Two bona fide national title competitors took center stage Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days, where Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Oregon’s Dan Lanning detailed why their programs are built to challenge reigning champ Indiana this fall.
Despite significant offseason losses, Day’s Buckeyes remain the league’s measuring stick from a talent standpoint. Meanwhile, Lanning enters 2026 with perhaps his most complete Oregon roster yet. Both coaches understand there’s little room for error in a conference that has produced three consecutive national champions.
The spotlight extended beyond the favorites, though. Bob Chesney discussed UCLA’s roster overhaul, Pat Fitzgerald addressed sweeping changes across college football and several others outlined offseason moves capable of reshaping the Big Ten race.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Wednesday’s appearances as another loaded season approaches in college football’s deepest conference.
Offseason fixes at Ohio State
Among the teams expected to contend for a top playoff seed, Ohio State did not finish 2025 on its best note. The Buckeyes lost to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game before falling to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
“Every year you look at the things that have gone well and the things that came up short,” Day said. “When you’re chasing small margins like we are, you have to identify the things that need to get fixed and fix them. The easy thing to do is do nothing or overreact. I won’t get into all those things, but yeah, there are a lot of things that needed to be addressed and we’ll continue to address.”
For the second consecutive offseason, Day had to replace his offensive coordinator after Brian Hartline accepted the head coaching job at USF. Former NFL playcaller Arthur Smith now takes over an offense led by Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and one of the nation’s deepest supporting casts.
Sayin, a Heisman Trophy finalist last season, is coming off one of the most efficient passing seasons in college football history after throwing for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns at a 77% completion rate.
“He’s really embraced this leadership role,” Day said. “When you combine that with our offensive line, the experience we have coming back and other guys in the room, we’re as experienced and as deep as we’ve ever been since I’ve been at Ohio State. Combine that with a quarterback coming back for his second year, that’s a big deal.”
Day believes Smith’s pro-style scheme will bring out the best in Sayin.
“He likes the challenge with some of the things Arthur has brought to the table,” Day said. “It’s been fun to watch, and I’m excited to see where this goes with him.”
How close is Oregon?
Only four active coaches have won a national championship, and many believe Lanning could become the fifth with a veteran-laden roster.
Oregon won the Big Ten title in 2024 and reached the playoff semifinals last season, but it has yet to break through.
Consecutive playoff exits to eventual national champions share a troubling theme. When the stakes rose against elite Big Ten competition, Oregon unraveled.
The Ducks’ unbeaten 2024 team earned the No. 1 seed before falling 41-21 to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Last year, after beating James Madison and shutting out Texas Tech, Oregon was overwhelmed by Indiana 56-22 in the national semifinals. That’s 97 points allowed across two season-ending defeats — hardly the championship standard Lanning has established in Eugene.
Oregon’s talent level is undeniable, and multiple playoff appearances have cemented the Ducks among the sport’s elite. The next step is obvious: building a team capable of absorbing adversity and playing its best football when the stakes are highest.
“Last year, I felt like we had a team with a ton of talent, but this year I feel like we have a lot of experience,” Lanning said.
The biggest concern for the preseason top-five Ducks? Replacing two coordinators after Will Stein departed for Kentucky and Tosh Lupoi accepted the California job.
“This will be the most player-led team we’ve had so far during my time at Oregon,” Lanning said. “We have a couple new leaders on both sides of the ball. (Defensive coordinator) Chris Hampton and (offensive coordinator) Drew Mehringer. Both of these guys are all-stars in the progression. They understand scheme and they’re really good at connecting. They’ve done an unbelievable job hitting the ground running this offseason. Those guys have been home runs so far.”
Buttoned-up Bob Chesney arrives for UCLA
What a difference two years make.
The Bruins were a punchline at Big Ten Media Days under DeShaun Foster after an awkward introduction foreshadowed a tenure that never gained traction. Now, Chesney arrives with credibility, confidence and a proven blueprint after leading James Madison to the College Football Playoff last season.
Chesney understands how to build toughness without enduring a lengthy rebuild. UCLA upgraded its roster, strengthened its identity and hired a coach known for maximizing overlooked talent. Continuity should also be a strength after Chesney brought much of his James Madison coaching staff and several key players with him to Westwood.
