2026 B1G Previews: Michigan State Spartans

2026 B1G Previews: Michigan Wolverines

2026 B1G Previews: Maryland Terrapins

2026 B1G Previews: Iowa Hawkeyes

2026 B1G Previews: Indiana Hoosiers

 

Indiana Hoosiers

Location: Bloomington, IN

Stadium: Memorial Stadium (52,626)

Coach: Curt Cignetti (3rd year): 27-2 at Indiana, 146-37 overall, 18-1 v B1G

2025 Indiana Hoosiers (16-0)(10-0)                                     2026 Indiana Hoosiers

27           Old Dominion                  14                                           S5          North Texas

56           Kennesaw State               9                                           S12        Howard

73           Indiana State                      0                                           S19        Western Kentucky

63           Illinois                                  10                                           S25        Northwestern (Friday)

20           at Iowa                                15                                           O3          at Rutgers

30           at Oregon                           20                                           O10       at Nebraska

38           Michigan State                13                                           O17       Ohio State

56           UCLA                                      6                                           O24       at Michigan

55           at Maryland                       10                                           O31       Minnesota

27           at Penn State                   24                                           N7

31           Wisconsin                            7                                           N14       USC

56           at Purdue                             3                                           N21       at Washington

13           Ohio State                         10                                           N28       Purdue

                (B1G Championship)

38           Alabama                               3

                (Rose Bowl: CFP Quarterfinal)

56           Oregon                                22

                (Peach Bowl: CFP Semifinal)

27           Miami                                  21

                (National Championship)

 

                Coming off their improbable run to the national championship, Indiana returns 11 starters and of the 17 players they picked up in the transfer portal, eight could start.  Plus, Coach Curt Cignetti kept nine of his ten assistants, including both coordinators.

INDIANA OFFENSE: Indiana’s offense will turn to a new set of playmakers beginning with TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover who walks into an enviable situation: replacing last year’s Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza.  Hoover’s no slouch, however.  He comes to Indiana after throwing for over 9600 yards and 71 touchdowns in his three seasons at TCU.  Sophomore Khobie Martin scored six touchdowns and averaged 6.5 yards per carry as the number three RB and is slated to share the load this year with Boston College transfer junior Turbo Richard who gained over 1000 yards and 11 TDs in two years.  Junior WR Charlie Becker became one of the best receivers in the conference and is the leading returning receiver with 34 catches for 679 yards and four touchdowns.  Coach Cignetti also got two quality receivers out of the transfer portal, and they’ll step in right away.  Junior Nick Marsh caught 100 passes over the last two seasons at Michigan State and senior Shazz Perez hauled in 43 receptions last year at Tulane.  Fifth-year senior Tyler Morris will be in the receiver rotation and is looking to make a come back after sitting out last season due to injury.  The offense will benefit from the return of three veteran linemen.  Senior All-American LT Carter Smith, senior Drew Smith who moved to center from guard, and senior RG Bray Lynch were mainstays in the lineup last year.  Sophomore Adedamola Ajani, who started four games last year, will be a full-time starter at RT, while senior Joe Brunner will take over at LG after transferring in from Wisconsin.

WR Charlie Becker

 

INDIANA DEFENSE: Indiana returns six starters to a defense that was second in the nation in scoring defense (11.7 points per game) and fourth in total defense (266 yards per game).  The defensive line will be bolstered by the return of All-American candidate Tyrique Tucker and All-B1G Mario Landino in the middle.  Tucker led the way last year with 40 tackles, including 12 for a loss and six sacks while Landino pitched in with 32 stops, six TFLs and five sacks.  The Hoosiers will benefit from the addition of Chiddi Obiazor and Tobi Osunsanmi at the DE positions, both transferring in from Kansas State.  Both standout linebackers return.  Junior Rolijah Hardy led the team in tackles with 102 tackles, including a whopping 15 TFLs and eight sacks, while senior LB Isaiah Jones contributed 78 stops and also had 15 TFLs and seven sacks.  Senior CB Jamari Sharpe can be counted on to make the big plays in the secondary as witnessed by his 50 tackles and six TFLs.  His one interception of the year saved the win over Miami for the title.  Penn State transfer A.J. Harris will line up at the other CB position.  Senior FS Amare Ferrell returns after getting 48 tackles, four interceptions, and earning second-team All-B1G honors, and 5^th-year senior Preston Zachman, a Wisconsin transfer, will probably take over at strong safety.  Sophomore Byron Baldwin Jr. will likely take over at the rover position after playing on special teams.

