominance by the SEC, the Big Ten Conference has solidified its place as the best in college football for the 2025-2026 season.

The Indiana Hoosiers capped off a remarkable 16-0 season by winning the National Championship, beating Ohio State in the conference championship game, beating Alabama in the Rose Bowl, and then beating Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

That completed the Big Ten trifecta with the Michigan Wolverines winning the title in 2024, then the Buckeyes followed that up by beating Notre Dame to win the title in 2025. While the SEC may have better depth overall, there’s no question that the top of the Big Ten is as good or better than anyone else.

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

One of the most predictable measures of a team’s strength from year to year is how much production it returns from the previous season. Logical; The more key players remain in the team, the better it is in terms of continuity and development.

Oddly enough, there are a few teams in the Big Ten that get most of their production on both sides of the ball. ESPN’s Bill Connelly He crunched the numbers and found teams like Maryland, Nebraska, Minnesota and UCLA all ranked in the top 10 nationally in return value. But that’s less important considering how these teams play in 2025. But number 12? Oregon Ducks.

And that production comes from a team that lost just two games against Indiana all season. They handled a very good USC team 42-27, overcame tough conditions to outlast the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road, beat the rival Washington Huskies, and most impressively, beat the elite Texas Tech team 23-0 in the College Football Playoff. And they return players responsible for 66% of the total production, including star point guard Dante Moore.

Oregon Ducks quarterback 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, Florida. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)

Is it right behind them at 65%? USC is entering a pivotal season under Lincoln Riley.

But this is where Oregon has the advantage. They return that percentage from a team that is significantly better than USC. It’s no surprise that Oregon is expected to be the nation’s No. 2 team in terms of offense, defense and special teams efficiency, according to Connelly’s SP+ projections.

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What about other Big Ten schools?

USC is the biggest wild card. They rank 13th in SP+ predictions thanks to their elite offense and defense that is expected to be solid, if not outstanding. But his special teams projections have fallen to 100th in the country in 2025 due to a series of disastrous mistakes. But special teams should be the easiest area to improve. So if the Trojans can make some adjustments, they can exceed the eight-game win expectation.

The two most recent champions, Ohio State and Indiana, have a slightly tougher hill to climb, although their roster compositions are far from disastrous. The Buckeyes return 60% of their production, while Indiana remains at 56% despite a few big departures. It ranks 31st and 52nd respectively. It’s significant, but not enough to take either team out of the top 5 in national predictions. Ohio State remains at No. 1 thanks to consistent elite recruiting and the return of key players like Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith.

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

But if unrest emerges at the top of the conference, Oregon might be the place to look. Then the question becomes; Can they bring it all together despite a challenging schedule? The Ducks play USC on the road, host Nebraska, travel to Illinois, play Ohio State on the road, host Michigan and have a rivalry game against Washington in Autzen.

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It won’t be easy, but don’t be surprised if Dan Lanning and the Ducks are back with us at the end of the season.