Whether the turnaround mirrors Curt Cignetti’s remarkable start at Indiana remains to be seen.
“I’m not really interested in putting artificial limits on ourselves or making promises on outcomes that have to be earned,” Chesney said. “I know what we will do is we’ll attack every single day with urgency and relentlessness and do the work. We’re not going to win on Saturdays because of only what we do on those Saturdays and our players understand that.”
Because UCLA operates on the quarter academic calendar, Chesney and the Bruins got a late start assembling the roster. But they still signed a top-15 transfer portal class. More than half of the roster consists of newcomers.
“I don’t have a record we’re looking at,” Chesney said. “Just understand, we’re not putting limits on ourselves, but we understand these outcomes have to be earned and that’s going to happen on a day-to-day basis.”
Pat Fitzgerald adjusting to college football’s new reality
Returning to the conference after three years away from the sport, Fitzgerald takes over Michigan State in the middle of a new era driven by roster spending, portal movement and the rarity of redshirting.
“The biggest change (occurs from) the end of your season until you start the spring semester,” Fitzgerald said. “The retention of your roster and the acquisition of talent you get through the portal. Yeah, there’s a financial component to it, revenue share, NIL and all that, but to me, that’s been the biggest change. Guys want to be developed and want to be coached. Our staff motto is to be the best player developmental program in the country, and we’re going to do it holistically.”
The Spartans were placed on three years of probation by the NCAA in November 2025 following violations committed by former staff members during Mel Tucker’s tenure, which preceded Jonathan Smith’s two-year failure in East Lansing. It was a challenge Fitzgerald couldn’t wait to take on.
“I wasn’t going to walk to East Lansing, I was going to sprint,” Fitzgerald said. “The opportunity, once it was presented to myself and our family, it was a no-brainer.
“I wouldn’t say I have a chip on my shoulder. I wouldn’t say our program has a chip on our shoulder. I’d say we have a bag of chips on our shoulder. I’ll leave it at that.”
Minnesota continues to tout consistency
ETA: enjoy the adventure.
That’s the mantra inside Minnesota’s program, according to P.J. Fleck, who has made a career out of maximizing limited resources. It seems like yesterday Fleck emerged as one of college football’s rising stars at Western Michigan. Now entering his 10th season with the Golden Gophers, he’s found success despite the lack of top-end roster talent enjoyed by the Big Ten’s heavyweights.
“We have to continue to win in the margins,” Fleck said. “If you look at the successful seasons we’ve had, we win one-possession games. If we don’t win one-possession games, we don’t have a great year. Or we might have a great year, and everybody’s like, ‘Ah, there was more meat left on the bone.’
“The statistics that are really tied to winning — the ball, tackling and explosive plays. If we can win those three every game, and then we can win the one-possession games, we have a chance to be a really good football team.”
The only Big Ten team to bring back its head coach, both quarterbacks and the starting quarterback — a rarity in today’s college football — the Golden Gophers also signed a 31-member freshman class that could strengthen the two-deep.
“High school recruiting, development and retention will always be the meat and potatoes of our program,” Fleck said. “80% of our players are high school players, developing within our program. That’s the meat and potatoes of the diet, the high school players mixed with — now I’m 45, I need some supplements — so, the supplement is our 20% portal players. Both are essential to the diet at the University of Minnesota.”
Purdue’s Barry Odom stands by his QB
No one’s a bigger believer in his quarterback than Barry Odom, who handpicked Ryan Browne as a midsummer enrollee last season and stuck with him despite just nine touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
The Boilermakers lost 10 straight games after opening the season with wins over Ball State and Southern Illinois, pushing the offense and Odom under the microscope in 2026.
“There were some really good ups for him and some low lows. The quarterback gets too much praise and gets too much criticism,” Odom said. “He understands he’s judged on wins, just like we all are. I’m judged on it. Ryan’s a fierce competitor with a unique set of skills.”
Purdue signed 29 transfers this offseason, including more than a half-dozen new starters on offense, to ensure Browne has the weaponry and protection to help him succeed as a junior.
“We’re a completely different team, a different program,” Odom said. “There’s a renewed energy throughout our building and throughout our organization.”
Purdue was picked by media members to finish at the bottom of the Big Ten this week.