DT Tyrique Tucker

 

SPECIAL TEAMS: Junior All-B1G kicker Nicholas Radicic returns after nailing 18 of 19 field goal attempts with a long of 46 while junior Quinn Warren will take over the punting chores full-time after averaging 48 yards on his six punts with a long of 57.

SUMMARY: Indiana lost a lot of experience with 23 graduated seniors plus a pair of starters leaving early for the NFL, but Coach Cignetti and his staff have a track record for developing talent.  New QB Josh Hoover has some big shoes to fill, but if he can just manage the offense without too many mistakes and the running backs and receivers step up, Indiana will make the CFP for the third straight year.

PROJECTION: 10-2/7-2  3^rd in B1G

2026 B1G Previews: Illinois Fighting Illini

 

Illinois Fighting Illini

Location: Champaign, IL

Stadium: Memorial Stadium (60,670)

Coach: Bret Bielema (6th year): 37-26 at Illinois 62-42 v B1G. 134-84 overall

2025 Illinois Fighting Illini (9-4)(5-4)                         2026 Illinois Fighting Illini

52        Western Illinois             3                                S3        Alabama-Birmingham (Thursday)

45        at Duke                        19                                S12      Duke

38        Western Michigan        0                                S19      Southern Illinois

10        at Indiana                    63                                S26      at Ohio State

34        USC                              32                                O3       Purdue

43        at Purdue                    27                                O10     at Michigan State

16        Ohio State                   34                                O17    

25        at Washington             42                                O24     Oregon

35        Rutgers                        13                                O31     at Maryland

24        Maryland                      6                                N6        Nebraska (Friday)

10        at Wisconsin                27                                N13      at UCLA (Friday)

20        Northwestern              13                                N21      Iowa

30        Tennessee                   28                                N28      at Northwestern

            (Music City Bowl)

 

            Illinois coach Bret Beliema hopes to keep the momentum going from two straight seasons of bowl games, winning four out of their last five games in 2025.

            ILLINOIS OFFENSE: Three-year starter Luke Altmyer has moved on after throwing for over 3000 yards and 22 touchdowns last year.  Replacing him will be East Carolina transfer QB Katin Houser.  A good, dual-threat quarterback, Houser started at Michigan State before moving to East Carolina.  Last year, Houser completed over 65 percent of his throws for 3300 yards, 19 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 181 yards and nine touchdowns.  The two top running backs return; junior Ca’lil Valentine led the way with 614 yards, averaging nearly five yards per carry, and scored four touchdowns.  Senior Aidan Laughty contributed 382 yards at over five yards per carry and scored three times.  Senior Kaden Feagan contributed 507 yards at 4.2 yards per carry, and scored seven times, however, Feagan has switched to TE.  Feagan caught 16 passes for 188 yards and two scores a year ago.  The Illini lost All-B1G WR Hank Beatty but return junior Collin Dixon and senior Hudson Clement.  Dixon was second on the team with 548 receiving yards on 35 receptions and five touchdowns and Clement was second in receptions with 36 to go along with his 454 receiving yards and three scores.  Redshirt freshman Braydon Trimble will figure in the receiver rotation this year after playing on special teams in three games last year and so will senior Jayshon Platt after transferring from Florida Atlantic after he grabbed 46 catches for 720 yards and five scores at FAU last year.  Senior Christian Abney will team up with Feagan at TE after catching one pass for 12 yards.  The Illini lost four starters on the offensive line; only senior RG Brandon Henderson, an Academic All-B1G, returns, so, they are counting on the transfer portal to yield big results.  They picked up junior LT Christian Martin and senior center Jake Renfro from Colorado State and Wisconsin respectively.  Sophomore LG Maika Matelau came in from junior college Mt. San Antonio while sophomore Nathan Knapik and junior TJ Taylor, a JUCO transfer from College of the Canyons, will compete for the starting RT spot.

