2026 Big Ten schedule: Indiana and Ohio State to meet in Week 7 before Hoosiers visit Michigan in Week 8

Indiana and Ohio State will meet for a third straight season in October 2026.

The Big Ten released its 2026 football schedule Wednesday, and the defending national champions will host the team that won the national title after the 2024 season in Week 7 on Saturday, Oct. 17. Indiana played at Ohio State in 2024 before the two teams met in the Big Ten title game at the end of the 2025 regular season. Indiana won that game 13-10, and the Hoosiers went on to cap a 16-0 season with a win over Miami in the national championship game.

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Indiana plays Ohio State, Michigan and USC over a four-game stretch this fall. After hosting the Buckeyes, the Hoosiers visit Michigan in Week 8. Following a game against Minnesota in Week 9 and a bye in Week 10, Indiana hosts USC in Week 11 before ending the season with a road trip to Washington and its annual rivalry game with Purdue.

There are more games among the top teams in the Big Ten across the 2026 season. Oregon plays USC, Ohio State and Michigan, in addition to its rivalry game with Washington, and USC hosts Ohio State in Week 9. Penn State appears to have the best schedule rotation of the traditional Big Ten powers; the Nittany Lions avoid games against Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon.

There is still one game that needs to be figured out for every team’s schedule to be complete, however. Since USC and Notre Dame are not playing in 2026, the Trojans have an opening in Week 0. USC has off weeks in Week 7 and Week 10 and is scheduled to play a yet-to-be-named team at the end of August.

Here’s the complete Big Ten schedule for the upcoming season. Northwestern plays nine straight games to end the season after a bye in Week 2, while Indiana and USC have the latest bye weeks.

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Week 1

• Eastern Illinois at Minnesota

• Northern Illinois at Iowa

• Western Michigan at Maryland

• South Dakota State at Northwestern

• Indiana State at Penn State

• Washington State at Washington

Week 2

• Rutgers at Boston College

• Mississippi State at Minnesota

• Eastern Michigan at Michigan State

• Bowling Green at Nebraska

• Western Illinois at Wisconsin

Week 3

• Virginia Tech at Maryland

• Southern Illinois at Illinois

• Western Kentucky at Indiana

• Michigan State at Notre Dame

• Eastern Washington at Washington

• Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin

Week 4

• Nebraska at Michigan State

Week 5

• Penn State at Northwestern

• Michigan State at Wisconsin

Week 6

• Illinois at Michigan State

• Ball State at Northwestern

Week 7

• Northwestern at Michigan State

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

• Michigan State at Michigan

Week 11

• Washington at Michigan State

• Northwestern at Ohio State

Week 12

• Northwestern at Minnesota

Week 13

• Michigan State at Rutgers