QB Katin Houser

                ILLINOIS DEFENSE: The biggest change on this side of the ball is a new defensive coordinator, former Montana head coach Bobby Hauck.  Hauck is implementing a new 3-3-5 defensive set after success with it at Montana.  The challenge figures to be replacing five experienced players in the front seven.  Junior DE Joe Barna is the only returning Illini on the new defensive line. Barna played a big role in their Music City Bowl win over Tennessee, part of his 20-tackle performance last season.  Senior Carter Janki transferred from Ivy League Penn and will line up at the other DE spot after making First Team Ivy League.  Senior Darrell Prater figures to be in the middle after coming here from Jacksonville State where he picked up 23 stops, five tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.  The linebackers will be new starters, led by senior Daniel Brown with 11 stops last year.  Sophomore Grant Beerman played on special teams last year and figures to start at MLB, while senior James Kreutz will start at OLB after getting 29 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and three pass breakups.  The strength of this team is in the secondary where Illinois will welcome back All-B1G performers Xavier Scott, Matthew Bailey, and Juice Clarke.  Bailey, a senior FS, led the team in tackles with 76, which included four tackles for loss.  Clarke, a senior CB, managed 20 stops and seven pass breakups despite missing the first four games with an injury.  Scott, a senior NB, had six stops before an injury sidelined him.  Junior Jakwon Morris, considered the top JC transfer from NW Mississippi College, will line up at the other CB position, while senior Mac Resetich, an Academic All-B1G, will line up at the SS position after getting 19 tackles in 2025.

DE Joe Barna

SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior Ethan Maczulski transferred back from Washington and will handle the kicking duties after doing so for the Illini in 2024.  Last year, he handled the kickoff duties for the Huskies, and he holds the Illinois record for longest field goal when he nailed a 59-yarder against Central Michigan during the ’24 season.  Sophomore Lars Rau figures to take over at punter after red-shirting last year.

SUMMARY: The Illini offense, despite the loss of four starters on the line, figures to reload under the leadership of experienced offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. and the talented Houser.  The new defense may be a work in progress with the new DC and the new faces up front.  The Illini figure to get a rude awakening to conference play with a road trip to Ohio State and road trips to Michigan State and UCLA won’t be easy either.  But, if the new defense and the new starters on the offensive line can come together as a unit, another post-season trip to a decent bowl game should happen.

PROJECTION: 8-4/5-4  9^th in B1G

2026 Spring Game

 

Spring practice for the 2026 version of the Ohio State Buckeyes concluded with the annual Scarlet-Grey scrimmage in the ‘Shoe.  The offense (Scarlet) got out to a fast start but were overcome by the defense (grey) for a 35-26 final score. 

On the offensive side, the biggest standouts were redshirt freshman quarterback Tavien St. Clair and freshman wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., who connected on a pair of deep balls in the first quarter, including a 40-yard touchdown. A short day of work for Julian Sayin was highlighted by a 4-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening drive, leading the way to a 17-point first quarter for the offense that also included a 46-yard field goal by Connor Hawkins. Hawkins also connected on a 42-yarder in the fourth quarter and Luke Fahey impressed everybody with a twisting, turning 61-yard run to the end zone.  Julian Sayin gave hints of running the ball more often this year, which Coach Ryan Day has said needs to happen this year.  He showed better mobility this year on his four-yard TD run to open the scoring.  Sayin also ran more sprint-outs on passing plays as well.

Although Tavien St, Clair didn’t get a chance to show off his mobility, the freshman quarterback Luke Fahey sure did as he ran away from the defense for a 61-yard touchdown run late in the game and Justyn Martin also saw some action, going 1-for-5 for eight yards.  RB Bo Jackson was held out, which led the way for Favour Akih to lead the way with 50 yards on 16 carries.  Ja’Kobi Jackson and Stanley Jackson Jr. also saw the field, with Jackson getting 20 yards and Jackson Jr. 7 yards.  In addition to Henry Jr., Jeremiah Smith had two catches for 21 yards, along with Brock Boyd.

Defensively, DT Will Smith Jr, and DE Beau Atkinson played very well.  They teamed up on an interception as Smith Jr. tipped it and Atkinson picked it on an ill-advised throw by Sayin.  The defensive line looked solid as they paved the way to holding the Scarlet scoreless in the second and third quarters with Kenyatta Jackson Jr., the undisputed leader of that group.

20 weeks from now, it will be showtime for the 2026 season.